Local category, Page 2682
Canonsburg man pleads guilty to possessing child pornography
A Canonsburg man pleaded guilty in federal court this week to possessing child pornography after authorities found electronic devices containing lewd images and videos of minor children in his home, federal prosecutors said. Kevin Francisco Torres-Gerena, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Scott W....
Brothers help raise $1K for charity by camping out inside Sprankle’s stores
Two brothers helped raise roughly $1,000 for charity by camping out inside their grocery stores in Leechburg and Kittanning last week. Doug and Ryan Sprankle, owners of Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market stores in Leechburg and Kittanning, hosted “Camp Out For Community” events for 24 hours at both locations to raise money...
Shooter in Jeannette murder was suspect’s identical twin, lawyer claimsVideo
The lawyer for a Penn Hills man accused of gunning down a man in the heart of Jeannette’s business district said the shooter was actually his client’s dead twin brother. Defense attorney Tim Dawson told a Westmoreland County jury Tuesday that Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee, 30, is not the man pictured in...
Single-lane restrictions planned on Parkway East
Single-lane restrictions will be in place Wednesday in the area of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel as crews do maintenance work, according to PennDOT. Westbound motorists along the Parkway East will encounter a lane restriction between the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and the Squirrel Hill/Homestead exit. A restriction also will be in...
Juror excused in 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting case, total selected down to 9
Attorneys selected no new jurors — and one already seated was excused — on Tuesday in an Allegheny County death penalty case headed to trial next month. One juror selected last week in the case against Cheron Shelton and Robert Thomas was excused for unknown reasons. With none selected Tuesday,...
UPMC, Pitt test out wireless eyeball implant in hopes of restoring lost sightVideo
A surgeon at UPMC Mercy hospital implanted a wireless chip designed to act like a small, artificial retina in the eye of an Ohio woman last week in the first trial of the technology in the United States. The treatment could offer a novel way to restore the sight of...
Broadband connectivity study, survey eyed for Westmoreland, nearby countiesVideo
Officials from Westmoreland and seven neighboring counties are studying a proposal for local governing entities to step up and invest in infrastructure needed to expand or enhance broadband connectivity in underserved areas. Virginia-based consultant Design Nine is preparing a survey for the Regional Broadband Task Force to gauge how residents...
Highlands organizations lobbying Port Authority for increased transit service
The head of the nonprofit Building Block of Natrona is lobbying for increased transit service that she said would provide residents of several Highlands communities with greater access to fresh food. “Along the Allegheny River it’s mostly economically disadvantaged families with no access to transportation and no access to fresh...
Advocates push for Alina’s Law for additional protections in domestic abuse
A pair of Allegheny County lawmakers joined domestic violence prevention advocates and the parents of a murdered Pitt student Tuesday in Harrisburg in a renewed push for the passage of Alina’s Law. The measure was named for Alina Sheykhet, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student who was bludgeoned and stabbed...
Outbound Liberty Tunnel restrictions set for Thursday
Editor’s note: The work has been canceled. The outbound (southbound) Liberty Tunnel will be down to one lane on Thursday, according to PennDOT. A single-lane closure will take place between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. to allow crews to install crash barrels. Motorists are advised to use caution in the...
Vandergrift’s reorganization redo gets contentious as residents vent frustration
A Vandergrift Council meeting quickly became a shouting match Monday — complete with insults and banging fists — and left several residents frustrated with their elected officials. Council held a special meeting to redo its reorganization meeting of Jan. 6, after it came to light that five members and the...
Allegheny Township residents concerned about planned cell tower
Allegheny Township Supervisors tabled a decision Monday on the request by Verizon Wireless to install a communications tower near the Blair Farm barn on property owned by Edwin and Jill Morrison on Route 356. Residents spoke for 90 minutes in opposition to the tower. The cell tower location is permissible,...
Pittsburgh working out glitches in $1.4 million snow tracking systemVideo
A Minnesota company was in Pittsburgh on Tuesday trying to work out bugs in the city’s new $1.4 million system for treating streets in the winter. Pittsburgh last year purchased technology and equipment from Minnesota-based Quetica LLC that permits officials to control and track snowplow operations, including routes, vehicles locations...
