Local category, Page 2098
Police suspect 3 men of stealing $30K in copper from shuttered ATI plant in Gilpin
A West Deer man is accused of stealing copper valued at $30,000 from an idled Allegheny Technologies Inc. plant with the help of two men who were not in custody as of Tuesday afternoon, Gilpin police said. Police said they had not recovered the stolen copper as of Tuesday afternoon....
Judge grants bond to ‘Pink hat lady’ from Mercer County charged in Capitol riot
The video showed Rachel Powell leaning through the window of the Capitol building, shouting at those who had just breached it. “Hey, guys, I’ve been in the other room,” she yelled through a bullhorn. “People should probably coordinate if we’re going to take this building.” FBI Special Agent Carlos Fontanez...
Pennsylvania mail-in ballot registry isn’t as permanent as the word implies
Editor’s note: A prior version of this story incorrectly stated the impact of ignoring a letter regarding the requirement to apply for mail in ballots annually even if voters registered for the “permanent mail-in ballot list.” Pennsylvania’s 2019 mail-in ballot law continues to create confusion as election officials across the...
Allegheny Health Network adjusts visiting policy, other hospitals still have limits
With covid rates and hospitalizations dropping, Allegheny Health Network is changing visitation policies at its hospitals. The hospital system announced Tuesday that effective immediately its hospitals are allowing multiple people to visit a patient one at a time. Patients can have only one visitor in a facility at a time...
1 man dead, 2 firefighters injured in house fire in Pittsburgh’s AllentownVideo
One man died in a midday house fire Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood, fire officials said. The fire was reported just before 1:45 p.m., and crews were at the Knox Avenue home by 1:50 p.m., according to Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Chief Darryl Jones. Crews were trying to get to...
Pittsburgh bars snag rare bottles of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon
Cameron Lehman, bar manager for Muddy Waters Oyster Bar in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood, knows how far whiskey-lovers will travel for a sip of a rare spirit. He often sees visitors from out of state, who come to sample one of about 75 whiskeys Muddy Waters has on offer. “When...
Gov. Wolf outlines plan to raise Pa.’s minimum wage to $15 by 2027
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday joined Democrats in the General Assembly to lay out a plan to raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour effective in July. From there, he said, the wage would be raised 50 cents a year until it reaches $15 by July 2027. “Our...
New Stanton man to serve up to 3 years in prison for child sexual assault
A New Stanton man will serve up to three years in prison for the sexual assault of a young girl, his third child victim in more than a decade, according to Westmoreland County prosecutors. Paul E. Chamberlain, 33, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of indecent assault for improper sexual...
All Saints Church steps up to collect donations for Etna food pantry
The Bread of Life Food Pantry in Etna has tripled its donation dropoff days in order to meet the climbing demand for help from hungry families. There has been a 33% spike in the number of people seeking food from the site at 94 Locust St., in the basement of...
Drug and firearm cases among those handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court the week of Feb. 8, 2021
Penn Hills District Judge Anthony L. DeLuca handled the following cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Charges were filed by Penn Hills police unless otherwise noted. Held for court • Langston Valentine, 38, of Pittsburgh on charges of leaving an unattended child...
New glass recycling station in Ross open to residents of any community
Ross commissioners were livid last year when the township’s waste hauler asked that residents no longer put glass to the curb for recycling. So they decided to take matters into their own hands. The township has partnered with the Pennsylvania Resource Council to set up a dumpster at the public...
Sprankle’s Saxonburg store now offering free grocery delivery
There’s a new free grocery delivery option in the Saxonburg area. Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market in Saxonburg said Monday it is offering the service to customers living within 10 miles of the store, which opened in July. Sprankle’s stores in Leechburg and Kittanning have offered free grocery delivery for decades. “Covid-19...
Penn-Trafford-Jeannette covid cases tallied for week ending Feb. 9, 2021
The number of new confirmed covid cases in the Penn-Trafford-Jeannette area remained nearly level, with 30 new cases in the seven-day period ending Feb. 9 — up 3 from the week prior — according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Since the pandemic began in March, the six...
