Western PA Local News category, Page 1181
McKeesport man found guilty of 1st-degree murder in shooting of ex’s new boyfriend
A McKeesport man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury on Tuesday found him guilty of first-degree murder for the 2019 shooting death of a man who was dating his ex-girlfriend. Marcus Acie-Griffin, 30, is scheduled to be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas judge...
Fox Chapel Area School Board gives itself more time to decide on deputy superintendent’s contract
Fox Chapel Area School District officials voted at a special meeting Jan. 30 to approve changes to Deputy Superintendent David McCommons’ contract, giving the board an extra 60 days to consider keeping him beyond his current pact. McCommons’ contract was set to expire June 30. District officials said the contract...
Man, deemed ‘evil’ career offender, gets life in federal prison in drug and weapons case
A man who was so disruptive during his federal criminal case — including attacking his own defense attorney and urinating on a courtroom floor — that he was tried in absentia was sentenced Tuesday to serve the rest of his life in prison. James Taric Byrd, 44, formerly of Pittsburgh,...
Pittsburgh nixes plan for youth curfew enforcement, focuses on creating youth resource centers
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted down a proposal to ramp up enforcement of the city’s curfew, as officials are focusing instead on launching resource centers catered to youth and their families. City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, earlier this month introduced a measure that would order officials...
Man killed in Route 993 crash in North Huntingdon
An Allegheny County man was killed early Tuesday morning in a crash along Route 993 near the Cleaveland/Price Inc. manufacturing plant in North Huntingdon, said township police and a Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety supervisor. The victim, William J. Henning IV, 41, of Wall, died at AHN Forbes Hospital...
Greensburg Salem bus driver accused of inappropriate communication fired
A bus driver in the Greensburg Salem School District has been fired after being accused of inappropriate communication with students, according to the driver’s employer. DMJ Transportation Safety Coordinator Mark Kraynick said the driver was recently fired after an internal investigation. Greensburg Salem officials said the issue, which began with...
Social worker to be hired by Sharpsburg via federal grant
Sharpsburg officials plan to use a federal grant to hire a full-time social worker. The borough received $180,564 in covid relief funds earlier this year to cover the salary of a social worker for two years and purchase two computers for police cars. Council Vice President Karen Pastor said candidates...
Moody Blues, Wings co-founder Denny Laine to bring solo show to Club CafeVideo
The English rock band the Moody Blues was just getting their act together in the early 1960s in a suburb of Birmingham when a suitcase full of American rhythm and blues records was brought to them by a British disc jockey who had just returned from the United States. The...
2 Westmoreland Prison inmates accused of hiding cocaine in their cell
Two Westmoreland County Prison inmates are accused of having cocaine hidden in their cell, according to court papers. Antjuan D. Smith, 39, of Oklahoma Borough, and Thomas M. Moore II, 33, of Unity, are charged by Westmoreland County detectives with contraband and drug possession. Investigators said another inmate at the...
Highlands to implement new tools to combat student vaping
Highlands administrators will get an edge in their battle against the popular — but unhealthy and illegal — teen habit of vaping. Detectors will be installed in restrooms at the middle and high schools in the coming weeks to notify officials when students are puffing inside the stalls. “Vaping is...
Animal Friends pet food drive planned at Edgeworth Elementary
Edgeworth Elementary students and staff want to repay the kindness shown by Animal Friends during a difficult time with a pet food drive. The K-5 school in the Quaker Valley School District will be collecting wet and dry cat and dog food, treats and cat litter Feb. 13-17. Counselor Jessica...
Allegheny County child welfare algorithm faces Justice Department scrutiny
PITTSBURGH — The Justice Department has been scrutinizing a controversial artificial intelligence tool used by a Pittsburgh-area child protective services agency following concerns that it could result in discrimination against families with disabilities, The Associated Press has learned. The interest from federal civil rights attorneys comes after an AP investigation...
