Local category, Page 2946
Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department to begin operating Monday
The final budget and list of officers has been approved as the final steps for the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department to begin operating Monday. The Allegheny Valley Regional Police Commission unanimously approved the measures in a special meeting Thursday afternoon. Springdale Township and Cheswick held special meetings to approve...
Intense storms bring down trees, damage cars
Severe thunderstorms rolled through the Vandergrift area Thursday evening, knocking down trees and power lines and causing localized flooding. Vandergrift police said weather-related calls flooded the department between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Police said firefighters and public works crews were out most of the evening removing fallen trees and...
Hempfield man wants new trial, claims self-defense strategy was ignored
A Hempfield man serving a 40-year prison sentence for the attempted murder of his girlfriend in 2011 is asking for a new trial. Lawrence Redman, 51, was in court on Thursday for an appeal hearing. He contends his former lawyer ignored his instructions to argue self-defense during his trial. “My...
Pa. Turnpike expects 3.5% rise in Fourth holiday travel
Pennsylvania Turnpike officials expect more than 6 million motorists will travel on the toll road over an extended Independence Day holiday beginning Friday and continuing through July 7. Lower prices at the pump are a likely factor in that predicted traffic figure, which represents a 3.5% jump from the same...
Pa. communities in line to get share of $251.8 million in natural gas fees
Impact fee payments for natural gas drilling in the state will reach a record level this year, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission said. The agency expects to distribute $251.8 million in impact fees in accordance with the state’s Act 13 provisions. That would be $33.4 million more than last year...
Penn Hills man sentenced to federal prison for creating, sharing child porn
A Penn Hills man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for producing and distributing child pornography, federal prosecutors said. John O’Donnell, 51, used a hidden camera to secretly videotape a 12-year-old girl in his bathroom, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady. Brady said authorities found nearly 300...
North Huntingdon man remembered for love of history
When Irwin prepared to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2014, Jerry Kyslinger was there with his pen, ready to capture the memories. Helping to write “Irwin Then & Now,” the North Huntingdon resident traveled to various nursing homes, scanning pictures provided by residents to show before and after shots of...
Hempfield man accused of threatening church leader asks for bond reduction
A Hempfield man jailed on charges that he made threatening, racially explicit telephone calls to a Penn Township church wants a Westmoreland County judge to make it cheaper for him to be released from custody. Mark Eugene Ray, 59, contends the $50,000 bail that is keeping him behind bars should...
Severe weather brings down trees, wires across Allegheny County
Severe weather that swept through the area Thursday evening caused down trees and flooding for several areas. The National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of Western Pennsylvania until 5 p.m. Parts of Washington, Beaver and Allegheny counties were included in the warning. Allegheny County reported an unoccupied...
Group moves ahead with effort to reopen Leechburg public library
The Leechburg Community Library, when it was open, was a rare bird. The library, housed inside Leechburg High School for 93 years, was one of only 86 public libraries located inside a school from among the 9,234 public libraries nationwide. And, there are fewer than 500 public libraries in Pennsylvania,...
Elderly contractor wants charges dropped in Greensburg apartment rehab case
The lawyer for an 85-year-old contractor awaiting trial on charges that he accepted money to rehabilitate a Greensburg building three years ago but did not finish the job said in court on Thursday that the criminal charges should be dismissed. “This is basically a civil dispute. He lost his zoning...
7 injured when dump truck crashes into Port Authority bus in Strip District
Seven people were hurt when a dump truck rear-ended a Port Authority bus at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday on Penn Avenue at 33rd St. in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said all of the injuries were minor. The driver of the bus was taken to Allegheny General...
Penn Hills man pleads guilty to crash that killed his 2-year-old niece
A Penn Hills man pleaded guilty Thursday to a slew of charges related to a 2017 Parkway North crash that killed his niece. Taylor Jefferson, 26, faces a mandatory 3 to 6 years in prison after pleading to homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while DUI, involuntary manslaughter, endangering the...
Celebrate Pittsburgh’s soul, city native, tech leader tells summit attendeesVideo
Pittsburgh has the soul of a small town and that’s one of its biggest assets, one of its expatriates said Thursday. Caterina Fake left the area when she was 7, but she said her Western Pennsylvania roots have helped shape her into the Silicon Valley success story she’s become. Fake,...
Ross Park Mall readies for enhanced Harry Potter augmented reality gameplay
Fans of the augmented reality mobile game “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” don’t need to conjure a spell to enhance their playing experience. The AT&T store in the lower level of the Ross Park Mall is one of select locations in the United States where Wizards and Witches who play the...
Western Pennsylvania to see first stretch of prolonged heat
If you’ve been lamenting the lack of hot weather in Western Pennsylvania, you’re in luck. The next week features the warmest stretch of weather so far this year, with high temperatures well into the 80s each day, according to the National Weather Service. There have been only 15 days so...
70-year-old box turtle reappears on Pennsylvania farmVideo
An old turtle has been hanging around a Dauphin County farm for about 50 years. The eastern box turtle was probably about 20 years old, based on shell size at the time, when it was found on the farm in 1967 by a brother and sister, reports PennLive. That makes...
Hempfield Towers residents heated about going days without air conditioning
The thermometer that sits on Gioia Schreckengost’s television stand in her fifth-floor apartment read 82 degrees, inching close to the 86-degree temperature outside. Residents at Hempfield Towers on South Grande Boulevard have been without air conditioning since June 21 after a mechanical failure with the unit, according Michael Washowich, executive...
Live Nation, Hanover officials dodge questions about KeyBank Pavilion traffic
Fans might want to arrive early for Friday’s Zac Brown Band show at KeyBank Pavilion. You could be waiting in your car for a while. Live Nation, the entertainment company that owns the Hanover Township amphitheater near Burgettstown, won’t say if it is doing anything to address reports of long...
Brentwood Borough School District sets 2019-20 budget
Real estate taxes are going up in 2019-20 for residents living in the Brentwood Borough School District, as district leaders look to offset rising costs. Board members on June 24, in an 8-0 vote, approved the district’s $24.6 million budget for 2019-20, that includes an increase in the tax rate...
Safety tips for setting off Fourth of July fireworks
The Fourth of July is right around the corner, but before the oohs and aahs are in order, here’s a list of safety tips to make sure your fireworks go off with a bang. Compiled by Phantom Fireworks, a consumer fireworks company based in Youngstown, Ohio, the list suggests reading...
Police: Jeannette man accused in Hempfield rape of 14-year-old girl fled to Kentucky
A Jeannette man fled to Kentucky in an effort to avoid being arrested on allegations he raped a 14-year-old girl, according to state police. Steven Alan Deluke, 40, was identified as the suspect in the Hempfield case through bodily fluids collected in a rape kit, according to court papers. Deluke...
Photos released in case of Syrian refugee accused of church bombing plot
Federal court filings this week revealed photos sent by a Syrian refugee who is accused of plotting to blow up a North Side Pittsburgh church as a show of support for ISIS. U.S. Attorney Soo Song entered into evidence two videos that Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 21, is accused of sending...
Plum students create elementary school garden
Around 15 Plum students got their hands dirty on a hot, summery day as they transplanted vegetables into a new elementary school garden. Center Elementary secured a grant from Grow Pittsburgh to construct 12 raised beds, a crushed limestone surface, seats and a shade structure as part of its latest...
Raccoon in Plum tests positive for rabies
A raccoon caught on Mt. Hood Drive in Plum has tested positive for rabies, making it the 16th rabid animal in Allegheny County since the start of the year. The Allegheny County Health Department announced the raccoon’s positive results for rabies Thursday. So far in 2019, there have been 13...
