Local category, Page 2620
Rape charges dismissed against former Hempfield man
A former Hempfield man pleaded guilty Tuesday to lesser offenses after prosecutors agreed to dismiss rape charges in connection with an alleged sexual assault in October 2017. Harold M. Franks, 37, now of Washington Township, was charged after a bloodied and bruised woman appeared at a Greensburg police station, partially...
Residents ramp up calls for public transportation in A-K Valley communities
Alle-Kiski Valley communities are lobbying the Allegheny County Port Authority to extend a bus route that would connect residents to local shopping and business hubs. Led by the community group Building Block of Natrona, the petition asks the Port Authority to extend the 1 Freeport Road bus route from the...
Pittsburgh audit turns up problems with fund used to pay for umpires in city parks
Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb has placed a hold on a money going into an account that pays for umpires and other officials and expenses during city sports league games. Lamb said the Parks and Recreation Department in 2019 had an informal agreement with the Pittsburgh Sports Officials, an organization that...
Unity officials clear way for new Westmoreland Cleanways recycling center
Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling’s plan to relocate its recycling operations to a property near Pleasant Unity received the go-ahead Tuesday. After tabling the matter earlier in January, Unity Township supervisors approved a final site plan for the new recycling center, with a landscaping modification that includes planting a border of...
Sewickley man selected to WPSBC board of trustees
A Sewickley doctor was recently appointed to the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children’s board of trustees. Dr. Daren Loran Hoover brings nearly 40 years of extensive experience in studying, practicing, treating and teaching ophthalmology to the board. He joins the nine-member panel as they work to advance the mission,...
Pennsylvania reports 9 new flu-related deaths
After a two-week respite, Pennsylvania reported an increase in flu-related deaths in the past week, according to the state Department of Health. As of the week ending Jan. 25, a total of 33 flu-related deaths have been reported this flu season, which started Sept. 29. That’s up by nine from...
Judge could nix key witness testimony in Wilkinsburg mass shooting
The judge presiding over the 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting case said Tuesday he’s considering suppressing testimony of a jailhouse witness who, along with offering information in the Wilkinsburg case, offered information in a dozen other crimes. The death-penalty trial for Cheron Shelton and Robert Thomas — both of whom face...
Sewer work to restrict Second Avenue in Pittsburgh until mid-February
Sewer maintenance will cause lane restrictions on Second Avenue in Pittsburgh until mid-February, PennDOT announced Tuesday. Single-lane restrictions will occur on Second Avenue between Tipton Street and Glen Caladh Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting Wednesday. The restrictions will continue on weekdays until some time in February, PennDOT...
Latest UPMC South plans include smaller footprint in Jefferson Hills
UPMC has presented plans for a much smaller medical facility in Jefferson Hills than initially planned. While the health care giant still seeks to build a 63-bed hospital in the borough, some of the outpatient services initially planned for the medical center proposed near the intersection of Elliot Road and...
Pittsburgh receives foundation grant for purchase of specialized street sweeper
The Richard King Mellon Foundation is giving Pittsburgh $187,000 to purchase a specialized street sweeper for the maintenance of stormwater-absorbing pavement. Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday authorized acceptance of the foundation grant. The money will be used to purchase the sweeper that will initially be used for cleaning a bicycle...
Greensburg police identify 2nd wanted suspect in strong-arm robbery
Greensburg police identified a second man they say was involved in a strong-arm robbery in the city last week. On Tuesday, police obtained an arrest warrant for Nikolaus A. Beers, 39, of Mercer on charges of conspiracy, reckless endangerment, receiving stolen property, robbery, strangulation and theft. Police also released his...
Walls of Kiski Area High School covered in student-painted, historical muralsVideo
Students at Kiski Area High School don’t just hang their artwork on the walls. They paint the walls. As part of a mural project called “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words,” students have painted murals modeled on iconic artwork or images from history. The project started in 2011. “At...
‘Hope Scarves’ bring joy, optimism to UPMC cancer patientsVideo
In the crowded lobby of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center on Tuesday, Lara MacGregor, founder of Hope Scarves, stepped to the microphone and told a story of friendship. During a trip to a cancer conference in 2009, MacGregor was taking a moment in the lobby of her hotel. She felt overwhelmed...
