Local category, Page 3145
Trio indicted by federal grand jury for drug sales
A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh indicted a Plum man and two others for selling large amounts of drugs. Brandon Winters, 43, of Plum; Eduard Guzman Rijo, 48, of the Dominican Republic; and Erick Alexander Martinez, 33, of Yonkers, New York, are accused of selling heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, United...
Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team to save its 10,000th animal
A Pittsburgh area nonprofit that provides free air and ground transportation for at-risk animals is reaching an impressive milestone. The Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team, which transports everything from dogs and cats to sea turtles, rats and butterflies, will save its 10,000th animal this weekend. “This milestone is a tribute...
Groups call for end to deep well activity near Beaver Run Reservoir
As state officials investigate a January pressure drop at a Washington Township deep gas well that affected other shallow wells near Beaver Run Reservoir, local environmental advocacy groups are calling for an end to all well drilling and fracking near the public water source in northern Westmoreland County. The groups...
Pittsburgh elementary school locked down Wednesday but nothing found
A Pittsburgh elementary school went into lockdown Wednesday afternoon after reports of shots being fired nearby. Tribune-Review news partner WPXI said a district spokesperson confirmed Weil Elementary in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood was placed in a lockdown as police investigate a shooting near Centre Avenue and Kirkpatrick Street. Alicia George,...
UPMC took in $3.1B more in operating revenue last year than 2017
UPMC took in $3.1 billion more in operating revenue last year than it did in 2017, for a 20 percent year-over-year increase, its year-end financial statements show. Revenue for UPMC totaled $18.77 billion last year, up from $15.63 billion in 2017, according to financial documents provided by UPMC and filed...
One injury reported when vehicle crashes into Murrysville home
One person reportedly was injured Wednesday afternoon when a vehicle left a Murrysville road and slammed into the foundation of a house, pushing into its basement. The accident occurred at about 2:30 p.m in the 3800 block of Meadowbrook Road, south of Route 22, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said....
Kittanning woman drops state Supreme Court appeal regarding charity restitution
A woman whose appeal was accepted for review by the state Supreme Court on Wednesday has changed her mind and asked her attorney to drop the appeal of her paying restitution to three Armstrong County charities. Beverly Kaye Steffey, 65, of Kittanning, has “decided that she does not want the...
McKeesport man faces federal indictment for allegedly having pistol, ammo
A McKeesport man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of illegally having a pistol and ammunition. Eric Antoin Johnson, 22, faces the charges. According to prosecutors, Johnson late last month had a 9 mm pistol and ammunition for it even though he had...
North Apollo woman, 64, dies in 1-car crash in ApolloVideo
A North Apollo woman was killed Wednesday night after the car she was driving hit a utility pole in Apollo and flipped over several times. Coroner Brian Myers identified the woman as Jacqueline C. Hellein, 64. She was traveling alone and died at the scene. She was not wearing a...
Penn Hills School District officials request investigation into grand jury report
Penn Hills School District officials want state Attorney General Josh Shapiro to investigate after an Allegheny County grand jury report netted no indictments. “We are not accepting them,” board President Erin Vecchio said of the grand jury report’s results. “People should have been indicted. All it was was a smear...
UPMC says it’s eclipsed Highmark in Medicare Advantage insurance market, Aetna gains
UPMC boasted this week that the health system’s insurance arm has eclipsed Pittsburgh-based rival Highmark in attracting Medicare Advantage insurance members and now dominates that market in Western Pennsylvania. “We’ve grown dramatically,” said Diane Holder, president of UPMC’s Insurance Services Division. “We are now the largest provider of Medicare Advantage...
Kiski Township’s Staff Sgt. Booker to receive second-highest military honor for 2003 battle
Sixteen years to the day after he died defending fellow soldiers in Iraq, Army Staff Sgt. Stevon Booker will posthumously be presented the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest military award for bravery. A special Army ceremony will be held starting at 10 a.m. April 5 in Soldiers &...
