Local category, Page 2693
Freeport man involved in Brackenridge crash dies
A man involved in a two-vehicle crash in Brackenridge on Dec. 20 has died. Shane Conklin, 31, of Freeport died Jan. 1 in UPMC Presbyterian hospital, Pittsburgh, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. The car he was driving collided with a van carrying a driver and two passengers...
The Stroller, Jan. 7, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Library announces annual Quilt Show Community Library of Allegheny Valley-Harrison will host its annual Quilt Show Feb. 1 to March 7. Entries will be accepted through Jan. 20 through Jan. 31 at the Harrison library, 1522 Broadview Blvd., Natrona Heights. Quits must be handmade, but the person submitting the quilt...
Stowe man given life without parole plus 10 to 21 years in 2016 beating death
A Stowe man was sentenced Monday to serve the rest of his life in prison for the 2016 beating death of a 74-year-old man from McKees Rocks. Branden Anthony Frazier, 28, was given the life sentence for his October conviction on charges of first-degree murder in the killing of Benito...
First day of jury selection in 2016 Wilkinsburg massacre yields 2 jurors
Two jurors were seated Monday in the trial for two suspects in the 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting, which killed five adults and an unborn child. Attorneys interviewed nine potential jurors in the first day of jury selection for the capital case against Cheron Shelton and Robert Thomas. Counsel for defense...
Police: 4 hurt when Jeannette man hits them with pickup while drunk
Four people were hospitalized after state police said a Jeannette man hit them with a pickup truck early Saturday. Dominic Giovanni Bellone, 20, was drunk when he hit two men and two women in Derry Township and fled, according to court papers. He is being held at the Westmoreland County...
Gov. Wolf orders state flags at half-staff to honor Rostraver West Newton paramedic killed Sunday
Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the commonwealth flag to be flown at half-staff Monday to honor Matthew Smelser, the Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services paramedic who was killed Sunday while responding to a crash on Interstate 70. Smelser, a 44-year-old paramedic supervisor from Charleroi, died when he was struck by a...
Police: Bus driver, 2 others ejected after hitting center barrier in deadly Turnpike crash
The driver of a tour bus involved in a deadly Pennsylvania Turnpike crash Sunday was ejected from the vehicle, as were two passengers, after it struck the center barrier at 3:30 a.m., state police said. Shuang Qing Feng, 58, of Flushing, N.Y., was driving west in the left lane when...
Westmoreland courthouse reopens after bomb threat
A bomb threat closed the Westmoreland County courthouse for nearly three hours Monday, the first day for new administration in the commissioner’s office and sheriff’s department. The Greensburg courthouse was evacuated after a threat was received shortly after 9 a.m., Sheriff Jim Albert said. Explosive-sniffing dogs from police agencies in...
T routes restored after stalled rail car causes delays
All light rail transit lines have returned to their regular routes after a rail car lost power at the entrance to the Washington Transit Tunnel this morning, according to Adam Brandolph, a spokesman for the agency. The stalled rail car caused delays across the system and forced Port Authority to...
Jury selection slated to begin in 2016 Wilkinsburg backyard massacre
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday morning for the trial against two men accused in the massacre of five adults and an unborn child in Wilkinsburg nearly four years ago. Cheron Shelton, 32, and Robert Thomas, 31, each face five counts of homicide, one count of homicide of an...
Pa. Turnpike tragedy: 5 dead in ‘horrific incident’ that could take weeks to investigateVideo
A deadly Pennsylvania Turnpike crash involving a tour bus and multiple tractor-trailers early Sunday left the vehicles so entangled that it took first responders hours to reach the dead and shut down the major thoroughfare for nearly 15 hours, authorities said. Five people died in what Pennsylvania State Police called...
Part of Banksville Road in Pittsburgh down to single lane for 4-month project
A section of Banksville Road in Pittsburgh will be down to a single lane starting Monday and continuing through the end of April for reconstruction work, PennDOT announced. The restriction begins Jan. 6 and will periodically affect a southbound lane of Route 19 between Banksville and Potomac avenues between 9...
