Local category, Page 2685
$10K donation from ‘Secret Santa’ will buy gifts for Leech Elementary students
An unexpected letter delivered this week to David Leech Elementary Principal David Keibler brought him to tears. The two-page, handwritten note from a man wishing to remain anonymous included a check for $10,000 with instructions that the money be used to provide every Leechburg Area student in pre-kindergarten through fifth...
Unity man charged in cryptocurrency fraud scheme
A 23-year-old Unity man could face 22 years in prison and lose the $942,500 house he bought near Mountain View, his Ferrari and expensive jewelry if convicted on federal accusations that he stole from executives and investors of cryptocurrency firms. Anthony Francis Faulk was charged in California with conspiracy to...
Arnold ordinance would allow backyard fires
Arnold residents would be able to have contained fires in their backyards under a new ordinance city council is considering. Fires at residences would have to be burned in a container no more than 36 inches in diameter and at least two feet high, according to the proposed ordinance. The...
Terrelle Pryor says girlfriend accused of stabbing him should be let out of jailVideo
Former NFL player and Jeannette native Terrelle Pryor said Thursday that his girlfriend accused of stabbing him should be let out of jail. Pryor, who nearly died from stab wounds Nov. 30, was in Pittsburgh Municipal Court for a hearing on charges filed against him in connection to the stabbing....
General manager of Harrison McDonald’s receives company’s top awardVideo
For Laurie Naugle, just to be nominated for the prestigious Ray Kroc Award was an honor. But to win it was astonishing. “It’s just mind-blowing,” Naugle, general manager of the McDonald’s in Harrison, said Thursday when she was honored with one of the corporation’s most prestigious awards. The McDonald’s Corporation’s...
Hambone’s in Lawrenceville padlocked for not paying alcohol tax, treasurer says
Editor’s note: Hambone’s said it was reopening Friday. A popular Lawrenceville bar was shut down Thursday for not paying its alcoholic beverage tax, officials said. Hambone’s at 4207 Butler St. was padlocked at 1 p.m. after Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein obtained a roughly $13,000 judgment against it, according to...
Franklin Regional school board won’t delay construction on Sloan intermediate building
Construction of the new Sloan intermediate school in the Franklin Regional School District will continue after three of the four new school board members were unable to muster enough support to suspend work for a month. “Many of us ran for this position because people in the community were questioning...
Westmoreland food bank benefits from annual United Way/Shop ‘n Save shopping spreeVideo
When David Sipes shot down the aisle at Route 66 Shop ‘n Save in Greensburg, buggy in tow, he had a game plan. In three minutes, the 48-year-old Irwin resident had to collect as much food as possible to donate to the Westmoreland County Food Bank. Thursday’s shopping spree was...
Potential owners surface for shuttered Regent Square Theater
While the Regent Square Theater sits quiet, there is interest in the movie screen illuminating again. The Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media closed the South Braddock Avenue movie theater on Nov. 25 for financial reasons. The PCAM continues to explore options for the theater, spokeswoman Hannah Arnold said in...
Monroeville library hosts ‘Grinchmas’ party
Monroeville Public Library hosted a Grinch-themed party Dec. 7. The “Grinchmas” party, in its second year, featured Grinch-themed games and food....
Veteran Westmoreland sheriff’s deputy accused of indecent behavior with female inmatesVideo
A former Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputy urged female inmates to expose themselves or grope him over his uniform in exchange for cigarettes, according to state police. State police conducted a yearlong investigation that on Thursday resulted in Daniel A. Gradischek, 32, of Unity, being arraigned on multiple criminal charges, including...
Massage parlor chief from Mt. Pleasant admits to human trafficking, promoting prostitutionVideo
A Chinese native who state prosecutors said ran a string of local massage parlors that were fronts for prostitution pleaded guilty Thursday to human trafficking offenses. Hui Xu, 45, also known as Sherry Caruso, of Mt. Pleasant operated four Tokyo Massage Parlors in Murrysville, Delmont and Monroeville, where police said...
Astrobotic to set up ground control for lunar mission on Pittsburgh’s North Side
A 47,000-square-foot building being renovated on Pittsburgh’s North Side is expected to be a key player in America’s next space odyssey. Astrobotic Technology Inc. announced Thursday it will locate its headquarters at 1016 North Lincoln Ave., near the Manchester neighborhood, thanks in part to $285,000 in state job-creation tax credits....
