Tony LaRussa stories, Page 37
6 Pittsburgh schools reopen, 18 still closed over staff shortages
Six Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings reopened Thursday, while four others were closed for the day and 13 more will remain shut down until Tuesday because of staffing shortages caused by covid-19, district officials announced. Schools reopening Thursday included Pittsburgh Arsenal 6-8, Pittsburgh Classical, Pittsburgh Grandview, Pittsburgh Miller, Pittsburgh Montessori and...
Police, EMS respond to head-on collision near Plum High School
Police and medics responded to a head-on collision between two vehicles near Plum High School on Wednesday morning. The crash was reported shortly after 7 a.m. near the intersection of Leechburg and Elicker roads, according to an Allegheny County 911 supervisor. Medics evaluated the occupants of the vehicles for injuries...
Snow tubing area in Boyce Park set to open for season on Friday
The snow tubing area in Allegheny County’s Boyce Park is scheduled to open for the season on Friday, county parks officials announced. The snow tubing area will be open Fridays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.,...
Pittsburgh area road, bridge projects will impact commuters
Several road and bridge rehabilitation projects in the Pittsburgh area will have an impact on commuters over the next several months. Following are some of the projects underway in the area: McKees Rocks Bridge inspection A single-lane restriction will be in place on the McKees Rocks Bridge on Wednesday for...
North Allegheny parents file federal lawsuit to block district’s new mask-optional policy
The parents of four North Allegheny students with physical challenges have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the district of endangering their children by making it optional for staff and students to wear face masks in school. The class-action lawsuit does not identify the four students, but notes that there are...
Walkway along Highland Park Bridge closing during repairs
Pedestrians will not be able to use the Highland Park Bridge for the next several days while crews make repairs to the sidewalk and barriers, PennDOT announced. Work on the walkway, which runs along one side of the bridge to provide pedestrian access from Butler Street in Pittsburgh to Freeport...
Woman struck by bus in Downtown Pittsburgh
A woman was struck by a Port Authority bus early Tuesday morning in Downtown Pittsburgh, according to the transportation agency. She was struck at about 6:15 a.m. along Liberty Avenue near the intersection of Sixth Street. Police cordoned off the scene, blocking a section of Liberty Avenue between Sixth and...
St. Therese, Serra Catholic going virtual for 2 days because of pandemic staffing shortages
Two schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are switching to remote learning for two days because of staffing shortages caused by the coronavirus pandemic. St. Therese Elementary School in Munhall canceled in-person instruction Tuesday and Wednesday, along with all athletic events and extracurricular activities. In-person instruction is scheduled to resume...
Red Cross: Blood donations needed to reverse worst shortage in a decade
The American Red Cross has issued an appeal for blood donations to help reverse what officials say is the worst shortage in more than a decade as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. As an incentive, people who arrange blood donations through the Red Cross website (redcrossblood.org) during January will...
Monroeville woman faces gun, drug, DUI charges after traffic stop in Upper Burrell
A Monroeville woman was accused of drug possession, carrying a gun without a permit and driving while intoxicated following a traffic stop by Upper Burrell police. Taylor Stringer, 22, of Garden City Drive is charged with illegal possession of a firearm and four counts of drug possession, all felonies. She...
Firefighters battle blaze at home in Plum, no injuries reported
Firefighters extinguished a blaze at a single-family home in Plum that was reported shortly after 8:30 a.m. Monday, according to authorities. Fire units were dispatched to a home in the 500 block of Anderson Avenue for a report of a single-story ranch with smoke showing from the front door, according...
Pitt students shelter in place to start spring semester
Students returning Monday to the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland for the start of the spring semester have been ordered to remain in their dorms and get tested to make sure they have not been infected with coronavirus. The university announced it will provide its approximately 34,000 returning students...
Armstrong County adds ability for those who need help to send text messages to 911
Armstrong County residents now have the option of sending a text message to report an emergency to 911, public safety officials announced Tuesday. While the ability to text could be valuable in a scenario when speaking to a dispatcher might escalate a situation, calling should be the first line of...
