Western PA Local News category, Page 2640
New Castle man guilty of cocaine distribution conspiracy
A New Castle man accused of conspiring to distribute cocaine pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to narcotics violations. Wesley Cox, also known as Michael Deshawn Carter, 38, admitted guilt before U.S. District Judge Marilyn J. Horan. Authorities said he as part of a conspiracy to distribute at least five...
Deputies arrest suspect in October killing along Route 30
Sheriff’s deputies found a man wanted in a drive-by shooting hiding behind a wall in the attic of his girlfriend’s Mt. Oliver home Wednesday, authorities said. Erik DeSean Addison, 24, has been on the run since late October when he allegedly opened fire on a vehicle on Route 30, killing...
Burrell administration recommends artificial turf for Buccaneers Stadium
The Burrell School District administration has recommended artificial turf rather than natural grass for the Buccaneers Stadium renovations. The board will cast a final vote to award the project, choosing from three contract bids, at their March 17 meeting. The administration and the project’s architects, HHSDR Architects/Engineers of Sharon, reviewed...
Dick’s to stop selling guns, hunting supplies at 440 more stores this year
There’s more money to be made selling athletic shoes and sporting equipment instead of guns and ammunition, the CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods told analysts in a Tuesday earnings call. That’s driven the Findlay Township-based company’s decision to stop selling guns and guns and hunting supplies at 440 of its...
Fired Tarentum laborer pleads guilty to harassment in alleged attack on teen worker
A former Tarentum public works laborer charged with attacking and threatening a teenage summer worker in 2019 has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. Borough police charged Tim Dzugan, 56, on July 30 with strangulation, simple assault and harassment in connection with the alleged incident last July. According to court...
Sisters of Charity, Chuck Cooper, George Romero to get state historic markers in Western Pa.
The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, a standout Duquesne University basketball player, a renowned horror filmmaker, an influential archaeologist and an Indian trader who once owned thousands of acres in Western Pennsylvania will be recognized for their importance with historical markers, the state announced. Six of the 24 people,...
Pitt, Duquesne, Carnegie Mellon, Penn State among colleges nationwide canceling face-to-face classes over virus fears
Colleges across the country are extending spring breaks, shuttering classrooms and transitioning to online formats as fears of coronavirus spread. Unprecedented, sweeping changes have reached from the halls of the oldest Ivy League institutions to sprawling land grant institutions and the tiniest community colleges, said Brad Farnsworth, vice president for...
Westmoreland County prepares for high volume of mail-in votes
Westmoreland County will be ready if large numbers of voters decide to stay home on Election Day. Officials will spend about $100,000 for new equipment to help count mail-in votes in next month’s primary and in the November general election. County commissioners approved buying two high-speed scanners from Election Systems...
Police: New Kensington man beat up woman who is 5 months pregnant
A New Kensington man is accused of beating up a pregnant woman so severely she had to be taken to a Pittsburgh hospital, police said. Arnold police said the woman came to the door of the police department shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday, crying with multiple bruises on both sides...
Attendance up at Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show despite coronavirus fears
Attendance is up at this year’s Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show despite the coronavirus pandemic that’s prompted other large-scale events to be canceled, its executive director said Wednesday. “Last Friday was the biggest opening day in our 39-year history,” said John DeSantis, executive director of the annual show. DeSantis would...
Police: New Ken man says he attempted to cook meth in his basement ‘in the past’
New Kensington police on Tuesday arrested a man who they say had a methamphetamine lab in his basement. Sean Christopher Smith, 34, remained in the Westmoreland County Prison on Wednesday after failing to post $100,000 bond. He is charged with operating a methamphetamine lab, reckless endangerment, and additional drug offenses,...
Caboose at Cooper Station Restaurant moving to Butler-Freeport Community Trail
The board of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail is buying the Cooper Station Restaurant’s distinctive old-style, red caboose along Route 356 in Winfield to relocate at a trailhead off Winfield Road in the township . The purchase honors the history of the 21-mile trail, which was forged by the Western Pennsylvania...
