Western PA Local News category, Page 1706
Pittsburgh public safety leader will not be part of new mayor’s administration
Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said he’s been informed that he will not be retained under Mayor-elect Ed Gainey’s incoming administration. “We’ve seen lots of change, and even trying times together, and hopefully we were able to make a positive difference over these past six years,” Hissrich said Thursday...
More Peduto staffers announce departures
Three more senior administration officials on Thursday announced they would be leaving Pittsburgh government jobs ahead of Mayor-elect Ed Gainey taking office next week. Lindsay Powell, who serves as Mayor Bill Peduto’s assistant chief of staff and policy director, began working for the city in 2017 as a policy analyst....
Longtime Shanksville fire chief, who responded on 9/11, in need of heart transplant
The Somerset County area is digging deep to help longtime area firefighter Terry Shaffer, who was Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department’s chief when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on 9/11. Shaffer, 66, was admitted last week to UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment of congestive heart failure, according to his...
Scottdale man accused of ramming another vehicle in Hempfield
A Scottdale man is behind bars after state police said he rammed another vehicle in Hempfield on Wednesday, according to court papers. Jeffery E. Stafford, 35, is charged with aggravated assault by vehicle, reckless endangerment, accidents involving damage to an attended vehicle and several summary traffic violations, including driving with...
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County stories of the year in 2021
The covid-19 pandemic continued to dominate daily news cycles this year in Western Pennsylvania and beyond. But many other news events occurred in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County in 2021 — including the election of Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor and the arrests of dozens of Western Pennsylvanians after the riot at...
Jeannette man sentenced to state prison in sex assault of teen girl
A Jeannette man was sentenced Tuesday to six to 12 years in a state prison in connection with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. Steven Alan Deluke, 43, was ordered to spend three years on probation after the prison term. He pleaded guilty in June to involuntary deviate sexual...
Get the Led Out brings ‘whole lotta’ Led Zeppelin to GreensburgVideo
“The Song Remains the Same” is a 1976 concert film documenting Led Zeppelin’s 1973 three-night stand at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. You could say it’s also the motto of Philadelphia-based tribute band, Get the Led Out, which plays note-for-note versions of the classic British rock band’s recordings. Long...
Washington Township man jailed after standoff with police
A 45-year-old Washington Township man accused of assaulting a teenage girl and threatening her with a rifle surrendered to police after a four-hour standoff early Wednesday, according to court documents. Township police arrested Calvin C. Creighton Jr. at his home on the 100 block of Turack Road just after 4...
State lawmakers vow to better protect care home residents from convicted sex offenders
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No central registry in Pennsylvania tracks convicted sex offenders placed in nursing care facilitiesVideo
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Brighton Rehab no stranger to federal, state scrutiny for resident care
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Follow-ups by journalists to an earlier covid-related story uncovered a horrid reality in Pennsylvania’s long-term care facilities
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When there’s no room at nursing facilities, convicted sex offenders often land in unregulated boarding homes
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Hidden danger: Registered sex offenders often go undetected in care homesVideo
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Powerball jackpot will climb to $483 million on New Year’s Day
Looks like 2022 is going to be a great year for someone. The Powerball lottery jackpot will climb to $483 million on New Year’s Day after no one matched the five numbers and Powerball in Wednesday’s drawing, according to state lottery officials. The numbers drawn were 2-6-9-33-39 and the Powerball...
In Pa., no central registry tracks convicted sex offenders placed in nursing care facilities
When the Tribune-Review began investigating the placement of sex offenders in nursing, personal care and assisted-living homes, it seemed logical to ask some basic questions. • How many sex offenders are living in these facilities in Pennsylvania? • In what facilities are they living? • How many assaults on patients...
When there’s no room at nursing facilities, convicted sex offenders often land in unregulated boarding homes
Christopher Farkas said he’s not one to judge the 23 convicted sex offenders living at his boarding house in a rundown, troubled section of McKeesport. Without Farkas’ Hospitality House, he said those offenders, most needing help with basic daily tasks such as cooking, laundry and complying with the rules for...
Brighton Rehab no stranger to federal, state scrutiny for resident care
When convicted sex offender Richard Marlin Walter assaulted a 57-year-old dementia patient at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center last December, it was not the first time trouble surfaced at the Beaver County nursing home. In 2020, the 589-bed facility became the epicenter of one of the nation’s deadliest outbreaks of...
State lawmakers vow to better protect care home residents from convicted sex offenders
Pennsylvania lawmakers have vowed action to protect some of the state’s most vulnerable residents by changing the system that has sent convicted sex offenders to nursing, personal care and assisted-living homes where some have found their next victims. Their promises come after learning the results of a Tribune-Review investigation showing...
Hidden danger: Registered sex offenders often go undetected in care homes, sometimes at an unspeakable cost
It was just a few days past Christmas 2020 when a 57-year-old woman with advanced dementia and a penchant for wandering the hallways stumbled into Richard Marlin Walter’s room at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center. Frail, confused and robbed of her ability to speak, she couldn’t scream for help when...
After 40 years, Westmoreland County’s only scuba diving shop owners are retiring
Van McGhee admits always being captivated as a boy by the underwater adventures of fictitious ex-U.S. Navy frogman Mike Nelson in “Sea Hunt,” a television drama series from 1958-61 starring Lloyd Bridges. “I thought it was just fascinating,” he said. For 40 years, McGhee, 70, and his wife, Barb, 63,...
The Stroller, Dec. 30, 2021: 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. Leechburg Elks to host annual hoop shoot event The annual Leechburg Elks Hoop Shoot free throw competition will be at noon Jan....
Yak Diner’s move to briefly close River Road in North Apollo on Monday
River Road closure for moving the Yak Diner delayed Closure of a section of River Road in North Apollo that was set of happen Monday will be delayed for at least a day. Arlene “Dolly” McCoy said Saturday that moving the diner must be delayed until PennDOT releases a permit....
Wilkinsburg man charged after police said they found missing children in his apartment
A Wilkinsburg man faces charges after police said multiple missing juveniles were found in his apartment. Tyron Scott, 21, is charged with four counts of child endangerment and one count each of corruption of minors and reckless endangerment. Police from Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg responded early Monday to a report of...
Another key official in outgoing Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration announces departure
The director of Pittsburgh’s Office of Management and Budget plans to leave his role with the city in January, Mayor Bill Peduto announced Wednesday. Kevin Pawlos is the latest official in the Peduto administration to announce their departure in advance of Mayor-elect Ed Gainey’s inauguration next week. Pawlos began working...
