Local category, Page 2646
Police: Clairton man arrested with more than 200 stamp bags of heroin
Allegheny County Police have arrested a Clairton man accused of selling heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in the Mon Valley. Damian Graves, 47, allegedly possessed 140 stamp bags of suspected heroin mixed with fentanyl and 16 rocks of crack cocaine when police arrested him in West Mifflin on Thursday evening. Officers...
Infant in car hit by glass in Braddock Hills shooting; police say his dad was intended target
A 1-year-old boy riding in a car was injured by flying glass Friday afternoon when another car fired at the one the baby was riding in. Allegheny County Police Inspector Andrew Schurman said the incident happened around 4:15 p.m. in Braddock Hills near the intersection of Yost Boulevard and Brinton...
8 jurors seated in 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting case
Attorneys in the 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting case interviewed 20 jurors Friday and accepted two, bringing the number of seated jurors to eight. Twelve jurors and four alternates are needed for the Feb. 3 death penalty trial against Cheron Shelton and Robert Thomas. The two are accused of gunning down...
Missing paperwork causes Vandergrift Council to redo reorganization meeting
Vandergrift Council will redo its reorganization meeting after it came to light that five members hadn’t signed paperwork required by state law. The council will hold a special meeting Monday, Jan. 13, to reorganize, despite having already held a meeting for that purpose a week before. At the first meeting...
Allegheny County Health Department fines Natrona slag processor $100k for dust emissions
The Allegheny County Health Department has fined the Harsco Corp. more than $100,000 for emissions violations related to its slag operation site in Harrison. The fine of just over $107,000 is part of an enforcement order executed by the health department on Tuesday, Jan 7. The Camp Hill-based company will...
Getaway driver in 2018 robbery spree gets 2 to 6 years in prison
The getaway driver who participated in three armed robberies in late 2018 in East Huntingdon and Scottdale will serve up to six years in prison. William Nathan Lint, 36, of Connellsville, pleaded guilty Friday to robbery and other offenses in connection with heists at three local business over a five-day...
Westmoreland water, sewage rates to remain unchanged
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members on Friday unanimously approved a new $105.2 million budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year that keeps water and sewer rates at their current levels. The budget year, which begins in April, will be the second consecutive year the authority has held the line...
10 charged in Pittsburgh prostitution sting
Pittsburgh police arrested 10 people in an undercover prostitution sting this week at a city hotel. Police accused four of the suspects of working as prostitutes, according to criminal complaints filed in Pittsburgh Municipal Court. Undercover police used phone numbers found on websites to arrange meetings with them at an...
David John Croyle, Kittanning councilman and former pastor, convicted of sexual assault of boy
A Kittanning businessman, councilman and former church pastor was found guilty Friday of sexually assaulting a boy about four years ago. David John Croyle, 61, was found guilty of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor and related charges. Armstrong County District Attorney Katie Charlton said the jury deliberated...
Monroeville man charged in $127 million scheme pleads guilty
A Monroeville man pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a $127 million kickback scheme against Medicare patients, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday. Ravitej Reddy, 52, conspired with multiple companies to pay kickbacks for lab tests done at his Monroeville and Pittsburgh genetic testing facilities. He pleaded guilty to...
New senior living facility coming to Hempfield
Construction has begun on a new 119-unit senior living facility in Hempfield. Towne Square Senior Apartments, at 1043 Towne Square Drive, will offer one- and two-bedroom units and amenities including an on-site beauty salon and barber shop, a community room with planned activities and trips, a lounge and fitness center,...
Pittsburgh police union leader slams new 4-year contract with cityVideo
The Pittsburgh police union president Friday denounced the terms of a new contract determined through arbitration that provides officers with raises totaling 16% over four years, calling the decision “patently unfair” and tilted in favor of the city. Robert Swartzwelder, president of Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge 1,...
Rostraver West Newton paramedic Matthew Smelser laid to rest in MonongahelaVideo
More than 300 emergency medical technicians, paramedics, firefighters and police officers gathered under a steady rain Friday in Monongahela to honor Matthew C. Smelser. They stood shoulder to shoulder and stretched two blocks down Chess Street for a finale salute to the Rostraver West Newton paramedic supervisor who was killed...
