Local category, Page 2960
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,...
Foxwall EMS recognized by American Heart Association
Foxwall EMS has earned recognition from the American Heart Association for its work to improve treatment of heart attack patients. The group, housed along Squaw Run Road in Fox Chapel, was given the Mission: Lifeline EMS Silver Plus Award for improving response measures, Commander Josh Worth said. Mission: Lifeline’s EMS...
Greensburg man’s alleged attempt to avoid taxi fare ends in ride to jail
A Greensburg man’s alleged attempt to stiff a taxi driver out of an $89 fare instead got him a ride to the Westmoreland County Prison on Wednesday. Keith T. Hohman, 29, was charged by city police with theft of services because a cab driver reported Hohman ran out on a...
Allegheny County Health Department to begin public health survey
The Allegheny County Health Department plans to begin surveying residents next week about public health priorities. Last conducted in 2014, the Community Health Assessment is used to help the health department identify what public health areas need more support. Access to healthcare services, chronic diseases like obesity and smoking, environmental...
Ligonier Beach site of Titanic movie filming
No, Ligonier Beach is not open. The shuttered pool, however, has been the site for the last few days of filming for an independent movie about the sinking of the Titanic and its aftermath. The familiar summertime sight of the pool full of water caught some off guard, Ligonier Township...
Brentwood’s Fourth of July celebration turns 100
It’s a day unlike any other in Brentwood Borough. The American flag is flying high on the telephone poles and more than 40,000 people line Brownsville Road — more than four times the borough’s population — to celebrate the Fourth of July. They’re decked out in their best red, white...
$1 million scratch-off ticket sold in Pittsburgh
Someone is walking around with $1 million scratch-off winner. The lottery announced that a Max-A-Million Scratch-Off ticket winner worth $1 million was sold at Z & Z Associates at 300 Sixth Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh. The seller gets a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. No winner was announced,...
Raccoon in Etna tests positive for rabies
The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) has confirmed that a raccoon discovered on Ganster Street in the Borough of Etna has tested positive for rabies. Rabies is a virus transmitted by an animal bite or scratch, and exposures due to a bite or scratch are almost always fatal when left...
Assault, drug cases among those recently handled by Judge Zucco in Plum – Jun. 20, 2019
District Judge Linda Zucco recently handled the following cases. Charges were filed by Plum police unless otherwise noted. Held for courtJames Jones Jr., 36, of Pittsburgh on charges of terroristic threats, simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief. Charges were filed Sept. 23. Ethan Duvall, 22, of New Kensington on charges...
Mother Nature soaks Greensburg pool’s reopening
Even with a return of a summer-like weather forecast for Friday, when the sun is expected and temperatures could reach into the 70s, there is no guarantee the freshly refurbished Veteran’s Memorial Pool at Greensburg’s Lynch Field will be open. “Believe me, nobody — and I mean no one —...
Lower Burrell man moving closer to priesthood after spending year at Murrysville parish
Mark Dunmire didn’t always want to be a priest, but that didn’t stop him from thinking about it. Now that he’s about to be ordained a deacon, he’s well past the point of accepting a calling that began years ago with a suggestion from his parish priest. Dunmire, 35, of...
Woodland Hills school board votes to increase taxes, furlough staff
The Woodland Hills school board voted Wednesday to accept a budget that includes a 3 percent tax increase and furloughs at least 60 staff members. The 5-3 vote increases the millage rate from 25.35 to 26.1105 mills — an increase of $65.94 per year, or about $5.50 per month, for...
Beyond the Ceiling murals unveiled in Sharpsburg
For longtime Sharpsburg resident and business owner Evelyn Shoop, it wasn’t always easy being a lady in the Pittsburgh business scene. Shoop, now 83, found it quite the task in the 1970s to open a credit card or get a loan in her own name without the signature or backing...
Indiana County man arrested, accused of sexually assaulting teenage boy
A 51-year-old Indiana man was arrested Wednesday on accusations he sexually assaulted a teenage boy he met online. Stephen Joe Czerniec Jr. was taken into custody without incident on 10 counts of sexual abuse of children, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors. He was arraigned before...
Fox Chapel teen biking across country for Parkinson’s awareness
Fox Chapel teen Kathryn Rockwell bikes every day, often training on Lower Valley roads, so she will be ready to pedal across America coast to coast this summer. Her trip kicked off June 27 and is dedicated to raising funds for Parkinson’s research. Rockwell’s passion for cycling will manifest in...