Report: Super Bowl bets up 75% this year across Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanians legally bet more money this Super Bowl compared to last year, according to the state Gaming Control Board. Preliminary figures suggest that $53.6 million was bet at sportsbooks across the state on Sunday’s game, which saw the underdog Tampa Bay Buccaneers wallop the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. This year’s...
Mother, daughter injured in Pa. Turnpike bus crash last year file suit
A woman and her 11-year-old daughter who were severely injured in the fatal bus crash last year on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County have filed a federal lawsuit alleging negligence. The complaint, filed Saturday in U.S. District Court, names as defendants Z&D Tours Inc., which operated the tour bus;...
Covid exposure closes 2 Greensburg Salem schools through Feb. 18
Two Greensburg Salem School District buildings will be closed through Feb. 18 because of “the number of faculty, staff and students who were in close contact with a positive covid case,” according to district officials. Students at Amos K. Hutchinson Elementary School and Greensburg Salem Middle School will learn remotely...
Digital series connects music lovers to Pittsburgh Symphony
On a warm fall night in Downtown Pittsburgh, members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performed in the Heinz Hall garden. Principal oboist Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida complemented the symphony’s strings ensemble for Ennio Morricone’s “Gabriel’s Oboe” with a sound that resonated, a memorial to the composer who died in July. Port...
Latrobe looks to soften bite of new stormwater fee in cases of hardship
After fielding an outpouring of calls from residents, Latrobe officials are looking for ways to soften the impact a new stormwater management fee might have on property owners experiencing hardships. “We’ve received a lot of calls from people who have either lost their job or are on a fixed income,”...
3 Baltimore men accused of transporting synthetic marijuana through Westmoreland County
Three Baltimore men are accused by state police of having synthetic marijuana in a vehicle they were traveling in westbound on Interstate 70 through Westmoreland County in April 2019, according to court papers. Jamal Mohammed Alzanam, 32, was arraigned Monday on charges of possession with intent to deliver, transportation of...
Westmoreland County averaging 30% of covid cases it had a month ago
Westmoreland County is averaging about 30% of the number covid cases it was seeing a month ago. The county added 93 additional covid-19 cases Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health, bringing its seven-day average of covid cases to 78 cases per day. A month ago, Westmoreland County was...
Police charge Greensburg woman with assault after son’s hand is injured
Police charged a Greensburg woman with assault and endangering the welfare of a child after her son was injured at her home. Kristen M. Sinclair, 38, was released on $5,000 unsecured bond pending a preliminary hearing Feb. 18. Patrolman Regina McAtee reported that the boy’s injury was discovered after police...
Allegheny County adds most newly reported covid cases in over 2 weeks
Allegheny County on Tuesday reported 405 additional covid-19 cases, the most cases reported in a day in about two weeks. Tuesday’s reported cases were the most since Jan. 23, when 464 covid cases were added. Dates of positive tests range from Nov. 19 to Feb. 8. The county Health Department...
Story of pioneering Pittsburgh Black reporter inspires new documentary
When protesters seeking voting rights for Black Americans made the 54-mile trek from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., in 1965, a Pittsburgh reporter was there. It didn’t matter to KDKA radio newsman George Barbour that his boss considered it too dangerous for a news outlet to send a Black reporter to...
Fox Chapel Area School Board mulling March return for middle, high school students
Fox Chapel Area School Board on Feb. 8 pushed back a full-time return to in-person class for older district students until at least March. Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac said the administrative team is weighing options for a potential return for students at Dorseyville Middle School and the high school, pending...
‘Luxury villas’ proposed as 1st part of Murrysville office park
A community of “luxury villas” could be coming as part of a proposed corporate office park complex in Murrysville, should council approve development plans. Bushy Run Investments is proposing 18 “luxury villas” at the northeast corner of Wilson and Manor roads, just south of the White Valley neighborhood. The residential...
