Allegheny County News category, Page 270
Trib journalists promoted to key roles
Several longtime Trib journalists assumed key leadership roles last week. Jason Cato, Matt Provenzo and Ben Schmitt have been promoted to deputy managing editor positions, said Trib Executive Editor Luis Fabregas. Dirk Kaufman is director of newsroom operations. “Their experience and talent will play a crucial role in this ever-changing...
Nursing homes fall short of vaccine mandates for staff
Nursing homes are struggling to meet vaccination mandates for workers despite the likelihood of federal sanctions. In Pennsylvania, about 28% of the state’s 688 skilled care nursing facilities had met an 80% threshold for staff vaccination rates as of Oct. 3, according to the state Department of Health. Even fewer...
DEP denies PennEnergy Resources’ request to draw millions of gallons of water per day from Big Sewickley Creek
A decision by state environmental regulators to deny an energy company’s request to draw up to 3 million gallons of water a day from Big Sewickley Creek and one of its tributaries for fracking is being lauded as an important step toward protecting the waterway’s ecosystem. PennEnergy Resources’ application in...
Defendant testifies he feared for his life when he fired fatal shots outside Club Erotica in McKees RocksVideo
Charles Becher said he thought he was going to die outside a McKees Rocks strip club in January. Becher, testifying Friday in his own defense in an Allegheny County homicide trial, told a jury that he had been inside Club Erotica when he heard his sister and cousin were involved...
Duquesne Light seeks 4.2% rate hike in January
Duquesne Light Co.’s proposal to raise the electric bills of its 600,000 residential and commercial customers this winter should be approved by state regulators, an administrative law judge recommended this week. Under terms of the proposed settlement, Duquesne Light would raise rates by $4.23 a month, or 4.23%, on the...
Pittsburgh airport’s $1.4B construction project cleared for takeoff; completion delayed to 2025Video
Pittsburgh International Airport is still considered a gem by many airline industry experts nearly three decades after it opened as a hub for the former US Airways. “Pittsburgh, as it is today, is still one of the most innovative airports out there,” said Mike Boyd, president of the Colorado-based aviation...
Judge denies Parnell motion to seal custody case, but grants protections for children’s medical records
The judge presiding over the divorce and child custody case involving Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell on Thursday denied a motion by his attorney to seal the entirety of the case and upcoming trial, as well as a motion for a gag order on the parties. Senior Common Pleas...
Kennywood, Idlewild pumpkin spice up fall-themed menu items
Now you can get your pumpkin spice fix at Kennywood. Fall festivities at both Kennywood and Idlewild parks are enhanced this year with the addition of special seasonal food items. For visitors to Kennywood’s Phantom Fall Fest, that includes a pumpkin spice-flavored funnel cake and cheesecake, along with turkey legs,...
St. Clair Health now using Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment Calculator for breast cancer
Having additional knowledge can never be a bad thing, especially when it comes to detecting breast cancer. St. Clair Health announced it is providing the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment Calculator, a tool utilized to gather information on a patient from personal history to breast density and mammogram images. The information is...
4 newcomers vie for 2 open seats on Pine Township Board of Supervisors
Voters in the Pine Township will be asked to select from among four political newcomers to fill two vacancies on the five-member board of supervisors after incumbents Michael Dennehy and Ed Holdcroft decided not to seek reelection. Dennehy serves as the board chairman and Holdcoft is the vice chairman. Those...
Gateway school board has 4 open seats
Monroeville and Pitcairn residents will have a pool of six people to choose from in the upcoming general election to fill four available seats on the Gateway School Board of Directors, according to the Allegheny County Office of Elections unofficial candidate list. Two candidates, Scott Williams and Robin Mungo, are...
Couple that died in West Mifflin house fire identified
An elderly West Mifflin couple who died in a fire early Thursday has been identified. The victims are Carl and Victoria Bajus, both 78, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Fire tore through their West Mifflin home forcing fire crews to retreat for their own safety as the...
Man dies at shooting scene in Penn Hills
A man was found shot to death in Penn Hills Wednesday night, according to Allegheny County Police. Police said Allegheny County 911 was notified of a shooting in the 200 block of Columbia Avenue around 10:45 p.m. The victim was identified as Lamarr Keith Thorne II, 32, of Homewood by...
