Allegheny category, Page 129
Neighbor describes ‘war’-like explosion that destroyed Sewickley Heights cottage
Rich Engler was sitting with a friend in his Sewickley Heights home when the neighborhood shook. “All of a sudden, this immense blast took place — we thought something had hit our place,” said Engler, 77, a local music producer who’s lived among the borough’s massive estates and rolling hills...
New home for 2nd ‘Red Zone’ 33-foot ketchup bottle to be unveiled at Heinz History Center
The other half of “Heinz Red Zone” has moved across the river. A new home has been found for the second 33-foot Heinz ketchup bottle that for two decades “poured” into the scoreboard when the Pittsburgh Steelers reached the opponent’s 20 yard-line during home games. One was hung outside of...
Woman killed in head-on crash in Shaler
Allegheny County Police said a woman was killed late Tuesday when the SUV she was driving crashed into an oncoming pickup in Shaler. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has not identified the woman. The crash was reported just after 10 p.m. on Mt. Royal Boulevard. A preliminary investigation showed...
Housing juveniles charged with crimes a growing issue in Pa.
When a 16-year-old charged with second-degree murder fled from house arrest in November, Westmoreland County authorities scrambled to find a place to house him. The county’s juvenile detention center had closed temporarily in June amid staffing shortages. Calls to numerous private and publicly owned facilities throughout Pennsylvania that house children...
Cottage on Sewickley Heights estate explodes; 1 person hospitalized
One person was taken to a hospital after an explosion Tuesday at a cottage on a Sewickley Heights estate. According to Aleppo fire Chief Bill Davis Jr., a plumber was working in the cottage at 543 Backbone Road when the explosion occurred. He was taken to a local hospital by...
Study identifies glaring racial disparities, recommends changes in Allegheny County’s justice system
A comprehensive study on racial disparity in Allegheny County’s criminal justice system shows that Black people are five times more likely to be arrested than white people, 10 times more likely to be held in jail while awaiting trial and nine times more likely to be convicted of a felony....
McKnight Road in McCandless reopens after multi-vehicle crash
All lanes of McKnight Road have reopened following a multi-vehicle crash on McKnight Road in McCandless on Tuesday, according to Allegheny County Dispatch. Police and EMS reported to the scene of a multi-vehicle crash on McKnight Road near Perrymont Road in McCandless that occurred just before 11 a.m., according to...
3 girls escape from Baldwin facility, lead police in chase on turnpike
Three teenage girls are facing charges after state police said they escaped from a Baldwin facility and led troopers on a chase on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Somerset. A trooper on patrol Dec. 1 around 8 a.m. noticed a work van driving erratically eastbound in Somerset County. The driver of...
Southwestern Pa. Commission to look for ways to reduce traffic deaths in Allegheny County
The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission has received $520,000 in federal funding to develop a plan to make streets safer in Allegheny County, which is coming off its deadliest traffic year in nearly two decades. Last year, Allegheny County saw 84 traffic fatalities, the most since 2005, according to PennDOT. After a...
Public meeting, safety plan, state oversight required before implosion of Springdale power plant
The former power plant in Springdale could still be imploded, but a judge has ordered more government oversight and a public meeting before that happens. In an order filed Sunday, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John T. McVay Jr. requires the two sides — Springdale residents who want to block...
Allegheny County SWAT team talks man with multiple warrants out of Wilkins Township home
The Allegheny County SWAT team convinced a man who had multiple warrants out for his arrest to peacefully exit a Wilkins Township house where he had barricaded himself for more than an hour. Wilkins police requested assistance from the county SWAT team around 12:20 p.m. in the 500 block of...
Pitt researcher who said colleagues purposely exposed her to allergens sues university
The assaults weren’t with weapons, the woman says, but lotions, soaps and potpourri. A former Pitt faculty member who has severe allergies to certain strong fragrances is suing the university because, she said, they failed to protect her from colleagues who brought fragrant items into the office or wore perfumed...
