Local category, Page 2609
Photos: Celebrating the Lunar New Year in Monroeville
New Year celebrations continued at the Monroeville Public Library with the ringing in of the Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, on Jan. 25. The Lunar New Year is celebrated during the second new moon after the winter solstice, usually between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20 on the Gregorian...
Cops: New York man was using stolen identification from second area man
A suspect accused of stealing a man’s identity to buy $4,000 worth of computers, gift cards and video games was arraigned Wednesday for a similar crime. Vaughn L. Lawhorn, 46, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is charged with four counts of access device fraud and theft and two counts of identity theft...
2 Hempfield seniors awarded full tuition to Saint Vincent CollegeVideo
Two Hempfield Area High School seniors will received full rides to Saint Vincent College. Brennen Novotney and Jacob Rzempoluch won the Unity Township college’s 39th annual Wimmer Scholarship Competition, which awards students with four-year, full-tuition scholarships. Christina Andrae, associate director of admission at the college, presented the scholarships to Novotney...
Pittsburgh police: Cab passenger shot in Bedford Dwellings
A passenger on a Z-Trip ride was taken to the hospital in critical condition Wednesday evening after a shooting, according to Pittsburgh police spokesman Maurice Matthews. Officers responded to the 3900 block of Bigelow Boulevard shortly after 7 p.m. after receiving 911 calls that a man had been shot. According...
New York inmate pleads guilty to selling synthetic pot while behind bars in prison ring smuggling case
A New York prison inmate pleaded guilty in Pittsburgh federal court to scheming to sell synthetic marijuana while behind bars, prosecutors said . Quoc Boa Trinh, a former inmate at a federal prison in Otisville, N.Y., admitted to conspiring to distribute synthetic cannabinoid substances from 2017 through early 2019, U.S....
Saltsburg man guilty of selling fatal batch of fentanyl-laced heroin
A Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday convicted the Indiana County man prosecutors said sold fentanyl-laced heroin that killed a 38-year-old mother in December 2016. After more than five hours of deliberations jurors found Dylan Blair, 23, of Saltsburg guilty of a felony count of drug delivery resulting in death and...
Pa. Republicans rejoice in President Trump’s acquittal on impeachment charges, ‘failed political hit job’
Pennsylvania’s Republican congressmen rejoiced following Wednesday’s acquittal of President Trump on both impeachment charges. U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah was the sole Republican to join Democrats in finding Trump guilty of abusing his powers, a charge that was rejected, 48-52. On obstructing Congress, all 53 Republicans voted not guilty....
Officials investigating shots fired at undercover officers in New Kensington
At least one person in a group of five or six people opened fire on undercover police officers Tuesday night in New Kensington, just a couple of blocks from where a city officer was shot and killed more than two years ago, according to Westmoreland County detectives. County detectives said...
Former PNC Bank employee pleads guilty to multiple bank robberies
A former PNC Bank employee pleaded guilty in federal court to robbing three PNC Bank locations and attempting a fourth. Disguised in a hijab and a surgical mask to cover her face, Jasmine Parrish, 30, stole nearly $100,000 from her former employer. Parrish pleaded guilty to a five-count indictment, U.S....
Tarentum ‘Depot’ projects gets state grant for basement, foundation workVideo
Work to deepen the basement of a Tarentum building to house a laundromat is expected to begin this summer. Faith Community Partners received a nearly $211,000 state grant that will pay for half the cost of the work at the Fifth Avenue building being called The Depot, said its executive...
Runners in their Undies to close down Clemente Bridge for 2 hours
The Roberto Clemente Bridge will close for two hours Saturday — from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. — as part of a mile run through Pittsburgh. The Department of Public Works announced Wednesday that Cupid’s Charity was granted a permit to close the bridge for the Cupid’s Undies Run. The runners...
New Kensington man arrested in connection with Valley Royal Court shooting in December
A New Kensington man charged with four counts of attempted homicide in connection with shots that were fired at an occupied car in December in New Kensington has been arrested. Letresse Tareke Williams, 29, was arrested late Tuesday night or early Wednesday by the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Warrant Team and...