Liberty Tunnel in Pittsburgh reopened after crash
A multi-vehicle crash that closed the inbound (northbound) Liberty Tunnel has been cleared, according to PennDOT. The crash occurred at about 3:19 p.m. Tuesday and was cleared by 3:57. Emergency personnel were on the scene. TRAFFIC REMAINS STOPPED at the Inbound a Liberty Tunnel due to a multi- vehicle accident....
Beating away the day: WCCC uses drum circle to help students handle stressVideo
The sound of drums on Tuesday echoed through the recently renovated Student Achievement Center at Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood. Students gathered for the monthly drum circle and worked together to beat away the stress of the semester. “It’s meant to help them learn to work together, to collaborate...
Close call between orbiting space junk expected above Pittsburgh
What happens if a space telescope weighing more than a ton collides with a 10-pound experimental satellite about 600 miles above Pittsburgh? “You probably wouldn’t see anything here at all,” National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Hendricks said. The gloomy, overcast cloud cover is expected to continue through 6:39 p.m. Wednesday,...
Latrobe police to greet residents at art center
The Latrobe Police Department has established a tradition of inviting area residents to learn more about the work of its officers and other emergency responders during the annual National Night Out event, held the first Tuesday in August. On Feb. 5, the department will try a new morning outreach effort:...
Charges filed in Unity man’s 2015 drug overdose death
A former area woman is accused of providing a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin that killed a Unity man in 2015, according to court papers. Caitlin Nicole Brown, 27, was charged in October 2017 with drug delivery resulting in death and related offenses. She was extradited to Pennsylvania last week....
Westmoreland Manor water being tested for Legionnaires’ disease
State health officials confirmed Tuesday an investigation is ongoing at Westmoreland Manor for a suspected case of Legionnaires’ disease. Residents and employees at the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield have been using bottled water to drink and to clean with since Friday, when the investigation started. “The department is investigating...
Students at South Allegheny School District dismissed early because of bedbug
Students at the South Allegheny School District were dismissed early Tuesday after a bedbug was found in a school building, officials said. District officials made the decision to dismiss middle and high school students early out of “an abundance of caution.” Finding a bedbug doesn’t mean the building is infested,...
Westmoreland Labor Council backs Democrat Prah in 58th District special election
The Westmoreland County Labor Council endorsed Democrat Robert Prah Jr. in an upcoming special election for the 58th district state House seat. It was a difficult choice between Prah and Republican Eric Davanzo, said WCLC President Walter Geiger. “We are proud of both of these men. They are both union...
Wilkinsburg man on trial for fatal 2017 crash in Squirrel Hill
A Wilkinsburg man accused of being drunk, crashing the car he was driving and killing one of his passengers is on trial this week in Allegheny County. Daquan Lamont Thompson, 25, is facing charges including homicide by vehicle for the crash. Thompson and three passengers were in a Chevrolet Cobalt...
412 Food Rescue expands mission in Westmoreland, other Western Pa. counties
A Pittsburgh nonprofit that “rescues” good food from going to landfills is expanding its services to surrounding counties through a smartphone app and a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. 412 Food Rescue, founded in 2015, redirects surplus food from local waste streams to nonprofits that serve people in need. In...
Donations pour in for New Alexandria teen struggling to recover from medical emergency
A New Alexandria teen who earned three livestock ribbons at the 2019 Pennsylvania Farm Show is struggling to recover after undergoing cardiac arrest and hemorrhagic shock. In early January, Autumn Zundel, 13, was diagnosed with an anterior mediastinal mass between her heart and lungs, after going to UPMC Children’s Hospital...
Cops: New Ken man tried to rob police officer in Downtown Pittsburgh
A New Kensington man was arrested after trying to rob a plainclothes police officer in Downtown Pittsburgh about 6 p.m. Monday, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Port Authority of Allegheny County police arrested Aaron Walker, 26, who allegedly approached an officer near the corner of Fifth Avenue and Wood...