Sage’s Army welcomes those in need to its new Hempfield location; open house set
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Sage’s army announced that the open house has been postponed. Megan Riley first came into contact with Carmen Capozzi in August 2016. He was the catalyst that helped her find sobriety. Now, he’s her boss at her first job as a certified recovery...
Quarantine is effective but stressful tool against coronavirus
For Jennifer England, one of the worst parts of being quarantined is not knowing if she has the coronavirus. The 51-year-old Pittsburgh resident’s symptoms resemble those of coronavirus — dry cough, fever, body aches. But they were not enough to qualify for a test, as she had not traveled internationally....
Officials: Man found dead near Fox Chapel murder suspect’s home died of gunshot to head
A Verona man whose body was found last week in a wooded area in Fox Chapel died of a gunshot to the head, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday. The Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death of Christian Moore-Rouse, 22, a homicide. Moore-Rouse had been missing since December....
Port Authority cancels public informational meetings
The Port Authority of Allegheny County has canceled four remaining community informational meetings — including one scheduled for Wednesday evening — over growing coronavirus concerns. Meetings entitled “Public Transit: A Community Discussion” have been held to provide information and gather feedback about upcoming transit projects throughout Allegheny County, according to...
Pittsburgh artist will show ‘Really Big Faces’ at Spinning Plate GalleryVideo
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, artist Tom Mosser announced the “Really Big Faces” event has been postponed. A future date will be announced later. Tom Mosser gives new meaning to face time. The artist from Pittsburgh’s East End created a portrait show called “Really Big Faces” featuring Pittsburgh...
Italy’s coronavirus lockdown keeps Freeport native from sister’s funeral
A Freeport native living in Italy missed his sister’s funeral Wednesday because of the country’s lockdown to contain the coronavirus. The Italian government imposed a national quarantine Monday, restricting travel across the country’s borders and movement within. Ron Canterna, 73, said he is trapped in Venice for the foreseeable future....
Former Westmoreland congressman, state Auditor General Donald Bailey’s life was driven by competition
Whether it was on a wrestling mat, football field, battlefield or in politics, friends of former Westmoreland County Congressman and Pennsylvania Auditor General Donald A. Bailey say he relished competition. “Don was one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met, and he was certainly driven in everything he did....
Pitt, Duquesne move to online classes over coronavirus concerns
The University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University are altering spring class schedules in reaction to concerns over covid-19, university officials announced Wednesday. Pitt is extending spring break and will move to online instruction at all five campuses, according to a statement from the university. Classes will be...
Monroeville road to close for 3 months
A section of Northern Pike in Monroeville connecting Route 22 to Route 48 will close for about three months starting March 16, PennDOT announced. The road will be closed between Valerie Circle and Abers Creek Road starting at 9 a.m. March 16 through early June. The $1.4 million project won’t...
Murrysville resident examines 1920s Johnstown racial incident in new book
Editor’s note: The author’s scheduled March 18 presentation at CCAC was canceled after this story was first published online. What began as a search for a story about local black history led Cody McDevitt to a project that has gone from a newspaper series to a magazine to a book...
Highlands student to stand trial in school bus crowbar attack in Fawn
A Highlands School District student crossed a line between self-defense and attempted homicide when he didn’t stop after disarming a younger aggressor of a crowbar, but instead used it to beat his assailant, a prosecutor argued at the student’s preliminary hearing Wednesday. Assistant District Attorney Hillary Weaver said that’s why...
Lawsuit: UPMC urine test sparked child abuse investigation
A woman alleged Wednesday that staff at UPMC took a urine sample while she gave birth and drug-tested it without her knowledge, leading to a false positive, according to the lawsuit filed against the hospital system. Cherell Harrington, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, was admitted to Magee-Womens Hospital in...
Small fire extinguished at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital
A small fire was extinguished Wednesday afternoon at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. Fire Chief Tom Bell said a 2-foot-by-2-foot section of insulation caught fire while a crew was using a heating device to install a rubber roof on part of the hospital. That sent smoke into an area...
