Tony LaRussa stories, Page 22
Building the Valley: David’s Diner in Springdale Twp. marking 10th year of serving crowd-pleasing favorites
There are a lot of reasons to love David’s Diner in Springdale Township. In the 10 years since opening its doors, the tiny diner just downriver from the Ninth Street Bridge has become a neighborhood gathering place with a reputation for serving big portions of delicious food. It also has...
AHN Wexford Hospital in Pine adds cardiothoracic surgery program
Allegheny Health Network is expanding the services offered at its Wexford Hospital in Pine with the addition of a thoracic surgery program. The clinical director for the program is cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Hiran C. Fernando, who also serves as a professor of surgery at the Drexel University College of Medicine...
Man who fled faces felonies for tearing up bean field during chase by Parks Township police
Parks Township police say a man who was caught after fleeing from a traffic stop will face multiple felony charges, including two for tearing up a bean field with his car. John Jacob Kemerer, of Vandergrift was charged with two felony counts each of fleeing from police and drug possession...
Vandergrift police say man in wreck was Tasered twice while resisting arrest; felony charges filed
Vandergrift police say a Michigan man they found asleep behind the wheel after he wrecked into a parked vehicle had to be Tasered twice when he resisted arrest and ran from officers. Stanley Francis Molette, 35, of Farmington Hills was charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault and counts...
Lower Burrell police charge man with strangling child after investigating ChildLine abuse report
Lower Burrell police charged a man with a felony count of strangulation after investigators received a state ChildLine report that he choked a juvenile during an argument. Ronald Gregory Jefferies, 38, of Caribou Drive also faces charges of simple assault and harassment in connection with the incident that allegedly occurred...
Washington Township police charge man awaiting trial with trying to intimidate witness
Washington Township police say a man who is in jail awaiting trial on multiple felony counts was charged with another felony after he tried to intimidate a witness. Harold Michael Franks, 40, 300 block of Route 356 is in the Westmoreland County jail awaiting trial on felony charges filed in...
Fawn man found guilty of sexually assaulting 2 children
A Fawn Township man who was arrested in 2019 is awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of repeatedly sexually assaulting two young children. Douglas Charles Simoncic Jr., 31, of Iron Bridge Lane was found guilty Oct. 11 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court to two counts each of involuntary deviate...
Alabama man accused of using cellphone during fatal crash with New Kensington motorcyclist
New Kensington police accused an Alabama man of looking at his cellphone while driving when he ran a red light in September 2021 and crashed into a motorcycle, killing the rider. Jim Robert Adamson, 59, of Goodwater, Ala., is charged with a felony count of homicide by vehicle along with...
Police: Bell Township man charged with felony in fatal shooting of beagle that wouldn’t listen
State police charged a man from Bell Township with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals after his estranged wife told them he fatally shot their beagle because it wasn’t listening. Eric J. Rumbaugh, 51, of the 300 block of Nelson Road also faces charges of simple assault, reckless...
Fire marshal says blaze at Beermuda likely caused by overloaded power strip
Firefighters from at least six Alle-Kiski Valley towns quickly extinguished a fire Thursday morning at The Beermuda bar and restaurant in New Kensington that is believed to have been sparked by an overload power strip. A state police fire marshal on Friday said the incident is still under investigation but...
2 suspects arrested in Arnold shooting, high-speed chase jailed without bail; driver still being sought
A man and woman accused of shooting into a passing car in Arnold on Monday before leading police from several departments on a chase that reached 100 mph are in jail after a magistrate denied bail at their arraignment Tuesday morning. Tishan Lowe Jr., 30, of the 1000 block of...
Harmar police say pharmacy tech stole over 15K doses of prescription drugs
A pharmacy technician at an adult training facility admitted to stealing more than 15,000 doses of various prescription drugs used to treat anxiety, panic disorders and opioid addiction, Harmar police said. Stephanie L. Murphy, 44, of the 300 block of South Atlantic Avenue in Bloomfield was charged with felony counts...
