Local category, Page 2656
Rita’s Italian Ice in Hempfield will not reopen, owners looking for new location
When Brian Meador closed the doors of his Rita’s Italian Ice restaurant in Hempfield at the end of last season, he didn’t know it was permanent. “It was very sudden,” said Meador, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Susan. “It was something we didn’t anticipate.” The Hempfield Rita’s location...
Police arrest man accused of fatally shooting 25-year-old man outside Clairton house
Police arrested a man accused of shooting and killing another man Tuesday morning outside a Clairton house, officials said. Gerald Johnson, 28, is behind bars at Allegheny County Jail awaiting arraignment, Allegheny County Police Inspector Andrew Schurman said shortly before 5 p.m. Johnson faces a homicide charge in the shooting...
Pittsburgh woman found dead after fire in Beechview
A Pittsburgh woman was found dead after a fire Tuesday morning in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the woman as Suzanne Green, 45. The fire was reported at about 7:40 a.m. in the 1600 block of Dagmar...
Pittsburgh better prepared for massive snow storms than during 2010 Snowmageddon
Western Pennsylvania was a disaster zone 10 years ago. An epic storm dubbed “Snowmageddon” dumped more than a foot of heavy wet snow across the region overnight, and it kept coming. Before it was over on Feb. 6, 2010, Snowmageddon had become the second largest snowstorm in Pittsburgh history with...
State grants will help Alle-Kiski fire companies pay debts, buy equipment
More than 60 Alle-Kiski Valley fire and ambulance companies were recently awarded more than $775,000 through the annual state Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service Grant Program. Some of the companies plan to use the money to pay down what they owe on new fire trucks. Others will buy protective...
The Stroller, Feb. 4, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Shamrock Shuffle 5K and Walk set for March 21 The 2020 Shamrock Shuffle 5K and one-mile Family Fun Walk will begin at 10 a.m. March 21 at West Leechburg Fire Hall, 1116 Gosser St. The course will run through the streets of West Leechburg and return to the fire hall....
Verizon outage hits Western Pennsylvania
Cellphone outages and spotty service were being reported by many Verizon Wireless customers Tuesday morning, with problems popping up across the Pittsburgh region and beyond. Customers from Ross to Moon to McKeesport have posted on social media about cell service being down — and then up and down again. Verizon...
Police: Pittsburgh woman transferred drugs during kiss with state prison inmate
State police accused a Pittsburgh woman of transferring drugs during a kiss with a prison inmate in Somerset County. Jasmine Lanell Livingston, 21, was visiting her boyfriend Anthony Jackson, 26, also of Pittsburgh, on Jan. 23 at the state prison in Somerset Township, according to troopers. Police said the pair...
Former Jeannette man loved family, city history
Edward Slonecki would often joke that he was “the man,” but that’s exactly what he was to his sons. “We never really had a need for anything because my father and my mother were both there to love us and support us,” Chad Slonecki said. “If he wasn’t there to...
Unity nurse anesthetist begins new legislative advocacy role with state association
Unity resident Jessica Poole is among more than 3,700 nationally board-certified registered nurse anesthetists in the state represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA). If she’s successful in her new role of government relations director for PANA, Pennsylvania will no longer be one of two states that don’t...
New Kensington approves leasing 2 new police SUVs
The New Kensington Police Department will soon have two new vehicles on the road. City Council on Monday approved leasing two vehicles for four years for about $67,500. The city received a $50,000 state grant to help cover the cost. The vehicles will be 2020 Ford Explorer SUVs, police Chief...
Florida man who stole $116K from customers in multi-state mail theft ring gets 21 months in prison
A Florida man convicted in a multi-state mail theft ring was sentenced to 21 months in prison, federal prosecutors said Monday. Cassio Orville Donald Slowden, 28, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., pleaded guilty in federal court in Downtown Pittsburgh, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said. Slowden bilked Citizens Bank, Bank of...
