Allegheny County News category, Page 91
Diesel from Route 28 tanker accident leaves sheen throughout Allegheny and Ohio rivers
Groups are monitoring the region’s waterways and wildlife after a tanker accident on Route 28 spilled 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel. While authorities are working to mitigate the impact of Tuesday’s accident, which sent large amounts of fuel into Pine Creek and later the Allegheny River, sheens of diesel can...
Animal Friends plans to increase presence, programming in Sharpsburg
Animal Friends, an Ohio Township-based nonprofit dedicated to helping pets and their owners, wants to expand programming in Sharpsburg. Discussions are underway between leaders of the no-kill shelter and borough entities including the Sharpsburg Community Library and Roots of Faith, a nonprofit ministry of Faith United Methodist Church in Fox...
Morning Roundup: Firefighters called to blaze in Jefferson Hills
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Feb. 14: Firefighters respond to Jefferson Hills blaze Firefighters were called to a home fire early Friday morning in Jefferson Hills. The blaze was reported juts before 1 a.m. along Village Green Drive, according to TribLive news partner...
Allegheny County property tax bills lack new payment deadlines
Allegheny County residents will begin receiving 2025 real estate tax bills this week, but deadline information in the enclosed bulletins is wrong because of last-minute changes, according to County Treasurer Erica Rocchi Brusselars. On Tuesday night, Allegheny County Council voted to extend property tax deadlines by about a month, including...
Mon View Heights owner from New York, charged in $580K theft, surrenders in West Mifflin
One of three men from New York accused of stealing $580,000 related to the Mon View Heights housing complex in West Mifflin surrendered to authorities on Thursday. Jonathan Liani, 39,was arraigned and is free on $250,000 unsecured bail, according to court records. Allegheny County detectives said in court papers filed...
Shaler Area parents, administration talk increased security at school board meeting
At the first meeting of the Shaler Area School Board following an incident on Jan. 30 where a student brought a handgun on a school bus, tempers were mild as parents and administration discussed safety measures. The meeting took place in the Shaler Area Middle School library, a bigger venue...
Mercurio’s pizza chef takes home win competing in Italy
A trio of local Italian siblings are celebrating their sister’s pizza-making prowess and subsequent win in an international pizza competition. Anna Crucitt and Michael and Joe Mecurio co-own and operate Mercurio’s, known for authentic homemade Neapolitan pizza and artisan gelato, with locations in Shadyside and O’Hara. Crucitt recently won first...
Stolen car in Shaler used in attempted gun shop burglary in Mercer County
One of the cars stolen in Shaler on the night of Feb. 8 or morning of Feb. 9 was used in the attempted burglary of a gun shop in Stoneboro, Mercer County, according to Shaler police Chief Sean Frank. On Feb. 9, Shaler police reported that two cars were stolen...
Investigation launched into Chartiers Valley transportation department; security firm hired
Chartiers Valley administrators launched an internal investigation into allegations of improper use of the district’s bus garage and have since hired a security firm to protect the district’s assets, they say. Superintendent Daniel Castagna said, in response to recent threats and to ensure student safety, the district is reviewing security...
‘I’d like to know why’: Family seeks answers as Clairton killer is sent to prison
A day after the start of trial for a Clairton man accused of killing his friend’s father, Sabr Ellis decided to change his not guilty plea. The 25-year-old instead admitted Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter for the Jan. 21, 2021, stabbing death of Anthony Koontz. As part of the negotiated agreement,...
Podcast: The long-awaited release of Marc Fogel from Russia
Marc Fogel, the 63-year-old Butler native and former Oakmont teacher, was released Tuesday and is back in the United States. Fogel, an American history teacher, spent 1,278 days in a Russian penal colony after being was arrested in Moscow on Aug. 14, 2021, for taking prescribed medical marijuana into the...
‘On top of the world’: Marc Fogel enjoys 1st breakfast back in the U.S.
Marc Fogel woke up Wednesday morning in a plush Washington, D.C., hotel and enjoyed a breakfast of bacon and eggs for the first time in more than 31⁄2 years. “He’s just grateful and on top of the world right now,” his mother, Malphine Fogel, told TribLive. “There’s only good things...
