Local category, Page 3151
New Freeport senior elective could set up students for $40K-plus job at Oberg
Freeport Area High School students will have an opportunity to take an advanced manufacturing elective with Oberg Industries, where graduates could snag a job starting in the low $40,000 range after graduation, according to company officials. The Freeport Area School Board approved an apprenticeship and career exploration program earlier this...
Pennsylvania lawmaker Brian Ellis facing sex assault claim quits House
HARRISBURG — A Western Pennsylvania state lawmaker resigned Monday, two months after being stripped of a chairmanship over allegations he had sex with a woman against her will while she was blacked out. Republican state Rep. Brian Ellis, who has not been charged with any crime, wrote in a letter...
Loyalhanna man gets 1 year probation on animal cruelty charge
A Loyalhanna man will serve one year probation for shooting his brother’s dog. Walter Buchinsky’s mixed-breed pet Fluffy was shot in the left leg June 10. The dog survived. Buchinsky’s brother and neighbor, Robert Buchinsky, 60, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty in court Monday. Prosecutors dismissed...
Arnold woman a no-show for hearing related to killing of New Kensington cop
An Arnold woman awaiting trial on charges she helped the man accused of shooting New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw during a traffic stop in late 2017 is on the run. Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Lisa Harrington on Monday after she failed to appear in court for a...
Pittsburgh woman pleads guilty to role in crack ring tied to West End gang
A Pittsburgh woman pleaded guilty for her role in a crack cocaine ring with ties to the “Greenway Boy Killas” street gang, federal prosecutors said Monday. Mardeja Chapple, 24, was among 28 suspects nabbed last summer in a wiretap probe targeting the gang also known as “the GBK” and the...
Westmoreland inmates reach record detox level in February
More than 80 percent of new inmates lodged at Westmoreland County Prison in February were addicted to drugs or alcohol. Warden John Walton on Monday told members of the county’s prison board that inmates who needed detoxification services hit an all-time high, raising concerns the drug epidemic that has plagued...
Plum officials obtain new AEDs for the police department, public facilities
Plum officials have acquired new lifesaving devices for their police, public buildings and parks. The borough recently purchased 16 Cardiac Science Powerheart G5 automated external defibrillators at around $1,300 each. Borough officials did not say if any particular incident sparked the need to get the devices. Mayor Harry Schlegel said...
Bouquet Park Pool raising money to open this summer
Bouquet Park Pool in Springdale could remain closed for the summer if its board of directors can’t raise another $3,000 to cover mounting expenses. “We’re trying to raise a total of $20,000 to open up the pool,” said Richard Kern, pool board member. “We’re up to $17,000 now.” The membership-based,...
Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania celebrates 100th birthday
It all began in 1919 as an organization headquartered in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, helping those in society considered unemployable, including thousands of soldiers returning from World War I. In the years to come, the organization expanded its role by focusing on helping people with disabilities through job training. This year,...
Hampton educator recognized as All-Star teacher
Ryan Scott, a technology education teacher at Hampton, has received the All-Star teacher award. Scott was nominated for the award by high school enrichment facilitator Scott Stickney. He nominated Scott for the award because, among other things, “he collaborated with me and numerous other teachers in the building to create...
Derry Township constable ordered to stand trial on theft, extortion accusations
The situation seemed to make sense at first for a Hempfield man who gave a Derry Township constable $2,000 last year for a purported shooting competition. Matthew Sellers signed up for what he thought was a couple sponsorships and gave Brian McDowell, 35, some extra cash to fix a scope...
Harmar to fill vacancy on board of supervisors
Harmar officials are expected to fill a vacant seat on the township’s board of supervisors when they meet Thursday. Township secretary Ian Fitzgerald said two people applied for the position by Thursday’s deadline. The seat was left empty after Patricia Janoski submitted a letter of resignation effective Feb. 12. No...