Unity Township doctor charged with accepting kickbacks for opiate prescriptions
A Unity Township doctor was charged in federal court with taking kickbacks to prescribe fentanyl, according to the United States Attorney’s Office Western District of Pennsylvania. Dr. Thomas Whitten, of Westmoreland Pain Management, allegedly prescribed the fentanyl-based drug Subsys to people without a “legitimate medical purpose,” according to an indictment...
Victim of fatal Derry Township overdose was warned of drug’s potency
Westmoreland County prosecutors said Monday that a Christmas Eve decision to sell drugs to a Derry woman two years ago was both fatal and tragic. Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar told a Westmoreland County jury that Michelle Spillar, 38, died Dec. 26, 2017, from drugs sold to her by an...
Water at Hempfield nursing home to be treated with chlorine to kill suspected Legionella bacteria
Additional efforts at Westmoreland Manor to remove the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease will begin this week. The thermal eradication process started at the end of last week to kill suspected Legionella bacteria found in water at the Hempfield nursing home was unsuccessful, Westmoreland County officials said in a statement...
Uncle Dave’s Books brings art to Alle-Kiski Valley children
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact Senior News Editor Tom Fontaine at tfontaine@tribweb.com. An award-winning author of children’s books is...
Pittsburgh police officers will carry specialized gauze to control bleeding
Pittsburgh police officers will now be carrying special gauze that can help control bleeding in cases of gunshot wounds or other injuries, thanks to a donation from Allegheny Health Network. Each Pittsburgh police officer will be provided with a NuStat Tactical gauze package. Allegheny Health Network donated 1,000 packages to...
Woman accused of hiding gun that killed New Kensington cop says she suffers from PTSD
A woman charged with disposing of the weapon that police say was used to kill New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw claims she could not have done so because she is afraid to enter basements. In court documents filed Monday, the lawyer for Lisa Danea Harrington, 33, of New Kensington...
Gasoline prices dip below $2 per gallon in spots as oil prices continue to sag
While not the case in the Pittsburgh area, nearly 5,000 stations across the United States are selling gasoline for less than $2 per gallon, according to price tracking service GasBuddy. “Oil prices continue to sag on worries over the spread of the coronavirus, blowing the door wide open for a...
Murrysville man accused of swindling $18K from Allegheny Township business
A Murrysville man is accused of taking nearly $18,000 from an Allegheny Township business to install signs promoting the business, but never doing the work. Orbin Swisshelm, 60, took the money from McGuire Family Auto Service, according to a criminal complaint filed by township police. Police said Swisshelm disbanded his...
Dill with it: Picklesburgh nominated again for top specialty food festival
Defending a championship is never easy. But Picklesburgh will try to win best specialty food festival in the country for the second year in a row. A USA Today readers poll again includes the event as one of the choices for fans to choose. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership made the...
Man walking with child in Wilkinsburg killed in shooting
A 23-year-old man who was shot and killed while walking in Wilkinsburg on Monday has been identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Kevin Hall was shot while walking along Winton Street with a 5-year-old relative at about 1 p.m., police said. A man with short dreadlocks and wearing a...
Trial starts for former state trooper accused of lying on application to buy guns
A former state police officer accused of falsifying an application to buy two firearms did not attempt to break the law, his lawyer told a Westmoreland County jury as his trial started Monday. Chad Corbett, 40, of New Derry, believed criminal charges alleging he had assaulted a woman were to...
No one injured when driver crashes into Murrysville police vehicle
A Murrysville policeman escaped injury Sunday after his patrol SUV was rear-ended along Pleasant Valley Road, state police said. The crash involving Patrolman Corey Fearon occurred about 8:15 a.m. when Fearon’s northbound patrol car stopped to check a disabled southbound vehicle, state police at Kiski reported. Fearon’s emergency lights were...
Clarion University to introduce campus safety smart phone app
There’s an app for nearly everything and, next fall, Clarion University students will have the opportunity to tap one designed to fight sexual violence on campus. Officials at Clarion said the state-owned university located about 75 miles north of Pittsburgh will use a state grant to launch LiveSafe, a mobile...
