Allegheny County News category, Page 300
Covid cases rise slightly in Pennsylvania as hospitalizations drop
Pennsylvania recorded a slight rise in covid-19 cases while the number of people hospitalized with the illness continued its steady drop. The state on Friday added 1,823 cases, the most in the past six days, according to data from the state Department of Health. Those cases helped raise the seven-day...
Kayak Pittsburgh closes rentals at Aspinwall Riverfront Park
Kayaking enthusiasts might be disappointed to learn rentals will no longer be available at Aspinwall Riverfront Park. After five years at the site off Freeport Road, Kayak Pittsburgh will not return this summer, officials said. “It was a beautiful space but we weren’t getting enough traffic,” said Ebony Montgomery, director...
Teen songwriter from Kennedy collaborates on tune with fellow ‘America’s Got Talent’ alum
Ashley Marina Yankello, a 13-year-old singer-songwriter from Kennedy , is releasing an original song Friday, written and recorded in a collaboration with a fellow “America’s Got Talent” alum. The pop/rock song, “Time to Shine,” features vocals by the local teen, who has dropped her surname for her musical career, and...
Outbound Parkway North HOV lanes set to open after being closed 14 months for maintenance
Beginning at 10 a.m. today, motorists will once again be able to use the outbound HOV lanes along the Parkway North after being shut down for more than a year for maintenance, PennDOT announced. The inbound High Occupancy Vehicle lanes will remain closed, officials said. “The department is currently evaluating...
West Mifflin man charged in connection with kidnapping, rape case
A woman spent hours held captive in her ex-boyfriend’s West Mifflin home Wednesday, forced into the basement when police responded to her texts seeking help, according to charges filed Thursday. Demetrius Pirl, 51, faces a slew of charges, including kidnapping, rape, false imprisonment and sexual assault. The ordeal left a...
Guard charged in connection with Allegheny County Jail drug sale operation
A guard at the Allegheny County Jail is accused of working with an incarcerated man to sell drugs to others within the jail, allowing him to go from cell to cell to make the sales and provide payment information, according to Allegheny County Police. Lewis Bagnato, 32, of Kennedy, faces...
More than 50% of Pennsylvania adults fully vaccinated for covid
Pennsylvania passed a milestone with more than 50% of adults considered fully vaccinated against covid-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 5,088,210 million adults — those 18 and older — who are considered fully vaccinated. That’s 50.1% of the adult population. Pennsylvania’s mask mandate can...
Hacker who sold UPMC employee data on the dark web pleads guilty
A Michigan man pleaded guilty Thursday morning to hacking a UPMC employee database in 2014 and stealing the personal information of more than 65,000 people and then selling it on the dark web. Justin Sean Johnson, 30, will be sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge Mark Hornak in about four...
Little Medical School gives North Allegheny students hands-on intro to profession
Gifted middle school students in the North Allegheny School District were able to get a hands-on demonstration of the work that physicians do during an event dubbed the Little Medical School. The district partnered with the UPMC Passavant Foundation to host the May 17 gathering in the Ponce Room at...
81-year-old incumbent defeats challenger, 20, in Pitcairn mayoral primary
A person’s first foray into politics is often a disappointing one. And so it was for 20-year-old Mika Petrosky, who lost her bid to unseat 81-year-old incumbent Margaret “Betsy” Stevick in Tuesday’s Pitcairn Democratic mayoral primary. With 100% of the vote counted, Stevick had 247 votes to Petrosky’s total of...
Beer here: Necromancer to open in Ross, introduce new brews
Necromancer Brewing Co. in Ross will debut this weekend. Cans of two of the four core beers the brewery will offer will be available for takeout only. Two styles will be announced via social media at 9 a.m. Friday. The other two will be released next week, according to Ben...
Richard King Mellon Foundation gives $150M gift to Carnegie Mellon University
The Richard King Mellon Foundation on Thursday announced its largest ever grant — $150 million to Carnegie Mellon University. Half of the historic investment — $75 million — will go toward the construction of CMU’s long-awaited, cutting-edge $210 million science building on Forbes Avenue, adjacent to the Carnegie Museum in...