Man accused of shooting woman 5 times outside Tarentum apartment building to stand trial for homicide
A man charged with shooting a 30-year-old Tarentum woman to death outside her apartment in December will stand trial on homicide charges, an Allegheny County judge ruled Friday. Homicide detectives testified at a preliminary hearing for DaShawn Frederick, 26, of Wilkinsburg, saying he fired seven shots from a 9 mm...
Pine-Richland considers segregating masked, unmasked students
Faced with soaring coronavirus cases and a decision by the Pine-Richland school board to make masks optional for staff and students, district officials are now considering a plan that would segregate masked and unmasked children in classrooms. Citing the state Supreme Court ruling that the Pennsylvania Department of Health overstepped...
Butler County man arrested after Buffalo Township woman tells clinic staff he beat, strangled her
A Butler County man was charged with multiple felonies after a Buffalo Township woman went to a clinic for face and head injuries and told medical staff that he punched and strangled her. Bradley Borg, 32, of Bessemer Avenue in Butler Township was charged with two felony counts of strangulation...
Police say 15-year-old charged with felony for Snapchat threat that locked down Leechburg Area schools
Police charged a 15-year-old boy in connection with a threat made on social media Monday that resulted in all Leechburg Area School District buildings being placed on lockdown for a portion of the day. Parents were notified about the lockdown by an automated voicemail message sent out by Superintendent Tiffany...
Kiski Township woman accused of shooting man she thought stole pistol from her SUV
Kiski Township police accused a woman of kicking a man out of her vehicle and shooting him because she thought he stole one of her handguns. Patricia Marie Kettering-Pierce, 55, of Clarks Hollow Road, Kiski Township was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault, which includes a count of...
Leechburg schools placed on lockdown after threat made on social media
All Leechburg Area School District buildings were placed on lockdown for a portion of the day Monday after school officials learned about a threat that was made on social media, according to the superintendent. Superintendent Tiffany Nix notified parents about the lockdown in a voicemail. “We are in a lockdown...
Police: Allegheny Township woman charged with felony for breaking into home after being evicted
A woman from Allegheny Township and her accomplice are charged with breaking into a house after she was evicted from the residence, police said. Vandergrift police charged Lauren Renee Decapite, 35, of Rebecca Avenue with one felony count of criminal trespass in connection with the Dec. 30 incident. She is...
Vandergrift woman accused of stabbing man with kitchen knives during argument
Kiski Township police charged a Vandergrift woman with felony aggravated assault because a man told them she stabbed him multiple times with kitchen knives during an argument last month, authorities say. Amy Lee Hepler, 38, of Longfellow Street also was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault, as well...
Man accused of beating Springdale woman, stealing her car, burglarizing her home
Springdale police charged a man with six felony theft charges after a woman told them the man pushed her out of her car after beating her, stole the vehicle and then burglarized her home. Vincent Edward Tabone, 29, of Sylvan Avenue, Collier Township, was charged with burglary, robbery of a...
Arnold police accuse man of walking into 2 women’s homes, making sexually suggestive comments
Arnold police arrested a man because two women said he walked into their homes and made sexually suggestive comments to them and refused to leave until they threatened to call police, authorities say. Thomas Slosky, 59, of Laurel Place in New Kensington was charged with a felony count of criminal...
New Kensington woman charged using sister’s license as ID
A New Kensington woman was charged with felony identity theft after, police say, she gave them her sister’s name when she was approached by an officer who saw her sitting in a vehicle with a marijuana pipe. Shanna Rachelle Heymers, 41, of Virginia Drive also faces a charge of possession...
Temporary power shutoff planned in parts of Washington Township for system upgrades
Several hundred residents in Washington Township will have their electric power shut off for part of the day on Wednesday so upgrades can be made to West Penn Power’s facilities, utility officials announced. The planned power outage will affect 229 customers in the area of Goldfinch and Mallard drives as...