30-year-old shot near McKees Rocks police station
A 30-year old man was in critical condition at a Pittsburgh hospital after he was shot outside a building at the Hays Manor apartment complex Friday night in McKees Rocks. The man ran to the McKees Rocks police station for help after being shot. A black man wearing a dark...
Police file charges against inmate responsible for Allegheny County Jail fire
An Allegheny County Jail inmate was charged Friday after a fire in an air vent inside his cell, county police said. Brian Leach, 49, was charged with one count of criminal mischief and three counts of recklessly endangering another person. The fire happened Monday in Leach’s cell, detectives determined, and...
Supporters start Christmas card campaign for Oakmont man imprisoned in Russia
Friends and family of an Oakmont native imprisoned in Russia on marijuana charges hope the holiday spirit can boost attention to his case and get the State Department to help bring him home. Marc Fogel has been detained in Russia for more than two years after he was arrested at...
Munhall police officer arrested after standoff in Shaler
A Munhall police officer was arrested Friday after a standoff at his Shaler home during a domestic incident, investigators said. James Williams, a sergeant and detective, is charged with simple assault and harassment after an argument between he and his wife escalated, according to a criminal complaint. Police responded to...
Former West Mifflin firefighter accused of sexual assault of 2 teenage girls
A former West Mifflin firefighter is accused of sexually assaulting two teenage girls in October. A 14-year-old girl told investigators she was assaulted by Christopher Barker, 20, of South Park, in the banquet hall of the West Mifflin Duquesne Annex Fire Station, according to a complaint filed by West Mifflin...
Gun confiscated at Pittsburgh International Airport is 42nd for the year, 2nd in as many days
Another passenger was caught with a gun in his carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport on Thursday evening, according to Allegheny County Police. It was the second such incident in as many days. Luis Arce, 35, of Somerville, Mass., did not possess a valid concealed carry permit to carry the...
Trial begins in 2015 rape case
The video of the alleged sexual assault no longer exists. But audio of the defendant discussing it with the woman accusing him does. The question before the jury is: Will it be enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred? James Taric Byrd, 45, formerly of Pittsburgh,...
Tree of Life unveils memorial to victims of 2018 synagogue shooting
It’s been five long years since Diane Rosenthal’s brothers, Cecil and David, were killed during a Saturday morning Shabbat service in Squirrel Hill. Part of her family’s struggle has been deciding how to ask Pittsburgh and others to remember the two Jewish congregants known to their community as “the boys.”...
Liberty Tunnel, McCardle Roadway reopen after nearly 5-hour closure due to multi-vehicle crash
The Liberty Tunnel has been reopened after a multi-vehicle crash at PJ McCardle Roadway had it closed for nearly four hours Thursday. Pittsburgh Public Safety officials said nine cars were involved in a collision around 5:15 p.m. and remained closed until about 10 p.m. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said...
Rooster’s Roadhouse employee remembers 1800s-era Collier tavern destroyed by fire
Tiffany Parnes had worked at Rooster’s Roadhouse in Collier for only a couple of weeks. But she sensed something special about the historic tavern, from its wood-paneled walls and game room’s high-backed chairs to the homemade, honey jalapeno-flavored relish in which it marinated its Buffalo wings every Wednesday. “Their food...
Record 41st gun seized at Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoint, TSA says
Allegheny County Police arrested a Pittsburgh man on Wednesday after authorities said he brought a loaded gun to Pittsburgh International Airport. Transportation Security Administration officers’ move to confiscate the .380-caliber handgun, which was loaded with six bullets, brings the total number of guns caught at the airport’s checkpoints this year...
Video footage before Uber driver’s killing in Monroeville can be used in court, judge rules
An Allegheny County judge this week said that the Pitcairn man accused of killing an Uber driver did not have the right to privacy inside the car where he attacked the woman. Calvin Crew, 24, is scheduled for trial in the death penalty case in January before Common Pleas Judge...
Malnourished cat found at Pittsburgh airport begins new life with officer
A new chapter for Spirit began last week at Pittsburgh International Airport. Spirit the stray cat, not the airline. An Allegheny County Police officer stepped up to provide a home and a name for the female cat, the department reported on its Facebook page. The cat was “extremely malnourished” and...
