Allegheny County News category, Page 268
Person injured in house fire in Wall Borough
One person was injured in a fire early Wednesday in Wall Borough, according to Allegheny County dispatchers. Emergency responders were alerted just before 8 a.m. to the fire at 617 Dawson St. Heavy flames were showing at the two-story home when firefighters arrived. Dispatchers said they did not know the...
Fire rips through Patete Kitchen & Bath’s Scott showroomVideo
A fire late Tuesday ripped through a South Hills-based kitchen and bathroom remodeling center that’s been serving Western Pennsylvania for more than half a century Owners of Patete Kitchen and Bath Design Center in Scott say the setback shouldn’t affect existing customers. The blaze and fast-paced effort to extinguish it...
Tree of Life shooting survivor takes steps to live ‘joyous’ life
Carol Black remembers making the 27-mile drive from her Cranberry home to the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, and turning onto Wilkins Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill. As she headed for the parking lot, she saw her brother Richard walking into the building. It’s the last time...
Teen gets 15 to 30 years after pleading to killing Homestead man, shooting 2 others
Corey Mickens, then 15, killed a man who had been his friend by shooting him in the head execution style on Feb. 5, 2019. Two weeks later, Mickens stood up through the sun roof of a car as it drove through North Braddock and shot and wounded a stranger on...
Man charged with kidnapping, assaulting New Kensington girls
A Saltsburg man was charged by New Kensington police Monday with kidnapping two girls, ages 6 and 9, early last month and sexually assaulting the older girl. Eddie Leroy Lambert Jr., 58, is being held in the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh after bond was denied at his arraignment Tuesday...
Sewickley Academy settles with Black former administrator who filed race discrimination lawsuit
The former director of admissions and financial aid at Sewickley Academy who was fired this summer has settled a federal lawsuit he filed against the school. Federal court records show U.S. Magistrate Maureen P. Kelly signed the order dismissing Douglas Leek’s case against Sewickley Academy on Monday. Attorney Sam Cordes,...
Jack Bova OK’d as new member of Gateway School Board during a special meeting
Jack Bova will fill a vacant seat on the Gateway School Board. Bova, who previously was on the school board from 2018-2019, will serve a term through the first Monday of December 2023. He will be sworn in during a study session meeting Nov. 9. “I’m pretty excited, actually,” said...
Where have all the students gone?: Western Pa. colleges struggle with declining enrollment
Colleges across the region, ranging from the University of Pittsburgh to local community colleges, are mirroring troubling national trends in enrollment. In a development experts say could lead to gaps in the workforce and affect the nation’s economic health for years to come, college enrollment is down overall for the...
Public hearing on proposed Amazon site in Churchill ends after 50-plus hours of testimony
A public hearing that spanned 14 days and included more than 55 hours of testimony regarding a proposed Amazon distribution center in Churchill has concluded, meaning local officials will render a decision on the project’s future within 45 days. A vocal group of residents has strongly opposed the project, which...
North Hills students will learn online Wednesday so bus drivers can attend colleague’s funeral
North Hills School District students will learn online Wednesday so that district bus drivers can attend a funeral for longtime colleague Nancy Von Vreckin. A notice posted to the district’s website said Von Vreckin drove for the district more than 40 years. “Many of her closest friends were also her...
Person killed when train hits truck in Jefferson Hills
One person was killed when a dump truck collided with a train in Jefferson Hills, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. The victim has not been identified. The incident happened at about 10:30 p.m. Monday. A Wheeling and Lake Erie train had been crossing Route 51 near Worthington Drive when...
Police file charges in 2020 Penn Hills killing
Allegheny County police have charged a Pittsburgh teen with homicide and other crimes for the December 2020 killing of a Churchill teen. Jafar Brooks, 16, was pronounced dead Dec. 15 at the scene of the Leechburg Garden Apartments along the 1900 lock of Garden Drive in Penn Hills on Dec....
