Local category, Page 2787
Why grow 1,000-pound pumpkins? Allegheny Township man says ‘it’s fun and nutty’Video
Moving an estimated 1,000-pound pumpkin from the Reiter pumpkin patch in Allegheny Township is a precise process. Justin Reiter, 39, has a custom pumpkin harness, iron-lifting ring and custom wooden tripod outfitted with chain winch to prove it. He needs the peculiar tools of the trade, along with plenty of...
Police charge South Hills couple after injuries to 2-month-old discovered
Police charged a South Hills couple with endangering the welfare of children after authorities allegedly discovered injuries to their 2-month-old son consistent with child abuse. Scott Township Police charged Michael Charles Koban, 34, and Ashley Koban, 32, on Thursday, a month after they and medics went to their Bower Hill...
`Violent intruder drill’ slated for Greensburg
The Greensburg police and fire departments, Mutual Aid Ambulance and Westmoreland County’s public safety department will conduct a violent intruder drill Monday inside an office at the Davis Center along East Pittsburgh Street. Greensburg police are expected to fire blank rounds in the air during the drill at Westmoreland Casemanagement...
Police: Erratic North Side driver found to be shooting victim
A man driving erratically on the North Side on Saturday afternoon had been shot, Pittsburgh police said. According to police, a police detective saw the vehicle on Western Avenue near Galveston Avenue shortly before 3 p.m. The detective pulled the vehicle over. The driver complied and then got out of...
Sprankle’s Octoberfest draws crowds to Leechburg areaVideo
Beer and cheers were on tap Saturday at Sprankle’s inaugural Octoberfest festival held at Lingrow Farm in Gilpin. Inspired by Munich’s famous Oktoberfest beer festival, Sprankle’s Markets put their own American twist on their celebration with a modified spelling, “Octoberfest.” The event continues until 10 p.m. “Everyone had a great...
Arnold man faces heroin charge after traffic stop in Armstrong County
An Arnold man has been jailed after allegedly being caught at a traffic stop with 38 bags of heroin, state police said. Andre Johnson, 37, was charged with drug possession and conspiracy, both felonies. State police arrested Johnson after pulling over his 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe on a traffic stop at...
Peoples, Equitable natural gas customers to see rate increases under PUC settlement
State regulators have approved a rate increase for Peoples Natural Gas, but lower than the utility had requested. The settlement with the Public Utility Commission combines the rates of the company’s Peoples and Equitable divisions. Peoples acquired competitor Equitable Gas Co. from EQT Corp. in 2013. Under the settlement, the...
Pittsburgh police arrest, charge 19-year-old in Homewood shooting
Pittsburgh police have made an arrest in a Friday afternoon shooting in Homewood that left a man in critical condition. Police charged Langston Nelms, 19, of Braddock with two counts of attempted homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, carrying a firearm with a license, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and tampering...
Evans City man on motorcycle dies in Butler County crash
A 44-year-old Evans City man died in a crash in Butler County on Friday morning, state police said. According to state police, the crash happened shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Marburger Road, just south of Watters Station Road in Forward Township. Police said Robert J. Hauserman, 44, was driving a...
Drew’s Family Restaurant in Forest Hills has new ownershipVideo
Andrew Countouris is forever 21. But his legacy has lived on through Drew’s Family Restaurant on Ardmore Boulevard in Forest Hills. The young man died of a coronary embolism at age 21 in 1982. His three surviving brothers — Louis, Peter and Jerry — renamed the place after their late...
Athletic directors work behind the scenes to make gamedays go smoothly
Drew Karpen can’t complain about how Friday night football games have gone so far this year. The first-year Highlands athletic director’s biggest problem has been dealing with the overlap of teams and officials arriving at the school at the same time. That’s a small problem out of all the issues...
Game days are long for Norwin athletic directorVideo
On a high school football Friday, Brandon Rapp is at the Norwin Knights Stadium. It’s 6:30 a.m. Kickoff is more than 12 hours away. Rapp, Norwin’s athletic director, is at the North Huntingdon stadium about 20 minutes before the sunrise, checking on the status of preparations for a game that...
