Western PA Local News category, Page 2716
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...
1 killed in crash on Route 40 in Fayette County
The Fayette County Coroner’s and state police in Uniontown are continuing to investigate a fatal crash this morning along Route 40 in Henry Clay Township. Authorities said one person was killed in the crash that occurred about 8 a.m. between Dinner Bell-Ohiopyle and Flat Rocks roads involving a tractor-trailer and...
Forest Hills seeks volunteers to fill vacancies
With the terms of several members about to expire, Forest Hills Borough Council is seeking volunteers to serve on several boards and committees beginning in March 2020. Current volunteers whose terms are expiring must contact the Borough Office to indicate their interest in reapplying for the position. Vacancies include: Civil...
Sheriff: Pittsburgh man who slipped constable’s custody arrested after 6-hour manhunt
A Pittsburgh man is in Allegheny County Jail after he escaped Monday from a constable who was taking him to jail on parole violations, according to the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office. Robert Logsdon, 22, was taken into custody early Tuesday morning at his girlfriend’s home in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood, according...
Cops: Fayette County man ordered to prison without bail after threatening district judge
A Fayette County man is accused of threatening a district judge following his arrest last week for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and the family cat. David Lee Kovach, 29, of Smock, was charged by state police in Uniontown with disorderly conduct, harassment and making terroristic threats toward South Union District...
