Local category, Page 3022
Indiana man accused of beating mother to death charged with assaulting hospital patient
An Indiana County man accused in the 2015 beating death of his mother allegedly choked another patient at Torrance State Hospital in Derry Township this month. Todd Royce Walters, 40, is charged with strangulation, simple assault and harassment in connection with an April 18 incident. Walters has been undergoing treatment...
Rivers Casino scuffle sends state trooper to the hospital
A scuffle Tuesday evening at the Rivers Casino left two state police officers injured and a man in jail accused of assault and heroin possession, according to the criminal complaint filed against the man. Ryun Mitchell, 23, fought with officers as they arrested him at the casino, police said. Casino...
Girl testifies she feared ‘getting shot’ by Derry mayorVideo
A 15-year-old boy testified Wednesday that he was involved in a scuffle at a Derry park this month with two younger boys when he heard someone yelling. “‘Get on the ground, put your hands up’ … with a lot more profanity,” the boy said he heard. The person yelling was...
Belle Vernon to host second Kentucky Derby fundraiser for schools
a cash prize giveaway, food trucks and “photo opps” in front of a bronze statue of a horse blanketed in red roses. “By supporting BVA Derby Day, people are helping provide a well-rounded education for our young people,” Svrcek said. “They also are assuring that our community continues to thrive...
Allegheny County Police taking part in National Take Back Day
Looking for a way to get rid of unwanted, expired or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications? That opportunity is available on Saturday during the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Take Back Day. The Allegheny County Police Department will once again participate. The event offers citizens the chance to safely...
Mt. Pleasant Township crash cuts power; responding medic unit damagedVideo
A woman reportedly was injured and power was knocked out in a section of Mt. Pleasant Township Wednesday after a car split a utility pole in the 7600 block of Route 819 south of Armbrust. The woman, who was not identified by authorities, was taken to an area hospital for...
Blawnox residents invited to help grow community garden
A community garden is coming to Blawnox, at long last. The initiative by I Heart Blawnox has been in the works at least four years, with volunteers from the religious outreach searching for a proper venue. They’ve joined with borough council to bring a garden to the Blawnox Community Park...
Investigation into officers that shot former Canon-Mac wrestler wrapping up
An investigation into the officers that shot former Canon-McMillan wrestler Logan Macri is expected to wrap up early next week, Washington County District Attorney Eugene Vittone said. Macri is recovering at UPMC Presbyterian. Cpl. Sarah Teagarden, a state police spokeswoman, said a warrant for his arrest has been obtained, and...
Penn Hills residents to see small reduction in quarterly sewage bill
Penn Hills residents will save some money on their quarterly sewage service fee after the municipality decreased the bill by $5. The municipality recently decided to reduce its sewage service fee from $30 to $25, which is billed quarterly. The savings amounts to $20 a year per ratepayer. Manager Scott...
McCandless seeking applicants for newly formed Technology Advisory Commitee
McCandless is accepting applications from residents interested in serving on a new Technology Advisory Committee. Council voted unanimously April 22 to create the committee, which will be responsible for developing and recommending policies and programs to council that “preserve and enhance aspects of the character of the Town of McCandless...
3 facing meth charges in North Vandergrift section of Parks
State troopers arrested three people Monday in Parks and charged them with possessing or selling methamphetamine. Troopers said Steven Taylor Green, 43, of Erie was at the residence of Liana Nicole Zaffuto, 32, and Jeffrey Shawn Lookhart, 34. The troopers were at a residence in the North Vandergrift section of...
Trial starts for Ross woman accused in fatal hit and run
Trial began Wednesday for a Ross woman accused in a 2017 hit and run crash on Babcock Boulevard that killed a North Hills attorney. Melinda Gregor, 30, is charged with hitting 50-year-old Michael Menner shortly before 7 p.m. Dec. 17, 2017. Menner was crossing Babcock Boulevard near Shenanigan’s Bar and...