Even on cloudy days, Green Tree nonprofit will be powered by solarVideo
It isn’t always sunny in Pittsburgh. But there’s enough sunshine to cover at least 82% of the power needs of the Global Links’ building in Green Tree, its executive director said. “Despite Pittsburghers thinking it’s cloudy and solar doesn’t make sense, it does,” Global Links executive director Angela Garcia said,...
New ‘Cops’ episodes to feature Pittsburgh police in action
The long-running TV show “Cops” will use footage filmed last summer in Pittsburgh in upcoming episodes, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz. Promotion for the Pittsburgh-based episodes started Tuesday on Twitter, when the show tweeted, “Pittsburgh we have arrived.” Pittsburgh, we have arrived ? ? episode Monday, Feb.10...
Pittsburgh council gives preliminary approval for $50 million in borrowing
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday advanced legislation that would authorize a $50 million bond issuance for capital improvements this year, but members voiced concerns about spending it in a timely fashion. About $53 million is left over from bonds issued in 2017 and 2019, according to the city budget office....
Local officials say paying for state police would be tough pill to swallow
Gov. Tom Wolf wants to charge Pennsylvania communities a fee for state police coverage, regardless of whether the municipality has its own police force, according to his 2020-21 state budget proposal. Under the proposal, Hempfield and Unity townships would pay $76 per resident, according to state data. Neither township has...
Pittsburgh Council scraps plan to split park tax money evenly among council districts
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday scrapped a proposal to split revenue from a controversial parks tax evenly each year among the city’s nine council districts. Council unanimously amended legislation sponsored by Council members Anthony Coghill and Deb Gross in the wake of growing concerns from other members about equitable distribution...
Slippery Rock cancels Chinese New Year celebration
The impact of the coronavirus, the mysterious respiratory virus that cropped up in Wuhan, China in December, reached into Butler County Wednesday when officials at Slippery Rock University canceled plans for a Chinese New Year’s celebration slated for Feb. 15. The outbreak, which had killed nearly 500 as of Wednesday,...
Mother of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto dies at 92
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s mother died Wednesday morning, the mayor said. Eva Maria (Zarroli) Peduto was 92 and lived in Scott Township. “This morning I lost the most inspirational person of my life, my mom,” Peduto posted to his Twitter account shortly before 8 p.m. This morning I lost the...
Design work delayed for Greensburg garage destroyed by fire
Replacing Greensburg’s public works garage will take a bit longer than expected as officials continue to assess the damage from the October fire that destroyed the building and much of the equipment inside. City council had planned to begin the search for an architect to design a replacement garage next...
Dozens drawn to Latrobe Art Center to meet and greet city copsVideo
More than 50 people stopped at the Latrobe Art Center Wednesday morning for the Latrobe Police Department’s inaugural community outreach event dubbed “Coffee and Cocoa with a Cop.” Police Chief John Sleasman was pleased by the turnout, noting the event was meant to provide citizens a chance to become familiar...
Cops: Almost $27K in silver bars and jewelry stolen from North Huntingdon home
A McKeesport man is accused of breaking into a relative’s home in North Huntingdon several times since 2018 and stealing a dozen 100-ounce silver bars stored in a bedroom closet, and $5,000 worth of jewelry. Cody J. Killcrece, 25, was arraigned before District Judge Wayne Gongaware Jan. 28 on charges...
Greensburg considers eliminating compliance bond for construction projects
Greensburg City Council is considering a measure that would eliminate a hefty up-front cost for construction projects. City code requires developers to pay a compliance bond before beginning a project. The size of the bond is three times the project’s permit fee, which varies based on the scope of the...
Allegheny County records 2 more flu-related deaths
Two more Allegheny County residents have died from flu complications, bringing the county’s total flu-associated deaths this season to seven, the Allegheny County Health Department said Wednesday. Department spokesman Ryan Scarpino said one of the residents was in their 60s, while the other was in their 40s. The Health Department...
Howlers moving from Bloomfield to East Liberty
Howlers, a mainstay of the Pittsburgh music scene, is ending its 19-year run in Bloomfield. The club will close its Liberty Avenue location on Aug. 30 and reopen at a new location in East Liberty in September, according to owner Susan Coe. “We got a new landlord and he was...
