Local category, Page 2785
Stowe man convicted of first-degree murder in elderly man’s beating death
A Stowe man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted Monday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court in the 2016 beating death of an elderly McKees Rocks man. Branden A. Frazier, 28, was convicted by an Allegheny County jury of first-degree murder in the death...
Arnold man to serve up to 6 years on drug, gun charges
An Arnold man pleaded guilty Monday in Westmoreland County Court to drug and gun charges resulting from an arrest two years ago. Police said that on Sept. 8, 2017, while attempting to arrest Travis James Lasko Jr. on a parole revocation warrant, they found drugs, cash and an unlicensed firearm...
2 dogs rescued from Vandergrift home are being nursed to healthVideo
A 2-year-old female pit bull likely jumped out of a second-story window of a vacant Vandergrift house Sunday night because she was hungry and thirsty, borough police said. Tipped by a phone call about a dog running loose in the Emerson Street area, officers on Sunday called a rescue shelter...
Connellsville man sentenced in Donegal fun center burglary
A Connellsville man will serve up to six years in prison for the burglary of the Caddy Shack Family Fun Center more than three years ago in Donegal. Brian Reed Mansberry, 44, pleaded guilty Monday to charges of burglary and conspiracy for the Sept. 16, 2016, heist in which police...
Happenings in Plum and Oakmont this week – Oct. 7, 2019
Looking for things to do in Plum and Oakmont this week? Here are some suggestions: • Plum Community Library hosts Story Time for All 1-:1:45 p.m Tuesday at 445 Center-New Texas Road. Children ages 2-5 with their parents/caregivers are invited to come to the library for a special event with...
North Huntingdon man’s assault trial starts
Two teen daughters of a North Huntingdon man told a Westmoreland County jury Monday their father physically assaulted them as he stormed into a violent rage at their mother’s Latrobe home last year. Samuel Farrier, 46, is on trial on a felony charge of strangulation and misdemeanor counts of simple...
Assault, drug cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court – Oct. 7, 2019
Penn Hills District Judge Anthony L. DeLuca handled the following cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Charges were filed by Penn Hills police unless otherwise noted. Held for court • Thomas Pirollo, 28, of Penn Hills on charges of accident involving death...
Police detective, serologist tell jurors blood found throughout 2016 Jeannette murder scene
The detective who processed the Jeannette home where police said 19-year-old Khalil Parker was bludgeoned to death in 2016 testified Monday he could not say when the dozens of blood-soaked items found in the residence were deposited there. Retired Westmoreland County Detective Hugh Shearer told jurors during the third day...
4 candidates look to fill empty supervisor seat in Kiski Township
A woman has never served on Kiski Township’s Board of Supervisors since the township incorporated 188 years ago. That could change Wednesday if the board appoints one of two women seeking to finish out the term of Jack Wilmot, who stepped down last month. Two men also are seeking appointment...
What Bob Casey, Pat Toomey are saying about Trump’s Syria decision
President Trump’s decision to pull American troops from northeastern Syria ahead of an expected Turkish assault prompted swift reaction from Pennsylvania senators. U.S. Senator Bob Casey, D-Scranton “Kurdish forces have been a steadfast U.S. ally and President Trump has shamefully betrayed them. Thousands of Kurds died in the fight against...
Billboard company, Tarentum at odds over sign sought near Tarentum Bridge
A company that wants to put a billboard at Tarentum’s end of the Tarentum Bridge is arguing in court that the borough’s zoning ordinance does not allow them anywhere in the borough. The borough says this isn’t true, claiming where billboards are permitted is clearly identified despite errors in its...
Daily Download: Bald eagle euthanized; portable toilets burn; ‘Duck’ leads the SteelersVideo
Incinerated portable toilets, the Steelers’ third-string quarterback and a euthanized bald eagle top today’s Daily Download headlines. Each day, TribLIVE reporters and editors will break down the biggest news of the day, with video highlights of the people and places making headlines. Today, reporter Nicole Bramila discusses the eagle that...
