Allegheny County News category, Page 93
Police say owners of Mon View Heights stole $580,000, created public nuisance
Three men who own the Mon View Heights housing complex in West Mifflin were charged by police Tuesday with stealing $580,000 that could have been used to make improvements at the properties. Instead, authorities said, the trio diverted the cash into various bank accounts connected to the apartment complex, according...
Taco Bell manager found guilty of first-degree murder in Harrison man’s death
A former Taco Bell manager was found guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder for killing an employee after a dispute at the fast-food restaurant in Scott where they worked. Zairyre Simmons faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole in the 2022 shooting death of Dorian Carver of Harrison....
Girlfriend of man on trial in Uber driver’s slaying testifies
The woman whose request for an Uber preceded the events that left a rideshare driver dead testified Tuesday she had no reason to think anything was amiss when her boyfriend asked her to get him a lift. Tanaya Mullen, 25, told jurors that she and Calvin Crew, 24, of Pitcairn,...
Walmart is new owner of Monroeville Mall; interested in presence at redeveloped site
Walmart’s purchase and intent to redevelop Monroeville Mall echoes similar projects completed in Westmoreland County in the early 2000s and in Wisconsin just a few years ago. No specific plans for the 186-acre Monroeville site have been released, said Mark Rickel, director of corporate communications for Walmart. “Walmart did purchase...
Morning Roundup: No injuries reported in shooting near Rankin apartment building
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025: Shooting at Rankin apartment building Allegheny County Police are investigating a shooting reported early Tuesday at a Rankin apartment building. Police said they were dispatched for a report of gunshots about 1:35 a.m. to Palisades...
U.S. Steel, Nippon argue in court for new federal merger review
U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel laid out their case Monday that then-President Joe Biden hamstrung a national security review to justify blocking the companies’ merger. An opening brief filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia claimed the companies had their due process rights violated when...
Moe’s celebrates 20 years in Western Pennsylvania with throwback prices
Mike Geiger and John Iaquinta took a chance 20 years ago when they opened their first Moe’s Southwest Grill franchise in Cranberry. The move paid off — the business has since expanded to include 10 locations in Western Pennsylvania and two in Erie. To celebrate two decades of serving Mexican...
Trial opens in slaying of Uber driver, mom of 4, in Monroeville
Brandon Marto thought he and the woman he considered to be his wife had taken every safety measure. When Christi Spicuzza went out to drive for Uber, she would call or text him at least once an hour, he told a jury Monday. He installed a dashboard camera — with...
Texas real estate firm takes lead in ‘major redevelopment’ of Monroeville Mall
A Texas-based real estate firm says the 186-acre Monroeville Mall property is well suited for a major redevelopment, and all options are on the table. “I think we’re all aware that the current use isn’t the highest and best use for the property,” said Chris Maguire, CEO of Dallas-based Cypress...
Academic achievement priority for new Chartiers Valley Superintendent Daniel Castagna
Chartiers Valley’s new superintendent has his sights set on bolstering the district’s academic repertoire. In fact, he thinks the district could be one of Allegheny County’s top academically performing districts in three years. “We have the foundation necessary to grow a much stronger academic program than we’ve ever built before,”...
SUV that crashed into Penn Hills business suspected to be stolen
A driver crashed a suspected-stolen SUV into a Penn Hills business Sunday morning before fleeing and leaving behind a vehicle that caught fire. Fire crews were called to Pittsburgh Specialty Cabinet near the intersection of Verona and Mt. Carmel roads shortly after 2 a.m., where they found a white Hyundai...
Teen charged with bringing gun onto Shaler school bus; district reviewing safety protocols
Millvale Police have arrested a borough teenager suspect of bringing a semiautomatic gun aboard a Shaler Area School District bus last week, according to Shaler police. Millvale police Chief Tim Komoroski said his department worked closely with their counterparts in Shaler to arrest the 16-year-old, whom they did not identify,...
Forward Township warehouse fire under investigation
A marina warehouse fire near the Monongahela River Bridge in Forward Township is under investigation. Fire crews were called to the area of Liggett Avenue and Edsel Lane just after 1 a.m. Friday morning, arriving to find a large one-story warehouse with fire coming from the roof. Gallatin Sunnyside VFD...