Delmont moves ahead with Shields Farm log cabin repairs
Delmont officials will spend about $2,500 on white pine logs for the Shields Farm cabin on East Pittsburgh Street, and members of the Delmont Visionary Committee are hoping their research can help locate a trust to fund the cabin’s maintenance. Committee member AnnaMarie Stackiewicz said she found minutes from the...
Video: Jeannette neighbors’ spat ends with a shot fired, 1 arrestedVideo
A Jeannette man narrowly escaped injury early Thursday after police said a neighbor shot at him. Dale A. Shaw, 63, is accused of firing a handgun at his Chestnut Street neighbor at 12:30 a.m. after threatening the man and shining a spotlight at him, police reported in court papers. Shaw...
FNB announces plans for 24-story office tower on former Civic Arena site
First National Bank announced plans Thursday to anchor the Penguins’ long-awaited development in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District with a 24-story, $200 million office tower that will include its corporate headquarters, first-floor shops and a state-of-the-art FNB branch. FNB Financial Center, planned for the corner of Washington Place and Bedford Avenue,...
Monroeville holiday lights winner announced
The Monroeville Recreation and Parks Department chose a winner for its 32nd annual Holiday Lights Contest. The winners, Marcia and Mark Heffelfinger of 2370 Tilbrook Road, will receive gift cards from local businesses for their display of inflatable holiday characters, lighted trees, candy canes and wreaths. The Heffelfingers represent the...
Beaver County man pleads guilty to robbing Cranberry PNC Bank over the summer
A Beaver County man this week pleaded guilty in federal court to robbing a Cranberry bank over the summer. Michael Ryan Neppach, 40, of Patterson, pleaded guilty to a charge of bank robbery, prosecutors said. Authorities said shortly after 4:45 p.m. Aug. 28, Neppach went to the PNC Bank at...
Derry Township man charged with assaulting woman during argument
A woman was treated at an area hospital Wednesday after state police said she was assaulted and choked by a Derry Township man at his home during an argument. Troopers arrested James W. Lewis, 41, who lives in the 9500 block of Route 22, following the incident. Lewis was arraigned...
New Kensington’s Peoples Library to stage play written by city residents, petting zoo
Free events planned Saturday at New Kensington’s Peoples Library include an original Christmas play written by two city residents and an indoor petting zoo. “We’re glad to have a double bill for the day,” library Director David Hrivnak said. Members of the Valley High School Drama Club will perform the...
Armstrong County Jail receives $150,000 to fight drug addiction
Armstrong County received a $150,000 grant to expand the county jail’s Medication Assistance Treatment (MAT) program, the office of Rep. Joseph Petrarca announced Wednesday. The program provides drug treatment services and cognitive behavioral therapy to offenders with drug addiction. The grant was provided by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and...
Bank heist getaway driver gets 3-year sentence in robbery of Pittsburgh bank
A bank heist getaway driver was sentenced Wednesday to three years prison, federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh said. Mark Hammond, 55, was convicted in connection with the Jan. 10, 2018, robbery of the Huntington Bank on Smithfield Street in Pittsburgh’s Downtown. According to court records, Hammond and his co-defendant, Alonzo Dunbar,...
Baldwin Borough to approve weapons, snow ordinances
Baldwin Borough leaders are making the rules clear: They don’t want you firing weapons in the municipality and they don’t want you shoveling snow onto the street. With the hiring of new borough manager Bob Firek and police chief Tony Cortazzo in 2019, the two have been giving Baldwin’s code...
Taxes to remain the same for 2020 South Fayette budget
South Fayette Township commissioners gave final approval to a $13.1 million 2020 budget that, according to township manager John Barrett, only deviates slightly from the one presented last month. Commissioners also approved a 4.73 millage rate, which means no property tax increase for the coming year. Barrett highlighted a couple...
Man injured during alleged escape attempt from Allegheny sheriff’s deputies
A Pittsburgh man was injured Wednesday while trying to escape from Allegheny County sheriff’s deputies, officials said. Andre Lowery, 27, of Pittsburgh, was being transferred from Allegheny County Treatment Alternative in Uptown to the Allegheny County Jail after getting into a fight at the center Tuesday night, according to deputies....
