Local category, Page 3007
Police: Wilkinsburg teen shot, killed intruder in fear of his family’s safety
A 17-year-old boy feared for the safety of his family when he shot and killed an unarmed 19-year-old man trying to force his way into their Wilkinsburg home early Wednesday, police said. Jakeem Booker, 19, of Braddock was pronounced dead soon after police found him with a gunshot wound to...
UPMC defends controversial prepay rule for seniors
UPMC is imposing a controversial prepay rule on Highmark-insured Medicare Advantage patients this summer because its leaders have no trust in Highmark to pay bills or honor contracts, UPMC’s attorneys said Wednesday in state Supreme Court. Starting July 1 — when UPMC and Highmark’s insurance networks are set to officially...
Dump truck driver hospitalized after crashing into pole in Vandergrift
A dump truck driver was hospitalized after his vehicle struck a pole at Sherman Avenue and Second Street in Vandergrift. The crash happened shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday. Police said the truck was traveling north on Sherman Avenue when it hit the West Penn Power utility pole near Steeltown Smokehouse....
Not 1 but 2 Harmar eaglets have their day in the sun
With temperatures soaring into the 80s Wednesday, both bald eaglets were active and seen at the Harmar nest above Route 28. Gina Gilmore of Fox Chapel captured the young family in photos posted to Facebook on Wednesday. While only the top of a second eaglet’s head had been spotted in...
Don’t spare the blood: Apollo-Ridge looks to realism for mock DUI crashVideo
A mock car crash that included a drunken driver, a dead passenger and other injured parties was the lesson of the day Wednesday at Apollo-Ridge High School. Although mock accident scenes are nothing new, the high school decided to add flair or, rather, blood and make-up for students to look...
Westmoreland County prosecutors dispute defense claims in 30-year-old rape case
Westmoreland County prosecutors said defense arguments to dismiss a nearly 30-year-old rape case should be rejected because they are based on misrepresented facts. In court documents filed Wednesday, prosecutors said there is sufficient evidence to convict John Kunco, 53, of Harrison of the brutal rape of a woman in her...
Pittsburgh ended 2018 in ‘strong financial position,’ controller says
Pittsburgh ended 2018 with a $3.3 million general fund surplus despite moving nearly $50 million out of the operating budget for capital projects, affordable housing and employee pensions, Controller Michael Lamb said Wednesday. Lamb in releasing his Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for 2018 noted that Pittsburgh had a total unassigned...
Greensburg woman remembered for passion of cooking
The smell of Sylvia Fontanella’s beef risotto recipe often wafted through her Greensburg home, a signature meal of hers. Cooking and baking for her family was a favorite past time of hers, her great-niece Lisa Fox said, along with trying to spend as much time with the children in the...
Allegheny County likely to have more measles cases, health chief says
Allegheny County health officials stressed Wednesday that this week’s confirmed case of measles in Pittsburgh is not connected to the nationwide outbreak, but said it’s likely that more local residents will contract measles. The biggest concern has been local residents traveling to states like New York or New Jersey, where...
Plea deal rejected in Walmart parking lot wreck that injured East Huntingdon store employee
A Mt. Pleasant woman charged in a with a injuring a woman stacking carts in a Walmart parking lot last year rejected plea bargain deal that would have required her to spend three days in jail. Ronalee Bailey, 40, through her defense attorney, told a Westmoreland County judge she would...
PennDOT inspects Fort Duquesne Bridge after concrete chunks fall
PennDOT officials conducted an emergency inspection on the Fort Duquesne Bridge after pieces of concrete fell to the ground on the North Shore on Tuesday. The pieces, measuring between 6 and 10 inches in diameter, did not damage anything. PennDOT District 11 Executive Cheryl Moon-Sirianni said the bridge is safe....
Police: Brackenridge man chased man with baseball bat, mooned him
A Brackenridge man is accused of yelling racial slurs at another man before chasing him with a baseball bat and mooning him. The alleged victim told authorities he was walking past the home of Eric Todd Clark, 47, on April 26 when Clark called him a racial slur, Brackenridge police say....
