Local category, Page 1638
Pittsburgh man gets 10 years in federal prison for distributing child porn
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in a federal prison for distributing child pornography. George Goodwin, 50, of North Point Breeze, was ordered to spend five years on supervised release after the prison sentence. Federal prosecutors said Goodwin used the social networking site MeWe to distribute videos...
Sheriff’s office says telephone scam nets $18K from Allegheny County woman
A 33-year-old woman from Allegheny County was taken for $18,000 by scammers masquerading as members of the county sheriff’s office and FBI, the sheriff’s office said. The woman lost $8,000 through gift cards and another $10,000 through Apple Pay on Monday, prompting the sheriff to issue a warning Tuesday. The...
Zoning panel clears way for 2nd group home in Unity
Community Options’ plan to open a second group home for special needs residents in Unity has won approval from the township zoning hearing board. The board voted 3-2 Tuesday to grant a special exception for the home designated for up to two residents on McClellan Drive in the Charter Oak...
Tax preparation and credit repair at Andrew Carnegie Free Library
We’ve all heard Ben Franklin’s famous 1789 quote: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” While there’s not much we can do about the former, I’m happy to say that the library is the place to go for tax help in 2022! If...
South Hills student news for the week of Jan. 26, 2022
On Dec. 4 and 5, Michael Quallich, a Baldwin Middle School seventh-grader, competed at the Hurricane Tour’s National Championship as a representative of Pittsburgh’s First Tee Program. The event was hosted at Orange County National’s Panther Lake course in Orlando, Fla. Quallich played in a stacked field of more than...
The Stroller, Jan. 26, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your events, club meetings and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Salvation Army needs volunteers for food service canteens The Salvation Army in New Kensington is looking for volunteers to work at its...
Maryland man accused of holding woman in car arrested after chase in Fayette County
A Maryland man accused of holding a woman against her will was arrested after a police chase in Fayette County last week, according to state police. State police said their Uniontown barracks got information on Jan. 20 that Roger Lee Strawser, 55, of Oakland, Md., was holding a woman against...
R.K. Mellon Foundation invests $3.39 million in companies’ ‘social impact’ pitches
For working families, time is a scarce resource. Hours that might otherwise be devoted to leading a healthier lifestyle, or making that annual doctor’s appointment, get shunted aside when life gets in the way. But Allister Chang and Courtney Bragg noticed that many of those working families, particularly in low-income...
Pittsburgh man charged with mid-December shooting at Waterworks mall
A Pittsburgh man has been charged in a Dec. 14 shooting that caused panic at The Waterworks mall and damaged an occupied car parked outside Walmart. John Hayden, 21, is charged by Pittsburgh police with aggravated assault, propulsion of missiles, criminal mischief, a firearms violation and two counts each of...
Restaurant owner, longtime educator and coach Joseph Jioio dies
Growing up in Latrobe in the 1930s and 1940s, Joseph F. Jioio was immersed in the restaurant business because his parents operated an old-style Italian cafe, according to his daughter, Cheryl Ann Jioio Hollin. So, when he became an adult and worked as a teacher, it was not much of...
LIGHT Initiative at Dorseyville Middle School aims to teach empathy, kindness
When Dorseyville Middle School teacher Scott Vensel traveled to Poland to study the Holocaust in 2002, an Auschwitz survivor made a lasting impression with a single comment. “He said to our group, ‘The seed of hate is the same, no matter where it is sown.” Since then, Vensel has made...
Fists fly at ‘Winter Mayhem’ boxing card in Harmar
In the perpetual cross-state rivalry between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the City of Brotherly Love came out on top over the weekend, as Philly boxer Avery Sparrow bested the Steel City’s Matt “Sweet Child” Conway to win the International Boxing Association Super Featherweight and Pennsylvania state title. Sparrow (11-3, 4 KOs)...
Butler family promotes the joys of hosting foreign exchange students, seeks more hosts
It didn’t take long for Kathryn Smail and her family to decide to be a host family for a high school foreign exchange student — four days, in fact. And before long, they were taking in one student after another. Now the Smails, who live in Butler, are spreading the...
