Local category, Page 2838
Trump to visit Beaver County ethane cracker plant Thursday
President Donald Trump will make his way to Beaver County next week to tour a soon-to-be completed Shell Chemicals ethane cracker plant. A White House official confirmed the president’s scheduled stop at the $6 billion plant near Monaca on Thursday. Trump plans to speak after the tour about his administration’s...
Round Hill Park spray pad closed after high levels of bacteria found
The Round Hill Park spray pad in Elizabeth Township will be closed through Monday because tests showed high levels of bacteria in the water, the Allegheny County Health Department said Friday. “Out of an abundance of caution, the spray pad is closed for additional water treatment and cleansing,” a statement...
Plum Youth Legion team reflects on trip to state tournament
After his team’s loss in an elimination game at the Pennsylvania Youth Legion baseball tournament, Plum manager Bill Rumcik stood in front of his players and offered words he hoped would console his dejected group. “They were really down, but I wanted to put (the season) into perspective for them,”...
Latrobe’s Steelers Fest attracts fans from afar for trophy shots, team-related funVideo
Big Ben and JuJu were among the attractions for fans with tickets to the Steelers’ Friday Night Lights practice at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium. Most who came Friday afternoon, for related Steelers Fest activities in an adjacent field, made a bee line for the team’s half dozen Lombardi trophies on display....
Hyde Park man to stand trial for wife’s 2017 death, her taped accusations played in courtVideo
Among the witnesses who testified Friday against a Hyde Park man accused of killing his wife in 2017 was the victim, herself. Jeffrey Mark Fondrk, 57, was ordered to stand trial Friday for allegedly beating Patricia Ann Fondrk to death in July 2017. Fondrk pleaded not guilty. At his preliminary...
$1M grant boosts Pittsburgh plan to open Downtown movie theater
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust received a much needed $1 million boost from Pennsylvania this week for plans to open a six-screen movie theater on Sixth Street, Downtown. Kevin McMahon, who heads the cultural trust, said it now has about $10 million for the theater project, but still needs another $2...
Police frustrated by wide-ranging juvenile car thefts in Allegheny County
Police across Allegheny County say they are bewildered by a recent rash of thefts by minors who are stealing vehicles, cash and even guns in the middle of the night. The style of thefts are nearly identical in suburban communities from Castle Shannon to Harmar, including cases in Oakmont, Fox...
Flash flood warning issued for several parts of Allegheny, Westmoreland, Washington counties
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a flash flood warning for west-central Westmoreland County, southeastern Allegheny County and eastern Washington County until 7:30 p.m. Strong, slow-moving thunderstorms are expected to produce localized heavy rainfall that could lead to isolated flooding, according to the weather service advisory. National Weather...
Hempfield man gets time served for threatening messages directed at church, pastor
A Hempfield man pleaded guilty Friday to harassment charges in connection with a series of racially-tinged phone messages left for an African-American pastor. Mark Eugene Ray, 59, was accused of leaving threatening messages and racial slurs directed at members and the pastor of Living Word Congregational Church in Penn Township....
New Kensington police looking for runaway girl, 14
New Kensington police are looking for a teenager they say has been missing for two weeks. Patience Johnson, 14, of New Kensington, ran away from home two weeks ago and is possibly in the Homestead area, according to police. Police say Johnson is in regular communication with her family, but...
Prosecutor: Bethlehem man killed 97-year-old woman for rent money
PALMER, Pa. — A Bethlehem man has been charged with killing a 97-year-old woman and her son and setting the house ablaze in what prosecutors say was a robbery attempt. Northampton County First Deputy District Attorney Terry Houck said Friday that 37-year-old Derek Rose, of Bethlehem, needed rent money and...
Troy Hill, East Liberty latest in East End Brewing’s neighborhood beer collection
Next up on East End Brewing’s neighborhood beer list: Troy Hill and East Liberty. The neighborhoods were chosen by Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and are part of the “YOU ARE HERE” beer series by East End Brewing Co. and announced via Instagram. View this post on Instagram Our YOU ARE...
