Western PA Local News category, Page 2436
Arnold man accused of rape pleads guilty to lesser charge
An Arnold man originally accused of raping a woman in 2017 pleaded guilty Thursday to a lesser, misdemeanor offense. Westmoreland County prosecutors dismissed felony charges of rape, sexual assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse as well as misdemeanor counts of indecent assault Anthony Chico, 34, in connection with an alleged...
Pittsburgh man arrested in connection with police vehicle fire during Downtown protests
A Pittsburgh man facing charges in connection with a police vehicle fire during the May 30 protests Downtown has been arrested. Authorities said Devin Montgomery, 24, turned himself in to investigators Thursday. He’s accused of setting fire to an unmarked police vehicle near the Fifth Avenue entrance to PPG Paints...
Woman in serious condition after being hit, pinned by car in the Strip District
A woman has been hospitalized in serious condition after being hit and pinned by a vehicle in the Strip District. Authorities tell Trib news partner WPXI-TV that the woman was struck near the intersection of 17th Street and Liberty Avenue around 4 p.m. Thursday. Medics used airbags to lift the...
Driver of Officer Brian Shaw’s killer wants $2,500 returned from New Kensington stop
A New Kensington man who police said drove the vehicle from which convicted cop killer Rahmael Holt ran before fatally shooting a city officer wants police to return $2,500 they seized from him. A Westmoreland County judge on Thursday said he will conduct a hearing to reconsider the request from...
Duquesne Light warns customers of ongoing phone scam
Duquesne Light is warning its customers about an ongoing phone scam. Numerous customers were targeted by a phony call that appears to show the company’s caller ID number to make the calls appear legitimate. Scammers tell the customers they have unpaid balances and threaten to terminate services unless customers make...
Target store coming to old Kaufmann’s building in Downtown Pittsburgh
If the old Macy’s and Kaufmann’s building was the target, the Minneapolis-based chain of discount retail stores has hit it. A Target store is moving into the first floor of the largely vacant building at 400 Fifth Ave. The store will take up approximately 22,000 square feet. It’s a welcome...
Pittsburgh officials not included on White House call warning city to step up virus fight
Pennsylvania state officials participated in a private phone call Wednesday in which Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Task Force response coordinator, warned Pittsburgh and 10 other cities needed to get more “aggressive” with covid-19. After a story about the call was published by The Center for Public Integrity,...
Indiana scammer to pay refunds for phony NFL, concert tickets
The state Attorney General reached a settlement with an Indiana County business that repeatedly scammed customers by selling phony tickets to NFL games and Pittsburgh-area concerts. The settlement with Ticket Victory of Indiana, owned by Brian Plowcha and operated between 2015-2018, will pay back more than $24,000 in consumer restitution,...
North Allegheny outlines ‘return-to-school’ plan for Sept. 8 start
North Allegheny School District has released details of its return-to-school plan with options for students to attend classes in person, online or both. “During this unprecedented time of change, we know that the 2020-21 school year will look different,” North Allegheny officials wrote in the return-to-school plan made public on...
Drug court graduates celebrate accomplishment despite covid-19 restrictions
John Panucci was in the home stretch of his path through Westmoreland County’s Drug Court when the coronavirus erupted in March. Drug court — a two-year program that mixes court supervision, counseling and treatment in exchange for reduced or alternative jail sentences — was not exempt from the pandemic, which...
Springdale Township cancels summer concerts, to give away TVs instead
Springdale Township canceled its summer concert series because of the covid-19 pandemic, but officials still wanted to give residents something fun. So why not a free television? The township is getting ready to give away 50-inch televisions to residents on Aug. 3 and Sept. 1. Residents don’t have to enter...
Hold the Picklesburgh: The beloved Pittsburgh festival is canceled
No dill. Picklesburgh is the latest summer event to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year would have been the sixth annual celebration of all things pickled. Voted the No. 1 specialty food festival in America in a USA Today readers’ poll for two years in a row,...