Civil rights activist and Pittsburgh resident Alma Speed Fox has died
Longtime civil and human rights activist Alma Speed Fox of Pittsburgh has died. A spokesperson for her church, the Historic Church of the Holy Cross Episcopal in Homewood, said Fox died Monday at age 98. Her daughter, Muriel Fox Alim, confirmed the news Tuesday evening. Alim said Fox died peacefully...
Dog or coyote? Animal rescued in Fairfield Township perplexes volunteers
An animal that has perplexed rescuers is being cared for at a Mt. Pleasant Township wildlife rehabilitation center while waiting on DNA results to determine exactly what it is. The four-legged, 37-pound creature is being treated for mange after a Fairfield woman spotted it last week, said Wildlife Works volunteer...
Former student in Jeannette sues school district over sexual abuse
A former student is suing the Jeannette City School District alleging that administrators there were aware that he was being sexually abused by a teacher. The teacher, Maria Chappell, was charged by the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office in 2016 with having sex with a student. She pleaded guilty on...
Jury split in verdicts for Norwin teacher, husband in middle school musical case
A Westmoreland County jury acquitted a Norwin Middle School teacher of failure to comply with child protective service laws but found her husband guilty of a similar charge. The jury deliberated more than five hours Tuesday before it rendered its mixed verdict to clear English teacher Tobitha Sasso, 42, of...
PLCB offers shot at 1,208 bottles of rare Old Rip Van Winkle whiskey
Some of the most coveted bottles of bourbon are up for grabs this week as the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board kicks off a lottery that some might consider a whiskey lover’s dream. In all, 1,208 bottles of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery’s bourbons are available to Pennsylvanians through the limited-release...
Police: New Kensington man charged with dealing drugs after crack cocaine found during traffic stop
Police are accusing a New Kensington man of being a drug dealer after officers said they found more than half an ounce of crack cocaine while he was being searched following a traffic stop. John Lavell Hawkins, 34, of Ridge Avenue was charged by New Kensington police with a felony...
Bishop Zubik joins Pope in calling for prayers for peace for Ukraine
With more and more signs indicating that Russia is on the verge of invading Ukraine, Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik has joined Pope Francis in setting aside Wednesday as a day to pray for peace. “I ask that prayers for peace be included in all Masses on Jan....
Witness: Man fired pistol at twins from barstool at Woodpecker’s in Upper Burrell
A bartender testified Tuesday that Daniel Moles sipped bourbon at Woodpeckers Pub and Grub in Upper Burrell for several hours on the evening of Nov. 13 and chatted with customers before aiming a pistol at twin brothers seated across the bar and firing two shots, killing one of them. District...
Mo Willems’ storybook ‘Pigeon’ returns to Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
After a long road trip, “The Pigeon Comes to Pittsburgh!: A Mo Willems Exhibit” has returned to the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Based on the “Pigeon” children’s book series by award-winning author/illustrator Mo Willems, the exhibit runs until May 8 in the facility at 10 Children’s Way in the North...
Israeli man gets 8 years for role in ‘Darknet’ sales totaling hundreds of millions of dollars
An Israeli man will serve eight years in federal prison for his role in facilitating hundreds of millions of dollars in sales of drugs, firearms and stolen financial information on the dark web. Tal Prihar pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy last year before Senior U.S. District Judge...
Police: Unity brothers’ brawl during morning alcohol run ends in injury, arrest
Two Unity brothers’ early morning run for alcohol led to a brawl during the trip, landing one in a hospital with severe facial injuries and the other in the Westmoreland County Prison charged with aggravated assault and DUI. Steven R. Clem, 29, was arrested just after 3 a.m. Tuesday by...
Ringer’s get first-step in dog daycare approval, more permitting necessary
Harrison business owner Kim Ringer got first-step approval from the township commissioners on Monday in her pursuit to operate a dog day care and boarding service from her Freeport Road retail space. The commissioners voted 5-0 to rezone the property from B-1 to S-1, allowing pet day care services. Ringer...