Work on Harmar hospital expected to start next week
After nearly a year of delays, work to build Allegheny Health Network’s neighborhood hospital in Harmar is expected to begin next week. AHN spokeswoman Candace Herrington said Rycon Construction crews will begin by preparing the site for construction, including installing fencing around it and placing a trailer onsite. The planned...
Paralyzed New Kensington Navy veteran receives van from Virginia charityVideo
Dan Hika, a Navy veteran paralyzed in a swimming pool accident seven years ago, feels free. And he owes it to Frank Lasch and Azalea Charities, which raised enough money to buy Hika and his family a minivan that will allow him to get to and from places without having...
Crabapple ‘Pool-A-Palooza’ is all-day festival at Herminie pool
Crabapple Community Pool in Herminie will hold its second annual Community Pool-A-Palooza event from noon until 10 p.m. Saturday. The event will include food, an ice cream truck, 50/50 drawings and a chance to win a 2020 pool pass. DJ Brandie will be on from 1-4 p.m., and Elvis impersonator...
Highland Park Bridge ramp work postponed until Aug. 8
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has postponed plans to close an access ramp from Butler Street near the Pittsburgh zoo to the Highland Park Bridge. PWSA said work will start at 7 p.m. Thursday to repair a 15-inch storm sewer on the bridge, which requires the ramp closure. It...
Former Pittsburgh homicide detective accused of falsifying reports fined $200
A former Pittsburgh homicide detective who was facing charges she lied and faked reports pleaded no contest Friday to two misdemeanor charges of hindering apprehension in a deal reached with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. Allegheny County Judge Jill E. Rangos levied a $200 fine and no further penalty against...
Unity gym regular accused of stealing car, purse after workout
Frequent gym-goer Britnee M. Silvis walked into the Planet Fitness in Unity on July 8, moments after workout regular Ryan Crawford had parked a red 2014 Mazda 6 outside, according to state police. When Silvis left the gym a short time later at 7:06 p.m., the 31-year-old woman, who walks...
Analysis shows Bernie Sanders with most donors and money in U.S., Western Pa.; Joe Biden still leads in polls
Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders — once again making a play for blue-collar workers — has received donations from across the country, including much of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Maps created by The New York Times show Sanders receiving a higher number of donations across Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh region — areas with...
Pittsburgh working on plan to address homelessness, crime in Downtown
Pittsburgh police have been working several months on plans to better address growing problems with homelessness and crime in the Golden Triangle, Chief Scott Schubert said Friday. He said the Zone 2 station, which staffs a substation on Liberty Avenue in Downtown, did an evaluation that included the number of...
Former Macy’s Waterfront store to house 2 new tenants
Less than a year after Macy’s at the Waterfront in Homestead announced it was closing, two tenants are ready to move into the building. Siemens Mobility, Inc., a technology-based company, and Commonwealth Charter Academy, a cyberschool, have signed long-term leases to occupy the 135,000-square-foot space that has sat vacant since...
Controller accused in $191K embezzlement scheme from Murrysville firm
A federal grand jury this week indicted the former controller of a Murrysville packaging company, accusing her of embezzling $191,000 over five years. Victoria Mazur, 51, of Plum, is accused of embezzling the money from Gateway Packaging Corp. between December 2012 and December 2017, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said. According...
Times Leader newspaper in Pennsylvania sold to Avant
The Times Leader newspaper in Wilkes-Barre has been sold to a North Carolina media company. The newspaper reports that the Times Leader Media Group has been sold to privately held Avant Publications. The purchase price was not disclosed. Avant’s leadership group includes Scott Champion, whose Champion Media owns five dailies...
Police: Dad put beer in toddler’s baby bottle in Centre County
A Centre County couple is facing child abuse charges over reports that the father put a mix of beer and formula in his child’s bottle. Online court documents show 23-year-old Garrett Gunsallus was arrested this week on two felony child abuse charges, and a misdemeanor assault charge. His former wife,...
1 of 2 men charged in 2017 Pitcairn homicide pleads guilty
One of two men charged in a 2017 Pitcairn robbery that left a Penn Hills man dead pleaded guilty Friday in Allegheny County court to third-degree murder, robbery and other charges. Brandon Thompson, 25, of East Hills, was sentenced by Judge Edward J. Borkowski to 20 to 60 years in...