Criminal charges filed against Pennsylvania teens in deer torture video
Two Pennsylvania teens were hit with felony charges Friday in connection with a social media video that authorities say showed them torturing a wounded deer, state Game Commission officials said. The charges against Alexander Brock Smith, 18, of Brookville and an unidentified 17-year-old boy stem from a video posted Nov....
DA: Castle Shannon man accused of bilking heating company of $90K
A Castle Shannon man surrendered to Allegheny County detectives Thursday after he was charged with stealing more than $90,000 from a Bethel Park heating and cooling business between April 2018 and August 2019, according to a criminal complaint filed against him. Anthony James Laugelli, 32, was a sales manager at...
Allegheny Township man accused of raping 2 girls over course of 20 years
A 48-year-old man Friday appeared to dispute accusations that he raped two girls in Allegheny Township and Vandergrift. Eric Wright, who had been living in Allegheny Township, shook his head “no” each time a district judge read the 23 charges filed against him during his preliminary arraignment. Wright is accused...
Walmart offering flu shots at Western Pa. wellness clinics
Walmart announced Friday that low-cost flu shots will be available at wellness clinics in its stores on Saturday. The “Walmart Wellness Day” will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at all Walmart stores in Western Pennsylvania. The cash price for shots will start around $39, spokesman Keegan Gibson...
Daffodil Days returns as American Cancer Society fundraiser
The American Cancer Society is hosting a colorful fundraiser with the goal of bringing hope to cancer patients. Daffodil Days, which allows people to purchase flowers that can be delivered to patients in hospitals, treatment centers and other facilities, will return in March. “We are so very grateful to the...
Mild weather impacting flocks of robins in Pittsburgh region
If you’re noticing more American robins lately — flocks of them — so did residents counting birds in the Pittsburgh area for the 120th annual National Audubon Society Bird Count. Volunteers tallied a little more than 28,000 birds among 72 species in the Pittsburgh area count circle during a Dec....
North Huntingdon residents upset over trash collection problems
Facing complaints about failing to pick up trash, North Huntingdon’s new garbage collector promised it will be caught up with residential stops on Saturday, a township official said. The transition from Waste Management to County Hauling of Rostraver “has gone a lot harder” than expected, township manager Jeff Silka said....
Judge opts not to hold Post-Gazette photographer in contempt for courthouse photoVideo
A judge on Friday decided not to hold a Post-Gazette photographer in contempt of court for a photo taken earlier this week that the judge believed was in violation of a court order. The photographer, Andrew Rush, had taken a photo Monday of Cheron Shelton and Robert Thomas, the defendants...
Springdale man accused of DUI said, ‘If I want to drive through the house, I will,’ court docs show
A Springdale man is accused of drunken driving and intentionally crashing through the garage door attached to his North Street house Thursday night. Anthony Hallo, 65, is facing numerous charges, including causing or risking a catastrophe. The 11:50 p.m. collision and fire posed a danger to Hallo’s wife inside the...
Gateway cheerleaders host camp
The Gateway Cheerleading Boosters Club will host a skills camp for children on Jan. 25. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Gateway High School auxiliary gym. Gateway’s junior varsity cheer squad will teach dances, chants, jumps and cheers to children aged 5 to 12....
Olympic, X Games skiers head to Seven Springs for rail jam competitionVideo
Skiers who placed in the Olympics and X Games are taking to the slopes at Seven Springs this weekend as Pittsburgh native and professional freeskier Tom Wallisch brings a piece of his childhood back to the area. Steel City Showdown is one of the first rail jams — or contests...
Hempfield students hope to plant 2,020 trees this year
Science National Honor Society students at Hempfield Area High School already are thinking about the legacy they’ll leave behind after graduation. And, for soon-to-be graduates, that legacy will be in the form of 2,020 trees students plan to plant in the community starting this spring. “Our graduating year is kind...