Inmate at federal prison ordered to serve 13 additional months for possessing opioid
A 34-year-old man already serving a five-year term in a federal prison in Cambria County for distributing heroin in Virginia pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of a prohibited object in prison and was sentenced to serve 13 additional months. Dilpreet Singh of Fairfax, Va., pleaded guilty to an indictment that...
West Penn Power spending $43 million to trim, remove trees along power lines
West Penn Power plans to spend $43 million this year to trim and remove trees that could pose problems for power lines in an effort to minimize outages across its 24-county service area. Six contractors for the Greensburg-based utility company have trimmed more than 600 circuit miles of electric lines...
Health department consumer alert issued for Bloomfield’s Spork Pit
Editor’s Note: The consumer alert for Spork Pit was lifted May 7. The Spork Pit restaurant in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood has been cited for multiple violations by the Allegheny County Health Department. According to a Health Department inspection report from April 23, the Texas-style barbecue restaurant has been vacuum-packing food...
Superhero window washers fight grime at UPMC Children’s Hospital of PittsburghVideo
Some patients at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh couldn’t believe their eyes when they looked outside to see Batman, Superman, Spiderman and Captain America washing windows at the Lawrenceville hospital on Wednesday. “Are they real?” one boy asked his mother as Batman, with his black cape flapping in the wind,...
Shady Side Academy granted $5.2M to create scholarship fund
A $5.2 million donation to Shady Side Academy will create a scholarship fund that annually pays for seven students to attend the Fox Chapel-based Middle School and Senior School campuses. It is the second-largest gift in the Academy’s 136-year history, officials announced Wednesday. The donation was made in honor of...
Pittsburgh region gets F grade for air quality
Pittsburgh’s air quality remains among the worst in the country and shows no signs of improvement, according to the American Lung Association’s annual air quality report. The report said the Pittsburgh region’s air quality ranks seventh worst in the country for year-round particle pollution, up from eighth worst in 2018,...
3rd gun in 2 days found at Pittsburgh International Airport
Transportation Security Administration officers found another gun in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport. A Pittsburgh man tried taking a loaded handgun through a security checkpoint at the airport Tuesday, a day after TSA officers stopped two other travelers with handguns, according to TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. The...
Agents again raid Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office
Turmoil continues at the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office as state police investigators on Wednesday served another search warrant and departed with boxes of potential evidence. Details remain secret, but Sheriff Jonathan Held made one thing clear: “It’s not about me, this time.” He delivered that message when he briefly emerged...
Wedding fundraising for young Westmoreland couple tops goal
Once the news of Brady Hunker and Mollie Landman’s engagement broke, it didn’t take long for the young couple to exceed their wedding fundraising goal on GoFundMe. As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, the amount raised was $17,673. The goal was $15,000. Offers of assistance with the wedding also are coming...
Pittsburgh police investigating reported assault of Lyft driver
Pittsburgh police are investigating the reported assault of a Lyft driver in Shadyside. The driver told police he was transporting a man and two women around 2 a.m. Sunday. The man started arguing with the driver, accusing him of taking a longer route to their destination and ordering the driver...
Bridge replacement to close Harrison road for 3 months
Part of Pleasantville Road in Harrison will be closed for three months while a bridge is being replaced, PennDOT announced Wednesday. The work to replace the bridge over Little Bull Creek between Burtner Road and Keystone Street is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. on Monday. Pleasantville Road will be...
Murrysville church will host annual ‘Thin Blue Line’ service for law enforcement
Members of law enforcement and their families are invited to Murrysville Alliance Church’s annual “Strengthening the Thin Blue Line” service, set for May 19. The 11 a.m. service will serve as a tribute to law enforcement personnel who have lost their lives in the course of their police work. The...
Pickleball expert Sarah Ansboury serves tips to players in O’Hara
Lower Valley pickleball enthusiasts had a chance last week to receive instruction from professional player Sarah Ansboury, a four-time medalist at the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) National Tournament. Ansboury, 35, a former tennis instructor from Portland, Oregon, is the pickleball pro at Palmetto Dunes in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Her...