Harrison firm awarded Army Corps contract to help prevent flooding in Johnstown
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District awarded a $1.2 million contract to Green World Contracting Co. of Harrison to remove accumulated sediments and vegetation along the Stonycreek River in Cambria County. The project will allow for unimpeded water flow, which will reduce the risk of flooding. The work...
‘Boo Fest’ returning to Tarentum’s Riverview Memorial Park
Tarentum’s recreation board revamped the borough’s annual “Boo Fest” last year, and it turned out to be a delight for the hundreds who turned out for the event at Riverview Memorial Park. Instead of kids trick-or-treating from station to station in the park, or in the borough building in years...
Bethel Bakery, Spoonwood Brewing join forces for Pumpkin Drop Porter
They’re at it again. Bethel Bakery and Spoonwood Brewing Co. have teamed up for a second time to turn one of the bake shop’s favorite fall cookies into a beer you can cheer with. The Pumpkin Drop Porter, a dark ale mixed with pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, also...
Delmont attracts visitors in droves for Apple ‘n Arts FestivalVideo
The first-time visitor to the Delmont Apple ’n Arts Festival would be excused for being a little overwhelmed. Festival organizers pack a lot into a relatively small space. For two days in October, this borough of 2,500 people probably triples or quadruples in size. Most visitors come for the apples...
Wheeling man identified in fatal Washington County crash
A West Virginia man was identified Friday as the victim of a fatal two-vehicle crash Thursday morning along Route 22 in Washington County. Jerry Saragas, 38, of Wheeling, was killed in a head-on collision on Route 22 in Hanover Township at about 10:15 a.m., Washington County Coroner Tim Warco said....
Police seize almost $27,000 in cash, drugs, in Braddock raid
Two men were arrested Friday when narcotics detectives seized $26,650 in cash, 10 pounds of marijuana, ecstasy tablets and a stolen .45-caliber handgun during a raid at a Braddock residence, Allegheny County police said. Dontae Jackson, 35, of Braddock and Melvin McCane, 36, of Swissvale, were arrested Friday morning at...
Pittsburgh police: Possible child abduction attempt outside North Side elementary school
Police are investigating a possible attempt to abduct a child outside John Morrow Elementary School in Pittsburgh’s North Side. Officers responded to a call about the incident at Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Morrow K-8 campus on Davis Avenue in the city’s Brighton Heights neighborhood shortly after 4 p.m., Public Safety spokeswoman...
First of more than 100 dogs rescued from North Hills hoarder gets new home
Three weeks ago, Coconut was living in filth. The bright-eyed, bushy-tailed border collie was among 117 dogs stuck inside a Ross house in which the smell of urine, feces and ammonia was so strong that fire and animal rescue officials couldn’t enter it without wearing breathing masks. Many of the...
2 hurt in Oklahoma Borough crash
Two people were injured as a result of a two-vehicle crash in Oklahoma Borough on Friday evening. State Trooper John Corna said the driver of a gold Subaru Outback was attempting to leave the Oklahoma Inn and make a left onto Hancock Avenue around 5:30 p.m. when it collided with...
Las Vegas man pleads guilty to $380k device fraud at 5 area Sam’s Clubs, elsewhere
A Las Vegas man pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh to a charge of conspiracy to commit access device fraud, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced Friday. Yoandy Pou Torres, 38, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count before U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon. Prosecutors told the court that Pou...
Police investigate incident involving ‘disheveled’ South Park girl
Police are investigating why medics found a 12-year-old girl in a “disoriented and disheveled state” at a homecoming bonfire in South Park, officials said. It’s unclear what may have happened. Allegheny County 911 dispatchers sent South Park police to Evans Park about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Allegheny County police Lt. Mike...
Police investigate gunshots fired in Penn Hills residential neighborhood
Police are investigating a shooting Friday afternoon on a residential street in Penn Hills, officials said. No one was reported injured, Penn Hills police Chief Howard Burton said. Residents called 911 and told police they heard a series of gunshots fired shortly after 3 p.m. near Mark Drive and Grove...
Ligonier Valley students help plant arboretum at Forbes State Forest officeVideo
Students from Ligonier Valley Middle School got in some field work this past week — literally. The 25 students enrolled in horticulture and marketing classes in grades 6-8 helped plant several trees that will transform a Laughlintown field just west of the Forbes State Forest district office into a showcase...
