Local category, Page 2846
All lanes on 16th Street Bridge open to traffic
All lanes of the 16th Street Bridge (David McCullough) have reopened to traffic, the Department of Public Works said Wednesday. The bridge had been reduced to one lane in each direction since June 3 for a project that included structural steel repairs, barrier and deck repairs, asphalt paving and painting....
Florida man indicted in suspected Monroeville cocaine, money laundering ring
A Florida man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges in connection with a suspected cocaine and money laundering ring operating out of Monroeville, a U.S. Attorney’s office news release said Wednesday. Racoco Williams, 37, of Lauderhill, Fla., faced charges two years ago after authorities...
Overdose awareness event in Greensburg can provide ‘spark of hope’ for addicts, families
A decade ago, Katrin Schall of Youngstown would have had little interest in an event like the Overdose Awareness Day scheduled this weekend in Greensburg. But on Saturday, Schall — who overcame her own drug addiction — will be at St. Clair Park in her capacity as supervisor for Southwestern...
Rostraver helipad, Arnold Palmer hangar prep get grant assist
A helipad at Rostraver Airport and hangar and apron projects at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport received a boost this week through state aviation grants. Gov. Tom Wolf announced approval of a $375,000 grant for improvements at Rostraver Airport, including development of a helipad. According to Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive...
Participant will be resentenced for role in fatal Greensburg torture case
The youngest member of a group of six Greensburg roommates convicted in the torture and murder of a mentally disabled woman nearly a decade ago will be sentenced for the third time in December. Angela Marinucci, 27, has twice before been sentenced to serve life in prison without the possibility...
Monessen bus driver charged with having child porn faced similar charges 2 decades ago
A Monessen school bus driver charged this week by federal authorities for possession of child pornography had previously been barred from driving children after he was arrested on similar charges in 2001. This week’s indictment of Jack Brian Laforte, 54, came nearly two decades after he was charged in Westmoreland...
‘Everyone’s Friend’ Terry Ranieri, Hempfield’s most-beloved fan, laid to restVideo
Terry Ranieri will be remembered as a man with no malice in his heart. “I never met anyone as kind as Terry was. I don’t think there was anything you could do to make Terry dislike you,” said the Rev. Kenneth Bossart, who gave the eulogy at Ranieri’s memorial service...
Animal Protectors’ new facility in New Kensington nears completion
The cement already is poured for the “catio” and framing installed for the addition of dog kennels at a former school in New Kensington’s Parnassus neighborhood that will soon be an animal shelter. Officials from Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley say the finish line is in sight for the New...
East Liberty mural honors Pittsburgh native Mac MillerVideo
A Pittsburgh artist and other community members celebrated Mac Miller’s life Wednesday in creating a 25-foot mural of the late rapper and Pittsburgh native in the city’s East Liberty neighborhood. The afternoon of painting, organized by the Moving the Lives of Kids (MLK) Mural Project, comes 10 days before the...
Skip Beal, retired VND and Trib newsman and voice of ‘The Stroller,’ dies at 81
Skip Beal was a passionate newsman who knew the Alle-Kiski Valley inside and out and wasn’t afraid to spark a little outrage when he wrote The Stroller column in the Valley News Dispatch. “He loved his job, there’s no doubt about it,” said his oldest son, Benjamin Beal III of...
Trial starting in 2016 Jefferson Hills businessman’s homicide
The trial for a Sacramento, Calif., man accused in the 2016 of killing a popular Jefferson Hills businessman has started in Allegheny County court. Derrick “Chino” Gallaway, 63, is charged with homicide, robbery, theft and tampering with evidence in the May 2016 homicide of Denhad “Chief” Taiedi at the Jefferson...
Shaler man pleads guilty to sharing child porn
A Shaler man pleaded guilty to one count of sharing child porn on the internet, the U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh announced Wednesday. Brian R. Reddinger, 36, pleaded guilty Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon. In 2017, he pleaded not guilty to three child pornography counts. When he changed his...
