Western PA Local News category, Page 1213
Pittsburgh Police officer hurt responding to domestic incident
A Pittsburgh Police officer was injured while responding to a domestic situation in the city’s Brookline neighborhood early Tuesday morning. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said officers were dispatched shortly before 4 a.m. to the 500 block of Brookline Boulevard for an incident involving a man and a woman. Officers...
Police chief’s murder was part of a dayslong manhunt
The murder of Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire and subsequent death of his killer were the culmination of a days-long manhunt that stretched from the Alle-Kiski Valley to Pittsburgh. This is a timeline of the events as released by Allegheny County Police, the lead investigators in the case: 11:45 a.m....
Brackenridge police chief was ‘ambushed’ by his killer, investigators say
Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire was “ambushed” and shot dead while searching the borough’s Third Avenue for a fugitive late Monday afternoon, Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns said Tuesday. The fugitive — Aaron Lamont Swan Jr., 28, of Duquesne — later used a gun that had been modified to...
Residents honor fallen Brackenridge police chief at processionVideo
Tarentum-area residents stood in the pouring rain Tuesday to pay tribute to a local police chief who had been killed the day before. Dozens of locals, from children to adults, lined the road near First United Presbyterian Church awaiting the procession of first responders honoring Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire....
Police find photo of gun, but still lack weapon in Monessen teen homicide case
A gun used in a November fatal shooting in Monessen has not been located, but Westmoreland County Detective Nicholas Caesar said a photograph of the suspect holding a handgun was found on the dead teen’s cellphone. The photo was sent to 16-year-old Amari Altomore from Terry Newton, 16, who is...
Man accused of killing mailman in Collier dies from cancer while in jail
The man accused of killing a mail carrier in Collier last year died Monday while in custody. Court filings said Eric Kortz, 54, had previously been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was being held in Butler County Prison. Kortz’s federal public defenders filed a motion seeking a detention hearing on...
Support services available to community, Highlands students
Highlands School District will return to in-person classes Wednesday after a day of remote learning that followed the killing of Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire. McIntire was shot Monday afternoon during a manhunt that spanned Harrison, Tarentum and Brackenridge, all Highlands communities. Tarentum police Officer Jordan Schrecengost also suffered a...
Competency evaluation ordered for Penn Township man accused of killing father, aunt
A Penn Township man accused of stabbing his father and aunt to death will undergo another competency evaluation to determine if he is able to stand trial next month for their slayings. Neal Hubish, 42, is accused of killing his father, Arthur Hubish, 71, and aunt Maria Puskarich, 76, inside...
Brackenridge Chief Justin McIntire recalled as ‘humble, hard-working hometown son’
Friends of Justin McIntire say that if there’s a heaven, the slain Brackenridge police chief is up there either hunting or playing euchre. “I knew him since he was a little kid, playing in his grandfather’s yard,” said Butch Magnetta, a family friend. “He loved this community, and he always...
Experts: Next 24 hours critical in Damar Hamlin’s recovery
Experts say the next 24 hours will be critical in the recovery of Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety and McKees Rocks native who suffered cardiac arrest during a “Monday Night Football” game at Cincinnati. “It’s hard to say exactly what’s going on. But at this point, they are maintaining...
Pittsburgh Art Commission reorganized, city fund for public art created
Pittsburgh’s Art Commission and the percentage given to the city’s art program are set to be reorganized. City Council voted unanimously last week to approve changes proposed by Mayor Ed Gainey. This comes about a month after the mayor removed all prior Art Commission members with little explanation. He then...
Former Congressman Mike Doyle to take job with Pittsburgh law firm
After serving nearly three decades in Congress, former U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle will be taking a lobbying job at a multinational law firm based in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP announced last week that Doyle will be joining the firm as a government affairs...
Food Truck A Palooza returns to Monroeville Convention Center
You’re invited to step under the Big Top and explore a kaleidoscope of cuisine when one of the nation’s only indoor food truck festival returns to western Pennsylvania. Presented by GoodTaste! Pittsburgh, Food Truck A Palooza is scheduled for 1 to 6 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Monroeville Convention Center,...