Protect PT to hold pollution monitoring workshop
Penn Township environmental group Protect PT will hold a pollution monitoring workshop at its offices May 16. The workshop will cover ways residents can monitor air quality and noise levels around their home. The organization will introduce new air particulate monitors it purchased from the company PurpleAir. Protect PT began...
Using LinkedIn to boost career chances topic of free program at Franklin Park church
How to use the resume site LinkedIn to boost your career opportunities is the topic of a free program at 7 p.m. on May 15 at Saints John and Paul Church in Franklin Park. “The Flip Side of LinkedIn” will cover how employers and recruiters use site, which has more...
$464K in grants to help Western Pa. schools boost security efforts
Four Western Pennsylvaina school entities — a school district, an intermediate unit and two technical schools — have received a total of $464,709 in state grants to enhance their safety efforts. State Rep. Joseph Petrarca, D-Vandergrift, said the grants were announced by the state’s School Safety and Security Committee, which...
Florida university administrator named president of Pitt-Greensburg
Robert G. Gregerson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and senior advisor to the provost at Florida Gulf Coast University, will become the fifth president of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, effective July 1, 2019, Pitt officials said Wednesday. Pitt officials launched a search for a new...
Caliente Pizza claims title for best pizza in the U.S.
A local pizza has been named the best in the country. Caliente Pizza & Drafthouse recently participated in 2019 World Pizza Championships in Parma, Italy, and Chef Eric von Hansen’s creation took top honors. As a three-time champion at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, von Hansen is no...
Search continues for cows roaming southern Murrysville
The search for a group of black Angus cows roaming southern Murrysville continued Wednesday. “We’ve been getting one or two calls per day,” said Officer Christer Smith of the Murrysville Police Department. “It’s been ongoing for about the past week.” On Wednesday, the Westmoreland County Animal Response Team, or CART,...
1st in series of chemical collection events kicks off at North Park
The first in a series of collection events for hazardous household waste will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in North Park. The May 4 collection event, which is being sponsored by the Pennsylvania Resourced Council, will be held in the parking lot of the park’s swimming...
Officials: Oil leak spreads to Youghiogheny in South Huntingdon
About 20 gallons of oil spilled into a tributary of the Youghiogheny River in South Huntingdon Township Monday evening, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. A heating-oil tank officials thought to be empty was in the basement of a home being demolished along Fitz Henry Road, said Mike...
Penn Hills High School JROTC program could be eliminated
The Naval Junior ROTC program at Penn Hills High School is in danger of being eliminated. District officials said it’s likely going to be cut from next school year’s activities due to declining enrollment. The program has been offered to Penn Hills students for at least the past 14 years...
Pa. state police increasing patrols at places of worship
Over the weekend, Pennsylvania state police in Indiana County checked on nearly five dozen churches and houses of worship. The visits, spurred in part by Saturday’s synagogue shooting in California, are part of an expanding effort to increase state police presence at places of worship around the region. “We’re doing...
Police: Hempfield man was drunk following crash, assault on trooper
A Hempfield man allegedly put his hand around the throat of a state trooper who was trying to arrest him for driving under the influence after a one-vehicle crash in January, according to court papers. Peter Billey, 78, was charged Wednesday with aggravated assault, driving under the influence, resisting arrest...
Baldwin High mock crash shows prom-goers dangers of driving under the influence
A mock crash at Baldwin High School on Tuesday, held ahead of prom, showed students the consequences of driving under the influence. The event featured emergency personnel and a LifeFlight helicopter in addition to students acting out an accident....
Kid literature experts to speak at Pitt Greensburg conference on Friday
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg will host its 23rd annual Children’s Literature Conference Friday, inviting librarians and educators to spend a day learning more about what gets kids reading. There are two featured speakers this year. Ellen Oh will kick off the conference at 8:30 a.m. Friday. She’s the co-founder...
