Local category, Page 2910
Sunset on hold: Longest day of the year arrives with the summer solstice
Today marks the first day of summer — and the forecast finally includes sunshine and highs in the 70s, as if on cue. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, as the Northern Hemisphere leans most toward the sun during Earth’s tilted axis of rotation. The equator...
Penn Twp. Democrats to clean Bushy Run monuments
The Penn Township Democratic Committee will be performing a service project at Bushy Run Battlefield along Route 993 at 9 a.m. Saturday. In an effort to help beautify the park and honor first responders, the group will clean and landscape around the first responder monuments. For more information, contact Christine...
Monroeville fire departments hosting recruitment events
The Monroeville volunteer fire departments will sponsor recruitment events this weekend. All five fire stations will host events from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 22-23. The stations are located at 122 Elmwood Street, 2601 Third Street, 4370 Northern Pike, 100 Seco Road and 600 Garden City Drive. Activities will...
Drug, theft cases among recent Monroeville police investigations – Jun. 20, 2019
Monroeville police filed the following charges June 16 in District Judge Jeffrey L. Herbst’s office:Daniel Cranston, 19, of Monroeville with possession of controlled substances and accident involving damage to attended vehicle or property. Charges were filed June 16 in connection with an incident at Monroeville Boulevard and Stroschein Road. Natasha...
Experts: Refugee vetting effective despite alleged Pittsburgh terror plot
The system for vetting refugees coming into the United States is effective despite allegations by federal prosecutors that a Syrian refugee living in Pittsburgh plotted to bomb a North Side church in an ISIS-motivated attack, terrorism experts told the Tribune-Review. “The threat posed by refugees is overall very low despite...
Kittanning Township woman accused of hitting ghost hunter with car
A Kittanning Township woman is accused of striking a pedestrian with a car while the alleged victim was searching for ghosts in April. State police said Moniekia D. Erdley, 34, yelled at the alleged victim and her friends to get off the road around 2:30 a.m. April 28 in the...
Theft, firearms 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 courtJoseph Sada, 24, of Monroeville on charges of retail theft and escape. Charges were filed...
35 from Western Pa. indicted in drug trafficking ring
Federal authorities announced indictments Thursday against 37 people they say are part of a drug trafficking organization spanning three states. The indictments were handed down by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh. Thirty-five of the people involved are from Western Pennsylvania. One person is from New York, while another is...
New Stanton man appealing sentence in deadly hit-run
A New Stanton man convicted of third-degree murder for the Christmas Eve 2016 death of an East Huntingdon pedestrian wants a new trial. Matthew Ramsay, 31, is appealing his conviction, claiming evidence presented at trial in March was not sufficient to support a guilty finding. “While the commonwealth’s evidence may...
Allegheny Township Save-A-Lot nearly empty, apparently ready to close
A discount grocery store in Allegheny Township apparently is closing soon. Save-A-Lot, located at 500 Hyde Park Road in Allegheny Plaza, is advertising 20% off all items in the store via handwritten signs displayed in store windows. There is no visible signage informing customers that a closing in imminent, but...
Pittsburgh church bomb plot suspect had several targets, authorities say
In the days before and after his June 8 graduation from Pittsburgh’s Brashear High School, 21-year-old Mustafa Mousab Alowemer was planning something catastrophic, federal authorities contend. He received his diploma on Saturday during a ceremony at the Petersen Events Center. On Tuesday, authorities said, he met with two men he...
Keystone Park sewage suggestion: Spread cost among Derry Township authority customers
Many, but far from all, who attended an informational meeting last week voiced support for a proposed project that would extend public sewer lines and a recreational trail through Derry Township, from New Alexandria to Keystone State Park. The problem supporters of the project are faced with: How to pay...
Salem woman serving life says addiction to blame for mother’s violent murder
A Salem woman serving life in prison for bludgeoning her mother to death in 2013 wants her story to serve as an example of the horrors of drug addiction, she told a Westmoreland County judge. In a legal appeal, Sarah Vercauteren, 30, contended she received bad advice when she was...
