Renatta Signorini stories, Page 148
Woodland Hills community grieves over Rosfeld verdict, looks to unite
Woodland Hills High School students will discuss this week how they want to honor and remember their 17-year-old classmate, Antwon Rose II, who was shot and killed by a police officer in June. For now, the community is coping with the fallout from a four-day trial after ex-East Pittsburgh police...
Mother of crash victim testifies at suspect’s sentencing hearing: ‘I don’t want to be me’
Shannon Lakenan-Rowland can remember her mother holding her younger brother Joshua Jordan when he was a baby. On Thursday, Lisa Lakenan carried an urn containing his remains into a Westmoreland County courtroom. She placed it on the wooden ledge of the witness stand. “I would never wish anybody to be...
4 Jeannette streets to be paved in $157K project
Four Jeannette streets will be reconstructed in this year’s paving project. Council awarded the $157,000 contract to Tresco Paving of Plum. City clerk Michelle Langdon said the following streets will be part of the project: • Charles Street, from Division Street to Clark Avenue. • Highland Avenue, from Charles to...
2 accused in Jeannette shooting arrested, taken to jail
Two people accused of involvement in a shooting that injured a Jeannette woman last week surrendered to police Wednesday, said Chief Shannon Binda. Elijah T. Miles, 22, and DeJanette Ivy Crosby, 23, both of Mt. Pleasant, were taken to the Westmoreland County Prison. Police had been looking for the pair...
Jeannette police cars to have ‘In God We Trust’ decals
Jeannette police cars soon will be adorned with new decals that read “In God We Trust.” City council unanimously approved the measure. Fejes Signs in Jeannette is working on a design. “It is our country’s motto,” said Mayor Curtis Antoniak. “I’m very proud of our country.” Antoniak came up with...
North Side man set for April sentencing in drug overdose death
A North Side man pleaded no contest this week to a drug delivery resulting in death charge in connection with a fatal overdose two years ago. Darnell Stephens, 23, is set for sentencing April 26. The case was the first in which Pittsburgh police charged an alleged dealer in connection...
4 DUI arrests on St. Patrick’s Day weekend reported by Laurel Highlands task force
Members of the Laurel Highlands DUI Task Force made four driving under the influence arrests during St. Patrick’s Day weekend, according to a post on Latrobe Police Department’s Facebook page. The task force did roving patrols from Friday to Sunday and stopped 92 vehicles. They issued five citations for underage...
Sheriff’s deputies seize $1,700, heroin while serving arrest warrant
A New Derry woman is facing drug charges after Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies seized $1,750 and heroin from her Monday, according to court papers. Deputies were picking up Rachel Carol Johns, 37, at a Unity home on an arrest warrant when they noticed a needle and other drug paraphernalia in...
Attempted homicide, related charges filed in Jeannette shooting
Jeannette police filed criminal charges Tuesday against two people accused of involvement in a shooting last week that injured a woman. Arrest warrants were issued for Elijah T. Miles, 22, and DeJanette Ivy Crosby, 23. Police Chief Shannon Binda said Tuesday the female victim was recovering from a leg wound....
Police: Man faked credentials for security firm, didn’t pay Greensburg man
Pennsylvania State Police say a New Jersey man who claimed to operate an area security firm had fraudulent credentials and was using a state certification number that belongs to someone else. Kenneth L. Wilson, 48, was charged in Greensburg with theft and tampering with public records. A warrant has been...
Pa. National Guard members deploying to Poland
About 500 members of the Pennsylvania National Guard are preparing to deploy to Poland this spring, according to the state department of military and veteran affairs. Those members assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment will be mobilized there as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence mission, according...
Derry Township constable ordered to stand trial on theft, extortion accusations
The situation seemed to make sense at first for a Hempfield man who gave a Derry Township constable $2,000 last year for a purported shooting competition. Matthew Sellers signed up for what he thought was a couple sponsorships and gave Brian McDowell, 35, some extra cash to fix a scope...
