Local category, Page 2880
DA: Investigation into missing Whitehall woman presumed dead wrapping up
Authorities are “real close to a conclusion” in a case involving a Whitehall woman who is presumed dead after she went missing April 30, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said Tuesday. “We have not found her body but that doesn’t preclude us from prosecuting,” Zappala said during...
The Regrettes bring fun power punk to Pittsburgh
Lydia Night was just a toddler when it became obvious that she was destined to be a rock singer. At the age of 2, she was singing the Ramones song “Beat on the Brat” for the soundcheck at her father’s nightclub in New Orleans, where she was born. By 6,...
‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ piano finds harmony at Manchester Craftsmen’s GuildVideo
Many tunes were played on the special piano, and many more will be played in its future home. The 1987 Steinway B piano was the instrument of choice for renowned jazz musician Johnny Costa on the set of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” inside WQED Multimedia studios in Oakland. Unveiled Tuesday, it...
Services set for Nick Cumer, grad student killed in Ohio
LORETTO — Services are set for a Pennsylvania graduate student killed in a shooting rampage in an Ohio nightclub district. Nicholas Cumer was a graduate student in the master of cancer care program at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa. The 25-year-old was in Dayton as part of his internship...
Former Coraopolis man pleads guilty in fentanyl delivery that caused overdose death
A former Coraopolis man will remain detained in a federal prison until his sentencing later this year on charges stemming from a 2017 drug overdose death, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. Cleo Maurice Bronaugh, 42, pleaded guilty Tuesday to distributing fentanyl and accepted responsibility for the death of a...
Bridgeville dance studio changes ownership, name
Kathi’s Dance Studio, 535 Baldwin St., Bridgeville is now owned by two former students, Ashley Verghies and Danielle Rosser. Trained as dancers by Kathi Shuck since they were youngsters, the two have been assistant teachers for all age groups for more than 10 years. For the past two years, Shuck...
Penn Hills Summerfest marks 5th anniversary with animals, games, fireworksVideo
Goats, chickens, sheep and ponies are not usually found at Turner Friendship Park in Penn Hills. For one day, it was all youths talked about as they wandered the grounds for the municipality’s fifth annual Summerfest. “Oh my God, there were so many things,” said Shaina Thomas, 10, of Monroeville....
Oakmont welcomes its first junior firefighter
Oakmont officials welcomed the first junior firefighter in the history of the borough’s volunteer fire department. Joey Flanick, 17, of Oakmont was sworn in by Mayor Christopher Whaley at a council workshop meeting Monday . Fire Chief David Carroll and other firefighters were on-hand to celebrate the historic moment. “We...
Export will target illicit stormwater connections along Italy Road
The next step in Export’s long-term flood control plan is to remove any storm water connections along Italy Road that empty into the borough’s sewage system. And borough officials have to get it done by January 2020. “I think that’s going to be a major issue,” Councilman John Nagoda said....
Halloween Hustle 5K proposes shift from Murrysville to Export
This year’s Halloween Hustle 5K will move from Murrysville to Export. The race is hosted by the East Suburban Trailblazers, an inclusive running club associated with East Suburban Citizen Advocacy. “We’d like to have this year’s 5K on the (Westmoreland) Heritage Trail,” said Trailblazers member Megan Nelson. “Usually, we’ve held...
Export officials review timbering plan for Murrysville property
Before Export officials begin selectively timbering property the borough owns in Murrysville, they want to make sure they are getting enough bang for their buck. The financial benefits of starting a timber management program on the borough’s roughly 74-acre property on Borland Farm Road have been called into question. The...
Latrobe Night Out opens eyes to local policing methods, impaired driving hazardsVideo
Latrobe-area residents took a ride on a Fatal Vision roadster and saw how a K-9 officer takes a bite out of crime Tuesday evening at a National Night Out outreach event organized by the city’s police department. Firefighting equipment also was on display, as well as Army vehicles and a...