Harmar eatery offers home-cooked Italian food in an actual homeVideo
It’s out with the old and in with the new at a longtime eatery in Harmar. Garlic Grille opened in June in the former Emilia’s Garden, serving Italian American home-style cuisine. “We just wanted to break away from Emilia’s Garden and start something new and fresh,” says co-owner and executive...
Westmoreland bars, clubs weigh pros and cons of going smokeless
Owners of public and private establishments in Westmoreland County had a lot to consider when deciding on a future for smokers at their establishments. “When you hear about a VFW that went nonsmoking and had to go back because they couldn’t sustain themselves, that’s really what it boils down to,”...
The Stroller, Jan. 6, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Cash bash planned Jan. 18 in Harrison Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament School, Harrison, will sponsor a Cash Bash Jan. 18 at the school Patterson Hall, 800 Montana Ave., Natrona Heights. Doors open at 5 p.m. and drawings for cash prizes will be every 15 minutes beginning at...
New Westmoreland County leaders take over commissioners’, sheriff’s offices
Westmoreland County’s new government will be unveiled Monday when Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew take over the majority on the board of commissioners and Democrat James Albert assumes control of the sheriff’s office. Monday marks the first official day on the job for the newly elected officials, and, as...
Lamp Theatre planning expansion for 2020Video
A pavilion to be built over part of the courtyard at The Lamp Theatre in downtown Irwin will provide shelter from the weather and a raised stage in the courtyard will put musicians a step above the crowds for outdoor concerts, all part of an effort to improve patrons’ experience....
Plum businessman hooks investor on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’
He got a deal. Plum’s Joe Altieri appeared on the ABC show “Shark Tank” on Sunday night, seeking an investment for his Murrysville window screen company, FlexScreen. After making his pitch and fielding questions from the show’s five “shark” investors, Altieri, 43, considered offers from Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner and...
New Kensington parishes celebrate Epiphany with live animals inside churchVideo
Parishioners and community members weren’t the only ones celebrating the Epiphany on Sunday at St. Joseph Parish in New Kensington. A donkey, miniature horse, two lambs and two goats were, too. Filomena Palumbo, 6, of New Kensington had some fun playing with the miniature horse. “I think it’s lovely. I...
Police investigate fight, shooting at Downtown Pittsburgh nightclub
Pittsburgh police are investigating a large fight at a Downtown Pittsburgh nightclub early Sunday morning during which a man fired a gun, a public safety spokesman said. No one was struck by gunfire, spokesman Chris Togneri said. Officers were called to the nightclub in the 100 block of 7th Street...
Mass-casualty plans become reality as Western Pa. hospitals treat turnpike crash victims
Doctors and nurses buzzed around Allegheny Health Network’s Forbes Hospital early Sunday as they waited to receive 11 patients who were involved in a tour bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike that left five dead and about 55 injured. More than twice as many crash victims — 31 in all...
A look at other deadly bus crashes in the U.S., Pennsylvania
Five people were killed in a violent bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike early Sunday, adding to a long history of deadly bus crashes across Pennsylvania and the United States. Deadliest U.S. bus crashes Sept. 17, 1963: Fifty-three farm workers were on a flatbed truck being used as a makeshift...
For Orthodox Christians, Tuesday is Christmas Day
While traditional Christmas celebrations have come and gone for most in the Alle-Kiski Valley, Orthodox Christians are preparing for their Christmas Day celebration Tuesday. The celebrations come 13 days after the traditional Christmas celebrations of Dec. 25. It will include Mass and a special dinner tonight on Christmas Eve and...
Hempfield woman loses $1,000 in theft
A 52-year-old Greensburg woman had just over $1,000 stolen from her bank account as a result of the theft of her debit card and checks last month in Hempfield, the state police said. Someone had stolen her debit card and used it at several locations last month, racking up the...
Company operating bus involved in fatal Pa. Turnpike crash has had only minor violations in past 2 years
The bus company that operates the bus involved in a multi-vehicle fatal crash early Sunday on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Mt. Pleasant Township had a satisfactory safety review, no recent crashes and only minor violations in the past two years, records show. State police spokesman Stephen Limani identified the bus...