Legal sports bets steady as Pennsylvania sports books prep for March Madness
Sports books in Pennsylvania didn’t see a bump in wagers in February, though many took the first legal Super Bowl bets in the state. Now, they’re hoping for a March Madness windfall as the NCAA men’s basketball tournament approaches. The state’s six sports books operational by February reported a $31.5...
Freeport Road restrictions planned in East Deer when bridge project resumes
Construction on a Freeport Road bridge over Baileys Run in East Deer is expected to resume the first week of April. The project began last summer and the bridge, located in front of the Creighton post office, was reduced to one lane with traffic alternating using temporary traffic signals. Both...
PWSA customers in Pittsburgh may experience discolored water
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority started flushing portions of its water system Monday in preparation for the addition of a lead-inhibiting chemical this month. PWSA announced it would begin adding orthophosphate to water on March 25. The chemical coats the inside of pipes to prevent lead from leaching into...
Vigil for New Zealand victims held in Greensburg
Organizers said more than 100 people participated in a candlelight vigil outside the Westmoreland Museum of American Art on Sunday night to honor the victims of the mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques. Activist group Voice of Westmoreland hosted the event. It was a stand against racism and Islamophobia,...
Police charge 2 men with transporting cocaine, pot on Route 28 in South Buffalo
Two men were arrested Saturday night after state police said they were driving on Route 28 with illegal drugs in their vehicle. State police said Fabian Fitzroy Douglas and James Pierre Louis had more than a half-ounce of cocaine and more than a pound of marijuana when they were pulled...
McKees Rocks man charged in shooting at housing complex
A McKees Rocks man was behind bars Monday afternoon after police say he shot another man in the leg Sunday at the Hays Manor housing complex. Charles Jeffrey Dwyer, 27, remained in Allegheny County Jail after failing to post $100,000 bail. He faces charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment....
Gas prices continue climb as refinery issues raise concerns
Gasoline prices have been on the rise for five straight weeks with no signs of slowing down, a petroleum analyst said Monday. “Several perhaps major refinery issues flared up over the weekend, including fires at two facilities that could push wholesale gasoline prices up notably, mainly in the Pacific Northwest...
Police: Man drove 100 mph on Route 30 in Ligonier
A Derry Township man didn’t have a valid driver’s license when police say he was going twice the speed limit on Route 30 eastbound Saturday in Ligonier Township. Todd Michael Trout, 28, was driving at 77 mph in a 55 mph zone at 8:20 a.m. and accelerated to 100 mph...
Police: Missing Blairsville woman found safe
A Blairsville woman who had been reported missing since early March has been located and is safe, state police in Indiana County said Tuesday. Jodi K. Leary, 44, a Blairsville native, was reported missing by her family Friday. Police said she’d last been seen by a family friend March 3...
Tandem swing newest addition to Squaw Valley’s adaptive playground
Squaw Valley Park has a new swing built for two. The equipment was installed March 12 at the adaptive playground along Fox Chapel Road. Cost was about $1,100. “It is a tandem swing where two people can ride together,” Township Manager Julie Jakubec said. The township’s adaptive playground is a...
Johnstown pediatrician gets at least 79 years for assaulting patients
EBENSBURG — A former Pennsylvania pediatrician was sentenced Monday to at least 79 years in prison for sexually assaulting 31 children, most of them patients, as his now-adult victims blasted not only their abuser but the system that let him get away with it for so long. Dr. Johnnie Barto...
Pittsburgh offering free financial counseling at 8 centers
Pittsburgh residents can receive free help with financial problems at eight locations through a program announced Monday by the city and nonprofit organization Neighborhood Allies. Residents can receive one-on-one counseling for challenges such as debt, low credit scores, budgeting and saving money, according to the Mayor’s Office. The centers will...
Judge to allow testimony about drive-by shooting in Michael Rosfeld trial
Testimony about a drive-by shooting that preceded the shooting death of Antwon Rose will be permitted during the homicide trial of Michael Rosfeld, the former police officer who killed Rose, a judge ruled Monday. However, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Alexander Bicket said details of a robbery in which defense...