Greensburg CROP Walk raises $3,000 toward hunger relief programs
The annual Greensburg CROP Walk raised $3,000 toward hunger relief programs Sunday, organizers said. Twenty-one participants raised pledges for every mile they walked on the Five Star Trail from Lynch Field to Huff Avenue in South Greensburg. The distance covered was 4.5 miles. The annual event, sponsored by the Greensburg...
Westmoreland County trust sought to pay Pittsburgh diocese’s sex abuse claims
An Allegheny County judge will decide whether a trust bequeathed to the Roman Catholic Church to help needy boys can be used by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh to help pay victims of clergy sexual abuse. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office opposes using the 120-year-old Toner Trust — now...
Rabid raccoon found in Oakdale
A raccoon found on Spring Street in Oakdale has tested positive for rabies, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. It is the 24th rabid animal reported in Allegheny County so far this year. Rabies is a virus transmitted by an animal bite or scratch. It is almost always fatal...
Derry Twp. man accused of threatening partygoer with handgun
A Derry Township man is charged after allegedly holding a handgun to a friend’s head during an argument at an outdoor party. Jonathan H. Sauer, 24, was arrested by Derry Borough police on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment following the incident at 2:48 a.m. Saturday...
Freeport Area nixes idea of student activity fees
Freeport Area School Board shelved discussion of imposing fees of up to $75 for students participating in extracurricular activities. The administration examined charging students $50 for each extracurricular activity, including sports, or $75 for participation in unlimited activities. The fees would apply primarily to the district’s more than 1,000 secondary...
Crews remove stuck garbage truck with giant crane near Birmingham BridgeVideo
Crews used a large crane Monday night to lift an 80,000-pound garbage truck that got stuck earlier in the day after falling through a concrete parking area just off Fifth Avenue near the Birmingham Bridge in Pittsburgh. The complicated preparation and lift by Allegheny Crane Rental took more than eight...
Man found dead in Irwin creek died from apparent heart attack
An Irwin man found dead in a creek in August died from an apparent heart attack, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s office. Kenneth R. Rhodes Sr., 56, was found Aug. 10 in Tinker Run Creek near the amphitheater in Irwin Park after someone spotted a body in the water,...
Carnegie Mellon professor will dive into the ‘dark web’ in Murrysville
For most, the phrase “the dark web” conjures up images of hackers hunched over their computers in a darkened room, making illegal transactions or worse. Officials from the local U.S. Attorney’s office announced the prosecution of two Israeli citizens in May who were charged with facilitating the sale of drugs...
Chili Oktoberfest in Murrysville adds cornbread category
Murrysville Recreation Director Carly Greene is proof that you don’t have to spend months perfecting a chili recipe in order to make a tasty pot of the good stuff for her department’s annual Chili Oktoberfest. “One year we didn’t have enough entries,” she said. “The night before, I went to...
Woman accused of scuffling with police after fleeing Latrobe DUI stop
A Derry Township woman who allegedly poked a Latrobe police officer in the eye after she refused a blood draw for her DUI arrest is charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest and multiple traffic offenses. Amber R. Hill, 35, was taken into custody at the Sheetz store on Ligonier Street...
Westmoreland County candidates will be available for Q&A
Voice of Westmoreland, a nonprofit organization that promotes racial, economic and educational equity in the county, is hosting a candidate fair Tuesday, giving the public an opportunity to meet Republican and Democratic candidates in several local races. Candidates for county commissioner, county row offices, Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas,...
Volunteers sought to plant 54 trees in Harrison
Volunteers are being sought to help plant trees in Harrison on Saturday, Nov. 9. About 75 volunteers will be needed that morning to plant 54 trees, obtained with an award from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and TreeVitalize, township Commissioner Chuck Dizard said. “Not many communities outside of the city of...
Violent-intruder drill held in Greensburg
A violent-intruder drill Monday in Greensburg was the result of about five years of preparation by the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety and Westmoreland Casemanagement and Supports, Inc. Public safety officials used the drill as a way to gauge the response to a situation at the agency’s offices at...