Police: Man drove 100 mph on Route 30 in Ligonier
A Derry Township man didn’t have a valid driver’s license when police say he was going twice the speed limit on Route 30 eastbound Saturday in Ligonier Township. Todd Michael Trout, 28, was driving at 77 mph in a 55 mph zone at 8:20 a.m. and accelerated to 100 mph...
East Huntingdon road to close April 1 for bridge replacement
An East Huntingdon road will close for several months starting on April 1 for a bridge replacement, according to PennDOT. Work will be done on Buttermore Road in a section over a stream between Route 31 and Stoner Road. Utility relocation and tree removal work are ongoing in that area....
Election officials campaign for poll workers in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
Poll workers are becoming hard to find, both locally and statewide. It’s important work — checking in voters and delivering results — that takes more than 40,000 volunteers across Pennsylvania to make sure the process runs smoothly. But fewer are interested, making it a problem that seems to get worse...
Don’t call it a comeback: Despite record busts, officials say cocaine never went away
Recent large seizures of cocaine locally and nationally make it seem as though the drug is making a comeback. It’s not. “It never really went away. There’s just, unfortunately, an abundant supply of it,” said Patrick Trainor, special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. As Pennsylvania officials report an...
Jeannette police: Woman shot during child custody incident
Jeannette police and Westmoreland County detectives are looking for two people they said are involved in a shooting that injured a woman Friday in Jeannette. Police said the shooting started as a child custody incident before 2 p.m. at a North Third Street home. DeJanette Crosby, 23, was visiting her...
No decision about coroner’s inquest in death of Greensburg woman shot by police
Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha said Friday he will decide later whether to hold an inquest into the death of a Greensburg woman who was fatally shot by police this week. After county detectives are finished investigating, Bacha said he will confer with District Attorney John Peck to decide if...
Police investigating armed robbery at Hempfield convenience store
State police are looking for a man who robbed a Hempfield convenience store late Wednesday. The suspect entered a 7-Eleven at the intersection of Route 136 and Fosterville Road at 10:35 p.m. and displayed a knife, troopers said. The suspect, a white male, fled with cash and a pack of...
Mental health advocate says sufferers typically are victims, not violent perpetrators
Many Americans have experienced some form of mental illness and getting the appropriate treatment is important, said Laurie Barnett Levine, director of Mental Health America of Southwestern Pennsylvania. But there is a stigma associated with mental illness that may act as a barrier for some to get help. “Mental health...
‘Battling Opioids’ documentary returns to public broadcasting in April
The second installment of an award-winning television documentary series about opioids will be shown on Pennsylvania’s seven public broadcasting stations next month. “Battling Opioids” will address the effects of the opioid epidemic on children and families in part two of the series. The show will air locally at 8 p.m....
Elderly Jeannette man charged with possessing child pornography
A Jeannette man was jailed Wednesday on allegations that he had numerous child pornography files on his computer, according to court papers. Curtis Lamar House, 75, told investigators he didn’t understand why that type of pornography is illegal “because he didn’t think anyone was getting hurt,” agents from the state...
OxyContin maker says bankruptcy an ‘option’ as lawsuits move through courts
Bankruptcy is an “option” for drug maker Purdue Pharma in light of numerous lawsuits against them and others in connection with the nation’s opioid epidemic, the Washington Post reports. One of those lawsuits was filed in December 2017 by Westmoreland County, which seeks unspecified damages from 27 drug companies, including...
DEA warns of scam phone calls after increase
The Drug Enforcement Administration issued a warning Wednesday after an “alarming” rise in scam phone calls relating to the agency. The phone calls involve a caller posing as a DEA agent or other law enforcement official threatening arrest for drug-related offenses or legal action over an exorbitant fine that doesn’t...
Woman, 19, killed in Armstrong County crash on icy road
A Butler County woman was killed early Tuesday in an Armstrong County vehicle crash. Billie Paige Edwards, 19, of Boyers died after losing control of her Honda Accord on an icy road in Hovey Township at 7 a.m., according to state police. Edwards’ car crossed over the center line of...
