Western PA Local News category, Page 2359
Carnegie man accused of raping girl in Harrison more than a decade ago
Allegheny County Police charged a 66-year-old man with rape and other offenses after a 17-year-old girl accused him of assaulting her more than a decade ago in Harrison. In addition to rape, police charged Randolph Walker, of Carnegie, with felony counts of unlawful contact with a minor, sexual assault, indecent...
Greater Latrobe eyes HVAC ionization devices to combat covid-19 virus
Greater Latrobe School District is considering investing in a technology that would use building ventilation systems to curb the coronavirus. Proposed installation of Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization devices would cost about $450,000, according to Kurt Thomas, the district’s director of facilities, operations and planning. He said about 150 devices would be...
Police: Phone sex company alerts police to alleged child sex abuse in Brackenridge
A tip from a phone sex company owner resulted in Allegheny County Police charging a 42-year-old Brackenridge man with sexually abusing a 9-year-old boy. According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, John Patrick Godfrey claimed his talk with the phone sex operator was only fantasy, but Allegheny County...
DA: Police justified in killing shotgun-wielding man in New Kensington
Police who fatally shot a man wielding a shotgun in New Kensington in March were justified in the killing, Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck ruled Friday. Marc Morgan, 62, of Upper Burrell, threatened to shoot Black people March 13 and refused to put down the shotgun, lobbing expletives at...
Carnegie Mellon publishes report on sustainability progress
Carnegie Mellon University marked a milestone this week in its efforts toward sustainability, equity and social justice. The university released a new report Wednesday that assesses actions taken to advance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 objectives adopted by the United Nations. The SDGs, or “global goals,” aim...
Schenley Park’s Columbus statue ‘erases history,’ Pitt professor says
The Pittsburgh Art Commission held a special hearing Thursday to gather public comment on the future of the 62-year-old Christopher Columbus statue in Schenley Park. The statue has been the subject of debate as the city determines whether to remove or replace it. An online petition has garnered more than...
Large, costly hole appears on Leechburg street
Leechburg Council has a unexpected road repair on its hands, and all they know right now is that it’ll probably be expensive to fix. A gaping hole on Second Street and Center Avenue is the result of what Leechburg Mayor Wayne Dobos called a “storm sewer issue.” “The brick manhole...
Panther Prowl walk-a-thon raises money for Christ the Divine Teacher in Aspinwall
A socially distanced Panther Prowl walk-a-thon brought in more than $5,000 for Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy in Aspinwall, with students taking advantage of the outdoor fundraiser to enjoy music, bubbles and a few laps around the park. The walk-a-thon, in its second year, was hosted Sept. 17 at...
Allegheny County Health Department announces walk-in flu shot clinic in Pittsburgh
The Allegheny County Health Department announced that they will be offering flu vaccines beginning next week at the Immunization Clinic in Downtown Pittsburgh. The department will administer walk-in flu shots from 9 a.m. till 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, starting Sept. 21. There will be additional evening hours on Thursdays...
New owner ‘stoked’ for opportunities at former Racquet Club in Monroeville
The vacant Racquet Club in Monroeville will transform into a new-and-improved indoor sports complex under new ownership. Real estate developer Craig Cozza confirmed he bought the former Racquet Club building at 1 Racquet Lane in early September. Cozza is the owner of Cozza Enterprises, which owns several commercial properties in...
Meet Hazelnut, a ‘spunky’ calf bought for $13 by Gilpin familyVideo
Hazelnut is a pet with a purpose. The weeks-old baby Brown Swiss calf recently was purchased for $13 at auction by the Karpinski family of Gilpin, with the sole purpose of raising her as a pet dairy cow. “Hazelnut will be here for the long haul,” Kira Karpinski said. The...
Several construction projects underway in O’Hara business district
Construction continues at the Chase Bank along Fox Chapel Road in O’Hara, with company officials saying the branch is on track to open later this year. It is one of several businesses under construction in the township’s retail corridor. Also underway are a Chick-fil-A in Fox Chapel Plaza and an...