Winchester Thurston students help in development of Duolingo Latin course
Latin may be a dead language, but it is very much alive on Duolingo. The Pittsburgh-based language learning company debuted it first Latin course for English speakers Wednesday. Nearly 24,000 people had signed up for notifications about the course before it even launched, according to Duolingo. The project started a...
Butler photographer waited days for perfect shot of indigo bunting and sunflowerVideo
Visually, call it the last kiss of summer: A bright male indigo bunting singing his heart out on a fully blooming sunflower. It won’t be too long before the indigo buntings migrate south, flying about 1,200 miles to reach wintering grounds from southern Florida to northern South America, according to...
Pittsburgh council candidate vows to appeal ruling that booted him off ballot
An Allegheny County judge has booted an independent candidate for Pittsburgh City Council from the November ballot. Quincy Swatson, who is attempting a run at the District 1 seat now held by Councilwoman Darlene Harris, said he will likely appeal the decision. “We feel strongly about an appeal. We believe...
West Jefferson Hills School District appoints 2 new principals
Two newly appointed principals in the West Jefferson Hills School District have one thing in common, leaders say: They love kids. School board members on Aug. 27 officially hired longtime Pleasant Hills Middle School educator Adam Zunic as the principal of Gill Hall Elementary, at a salary of $100,000. Zunic,...
Leechburg man accused of inappropriately touching girl
A 31-year-old Leechburg man is charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. Mark Faiola was being held in the Armstrong County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bond pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 4. According to a criminal complaint, Faiola is accused of touching the girl inappropriately on June...
Johnstown man caught with loaded gun at Pittsburgh International Airport
A Johnstown man was stopped at the security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport on Tuesday when a loaded handgun was discovered in his carry-on bag , according to the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA contacted Allegheny County police, who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the .380-caliber handgun and detained the...
Attorney for Pitt researcher who poisoned wife optimistic for new trial
The attorney for the former University of Pittsburgh researcher convicted in 2014 of poisoning his wife with cyanide remains optimistic about a hearing his client is seeking for a new trial, despite a recent ruling from a judge dismissing most of his arguments. Robert Ferrante has asked for a new...
Infant twins, triplets sought for Amazon film in Pittsburgh
A Pittsburgh casting company is seeking infant twins or triplets for an Amazon Studios movie filming in the area this fall. Mosser Casting is looking for identical, white, male twins and triplets who will be between 3 and 9 months old by the start of filming on Oct. 23. The...
Chartiers Valley athletic director accepts Notre Dame position
Chartiers Valley athletic director Angie Potthoff is headed back to Notre Dame to work as the director of operations for women’s basketball. Potthoff, a former WNBA player who has worked in various roles at the University of Notre Dame, including as assistant women’s basketball coach, has served as Chartiers Valley’s...
Maryland man gets 30 years for 1999 abduction, assault of Somerset Co. girl
A Maryland man will spend the next 30 years in prison for the 1999 abduction and sexual assault of a 10-year-old Somerset County girl. Timothy D. Nelson, 50, of Cumberland, Md., was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Kim Gibson in Johnstown. He could have received life in prison for...
Police: Ruffs Dale man accused in sex crimes used fire department’s credit card to fuel up
A Ruffs Dale man awaiting trial on charges of sexually assaulting a teenage girl over several months last year was accused by state police this week of using an area fire department’s credit card to buy $2,627 in gas for his personal vehicle. Derek A. Ruth, 27, who was arrested...
Pittsburgh Army Corps teams in Puerto Rico, Florida ahead of Dorian’s mainland arrival
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Pittsburgh sent its emergency power team to Florida and Puerto Rico before Tropical Storm Dorian became a hurricane hurling 80 mph winds and heavy rains near the U.S. Virgin Islands on Wednesday afternoon. Dorian is expected to become a dangerous hurricane as it...
Duquesne man charged in connection with Homestead shooting
Allegheny County police have charged an 18-year-old man in connection to a report of a shooting Tuesday night in Homestead. Police are looking for tips about a second suspect seen with him. The motive for the shooting is not known, according to police. It is also not know if anything...
