Western PA Local News category, Page 3200
Juror in Michael Rosfeld case excused for illness, alternate will fill spot
A juror in the upcoming homicide trial against former police officer Michael Rosfeld has been excused from jury duty, officials said. Juror No. 1, a 66-year-old white man, has been excused because of an illness, according to Stacey Witalec, communications director for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. The man...
Police issue warrant for teen in Penn Hills and Turtle Creek armed robberies
Allegheny County police have charged a teen and issued an arrest warrant for his alleged involvement in a two-store heist in Turtle Creek and Penn Hills that happened earlier this week. Police say Chad Robinson, 17, and another male took $600 from a 7-Eleven convenience store Turtle Creek early Monday...
New Kensington water authority hydrant flushing begins soon
The 15,000 water customers of the Municipal Authority of the City of New Kensington could experience low water pressure and discoloration because of hydrant flushing in the coming months. The work will begin Wednesday, March 20, and take place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, weather permitting....
Armstrong County job fair coming March 28 to Apollo-Ridge
The Armstrong County Counselors Association will hold a career and job fair March 28 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Apollo-Ridge High School gymnasium in Kiski Township. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees should register on the events tab at PACareerLink.pa.gov Two free job...
Credit union offers member scholarships up to $2,000
The Westmoreland Water Federal Credit Union is seeking applications for $3,500 it will give out as part of its 2019 Founders’ Memorial Scholarship program. Applicants must be members of the credit union in good standing, and there are three scholarships available for $2,000, $1,000 and $500. Anyone who is eligible...
Man pleads guilty in drive-by shooting that preceded Antwon Rose killingVideo
The man charged in connection with the June 19 drive-by shooting that preceded the officer-involved shooting death of Antwon Rose pleaded guilty to several charges Friday, just days before the officer who shot Rose is set to go to trial. Zaijuan Hester, 18, pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated...
Hempfield program to focus on benefits of stream buffers
Planting suitable trees and shrubs in areas bordering streams is an important step for improving water quality, according to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Alysha Trexler, a watershed project manager with the conservancy, will discuss the benefits of such riparian buffer plantings during a Thursday presentation in Hempfield at the J....
All-or-nothing defense a risky strategy for Michael Rosfeld, experts say
Legal experts agree that Patrick Thomassey’s desire for jurors in the case against Michael Rosfeld to weigh just one option, first-degree murder, is tactical and calculated — and risky. Rosfeld is charged with criminal homicide in the June 19 killing of Antwon Rose II. Rose, a black, unarmed 17-year-old, ran...
Penn Area Library gears up for annual mini-golf fundraiser
Penn Area Library officials are hoping local residents are willing to tee it up to support the library at its annual “Putt Fore the Library” fundraiser on March 29-30. The library will transform for two days into a miniature golf course, with a party for adults on Friday night from...
Ligonier Township bridge completion delayed yet again
Recent bad weather is being blamed for a continued delay in reopening both lanes of traffic on a replacement bridge on Route 711 in Ligonier Township. The bridge over Mill Run, north of Ligonier Borough, is being replaced by Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners, as part of a public-private partnership with...
Police investigating armed robbery at Hempfield convenience store
State police are looking for a man who robbed a Hempfield convenience store late Wednesday. The suspect entered a 7-Eleven at the intersection of Route 136 and Fosterville Road at 10:35 p.m. and displayed a knife, troopers said. The suspect, a white male, fled with cash and a pack of...
Feds bust wife of former Vandergrift High, NFL player in college admissions scandal
The wife of a Vandergrift native and football star who played for Pitt and the San Francisco 49ers is among 50 people charged in the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted in U.S. history. Marci Palatella, 63, of Hillsborough, Calif., is facing mail fraud charges in federal court for alleged...
North Huntingdon McDonald’s reopened after evacuation
A Westmoreland County McDonald’s is reopened after an evacuation late Thursday night. The fast food restaurant at 9051 Route 30 in North Huntingdon was closed temporarily after someone used pepper spray inside the building, police Chief Robert Rizzo said. It happened just after 10 p.m. March 14. Township police, fire...
Pa. Turnpike traffic restricted after tractor-trailer fire
One lane of the Pennsylvania Turnpike remains closed after an early-morning tractor-trailer fire. Traffic restrictions are in place along the westbound lanes, between the Cranberry and Beaver Valley exits. The truck driver’s condition was not clear. The truck was hauling tobacco products. The fire happened in North Sewickley Township, around...
Police release video of man suspected of North Side graffiti
Pittsburgh police are seeking help to identify two men accused of tagging East Ohio Street in the city’s North Side with graffiti. Police early Friday morning tweeted a video of the one of the suspects. Pittsburgh Graffiti Squad detectives seek the public’s help in identifying two male suspects, including this...
Unity board OKs Eagles Landing subdivision, La Carrozza site plan
Unity Township supervisors approved a subdivision to allow the proposed development of 17 new housing units off Grayhawk Court. The supervisors at the board’s meeting on Thursday also approved site plans for a wedding reception center and a small addition to the Walmart store on Colony Lane that will be...
Bushy Run Lions to offer scholarships
Four scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors from Penn-Trafford and other area schools, who reside in the Bushy Run Lion’s Club service area - east of Baker School Road in Penn Township The scholarship awards will be granted to students based on academics, community activities, extra curricular activities,...
Central Elementary fifth-graders learn about Japanese culture
The Japan-American Society of Pennsylvania visited fifth grade classrooms at Central Elementary as a culmination of a unit students are exploring about Japanese history and culture. Students read the book “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes,” folded origami cranes in art class and are completing research about Japanese history and...
Doctors of the future: Pitt students celebrate Match DayVideo
Samuel Brayer stood over a table cluttered with white envelopes, searching for one with his name on it. Inside was a letter that would tell him where he would spend the next several years of his medical career. As the clock struck noon, Brayer, 31, a member of the University...
Pittsburgh man involved in heroin trafficking sentenced to 18 years in prison
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws. U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said Norman Blackwell, 43, conspired with others to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin from November 2015 to January 2016. Blackwell also received eight years...
Washington, Pa. man pleads guilty to West End drug trafficking
A Washington, Pa. man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said Antoine Dean, Jr., 29, and his co-conspirators distributed at least an ounce of crack cocaine from November 2017 through June 2018. According to prosecutors, in...
Beaver Falls woman accused of misusing $13,000 in federal housing money
A Beaver Falls woman is accused of misusing about $13,500 of federal housing assistance payments. Janile Fielding, 56, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. According to the indictment, from about June 2013 until about May 2017, Fielding used housing assistance payments for her other expenses....
Man stabbed in face downtown Thursday afternoon, sent to hospital
A man is accused of stabbing another man in the face in downtown Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon, a Pittsburgh police spokesman said. The fight in the 200 block of Ninth Street was reported to police at about 4 p.m. According to a preliminary report, both men were fighting when a...
50-year-old man shot in leg in Homestead on Thursday night
A 50-year-old man was shot in an upper leg Thursday at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Homestead, Homestead police Chief Jeff DeSimone said. The man was taken to a local hospital, and DeSimone said said “It appeared to be a non-life threatening injury.” The shooting happened near the intersection of...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: March 15-17
Here are some suggestions on how to spend this St. Patrick’s Day weekend: Go green The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday. One of the oldest and largest in the country, this green celebration spans Liberty Avenue to Grant Street to Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown....
