Local category, Page 2852
Disabled Pirates fan gets trip to game courtesy of Twilight Wish
Samuel Nania has two hopes for his Thursday trip to PNC Park. “To have a day of something different than my usual days, and to see the Pirates win,” he said. Nania, 58, has been confined to a wheelchair since suffering two strokes about eight years ago. He lives at...
Franklin Regional will break ground on Sloan school project
Franklin Regional officials will hold a groundbreaking for the new Franklin Regional Intermediate Elementary School on Wednesday, July 31. The $49 million project, which has generated debate, controversy and a legal appeal, includes the renovation of the existing Sloan Elementary — which will be converted into a school for children...
Theft, DUI cases among recent Monroeville police investigations
Monroeville police filed the following charges July 17-23 in District Judge Jeffrey L. Herbst’s office: • Cody Yakel, 25, of Wall with possession of drug paraphernalia and public drunkenness. Charges were filed July 18 in connection with an incident along the 4300 block of Broadway Boulevard. • Neko Haas, 19,...
Murrysville library ice cream social will focus on ‘cozy mystery’ authors
When it comes to murder mysteries, not everyone wants theirs steeped in noir, hard-boiled in violence and splashed with sex. Enter the “cozy mystery” genre, where the emphasis is primarily on the detective work. “I always think of (the Angela Lansbury television show) ‘Murder She Wrote,’” said Murrysville librarian Emma...
Pittsburgh man accused of plotting to bomb church to support ISIS pleads not guilty
The 21-year-old Northview Heights man accused of plotting to blow up a North Side church pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges Wednesday in federal court in Pittsburgh. Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, a Syrian native admitted to the United States as a refugee three years ago, was arraigned at the federal courthouse...
Assault, theft cases recently handled by Judge Herbst in Monroeville
Monroeville District Court Judge Jeffrey Herbst handled these cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Charges were filed by Monroeville police unless otherwise noted. Held for court • Juwane Dunn, 21, of Braddock on charges of theft by unlawful taking. Charges...
East Hills DUI Task Force to conduct roving patrols this weekend – Jul. 24, 2019
East Hills DUI Task Force will conduct roving patrols and other educational enforcement activities this weekend. The task force consists of Plum, Monroeville, White Oak, North Versailles Township, Oakmont, Penn Hills and Edgewood police departments. Project director is Plum police Lt. Lanny Conley. The enforcement/educational details will occur within the...
DUI, drug cases among those recently handled by Judge Zucco in Plum – Jul. 24, 2019
District Judge Linda Zucco recently handled the following cases. Charges were filed by Plum police unless otherwise noted. Waived preliminary hearings • Stephen Kavanshansky, 20, of Swissvale on charges of driving under the influence, failure to keep right, careless driving and minor prohibited from operating a vehicle with alcohol. Oakmont...
Primanti Bros, East End Brewing to unveil pickle beer for Picklesburgh
Pickle beer? What will they think of next? Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar has partnered with East End Brewing to create the city’s first pickle-flavored craft beer. “Almost Famous” Pickle Beer is being unveiled Thursday morning at the Primanti Bros. location in Market Square. It's a pretty big dill. We...
Norwin area police, fire, ambulance plan Night Out
Police, firefighters and ambulance personnel in the Norwin area — Irwin, North Huntingdon and North Irwin — will join forces for National Night Out from 7 to 9 p.m. Aug. 6 at Excela Square at Norwin, Route 30, North Huntingdon. Fire trucks from all seven of North Huntingdon’s volunteer fire...
Port Authority approved for $1.9 million grant to purchase electric buses
The Federal Transit Administration has approved a $1.9 million grant for the Port Authority of Allegheny County that will be used to purchase electric buses, according to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s Office and the authority. Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said two electric buses are now on order and should arrive...
Allegheny County Health Department to disperse rabies vaccine bait for raccoons
The Allegheny County Health Department and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services has issued an alert that it plans to distribute rabies vaccine bait across the county — including in many parks — between Aug. 5 and 9. The raccoon baiting program is in its 18th year. This year, the...