Man airlifted to hospital after fireworks spark blaze at McKeesport home
A McKeesport man was taken to the hospital by medical helicopter after fireworks sparked a blaze in his home. The fire in the two-story building in the 2600 block of Banker Street was reported shortly before 3 a.m., according to emergency dispatchers. Firefighters encountered flames shooting from the second floor...
As possible teacher strike looms, Gateway School Board asks families for patience, hires full-time equity director
Gateway School District superintendent William Short used his time for remarks at the district’s school board meeting Wednesday night to ask for patience and understanding from students, families and residents with a potential teachers’ strike looming. The teachers’ union informed Short on Tuesday that a strike will begin on May...
New names for merged Catholic schools announced, while Vatican considers appeal
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said Guardian Angel Academy will be the name of the school formed from merging Saint Margaret of Scotland, located in Green Tree, with Saint Philip school in Crafton. The naming, announced Wednesday, comes amid a formal appeal to the Vatican to stop the merger. The...
‘Better and better’: Allegheny County officials hopeful as covid numbers dropVideo
Allegheny County officials took an optimistic tone during a virtual news conference Wednesday, as they predicted the county is “near the end of the pandemic.” “We’re seeing better and better results,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. Dr. Debra Bogen, health director, said Allegheny County is now averaging less than 130...
Pittsburgh International, Arnold Palmer airports each stop guns at checkpoints
On Tuesday, a man at Pittsburgh International Airport and a woman at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport were stopped from boarding planes with loaded handguns. According to a Transportation Safety Administration release, the gun at Pittsburgh International was found by the checkpoint X-ray machine. Allegheny County Police were alerted to question...
Activists praise vote that bans solitary at Allegheny County Jail
Over just 10 weeks, volunteers working with a consortium of groups and Alliance for Police Accountability collected more than 45,000 signatures to get a question on Allegheny County’s ballot: Should jail officials be prohibited from using solitary confinement, the restraint chair and chemical agents on those incarcerated there? The answer,...
Penn Hills manager says he ‘regrets’ hiring former Wilkinsburg officer under investigation in shooting death
After Penn Hills reversed course on the hiring of former Wilkinsburg officer Robert Gowans to its police department, Penn Hills Manager Scott Andrejchak said he regrets approving the hiring in the first place. “I made a bad call,” Andrejchak said. “There were things that were overlooked.” Penn Hills council held...
Summer Concert Series returns to South Park, Hartwood Acres
After a year’s absence due to the pandemic, Allegheny County’s popular Summer Concert Series is back with live performances throughout the summer months. Among the bigger names scheduled to perform are the Indigo Girls, Average White Band, The Spinners, The Jayhawks and The Spin Doctors. The Friday night South Park...
Pennsylvania surpasses 9,000 covid deaths in 2021, as new cases continue to drop
As new covid cases throughout Pennsylvania continued to decrease, the state on Wednesday surpassed 9,000 deaths recorded in 2021. The Allegheny County Health Department reported 93 additional covid cases Wednesday, bringing its total to 100,460. The county’s seven-day average of new cases dropped to 128, its lowest since 118 on...
Pine-Richland School Board’s Region 2 will be a 4-way race this fall
Pine-Richland School Board Region 2 will remain a four-way race in the November general election. According to unofficial results from the Allegheny County Office of Elections, the four nominees in the May 18 primary each garnered enough votes to appear on the fall ballot. On the Democratic ticket, newcomer Russell...
West View councilman loses primary bid; 3 other incumbents, newcomer win nominations
An incumbent member of West View borough council lost his bid in the May 18 primary to run for another term. Five Democrats were on the ticket vying for party nominations to run in November for four open seats on West View borough council. Councilman Eugene Borio, who has served...
Ross commissioner candidate wins party nomination by 1 vote; write-ins could challenge incumbents this fall
Three of the four Ross Township commissioners who are up for reelection this year faced no opposition in the primary for party nominations, but could face challenges for their seats in November’s general election from people who received write-in votes. Three candidates — two Democrats and a Republican — ran...
McCandless councilman defeated in primary; write-in votes could shape race for 2 seats in November
Incumbent McCandless Councilman David Smith lost a bid in Tuesday’s primary to run for a full, four-year term in the November general election. Smith, who represents the 4th Ward, received 71 votes in the primary. He was defeated by GOP challenger Jason Singer, who received 397 votes. Smith was appointed...