Who is Steve Witkoff? The man behind Marc Fogel’s release
When teacher Marc Fogel returned to the United States on Tuesday after three and a half years’ imprisonment in Russia, he was accompanied by a figure many don’t know much about — Trump envoy Steve Witkoff. “What a dynamic man this guy is,” Fogel said of Witkoff during a press...
Oakmont Bakery raising money for Marc Fogel with cookies in his likeness
The viral image of Oakmont resident Marc Fogel sipping a drink on an airplane following his release from a Russian prison Tuesday is one of two images on Oakmont Bakery’s “Home Sweet Cookies.” “Luckiest man on Earth” is written under the image. Oakmont Bakery’s Marc Serrao, who co-owns the business...
Marc Fogel expresses gratitude for support, calls Trump a ‘hero’ after returning from Russian prison
As an entourage led by President Donald Trump waited Tuesday night under an awning outside the White House, the newly freed prisoner walked forward through the snow. “Mr. President,” said Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy who had just completed a whirlwind roundtrip to Russia on a top-secret mission to...
Marc Fogel’s return to the U.S. from Russia carried a Pittsburgh theme
Marc Fogel’s return to the United States was as much a Pittsburgh moment as it was patriotic. “I’m a proud Pittsburgher,” said Fogel, the 63-year-old teacher, formerly of Oakmont, who was released Tuesday after nearly four years in Russian prisons. He was wearing a Steelers stocking cap as he kissed...
Shady Side Academy middle school to be donated to National Aviary
A Shady Side Academy alum is helping the National Aviary find a nest for its next breeding and conservation center, teaching hospital and educational space. S. Kent Rockwell, Fox Chapel resident and 1962 academy graduate, is in the process of acquiring his alma mater’s 35-acre middle school campus. The plan...
Route 28 reopens near Etna following tanker crash, spill
The southbound lanes of Route 28 near Etna reopened early Wednesday morning after a tanker crashed in the area and started leaking fuel Tuesday evening. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said emergency units were alerted of a single-vehicle crash by the exit around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. One person was taken...
Bethel Park chili competition nets $6,000 for nonprofits
A fine way to fend off winter’s chill is a bowl of chili. Or, as was the case at Bethel Park’s inaugural Battle of the Bowls Chili Cook Off, sampling small paper cups’ worth of cooks’ creations. And while guests of the Feb. 1 event at the Bethel Park Community...
Pine-Richland School Board takes next step in implementing controversial library policy
Pine-Richland School Board took the next step in eventually implementing its controversial library policy at its meeting Feb. 10 in the latest of a series of contentious and sometimes rowdy meetings. Board members offered numerous amendments to the proposed policy and even some supposed attempts at “compromise,” which were met...
In style: Bellwether in Sewickley defines fashion forward
According to Merriam-Webster, the word bellwether means a leader and an indicator of trends. Bellwether on Beaver Street features the latest styles from casual to evening wear, jewelry, shoes and home goods — making it an apropos moniker. “We had a sign here that read: ‘She’s kind, she’s brave, she...
Morning Roundup: Homestead man pleads guilty to gun, drug charges
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Feb. 11: Homestead man pleads guilty to gun, drug charges A Homestead man pleaded guilty in federal court to gun and drug charges and agreed to a 35-year prison term, Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti announced Monday. Erik...
Trial begins in brutal Clairton stabbing death
Nicole Koontz expected her husband to pick her up from work at a Bethel Park bakery on Jan. 21, 2021. But she hadn’t heard from Anthony Koontz by the end of her shift, so she asked her nephew for a ride. When Koontz got to their house on Mendelssohn Avenue...
Last Downtown homeless encampment closed; city and county officials cite success at resettlement
The last Downtown Pittsburgh homeless encampment — on the Eliza Furnace Trail — has been closed as of Monday, city and county officials said. People experiencing homelessness who used to reside there have been transitioned into more stable housing as recently as this past weekend. They were part of the...
Custodian at Pine-Richland High School accused of selling THC vape cartridges, alcohol to students
A Pine-Richland High School custodian was arrested Thursday for allegedly selling nicotine, THC vape cartridges and alcohol to students on school grounds. Keon Ency Barrett, who the district identified as an evening custodial employee, is charged with delivery of scheduled substances, criminal use of a communication facility and two counts...