Photo gallery: Paying tribute to slain Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire
A contingent of police, fire and ambulance vehicles from around the region converged in Tarentum on Tuesday for a procession in honor of slain Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire, who was shot to death on Monday during a confrontation with a suspect wanted on an arrest warrant. Related • Brackenridge...
Plum High senior earns Eagle Scout rank
A Plum Senior High School student has achieved the highest rank in Boy Scouts. Cody Chill’s Eagle Scout rank was acknowledged during a Court of Honor ceremony on Dec. 17 at Holiday Park United Methodist Church in Plum. Fewer than 6% of Boy Scouts become Eagles. Special guests speakers at...
Gunman in Brackenridge police chief slaying had extensive criminal history
The Duquesne man who police said killed Brackenridge’s police chief Monday had been charged with homicide nearly a decade ago. Aaron Swan, 28, was shot and killed Monday night after a shootout with police in Pittsburgh’s Homewood-Brushton neighborhood. Police said Swan had shot Brackenridge Chief Justin McIntire earlier in the...
Senior driver improvement courses offered in Plum, other areas
Seniors For Safe Driving is offering senior citizen driver improvement courses to help motorists understand how aging affects driving abilities and prove insight about navigating today’s roads. The PennDOT-approved courses are designed for drivers age 55 and older, and include no testing or behind-the-wheel driving. As mandated by Pennsylvania law,...
Father hailed as hero after scuffle with man who killed Brackenridge chiefVideo
What unfolded before 16-year-old John Pierce’s eyes Monday afternoon in Brackenridge was nothing short of terrifying. His father, Todd Pierce, 50, was in the family’s driveway on Morgan Street cleaning out his work van when a gunman suddenly appeared, demanding the elder Pierce give up the keys to the van....
Holy Family Parish celebrates Christmas with annual brunch
A Christmas brunch was held by Holy Family Parish at St. Joseph Church Hall in Verona and at Our Lady of Joy Church Hall in Plum on Christmas morning. Because of the pandemic, this was the first time since 2019 that the brunch was held in-house. In 2020 and 2021,...
North Hills Genealogists host Jan. 16 presentation about Civil War ancestors
North Hills Genealogists will host an online presentation on Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. by Brian Rhinehart entitled, “I Have a Civil War Ancestor… Now What?” The event is free and open to the public. Civil War soldiers often left a rich genealogical paper trail. Many records are tucked away...
Sewickley’s Little Garden Club celebrates 100 years
The Little Garden Club of Sewickley celebrated its 100th Anniversary at its traditional Christmas luncheon on Dec. 8 at Allegheny Country Club. President Lauren McLeod opened the presentation by introducing the 100th Committee members — Fran Merryman, Nancy Hansen, Britt Eubanks, Elizabeth Sykes, Annie Gensheimer and Diane Meakem. The committee...
Merger of Excela, Butler health systems finalized
Ken DeFurio, who served as president and CEO of Butler Health System, will lead the new organization formed by the merger of Butler and Excela Health, officials announced Tuesday. The merger was final as of Sunday, Jan. 1. John Sphon, who was CEO of Excela Health, plans to retire in...
Monroeville Public Library organizes early welcome to 2023
As the time neared 12 o’clock, the countdown started, wrapping up with a resounding: “Happy New Year!” And then the folks who attended the Dec. 31 celebration at Monroeville Mall headed out into the daylight. Monroeville Public Library’s annual Noon Ball Drop had a new venue this year, with plenty...
Homer City man arrested after fleeing police
State police arrested a Homer City man who fled from police and was wanted in Armstrong County for drug and alcohol-related charges. On Friday, state police in Indiana attempted to pull over Drew Bittner, 19, in White Township, Indiana County, after Bittner was speeding. Bittner initially pulled into the parking...
Highlands School District switches to remote instruction, offers counseling in response to police shootings
Highlands School District officials announced a shift to a remote learning schedule Tuesday in response to the fatal shooting of Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire on Monday in Brackenridge. A huge police presence and incident unfolded Monday around noon in the Brackenridge and Tarentum communities resulting in an hours-long series...