Kidney Gift of Life Gala supports National Kidney Foundation
More than 500 guests are expected the annual Kidney Gift of Life Gala at Heinz Field on March 9. The event raises money for the National Kidney Foundation and promotes awareness about the prevention and treatment of kidney disease. Joy Starzl, wife of Dr. Thomas E. Starzl, will receive the...
Penn Township crash results in multiple injuries
Emergency crews were dispatched to assist multiple patients in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday evening in Penn Township. The crash occurred shortly before 7 p.m. on Route 130 near Pine Hollow Road, in the Level Green area. A van and a sport utility vehicle were involved in the wreck, which was...
August Wilson Cultural Center searching for artists’ input for upcoming exhibition
The art exhibition “Race and Revolution: Still Separate — Still Unequal” will be on display at the August Wilson Cultural Center in Downtown Pittsburgh from April 27 to July 21. The exhibit examines racial and economic disparities in the U.S. public school system. Curated by Katie Fuller and Larry Ossei-Mensah,...
South Park man accused of possessing and distributing child pornography
A South Park man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography. Federal authorities said the two-count indictment was against 60-year-old Michael Moran. According to indictment, Moran distributed visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct from Aug. 15...
Trial for Rahmael Holt, charged with killing Officer Brian Shaw, postponed until August
The capital murder trial of a Harrison man charged with the November 2017 shooting death of a New Kensington police officer has been postponed until August. The attorney for Rahmael Sal Holt, 30, said in court Wednesday that he needed more time to prepare for trial, which had been scheduled...
Tree of Life appoints interim leader
Four months to the day since a gunman attacked and killed 11 of its congregants, the Tree of Life synagogue has announced the hiring of a new leader. Local business executive William J. O’Rourke has been named the congregation’s interim executive director. Prior to the Oct. 27 massacre, Tree of...
Egg watch is on for the Harmar bald eagles
Egg-ticipation is in full swing at the Harmar bald eagle nest, although there is no webcam to confirm the details. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is expected to confirm any day that the eagles have at least one egg based upon their behavior at the nest. This is the...
Prosecutors want John Kunco’s attorneys to turn over evidence in rape retrial
Westmoreland County prosecutors want defense lawyers for a former Harrison man accused of a brutal rape in New Kensington nearly three decades ago to turn over evidence that could be used during a retrial. Assistant District Attorneys Barbara Jollie and James Hopson filed court documents Wednesday seeking reports and mental...
Former cop facing drug charges in connection to death of teen girl
A former narcotics detective has been arrested for allegedly bringing drugs into a Beechview home where a 15-year-old died of an overdose. Stamp bags from the bedroom of the 15-year-old allegedly matched stamp bags found in the room of Daniel Bondi, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Wednesday. The girl died...
North Hills playing host to spring Community Pep Rally on March 11
The North Hills School District is holding a spring Community Pep Rally at 7 p.m. on March 11 in the annex gym at the middle school. Members of the spring varsity track, lacrosse, softball, baseball, boys’ tennis and boys’ volleyball teams will be introduced. Everybody who attends the free event...
Hempfield officials find $125,000 union settlement agreement not done in public eye
A $125,000 settlement agreement made between Hempfield officials and a union in 2017 was not done in the public eye, a township review found. The agreement was put under review in January when Supervisor Rob Ritson called for a state audit. The deal was executed without a corresponding vote or...
Underground Railroad topic of next Ross Historical Society program
The Ross Historical Society will feature a program about the Underground Railroad at its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 15. The program about the mid-19th century network of secret routes and safe houses in the United States used by slaves escaping to free states will be lead by...
Auditor General: Wilkinsburg schools have hope ‘for first time in generation’
The Wilkinsburg School District is finally heading in the right direction, state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced Wednesday. “We now have some hope in the Wilkinsburg School District, I think for the first time in probably a generation,” DePasquale said, unveiling the results of a recent audit, which covers July...
