Tony LaRussa stories, Page 33
Snow in forecast won’t put freeze on St. Patrick’s Day parade Saturday in Lower Burrell
A weekend weather forecast calling for at least several inches of snow won’t be enough to put a damper on the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Lower Burrell, according to organizers. “A little bit of snow isn’t going to stop the fun,” said Terry McClain, who organized this year’s...
Police accuse man of using counterfeit checks bearing Pine builder’s name to steal cash
A man from Altoona is accused of using fake bank checks bearing the name of a Pine building contractor to get more than $5,200 in cash. David Clark Modrey, 36, of 6th Ave., was charged by the Northern Regional Police Department with one count of felony theft by deception and...
Chatham’s Eden Hall food competition, workshops place focus on future of food
Let the chopping and sauteing begin. Chatham University’s Eden Hall campus in Richland is playing host to its first-ever “pitch” competition, for people in the region who have ideas about new or emerging food and agricultural businesses. The competition sponsored by Chatham’s Center for Regional Agriculture, Food and Transformation, or...
Oakmont pizza shop owner shot 6 times during robbery feels ‘lucky to be alive’
The owner of an Oakmont pizza shop shot six times during a robbery Sunday said he feels lucky to have survived and is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support he has received. Greg Scampone said he was working the counter at the Fox’s Pizza Den he owns on Allegheny River...
Police seek public’s help in search for runaway New Kensington teen
New Kensington police are seeking the public’s help in a search for a runaway teenager. Monae Matthews, 15, is 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs about 145 pounds. Police said she might be in the Pittsburgh area. Anyone with information about the teen is asked to call the New...
Faces of the Valley: Saxophonist Don Aliquo still hitting high notes as jazz performer at 93Video
Don Aliquo doesn’t skip a beat when asked to share his formula for a music career that began with sing-alongs around the piano as a toddler and shows little sign of slowing down at age 93. “What’s my secret? Those 11 steps outside this door and this,” he says with...
Oakmont businesses rattled by pizza shop robbery attempt that left employee critically injured
Business owners and store clerks in Oakmont are feeling jittery in the wake of Sunday’s attempted armed robbery of a pizza shop during which an employee was critically wounded by gunfire. The shooting happened shortly before 4 p.m. at the Fox’s Pizza in the 300 block of Allegheny River Boulevard,...
Felony drug charges filed against Vandergrift man in connection with 2020 task force sting
Apollo police have charged a man with six felony counts after they say he sold heroin to an informant. Mark David Bowser, 58, of Whittier Street, Vandergrift was charged with four counts of possession with the intent to deliver drugs, two counts of criminal use of a communications facility and...
Contractor charged after Kiski Township woman accuses him of cashing $16K check, failing to finish work
Kiski Township police filed felony charges against a contractor after a property owner accused him of cashing a $16,000 check for work in August 2020 and not completing the project. David Lynn Patton, 67, of Limestone Township, Clarion County, was charged with felony counts of theft by deception and failing...
Sewickley Academy students stage protest following Thursday’s incident
A group of Sewickley Academy students who were turned away when they tried to deliver a petition demanding changes at the private school protested outside of the building on Friday morning. Some 60 students, parents and supporters of the group CARES — Collective Action for Representative Education at Sewickley —...
Conservancy hosting program on reversing plight of dwindling bluebird population
The Bradford Woods Conservancy is hosting a program to teach people how they can participate in efforts to restore the dwindling bluebird population by creating nesting boxes. The March 16 program titled “Bluebirds In Bradford Woods” will be presented by Ray Morris and Ken Knapp of the Latodami Nature Center...
Police file felony charges against West Deer man involved in standoff, house fire
A West Deer man was charged with felony aggravated assault after police accused him of shooting fireworks at officers before barricading himself inside his home and setting it on fire. William J. Bryar, 54, also faces charges of reckless endangerment and arson in connection with an incident at his home...
Chance discovery sparks renewed interest in North Park’s pine tree ‘star’ planted in 1938Video
Ken Interval doesn’t think of himself as some sort of sleuth. But the Pine resident has keen observational skills that came into play when he recently spotted what appeared to be a stand of trees in North Park that were planted in the shape of a giant star. “I’m a...