Morning Roundup: 1 killed, 1 injured in Beaver County crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023: 1 killed, 1 injured in Beaver County crash A teenager was killed and another injured in a crash in Beaver County early Tuesday, according to state police. Troopers said a 15-year-old passenger in a Hyundai...
Coming soon to West Deer: Almost 170 new homes in 2 housing plans
A housing development in West Deer will proceed following approval of the plan of lots by township supervisors earlier this month. The Kingston Plan, formerly known as the Unionville Plan and located at 292 East Union Road, was approved by township supervisors Jan. 18. The subdivision calls for lots to...
Sticker shock: High heating bills from December have more seeking help
Henry and Holly Johnson of Greensburg did what they could during the cold days of December to keep their heating bill manageable, to a degree that others might not find comfortable. “We keep the (thermostat) temperature at 67 degrees,” Henry Johnson said. And if family and friends visiting over the...
Architecture of shuttered Westinghouse lab in Churchill to get closer look at webinar
An aerial view of the former George Westinghouse Research and Technology Park in Churchill reveals a nod to the company’s early ties to the railroad industry. The corporate campus was designed to look like a locomotive. But workers at the now-empty Churchill site, which opened on 150 acres in the...
Kayak Pittsburgh to open kayak rentals in Sharpsburg for a 2nd season
The outdoor nonprofit Venture Outdoors will return for a second season of kayaking in Sharpsburg. Sharpsburg Council voted 6-0 Jan. 26 to allow Venture Outdoors to use the James Sharp Landing for a Kayak Pittsburgh rental site this summer. Councilwoman Kayla Portis was absent. Venture Outdoors launched a pilot rental...
The Stroller, Jan. 31, 2023: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Tickets on sale for murder-mystery dinner in Leechburg A murder-mystery dinner...
Doing our part for diversity and inclusion at the Tribune-Review
“Be deliberate.” Those words served as a theme in the Tribune-Review’s participation over the past six months in an experimental Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) cohort with the American Press Institute and other Pittsburgh news outlets. Our mission in joining the program was to create various goals for increasing...
Federal limits proposed for lead levels in infant food
Newly released draft guidance from the federal Food and Drug Administration calls for manufacturers to limit lead levels in infant food, but it also cautions parents that they don’t need to panic or make major changes to their little ones’ diets. The draft, released last week, would set FDA “action...
South Greensburg church team recognized for recycling program
Recycling is a matter of faith as well as good citizenship for a group of volunteers at St. Bruno Parish in South Greensburg. The Creation Care Team’s drop-off recycling program for materials including metal cans and glass containers has been embraced by local residents. The effort also has garnered praise...
McKeesport mayoral candidate pardoned for 1993 drug convictions faces new drug charges
A McKeesport mayoral hopeful who was previously pardoned for a 1993 drug conviction is now accused of being part of what the state Attorney General’s Office called a major drug ring in Allegheny County. Corry J. Sanders, 52, was one of seven men charged on Dec. 30 following an 11-month...
Report: 1 dead, 1 critically injured in Ellwood City shooting
A woman is dead and another person is in critical condition following a shooting late Monday afternoon in Ellwood City, city officials told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. Ellwood City police are investigating the shooting, which took place shortly after 5:15 p.m. Monday along First Street, Mayor Anthony Court told WPXI....
Forecasters say snow to taper off — leaving cold, freezing rain behind
Snow was tapering off throughout the region Tuesday morning after rain turned into a mix of snow and icy glaze in some areas, leaving behind cold temperatures, according to National Weather Service meteorologists. “There’s a frontal boundary moving through with some warmer air aloft, and a colder surface temperature,” NWS...
Judge grants motion to separate sentencing phase in Tree of Life trial
The judge presiding over the Tree of Life mass shooting case ruled Monday that if Robert Bowers is found guilty, the sentencing portion of the case will be held in two separate phases. The decision by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Colville will require that victim impact testimony be received...