Ruffed Grouse Society banquet to be held in Crabtree
The Western Allegheny Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society will holds its 29th annual Conservation and Sportsmen’s Banquet on Jan. 31 at Rizzo’s Malabar Inn, Crabtree. The banquet, which begins with a social hour at 5 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Ruffed Grouse Society and its efforts to enhance...
Allegheny County names chief public defender
Acting Chief Public Defender Matthew Dugan has been officially appointed to the post, County Manager William D. McKain announced Tuesday. Dugan has served as acting chief public defender since May 2019, when his predecessor, Elliot Howsie, was confirmed as an Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas judge. “I’m just really...
Cops: Rostraver restaurant owner alleges assault by live-in boyfriend
The live-in boyfriend of 84 Lumber founder Joe Hardy’s ex-wife was arrested last week for allegedly assaulting the woman inside her Rostraver restaurant, police said. Braxton M. Stedman, 36, was charged by township police with making terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment by township police following an altercation that began...
Penn-Trafford wrestler diagnosed with MRSA, school says
A Penn-Trafford High School wrestler recently was diagnosed with MRSA, a contagious staph infection, the school district said Tuesday. The wrestler, who was not identified, is receiving medical treatment and will not return to the team until he receives a medical clearance, said Tony Aquilio, high school principal. The student...
Sheriff deputy IDs, detains suspect in Reserve burglary on morning commute
An Allegheny County sheriff’s deputy started work earlier than planned Tuesday when he recognized a man walking in Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill neighborhood as the suspect in a Reserve burglary. Deputy Robert Stipetich called out to Joseph Ferderbar, who was walking on Harpen Road. Stipetich told Ferderbar he had warrants for...
Judge dismisses most claims in Robert Ferrante’s quest for new trial
An Allegheny County judge dismissed all but one of the claims made by former University of Pittsburgh researcher Robert Ferrante, who’s seeking a new trial after his 2014 conviction for murdering his wife with cyanide. Defense attorney Chris Rand Eyster, who represents Ferrante, said he’ll make the most of Judge...
Passengers up 3% last year at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport saw a 3% increase in its passenger total last year while preparing for runway improvements that officials say could open the door for more commercial flights. The combined number of passengers boarding and disembarking from Spirit Airlines flights at the Unity airport in 2019 increased by...
Man gets 10-20 years in prison for $1.2 million theft from Upper St. Clair church
A South Park man who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1.2 million from a church in Upper St. Clair was sentenced Tuesday to 10 to 20 years in prison and ordered to make restitution to the church. David Reiter, 50, was the administrator at Westminster Presbyterian Church from 2001...
Flu-associated deaths increase to 24, state health officials report
The number of flu-related deaths in Pennsylvania has nearly doubled in the past week, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Health. The department reported there had been 24 flu-associated deaths this flu season through Saturday, up from 13 as of Jan. 4. As of this point...
Pittsburgh councilman proposes bill that would outlaw ‘hateful activities’
Pittsburgh employees and elected officials would face penalties including censure, suspension, termination and fines if found guilty of “hateful activities” under an amendment to the city’s code of conduct introduced in City Council on Tuesday. Councilman Ricky Burgess of North Point Breeze sponsored the bill, calling it his next step...
Munhall man accused in Ligonier Township attempted homicide captured in Pittsburgh
A Munhall man accused of shooting at a woman in Ligonier Township was arrested Tuesday at the Allegheny County courthouse when he showed up for a hearing. Ligonier Valley police have been looking for Michael Harris, 29, since the Nov. 11 shooting. Allegheny County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Kevin Kraus...
Motorists identified in Route 28 crash near Harrison
Suspected serious injuries resulted from a Monday afternoon collision just south of the Harrison exit on northbound Route 28, state police said. Two Armstrong County people were inside a Chevrolet Camaro that veered into the right lane, hit a guardrail and then was driven back into the left lane at...