Allegheny County scraps remote drop boxes for mail-in voters; Councilwoman pushes to bring them back
Voters still are encouraged to cast ballots by mail in the upcoming election, but there won’t be drop boxes available in satellite locations across Allegheny County like there were during last year’s presidential race. And Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald says he has no plans to bring the remote boxes...
Covid vaccinations on the rise in Allegheny County, statewide
First-dose covid vaccinations in Allegheny County rose for the 18th straight day on Wednesday, data show, and officials said the county has surpassed the 800,000 mark for residents with at least once dose. At the same time, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that 70% of Pennsylvanians ages 18 and older are...
2nd day of suppression hearing in Tree of Life synagogue attack focuses on suspect’s medical treatment
As soon as the man accused of killing 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue building in Squirrel Hill was placed in an ambulance the morning of Oct. 27, 2018, a Pittsburgh homicide detective said he read the suspect his Miranda rights. Immediately, the detective testified Wednesday, Robert Bowers...
Allegheny County chief pitches 2022 budget with no tax hikes, more money for parks, jail, IT
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is proposing a 2022 budget that would pump more money into parks, roads, technology and public health without raising any taxes on property owners. Fitzgerald, who pitched his budget in-person during Tuesday evening’s County Council meeting, touted his plan as another “responsible budget” that will...
10-month drug investigation leads to Plum man’s arrest
A Plum man was taken to the Allegheny County Jail on Tuesday after police say they found several kilograms of suspected narcotics and weapons in his apartment. Plum Det. Dan Moriarty said borough police, along with the District Attorney Narcotics Enforcement Team and federal DEA agents, served a search warrant...
Police investigating fatal shooting in North Braddock
A 29-year-old man died after being shot multiple times in North Braddock Tuesday, authorities said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Anthony Smith, of Pittsburgh. Allegheny County Police said the shooting at Grandview Avenue and Lindberg Boulevard was reported to 911 around 4:20 p.m. Smith was taken...
Jury convicts Pittsburgh man of 1st-degree murder for Memorial Day shooting that killed man, injured teen
A jury convicted a Pittsburgh man Tuesday of first-degree murder for killing a man and recklessly endangering others during a 2019 shooting in the city’s Hill District. Jalaspian Charles, 34, stood trial in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on multiple charges in connection to the death of 34-year-old Isaac Harrison....
Judge rules there is enough evidence to hold man suspected of killing mailman in Collier
Eric Kortz appeared nonchalant as he waited for police to take him into custody last week shortly after authorities said he shot and killed mail carrier Louis Vignone in Collier, based on video footage shown Tuesday in a probable cause hearing. The body-worn camera footage from Carnegie police Officer Matthew...
Accused Tree of Life shooter’s anti-Semitic statements should be suppressed, defense attorneys say
As the man accused of shooting and killing 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue building in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood crawled, wounded, toward Pittsburgh SWAT team officers to surrender, authorities said he repeatedly proclaimed, “All these Jews need to die.” At a hearing this week, defense attorneys are...
Pine-Richland school board election includes 4-way race to fill 2 of 3 open seats
Voters in the Pine-Richland School District will elect at least two new board members when they cast their votes in the Nov. 2 general election. According to the Allegheny County Office of Elections unofficial candidate list, two are vying for a vacancy as the Region 1 representative created with the...
Pittsburgh’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s back after covid hiatus, aims to raise $425K toward care, cure
A socially distanced sea of more than 1,000 people is expected to walk along the Monongahela riverfront Saturday morning motivated by a shared goal — supporting those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and the researchers striving to cure it. The crowd of fundraisers will march a roughly two-mile loop from Highmark...
Monroeville man dies after being thrown from ATV in Penn Hills crash
A Monroeville man died Sunday in Penn Hills in a crash involving a vehicle and an ATV, according to Allegheny County Police. Police said the crash happened around 7:30 p.m. in the 200 block of Universal Road. First responders found Eric Lavrinc, 57, who had been thrown from his ATV....