State police make another large marijuana bust on turnpike in Westmoreland County
For the third time since April, state troopers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County stopped a driver for traffic violations and ended up seizing more than 100 pounds of marijuana. Chui Jiang of Oklahoma City and Guangzhang Ye of San Antonio, both 41, were charged with manufacture, delivery and...
Brentwood restaurant defies order to close for covid-19 violations, faces court action
A Brentwood restaurant that continues to violate the state’s covid-19 mitigation orders — and whose owner spoke at a Harrisburg rally bragging about it — is facing action in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court as the health department attempts to prohibit it from operating. The Crack’d Egg, at 4131 Brownsville...
Birthday drive-by event scheduled for Shaler Area board member battling cancer
A 50th birthday drive-by celebration for a Shaler Area School Board member will double as a fundraiser to help her fight medical expenses. District residents are invited to partake in the parade from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday for board member Suzanna Donahue, who is battling cholangiocarcinoma, or bile...
Westmoreland Transit hopes to boost rebound with extended hours, trips
Two hours of local bus service on Westmoreland County Transit Authority routes will be added in early October as the struggling agency seeks to rebound from massive losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said final details on the expanded service will be released as early...
North Hills school board votes to approve switch to ‘hybrid’ instruction
The North Hills school board has approved a “hybrid” instructional plan that will allow students to attend classes in person two days a week beginning Oct. 5. The board voted 6-2 to approve the superintendent’s recommendation to switch from online-only instruction that has been used since classes resumed Aug. 31...
Westmoreland County adds 11 coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County added 11 new coronavirus cases Friday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The county has had a total of 2,032 cases, with 1,952 of those confirmed and 80 reported as probable. All of Friday’s new cases were confirmed. There have been 40,423 people who had negative PCR tests....
Fox Chapel Area freshman developing app to detect x-ray abnormalities
Before he even started high school, Fox Chapel Area freshman Adhitya Thirumala was using his technological prowess to develop potential advancements in the medical field. Thirumala, 13, was named among the Top 300 middle school innovators from across the country in the 2020 Broadcom MASTERS, a prestigious STEM competition. The...
Barstool’s Dave Portnoy hits 3 Pittsburgh-area pizzerias, tries Turner’s tea
Famed Boston-based pizza reviewer Dave Portnoy descended upon Pittsburgh recently to review three pizza places, Beto’s Pizza and Fiori’s Pizzaria in Pittsburgh and Juliano’s in Robinson. He came away impressed by all three. Portnoy is well known as the celebrity founder of the sports and pop culture website Barstool Sports...
Week in review: Wolf’s ordered deemed unconstitutional, Westmoreland sheriff switches partiesVideo
A federal judge in Pittsburgh on Monday found that orders issued by Gov. Tom Wolf restricting the size of gatherings and closing non-essential businesses to protect against the spread of covid-19 were unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV wrote in his 66-page opinion that, even though the actions...
Murrysville woman, 20, appointed to national Crohn’s advocacy board
For Rachel Stackiewicz, enjoying most meals is a temporary pleasure at best. Stackiewicz, 20, of Murrysville, has been living since age 11 with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Along with ulcerative colitis, it is one of two illnesses classified as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. “Every...
‘Today’ show heads to McKeesport where students get laptops from ComcastVideo
The band was playing, cheerleaders were chanting and football players were huddled on the football field when they heard the news. On national television via NBC’s “Today” show, students, teachers and staff members in the McKeesport Area School District found out they would receive free laptops. The McKeesport Tigers truly...
Allegheny County reports 68 new coronavirus cases, 4 deaths
There are 68 new coronavirus cases in Allegheny County, the health department reported Friday. Of the new cases, 49 are confirmed and 19 are probable, with 833 new PCR tests reported. The total cases reported is now 11,578, with 11,133 of those confirmed and 445 probable. The new cases —...
Salem man accused of ethnic intimidation in phone calls
A Salem man was charged Thursday with ethnic intimidation after police said he used racial slurs during multiple phone calls to a South Greensburg man, according to court papers. In addition to the felony count, Adam Joseph Amendola, 27, is charged with misdemeanors counts of making terroristic threats and harassment...
