Allegheny County News category, Page 12
Jail employee under investigation for taking gun into facility
Police and jail administrators are investigating how a newly hired corrections officer at the Allegheny County Jail allegedly got through security last month with a gun and why it was not reported to supervisors. Bethany Hallam, a longtime Jail Oversight Board member, said the employee — who graduated from the...
Owner of African market in East Pittsburgh pleads guilty to food stamp fraud
A Pittsburgh woman must pay nearly $55,000 in restitution following her conviction for food stamp fraud at her African food market in East Pittsburgh. Bolaji Michael, 46, pleaded guilty in October to one count of food stamp fraud. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Marilyn J. Horan ordered her to serve...
Freezin’ for a reason: Gateway Middle School mentorship group raises money for Special Olympics
As the Gateway Middle School girls mentorship group racked their brains to determine their yearly community service project, they came up with an ingenious idea: raising money for a good cause, while also getting to dump ice cold water on their teachers and principals. On Feb. 13, that idea came...
Parkway East to close for 25 days during bridge replacement project
PennDOT announced a 25-day closure of the Parkway East while crews work to complete the $95 million Commercial Street Bridge Replacement project. All Parkway traffic between the Wilkinsburg exit (78B) and the Forbes Avenue/Oakland exit (72A) will be closed July 10 through Aug. 3. “While the one-month closure will still...
Woodland Hills places superintendent on unpaid leave
Woodland Hills Superintendent Joe Maluchnik was placed on unpaid leave Wednesday following an internal district investigation, the latest in ongoing controversy in the district. The decision comes as the district has faced allegations of misuse of funds and questions surrounding Maluchnik’s leave. School board members Karen Lyons, Melanie Timbers, Laura...
Penn Hills museum on history of home video games, computers opens as construction continues
A museum dedicated to the history of home video games and computers is taking shape in Penn Hills. In mid-February, Brendan Becker opened the first rooms of his Bloop Museum in the township’s former municipal building along Frankstown Road. For now, it is open to walk-ins from 10 a.m. to...
Skilled handyman from Fox Chapel stands out for work ethic, reliability
Todd Perschke has built a successful handyman business serving the Fox Chapel area after a long career in the automotive industry. “I show up for work,” said Perschke of his commitment to providing home improvement and fix-it solutions to both commercial and residential folks in the Fox Chapel Area School...
Phone-free policy at Shady Side Academy Senior School making a difference, administrators and students say
Shady Side Academy Senior School senior John Ludden has one less thing to occupy his time during the school day. His cellphone. Ludden and his 400 fellow senior school students were met with a new cellphone policy implemented in August, exclusive to the Senior School, prohibiting students from using their...
Pittsburgh police radio breach wouldn’t take much money or skill, experts warn
It doesn’t cost much to break onto a police-scanner channel and curse, spew hateful language or threaten an elected leader as an “unauthorized user” has been doing this week in Pittsburgh, experts told TribLive Wednesday. In fact, right on Amazon.com, the popular Chinese brand Baofeng sells hundreds of two-way radios...
Chilling for charity: Fox Chapel Area students take the Polar Plunge
A group of Fox Chapel Area students for the fourth consecutive year took the plunge to help raise money for Special Olympics. High schoolers, along with students from Dorseyville Middle School, participated in the 2026 Cool Schools Polar Plunge at Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. The event held Feb....
Judge denies bail for McDonald man accused of shooting at police
An Allegheny County judge on Tuesday denied bail for a McDonald man accused of firing repeatedly at police officers last year during a suspected mental health crisis. Stephen Budai, 45, of McDonald is charged with four counts each of firing on a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment...
Ex-Allegheny County health inspector, a Sikh man, claims he was forced to shave beard, files lawsuit
A Sikh man and former inspector with the Allegheny County Health Department is suing the agency in federal court alleging discrimination because of his beard, which he claims he was once forced to shave while at work. Navin Kohli, who served as an environmental health specialist, on Tuesday filed the...