Records will remain sealed in Unity woman’s disappearance
Search warrants related to the disappearance of a Unity woman will remain sealed for the time being, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Thursday. Prosecutors said public disclosure of documents supporting 15 search warrants obtained last year could interfere with the ongoing investigation into the whereabouts and possible death of Cassandra...
Auditor General: Pittsburgh schools lost out on $2M in tax reimbursements
Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale released a performance audit Thursday critical of Pittsburgh Public Schools, saying the district shortchanged taxpayers by not seeking nearly $2 million in fuel-tax reimbursements and by failing to pursue competitive transportation bids. In a telephone conference with reporters, DePasquale described the district’s poor record-keeping as...
ARIN Intermediate Unit 28 reorganizes
Frank C. Prazenica Jr., of the Freeport Area School Board is the new president of the ARIN 28 Intermediate Unit. The new vice president is Charles R. Glasser of the Marion Center Area School Board. The unit’s secretary is Danielle L. Patterson and treasurer is Clifford A. Geary, both of...
Allegheny River advisory continues, locks to remain closed
A recreational boating advisory will remain in effect for the Pittsburgh Point because of swift water until 8 p.m. Friday, while lock No. 5 in Gilpin on the Allegheny River will remain closed until at least Saturday because of high water. Also because of high and swift water, the Allegheny...
Port Vue woman sentenced to 6 years in federal prison for involvement in heroin ring
A Port Vue woman was sentenced to six years in federal prison for her involvement in a heroin pipeline that funneled the drug from New Jersey to Western Pennsylvania, federal prosecutors said. U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said Krystle Barretto, 33, conspired to possess with intent to distribute and distributed...
Frazer police hire 5 new officers
Frazer hired four recent police academy graduates and a soon-to-be graduate to replace five part-timers who resigned to take jobs elsewhere over the past several months. With the new hires, Frazer now has 10 part-time officers. Chief Terry Kuhns and Sgt. Aaron Scott are the only full-timers. Police departments across...
Man sentenced to 8.5 years for distributing child porn
A Pittsburgh man was ordered to serve 8 1/2 years in prison for distributing material showing the sexual exploitation of a minor. James Clay Russell, 61, also was ordered to pay $8,600 in restitution to 13 child victims. Court records list payments to the children ranging from $500 to $1,000....
West Deer native heeds calling to priesthood
Brendan Dawson first thought about becoming a priest as an altar boy in third grade. The idea would come up from time to time over his life, but he thought his future lay along another path. “I decided I was going to go to Pitt and study political science and...
Baldwin woman pleads guilty to using fraud to obtain painkillers
A Baldwin woman pleaded guilty in federal court to obtaining a pain drug through health care fraud. Prosecutors alleged that Heather Summerfield, 39, following back surgery in 2009, began to use Tramadol and became addicted. She fraudulently obtained more than 60,000 Tramadol pills, prosecutors said. Summerfield would allegedly pose as...
Penn Hills school board president seeks help from federal government to relieve debt
The president of the Penn Hills school board has petitioned the federal government to seek relief from the district’s crippling debt. Erin Vecchio said she reached out to President Donald Trump via letter seeking relief from the $172 million of debt that she described as “being used for a kickback...
Allegheny County Board of Health begins search for new director
The Allegheny County Board of Health has started the search for a new health department director. Dr. Karen Hacker, 63, will step down July 31 to become director of the Centers for Disease Control National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. She has led the county health department...
Avalon man convicted in drunken driving crash that killed McKeesport teen
A 23-year-old Avalon man who killed a McKeesport teen in a crash after drinking at a birthday party and on a party bus was found guilty on charges including homicide by vehicle while drunken driving during a non-jury trial before Allegheny County Judge Thomas Flaherty. Robert L. Darrisaw Jr., 23,...