Judge denies Hempfield man’s claim of ineffective counsel
A Westmoreland County judge has denied the appeal of a Hempfield man who claimed he received an inadequate defense during his 2012 trial in which he was accused of the attempted murder of his girlfriend. Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani issued a 10-page opinion in which said there was no...
California man sentenced for participation in tri-county drug ring
One of a dozen people indicted as part of a Western Pennsylvania drug ring last November has been sentenced to a decade in prison. Nikia Perkins, 44, of Bloomington, Calif., was sentenced on charges he conspired to distribute just over a kilogram of fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said in...
Trafford zoning board OKs medical marijuana testing lab site
A Michigan company has moved one step closer to opening a medical marijuana testing laboratory in Trafford after borough officials approved the firm’s request to operate out of a building used by the town’s ambulance service. The Trafford Zoning Board this week granted Lansing-based ACT Laboratories Inc. a variance to...
Man gets prison term for assault in Penn Township
An Allegheny County man was sentenced to serve up to two years in prison for the assault of his girlfriend earlier this year in Penn Township. Eric Damien Thomas, 41, formerly of North Versailles and Aspinwall, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of simple assault and summary harassment. As part...
Carnegie Science Center to close on Tuesdays
The Carnegie Science Center on Pittsburgh’s North Shore is reducing its hours of operation. Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 3, the Science Center will be closed to the public every Tuesday through the last Tuesday in April, except for December 31 and April 7. The Science Center will continue to be open...
Jeannette company becomes leader in recycling biopharmaceutical waste
Triumvirate Environmental has a new way to help the pharmaceutical industry recycle plastic waste. The Jeannette waste-management company serves clients in the life sciences, health care, education and industrial markets. Biopharmaceutical waste — estimated to be about 30,000 tons per year and either incinerated or sent to landfills — is...
Nabbed Mt. Pleasant fugitive tells sheriff’s deputies he was ‘tired of running’
A Mt. Pleasant fugitive on the run since May told Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies who caught up with him this week at a South Huntingdon truck stop that he was glad to finally get caught. Joseph R. Taylor, 36, was arrested about 10:15 a.m. Tuesday by members of the sheriff’s...
Council approves affordable housing requirements in Lawrenceville
Pittsburgh housing advocates won a major victory Wednesday with City Council’s final approval of legislation requiring residential development projects in Lawrenceville featuring 20 or more units to offer affordable housing. The housing bill creates a zoning overlay district exclusive to Lawrenceville designed to offset the impact of gentrification in the...
Plum roadwork to cause delays
Logans Ferry Road in Plum will have three traffic stops lasting up to 15 minutes each through the night Thursday. The stops will occur from 7 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday between Route 366 and Columbia Road, according to PennDOT. The work is part of a $1.09 million project...
What to expect when ‘GMA’ broadcasts live from Pittsburgh
ABC’s “Good Morning America” will set up shop Thursday morning on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. The show, featuring Ginger Zee, T.J. Holmes and Tory Johnson, airs from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on WTAE. Here’s what you can expect form the show, part of GMA’s “Big Summer Road Trip” series. STEEL...
In Carnegie, they’re gonna party like it’s 1894
Carnegie is planning a party — 1894-style — to celebrate the borough’s 125th birthday. The three-day festivity, running from Aug. 9 to 11, will include something for everyone, from a 125-year-birthday themed Carnegie Crawl on Aug. 9 to carnival games and declarations on Aug. 10 and a car cruise on...
Plum woman charged with embezzling $320K from insurance firm where she worked
An official with the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County who formerly worked for a Forest Hills insurance company has been charged with stealing more than $300,000 from the insurance firm, according to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. Sharon J. Mink, 43, of Plum, who’s served...
Brighton Heights man gets time served in infant daughter’s death
A Brighton Heights man will serve no more jail time in the 2015 death of his 5-week-old daughter. Joseph Swidorsky, 33, who has been in the Allegheny County Jail since his Oct. 1, 2015, arrest, was sentenced Wednesday to 23 to 46 months in jail, which amounts to time served,...