Retired dentist shares life-changing benefits of somatics in free class at Fox Chapel library
Retired dentist Tom Capriotti discovered pain relief through somatic movements more than 20 years ago. Capriotti, 75, of Oakmont is a certified personal trainer and instructs a one-hour class for adults, Simple Movement Through Somatics, fon Mondays at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel. Somatics are movements that teach the...
New executive director of Northland Public Library to start role March 23
A new executive director has been hired to take over Northland Public Library following the retirement of Amy Steele. The Northland Public Library Authority Board voted to approve Amanda DeKnight for the position at its Feb. 24 public meeting. DeKnight is set to begin March 23. “The board is eager...
Leetsdale gets new public works truck, seeks to improve trash collection
Leetsdale trash collection is about to get a little easier with the help of a new public works garbage truck. The borough recently purchased a 2026 International L9 Cummins truck with a Heil body and a mechanical arm called a tipper to help with collection. It replaces a 2012 International...
Ross recognizes 2025 police officer of the year, leadership award recipients
A one-time school custodian who became a police officer has been recognized as the 2025 officer of the year in Ross. Officer Jason Pokorny earned the award “for modeling what the ideal Ross police officer should be,” Ross police Chief Cristyn Zett said. “Officer Pokorny’s enthusiasm and positive attitude are...
West Newton man pleads guilty to accessing intimate images on hundreds of victims through their Snapchat accounts
A West Newton man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to hacking into hundreds of individual Snapchat accounts, accessing intimate videos and images stored there and then trading them online. Michael Yackovich, 30, will be sentenced on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft by Chief...
West Deer residents appeal to Commonwealth Court in fight over fracking wells
A case argued Tuesday before Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court could test the reach of local efforts to challenge natural gas fracking. Concerned Residents of West Deer (CROWD), a local advocacy group, has raised concerns for years about the Leto fracking well, which is located near the heart of the West Deer...
Video plays key role in Wilkinsburg homicide arrest
Police have arrested a Wilkinsburg man for fatally shooting another man in the back of the neck and leaving his body in the middle of a borough intersection. Wilkinsburg police said they were dispatched around 8:40 p.m. Jan. 13 to the 700 block of South Avenue for a call about...
Western Pa. school districts tally expected savings from cyber charter tuition reform
Three months after the state approved changes to the cyber charter tuition formula, administrators from Western Pennsylvania’s K-12 public schools are beginning to tally the expected savings. The state’s latest budget, approved in November after a 4½-month impasse, allows school districts to reduce their tuition payments for students to attend...
Bill to bar Allegheny County cooperation with ICE advances to council vote
Allegheny County Council’s public safety committee on Monday voted to move ahead with a bill that would prohibit county employees from cooperating with U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement. The 4-3 vote followed about an hour of debate among council members about whether to amend the bill, whether existing policies already...
Author and retired professor leads discussion on inequity, shares life experiences as a Black woman
Detroit native Beverly Harris-Schenz planned to become a doctor. But once in college, she turned her attention to education, specifically teaching German. After attending the University of Michigan, Harris-Schenz studied in Germany, then earned her master’s degree and doctorate at Stanford University. The professor began her career in 1974 at...
Shaler teen charged in fatal Route 8 crash
A Shaler teenager has been charged with felony homicide in connection with Route 8 crash in Hampton over the summer. On Monday, 19-year-old Caleb Stevens was charged with a June 28 crash that killed a 72-year-old woman. Stevens had been driving on Route 8 at approximately 91 mph just before...
Fast play Pennsylvania Lottery ticket worth more than $555.9K sold in Shaler
A fast play ticket worth more than $555,900 was sold in Shaler, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Monday, March 2. The progressive top prize-winning ticket worth $555,970 for the lottery’s Money Power Progressive game was sold Feb. 28 at the Shop ’n Save along Babcock Boulevard. The store will receive a...
Shaler Area School Board reviews previous fiscal years, eyes May 20 vote on 2026-27 plan
The Shaler Area School Board reviewed its 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years and looked ahead to budgeting for 2026-27 during its finance committee meeting last month. For the 2025-26 fiscal year, Shaler Area saw a decrease in real estate tax revenue due to a reduction in assessment values and no...