State trooper responding to wreck on Route 28 accuses driver of carrying gun illegally
State police from the Kittanning station charged a man with felony gun possession after he got into a crash along Route 28. Naszer Simmons-Christopher, 20, of Duquesne, was charged with carrying a firearm without a license along with carrying a loaded weapon, driving under the influence and traffic violations, according...
Police say ChildLine call led to Parks Township man being charged with rape of 6-year-old girl
A Parks Township man faces multiple felony sex charges, including the rape of a child, after, police say, he got drunk, crawled into a 6-year-old girl’s bed and sexually assaulted her. In addition to the child rape charge, Nathan Raymond Bortz, 34, of Jackson Street, faces a count of unlawful...
Police say gun fell from man’s pants while frisked in arrest for not paying child support
A Vandergrift man was charged with illegal possession of a firearm after a pistol fell out of his pants leg while officers were arresting him on a warrant for failing to pay child support, police said. William Dante Charles, 41, of the 300 block of Longfellow Street, was charged with...
FBI: Ross man arrested for trying to meet for sex with 12-year-old girl
Authorities say a Ross man who arranged a meeting with a 12-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity was arrested by FBI agents when he went to meet her, according to his arrest papers. An FBI agent had been posing as the girl in communications online for several months. Vikash...
Police: Apollo man faces 10 felony charges after allowing 8-year-old to record him performing sex act
Apollo police charged a man with 10 felony counts after the father of an 8-year-old boy showed them a video on his son’s cellphone of the man performing a sex act, police said. Matthew Alan Sinclair, 21, of the 100 block of Railroad Avenue in Apollo faces two counts of...
Kiski Township police alerting residents about spate of attempted break-ins; suspect sought
Kiski Township police issued a warning for residents to be alert for suspicious activity after receiving numerous reports about attempted burglaries during the past several weeks. The latest incident occurred Sunday when police responded to 12th Street in North Apollo after a man went onto the porch of a home...
Woman accused of being drunk when she crashed into New Kensington hotel that caught fire
Police accuse a woman of being drunk when she crashed into a New Kensington hotel early Sunday, which caught the building on fire when her car sheared a natural gas line, authorities say. Jaden Saje Price, 27, of the 2600 block of Chestnut Street, Lower Burrell, was charged with driving...
Police say passenger fled from traffic stop leaving his 2-year-old behind, driver charged with felony
The driver of a car pulled over with a 2-year-old inside was charged with a felony by Tarentum police after the toddler’s father, who was a passenger, fled from officers, police say. Police charged John Francis Brockman Jr., 31, of Cornetti Road in Clearfield Township, Butler County, with felony child...
AHN offering colon cancer screenings on 2 Saturdays in March in North Hills
Allegheny Health Network will mark Colon Cancer Awareness Month by offering appointments for colorectal cancer screenings on two Saturdays during March in the North Hills. “While colorectal cancer is among the most lethal and progressive forms of cancer, it is also highly preventable through routine colonoscopy,” said Dr. Gursimran Kochhar....
Pine-Richland High School unveils 2022 Sadie Hawkins Court
Pine-Richland High School had to make a few changes for its annual Sadie Hawkins Court event because of covid restrictions, but the long-standing tradition of selecting boys to the court with girls serving as their escorts continues. The student government-sponsored event was held Feb. 9 and included a ceremony naming...
Contractor accused of failing to do work at West Deer church after cashing $15K check
West Deer police charged a home improvement contractor with multiple counts of felony theft after the pastor of a local church reported that the contractor never showed up to do the work after cashing a $15,000 check. Ronald Lee Pirring, 61, of Fairley Road in Ross, was charged with felony...
Police: Stolen gun, drugs found when Arnold woman’s home raided by task force agents
An Arnold woman faces felony gun charges after police say they found a stolen gun and evidence of a drug dealing operation when they raided her house. Mariah Relyn Lewis, 25, of the 1600 block of Fourth Avenue, was charged with felony counts of illegal possession of a firearm and...