Donations sought for 2020 New Kensington fireworks
The Fourth of July wasn’t that long ago, but organizers of New Kensington’s fireworks display already are thinking about next year. And they’re worried. Proceeds from a basket raffle during a block party preceding this year’s display were supposed to help pay for next year’s fireworks. Rain on July 6...
Asbestos could limit Tarentum demolitions
Asbestos could reduce the number of dilapidated buildings that Tarentum will be able to tear down this year. The borough expects to receive the results of asbestos testing on 28 properties this week, code enforcement officer Anthony Bruni said. The borough paid Corwin Inspections $11,175 to do the testing. That...
Project Reset is Allegheny County officials’ effort to give people a fresh startVideo
Allegheny County officials are taking a statewide effort to give people who have been charged with or convicted of low-level nonviolent offenses a fresh start to another level. Called “Project Reset,” the county’s program will help Allegheny County residents learn whether the crimes on their criminal records can be sealed...
Inmate charged with attempted murder of state troopers during Indiana County transport
An inmate at Indiana County’s Pine Grove state prison is charged with attempting to kill two state troopers when he seized a gun from one of the troopers and fired it twice as they were driving him back to the prison from a district court hearing. In addition to two...
Plans being made for removal of Belvedere Hotel’s charred remains
State Rep. Joe Petrarca confirmed his office is leading efforts to kick off the cleanup of the charred, asbestos- laden remains of the Belvedere Hotel along Route 66 in Oklahoma Borough. A July 24 blaze swiftly destroyed the abandoned, almost 115-year-old hotel. The fire still is under investigation by state police....
Attorney for Jeannette man accused in selling drugs that killed brother questions police investigation
The attorney for a Jeannette man on trial accused of selling a fatal dose of fentanyl to his brother in late 2016 suggested in court Tuesday his client’s stunned acknowledgement of a police inquiry was not a confession. Defense attorney Brian Aston, in his opening statement, told jurors the arrest...
New Kensington cops revive 2 men who overdosed, then charged 1 of them
New Kensington police revived two men with the opioid overdose-reversal drug Narcan and then filed drug-related charges against one of them, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday. Police said they found the men unconscious just before 8 p.m. Friday in a car parked at Sheetz on Freeport Street. The...
Deferred repairs, budget cuts threaten Keystone, other state parks, officials sayVideo
If the Pennsylvania state budget were a dollar, the budget for the entire state park and forest system would be about half a penny. Marci Mowery, president of the Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation, used that example Tuesday to illustrate infrastructure and maintenance needs confronting the state Department of Conservation...
Knoch grad Jordan Geist hopes for strong showing in Pan Am Games
For the second time in less than two weeks, Jordan Geist will compete in the shot put against some of the best throwers in the world. The Knoch graduate and rising junior at Arizona will test his mettle Wednesday evening in a field of 13 at the Pan American Games...
Census takers identifying hard-to-reach populations across Western Pa., country
Disconnected doubters, wary skeptics, eager engagers and head nodders — these are all ways Census Bureau officials describe people living in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Released in late June, the 2020 Census Predictive Models and Audience Segmentation report is helping officials create a plan for the once-a-decade survey that determines the amount...
Penn Hills teacher fatally shot by police in Shaler
A Shaler man was shot and killed by police at his home Tuesday during a domestic dispute call, authorities said. The deceased was identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office as Donald Babbit, 49. Penn Hills School District said Babbit was a high school math teacher in a statement...
Paving, sewers, landslides center of Ross capital improvements
Ross officials have created an expansive capital plan that calls for budgeting nearly $32 million over the next five years to pave roads, address stormwater and sewer system problems and improve parks. The largest portion of spending in the 2020-24 capital improvement program outlined at the Aug. 5 commissioners meeting...
Swissvale man sentenced for threatening judge through mail, assaulting jail guard
A Swissvale man was sentenced to 80 to 160 months in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to two separate cases in which he attacked an Allegheny County Jail guard and sent threatening letters to a judge, officials said. Nathan Hoye, 26, was serving a 16- to 32-month sentence at the...