Manhunt underway after shooting suspects flee Arnold; multiple police departments join search
Police from multiple departments in the Alle-Kiski Valley were called out to search for suspects who fled after a vehicle was shot up in Arnold late Monday morning. The incident began at 11:30 a.m. in the 1900 block of Kenneth Avenue, according to a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor. There were...
Faces of the Valley: Pastor leading congregation of Parks Township church where she was raised
The Rev. April Bell loved going to church services while growing up, but she never really thought about entering ministry — let alone leading the congregation at the church she attended as a child. But in November, Bell will be installed as the next pastor of Morning Star Baptist Church...
Police: Man accused of dealing drugs after trooper finds illegal gun, narcotics during traffic stop
A Penn Hills man was accused of being a drug dealer after a state police trooper pulled over his SUV in Armstrong County for speeding and having windows that were tinted too dark. Tyrone Linwood Freeman, 57, of the 300 block of Princeton Drive was charged with four felony counts...
Fire-damaged New Kensington building meets wrecking ball
A building in Downtown New Kensington that was heavily damaged during a fatal fire in March is finally coming down. The three-story commercial building in the 500 block of Fourth Avenue was damaged when flames spread to it from a duplex home next door that caught fire March 6. Angel...
Girls get the ‘green light’ to go STEM during program at Chatham’s Eden Hall Campus
Making sure that women from all backgrounds are among the next generation of scientists and technology professionals was the guiding principal for a recent event at Chatham University’s Eden Hall Campus called Greenlight for Girls. The Oct. 11 seminar and workshop for 125 girls from around the region was a...
Allegheny Township police: Man faces drug, gun charges after being detained at DUI checkpoint for expired registration
A Pittsburgh man faces drug and gun charges after Allegheny Township police said they found marijuana, cocaine and a loaded pistol when he was detained at a sobriety checkpoint for an expired registration. Larinzo Lamar Johnson, 21, of the 1300 block of Diana Street, North Side was charged with felony...
Richland man accused of having child porn faces 52 felony counts
A Richland man was charged with 52 felony counts after agents from the state Attorney General’s office said they found child pornography on a computer drive when they raided his home. William R. Blair, 71, of the 700 block of Parkview Drive was charged Oct. 6 with 52 counts of...
New Kensington police accuse Arnold man of sexually assaulting teen in 2020; felony charges filed
New Kensington police charged a man after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old twice in the fall of 2020. Alexander James Moss, 24, of the 1600 block of Kenneth Avenue in Arnold was charged with felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault...
Police accuse East Deer man of dealing heroin after trooper finds stamp bags in traffic stop
An East Deer man was accused of being a drug dealer after a state trooper said he found stamp bags of heroin when he pulled over a pickup for speeding and driving with an expired license. Travis Joseph Black, 44, of the 300 block of Crawford Run Road was charged...
Hyde Park man arrested after data storage firm reports finding child porn on his devices
A Hyde Park man faces multiple felony charges after a state police investigator said child pornography was found on his electronic devices. Joshua Glen Townsend, 33, of the 300 block of First Avenue was arrested on two child pornography charges and three counts of criminal use of a communications facility....
Man charged by Vandergrift police with child sex assault faces 24 felony charges
Vandergrift police charged a man with two dozen felony counts after, they say, he admitted to repeatedly molesting a 6-year- old over a three-month period. Joshua Michael Irvine, 23, of Horton Way in Brookville, Jefferson County, faces the following felony charges: • 10 counts of indecent assault of a person younger...
Arrest warrant issued for man accused in Sept. 9 fatal shooting at Penn Hills gas station
Allegheny County homicide detectives have obtained an arrest warrant for a man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting Sept. 9 at a gas station in Penn Hills. Dante Benjamin Jones, 34, of Pittsburgh was killed at the Exxon station in the 4900 block of Allegheny River Boulevard shortly after...
Residents escape fire in 2-story building in North Huntingdon, no injuries reported
Multiple fire departments responded to a fire on Sunday night in a two-story home in North Huntingdon, which re-kindled on Monday morning. Firefighters dispatched to the 2300 block of Scotch Hill Road at around 7 p.m. reported seeing flames coming from the building. Emergency crews were called back to the...
