Allegheny County News category, Page 7
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...
Pittsburgh Regional Transit CEO Katharine Kelleman gets $55K bonus
Pittsburgh Regional Transit CEO Katharine Kelleman is getting a $55,000 bonus, but exactly how the extra pay bump was determined is unclear. The transit agency’s board on Friday unanimously approved the performance bonus with no discussion. Under the terms of Kelleman’s contract, the board could’ve given her up to $62,400....
Bethel Park teacher continues deep delve into Holocaust education
Photographs posted in Leigh Ann Totty’s Bethel Park High School classroom portray some of her travel destinations in Europe. Among them is Terezín, a small Czech Republic town about 50 miles north of the capital city, Prague, and once was home to the Theresienstadt Ghetto, a Nazi transit hub for...
Morning Roundup: Injuries reported in shootings in McKeesport and Wilkinsburg
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, March 2: 2 shot in McKeesport Two men were shot late Sunday evening in McKeesport, according to the Allegheny County Police Department. Dispatchers were notified of two men shot at 10:33 p.m. Sunday, police said. One man was...
WTAE’s Elena LaQuatra: How a cochlear implant helped new Pittsburgh morning anchor rise to the top
As the clock in the WTAE studio counted down, Elena LaQuatra’s bubbly personality turned serious. She scanned scripts behind the anchor desk and made quick adjustments to her hair and dress. With a hand signal from show control operator Taylor Jones, LaQuatra’s face was broadcast live on televisions around Pittsburgh....
Dozens of works by student artists on display at The Block Northway in Ross
A spotlight is shining on dozens of young artists at The Block Northway in Ross. The free art exhibit, located on the upper level of the mall, will be on display through March 22. It features works by students from several schools in the North Hills, including Blessed Trinity Academy...
Police: Woman rammed cruiser, nearly struck police dog before North Side crash
A Pittsburgh woman was arrested Friday after repeatedly ramming a police cruiser, nearly striking a police dog and leading authorities on a car chase from McKees Rocks to Pittsburgh’s North Side. McKees Rocks police said they were dispatched around 6 p.m. for a disturbance on Washington Street. A resident called...
Review: The Clarks are still rocking the stage after 4 decades
This year, The Clarks celebrate 40 years as a band — and they’re still selling out shows, as with their Friday night engagement at The Oaks Theater in Oakmont. For a certain strand of Southwestern Pennsylvanian, The Clarks have become a part of the fabric of the region, much like...
North Hills School Board celebrates students’ talents with ‘Jukebox Time Machine,’ upcoming ‘Mamma Mia’ musical
Members of the North Hills School Board were in for a treat at their Feb. 19 meeting as third graders from Ross Elementary School shared a preview of “The Jukebox Time Machine,” a musical performance showcasing the decades through songs and skits. The students staged the event the following evening...
Middle Eastern man living in Pittsburgh accused of fraud, ID theft in using a dead man’s name for years
Federal authorities have accused a Middle Eastern man of illegally living in Pittsburgh, misusing visas and providing a false name among other related offenses. Mahmoud Almasry, 44, also known as Mohammad Jiham, had been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of fraud and misuse of visas,...
Police arrest 2; find large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, crack, marijuana, $15k and a rifle in Penn Hills raid
Two people have been taken into custody following a drug bust in Penn Hills on Friday morning. Their names have not yet been released in connection with the investigation, and the charges against them are pending. Police executed a search warrant at a home in the 300 block of Idlewood...