Taco Bell manager who killed employee testifies he feared victim
Zairyre Simmons was abused as a child and grew up in the foster care system. He watched a person get shot while playing basketball at a Homewood playground and later lost his best friend and older brother to violence. All of those circumstances — along with a 2018 incident when...
Monroeville Mall sold for $34 million; buyer not disclosed but store employees, shoppers hopeful
The Monroeville Mall and its annex have been sold for $34 million in cash, the mall owner said Friday. CBL Properties of Chattanooga, Tenn., did not disclose the buyer. In a statement, CBL said the sale will allow it to focus its efforts on properties with a higher productivity than...
Lawsuit accuses Allegheny County, McCandless police of civil rights violations in DUI arrestVideo
An Allegheny County Jail corrections officer taunted a handcuffed Hampton man while shocking him with a Taser last year, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit. “That feels good baby,” the lawsuit claims a corrections officer said to plaintiff Brian Estep, 30, who was being processed at the lockup on...
Carol Ann Banaszak, a Woodland Hills coach and pioneer, dies
Carol Ann Banaszak was everyone’s biggest cheerleader. As an ardent supporter of the initial “no cuts” policy for athletics and extracurricular activities, she believed that all students should have an opportunity to participate and represent Woodland Hills School District, where she was one of the first coaches in the inaugural...
Shaler Area High School student suspended amid allegations a weapon was brought on school bus
A Shaler Area High School student has been suspended as local police investigate a report that they brought a weapon onto a school bus, according to district officials. The district’s school resource officers were notified of the rumor Thursday, according to a statement released by Superintendent Bryan O’Black and Assistant...
Summer Lee, Pittsburgh officials, advocates slam ‘deplorable conditions’ at region’s subsidized housing
Pittsburgh officials and housing advocates are grappling with how to address serious safety issues at privately owned, publicly subsidized housing complexes throughout the region. During a Wednesday City Council meeting, advocates painted a disturbing picture of babies living in apartments plagued by mold, families finding raccoons living in their ceilings...
Police say man shoots another, then himself in Bethel Park
Police say they responded to a Bethel Park home Thursday after a man shot another man and then himself. Authorities did not immediately identify either man; both were reported to be in critical condition at unnamed area hospitals. The incident occurred in the 500 block of Chessbriar Drive, which is...
Irwin man who can’t recall killing girlfriend sent to prison for up to 20 years
An Irwin man who has no memory of killing his girlfriend at a Monroeville hotel three years ago will serve at least 71⁄2 years in state prison. Matthew Gribschaw, 40, pleaded guilty but mentally ill in November to third-degree murder for killing Rochella Anderson, 49. On Thursday, Senior Judge Katherine...
Driver rescued after crashing vehicle through Bellevue parking deck
A vehicle crashed through a parking deck in Bellevue early Thursday morning, according to Emsworth Volunteer Fire Company. Crews from Emsworth, Avalon and Bellevue volunteer fire departments were dispatched to the parking deck shortly after 12:30 a.m. Thursday, according to a social media post by Emsworth. The crash occurred just...
Bethel Park Police officer serving arrest warrant shoots man holding firearm
A Bethel Park man shot by a police officer serving an arrest warrant Wednesday night is charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest, according to Allegheny County Police. Officers went to an apartment complex along Dorchester Drive at 10 p.m. Wednesday to serve William Adam, 45, an arrest warrant related...
9 additions coming to Ross Park Mall in 2025
Seven new stores, a restaurant and a bank-cafe are set to open this year at Ross Park Mall, some of which are new to the region, according to Simon Property Group, the mall’s owner. Upstairs, there will be a Capital One Café, which will offer customers “a full range of...
Trial begins for Taco Bell manager charged with killing employee from Harrison
Both sides agree Zairyre Simmons fatally shot Dorian Carver of Harrison after the two argued at Taco Bell in Scott where they worked. But the prosecution and defense disagree about why. Simmons, 26, is charged with criminal homicide, receiving stolen property and carrying a firearm without a license. His trial...