Former animal control officer files lawsuit alleging false arrest after abuse charges against him dismissed
A former Pittsburgh animal control officer who had a felony charge of animal abuse against him dismissed last month on Monday filed a federal lawsuit against the police officer who charged him, as well as other witnesses in the case alleging that they conspired against him. James A. Genco III...
Man pleads guilty to 2020 shooting death in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood
A man from Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood pleaded guilty Monday to voluntary manslaughter in the 2020 shooting death of another man. Daejon Brentley, 21, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Anthony M. Mariani on Jan. 19. He also pleaded guilty to a firearms count. A criminal complaint filed...
Woodland Hills High School students to return to class after fights led to building closure
Woodland Hills students will return to classrooms Monday after a series of fights led to a two-day closure of the building. In a letter to parents Sunday night, Principal Shelly Manns said a student assembly to address the incidents will take place Monday. “Over the next couple of weeks, we...
Man critically injured in Swissvale shooting
The Allegheny County Police are asking the public’s help in connection with a shooting that critically injured a man early Sunday in Swissvale. Police reported that dispatchers were notified at 2:12 a.m. of a shooting on the 7500 block of Washington Avenue. First responders found a man suffering from a...
Alligator heads, a BMW, jewelry: Auction spans items left at Pittsburgh International Airport
From preserved alligator heads to brand-new Christian Louboutin shoes, two years of personal items left by travelers at Pittsburgh International Airport went up for auction Saturday. Hundreds of auctiongoers showed up at a heavy equipment garage at the airport to bid on lost, unclaimed and abandoned items from the airport’s...
Clairton man pleads guilty to assault in McDonald’s in Bethel Park
A Clairton man was sentenced to four-to-10 years in prison Friday for sexually assaulting a young girl at a McDonald’s restaurant in Bethel Park, according to authorities. Allegheny County Judge Jill E. Rangos sentenced Walter A. Garner, 41, to prison on his plea of guilty to charges of statutory sexual...
Murrysville couple charged with bilking CARES Act of $220K via rental relief money-laundering scheme
A Murrysville couple arrested Friday morning is accused of bilking the federal government of more than $220,000 in coronavirus-related relief money by filing false claims for rental assistance — including for units that were unoccupied and uninhabitable in the name of fake renters in need, police said. Devon Lane, 29,...
Ross police seek help identifying man they say robbed a Chick-Fil-A
Ross police are searching for a man who they said robbed a Chick-Fil-A on Thursday afternoon. Police said the crime occurred around 2:30 p.m. at the restaurant along McKnight Road. A black man believed to be in his late teens or early 20s approached the drive-through area and demanded cash...
Allegheny County Police taking part in DEA’s prescription drug take-back day
It’s become an important part of the fall calendar and taken on even greater meaning in the midst of the drug overdose epidemic. The Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Take-Back Day is set for Saturday and once again the Allegheny County Police Department is participating. The event is taking place at...
South Hills pair charged with cheating federal housing program by flipping foreclosed homes
A pair of South Hills residents are accused of cheating the federal government by posing as the would-be owner-occupant of a foreclosed home, only to attempt to flip the property for profit. A federal grand jury accused J. Reed Pirain, 45, and Renee Vasilko, 48, both of Upper St. Clair,...
Hung jury declared in sexual assault case against former Regent Square restaurateur
For the second time, a jury deliberating the case of a former Regent Square restaurant owner accused of sexual assault could not reach a verdict. After four days of deliberation, the panel of five women and seven men was dismissed by a judge after advising the court it was unable...
West View boy, 15, tried twice to poison parents, police say
A West View teen faces attempted homicide charges after police said he tried to poison his parents by pouring furniture polish into their spaghetti sauce on one occasion and using pesticide on another, police records show. Police filed charges against Jeff Miller, 15, on Friday morning — a day after...
Man charged in fatal Club Erotica shooting guilty of third-degree murder
A Carnegie man accused of killing another man at a McKees Rocks strip club earlier this year was found guilty Friday of third-degree murder. Charles Becher, 24, faces a possible prison term of six years in the standard guideline range when he is sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge...