Police: Derry Township woman slain in revenge shooting into wrong houseVideo
A Derry Township woman was killed Monday by a bullet shot into the wrong house in apparent retaliation over a drug deal gone wrong, state police said. Police on Thursday charged Nathan Joseph Quidetto, 20, last known to reside in the Hostetter area of Unity Township, in the shooting death...
Sewickley parking update: Enforcement resumes Friday
Sewickley’s parking system has been updated and meters will be operational in zones 1 and 2, beginning Friday. Parking enforcement was suspended July 16 for system maintenance. According to Sewickley Parking Authority Chairwoman Cynthia Mullins, the rate in Zone 2 has been reduced to 50 cents per hour. Zone 1...
Nadine Road closure delayed until Aug. 3 in Penn Hills
The closure of Nadine Road in Penn Hills will now begin in August, Allegheny County public works announced Thursday. The road closure, originally scheduled to begin July 28, will now begin at 7 a.m. Aug. 3 because of ongoing nearby utility work, officials said. The closure is expected to last...
Gateway School District outlines board-approved reopening plan
The Gateway School Board unanimously approved a reopening plan Tuesday that allows district parents and students to choose one of three options of how school days will look during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The board’s vote came after more than two hours of discussion during the meeting, as well as...
Pandemic increases need for foster families for animal rescues in Western Pa.
A few weeks before the pandemic hit hard in March, Allie Christoforetti and her husband lost their dog. The Greensburg couple decided they weren’t ready to adopt a new dog but were ready to foster through Helping Heart and Healing Tails Animal Rescue, based in the Ligonier area. Christoforetti was...
Despite recent hot, dry weather, Western Pa. on pace for average rainfall
It may seem like Western Pennsylvania is experiencing extremely hot and dry weather conditions, but that’s largely because we have become used to higher-than-normal rainfalls. So far this year, the region is right on track for precipitation, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. “Since Jan. 1, we have...
Man charged with October homicide in McKeesport
Allegheny County Police Wednesday arrested a McKeesport man in connection with an October homicide at a Family Dollar. Master William Thornton, 18, is charged with killing Dwayne Fuller, 24, of Homestead. Thornton was 17 at the time of the shooting, which happened just after 11 a.m. at the Family Dollar...
Hampton OKs request to hold trade shows, private events at North Park Sports Complex
The North Park Sports Complex along Wildwood Road in Hampton has received the go-ahead to rent part of its domed structure for trade shows and other events. The Light Industrial zoning district in which the venue is located only permits groups of two or more businesses on one site with...
Westmoreland County adds 20 new coronavirus cases, no new deaths
Westmoreland County on Thursday saw 20 new coronavirus cases, bringing the county’s running total to 1,234, according to data released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. With no reports of any new deaths related to covid-19 in Westmoreland County, the count remains at 41. Westmoreland County coronavirus by dayInfogram Of...
Fresh produce, specialty items featured at Hampton’s weekly farmers market
Hampton Township’s weekly farmer’s market offers a variety of fresh fruit and produce as well as specialty items including local honey, flowers and wine. The July 22 market also featured a visit from two food trucks to feed hungry shoppers and park patrons. The rain-or-shine market is set up in...
Hempfield restaurant closed after mistaken covid-19 case, looks to reopen Friday
Rodney Yemc is at his wits’ end. His 25-year-old Hempfield business, Rodney’s Restaurant, has been closed for a week as he awaits coronavirus test results from as many as 25 employees who erroneously believed they were exposed to covid-19 by another worker. “This really puts you in a situation,” Yemc...
Hempfield cancels summer concert series, movies in the park
Hempfield’s new amphitheater will sit empty this summer after township officials canceled their annual concert and movie series. “We do not feel we could adequately meet the social distancing requirements and large group gatherings that are currently in play and we do not want any additional expenses on us at...
Allegheny County reports 147 new coronavirus cases, 15 new hospitalizations
Allegheny County on Thursday reported 147 new cases of coronavirus and two deaths. Of those cases, 140 are confirmed and seven are probable. That brings the total number of cases of covid-19 in the county to 6,817. There were 15 new hospitalizations, raising the total to 551, according to the...
