Western PA Local News category, Page 3201
Rape, DUI cases among those recently handled by Judge Zucco in Plum
District Judge Linda Zucco recently handled the following cases. Charges were filed by Plum police unless otherwise noted. Waived preliminary hearingsJoseph Kibreab, 34, of McKees Rocks on charges of burglary, harassment and criminal trespass. Charges were filed Oct. 9, 2017.Jacob Marhefky, 31, of Export on charges of driving under the...
Penn Hills man wanted by Washington Township picked up on assault charge
A Penn Hills man accused of separate assaults Wednesday was arrested that night in Penn Hills. Daniel R. Recklein, 34, was arrested on charges of simple assault, attempted strangulation and harassment stemming from a case there. Washington Township police allege that Recklein hit a woman there also on Wednesday. He...
DUI, drug cases recently handled by Judge Herbst in Monroeville – Mar. 14, 2019
Monroeville District Court Judge Jeffrey Herbst handled these cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Charges were filed by Monroeville police unless otherwise noted. Held for courtMichael Warnick, 51, of North Versailles on charges of possession of controlled substances and possession...
Washington Township crash injures woman when car goes over hillside
Washington Township police are investigating a crash Wednesday afternoon on Route 380 in which one car went over a hillside, trapping the driver. Sgt. Jason Montgomery said a Parks Township man driving a pickup crossed in front of a Washington Township woman’s vehicle, and the collision forced her car partway...
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., faces mail fraud charges in federal court for her alleged...
6 injured in crash that closes Route 136 in Hempfield
A young boy was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital Thursday night, one of six people injured in a two-vehicle crash that shut down a portion of Route 136 in Hempfield for almost five hours, a fire official said. The boy who was flown to Pittsburgh was in a car with...
Detective: Latrobe teen knew about robbery plan that resulted in death
Westmoreland County investigators said that despite claims that he wanted to stop a robbery at his own home, a 17-year-old Latrobe teen allowed the plot to go forward, and his friend was shot and killed. Detective Ray Dupilka testified Thursday in the third day of the second-degree murder trial of...
Greensburg woman accused of defrauding elderly Derry Twp. woman
A Greensburg woman hired to take care of an elderly Derry Township woman is accused of buying herself gift cards totaling almost $2,200 by using a woman’s credit card at two area supermarkets, state police at Greensburg said. The suspect, Mary Ellen Poscich, 45, allegedly defrauded the woman out of...
Westmoreland commissioner endorses chief of staff in Republican primary
Westmoreland County Commissioner Charles Anderson on Thursday endorsed his chief of staff, Sean Kertes, as his replacement. Kertes, 32, of Greensburg, has worked for Anderson, a two-term Republican commissioner, since 2016. Anderson announced earlier this year he will not run for re-election and will retire at year’s end. “From my...
Lower Burrell police: Drug-addled man goes on naked rampage
A drug-addled Lower Burrell man accused of robbing and assaulting a woman along Leechburg Road while naked told law enforcement officers to shoot him, police said. Robert E. Brown, 48, told officers, “Just shoot me in the back of the head and end it,” according to a criminal complaint. “In...
Mental health advocate says sufferers typically are victims, not violent perpetrators
Many Americans have experienced some form of mental illness and getting the appropriate treatment is important, said Laurie Barnett Levine, director of Mental Health America of Southwestern Pennsylvania. But there is a stigma associated with mental illness that may act as a barrier for some to get help. “Mental health...
Driver accused of killing East Huntingdon pedestrian declines to testify at his trial
During a pre-dawn Christmas morning interrogation with police, Matthew Ramsay insisted he didn’t know he hit and killed a pedestrian hours earlier in East Huntingdon. Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Kevin Wheelden testified Thursday that Ramsay appeared sluggish and tired and spoke with slurred speech as he was questioned by police...
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. Rose, a black, unarmed 17-year-old, ran from...
North Huntingdon restaurant owner leaves legacy in Fontana’s Cafe
Mary Fontana and her husband James helped open Fontana’s Cafe in North Huntingdon well over 50 years ago. The newly married couple used extra money they had saved to help James’ parents realize their dream of owning a restaurant. “She was generous with her life, and she was especially kind...
Harm reduction movement pushes addiction advocacy, needle exchange in Westmoreland County
The Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Coalition wants to spark a conversation and continued commitment to action around addiction and substance abuse in Westmoreland County. Among its goals: expand access to Naloxone and medication-assisted recovery programs and establish sterile needle exchanges for intravenous drug users. The Philadelphia-based coalition on Saturday will hold...
Greensburg Salem to honor 2 distinguished alumni
The Greensburg Salem Education Foundation will honor a medical researcher and a hospital executive as the district’s latest distinguished alumni. Dr. Susan Manzi and Albert Novak Jr. both graduated from Greensburg Salem High School in 1977. Manzi is chair of the Medicine Institute at Allegheny Health Network, supervising 400 doctors....
March for Parks will again include ‘pop-up’ bike shop at Murrysville march
Last year, March for Parks organizers decided to host a “pop-up used bike shop” to supplement fundraising for the Turtle Creek Extension of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail. More than 50 bikes were donated and the shop raised more than $1,600. Naturally, march officials want to try it again this year....
Westmoreland County settles another discrimination claim at sheriff’s department
Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday agreed to settle a racial discrimination complaint filed by a former sheriff’s deputy. The out-of-court settlement calls for a payment of $17,500 to former Deputy Mark Taylor, who was one of three people to accuse the county sheriff’s department of racial discrimination last year. Commissioners...
Highlands High School band to perform at Grove City College
The Highlands High School concert band will get a chance to show off its skills Friday at Grove City College. The band and its director, Matthew Beresik, were invited to perform at Grove City by Andrew Erb, the college’s director of bands, who was impressed after seeing the band perform...
North Allegheny set to break ground on renovation, expansion of two elementary schools
The North Allegheny School District will mark the start of construction on a pair of major elementary school projects with groundbreaking ceremonies at the schools on Monday, March 25. The groundbreaking ceremony for work at McKnight Elementary will take place from 12:45 to 1:15 p.m. at the school located at...
UPMC announces start of construction for $400M vision and rehabilitation facilityVideo
UPMC broke ground Thursday on its new $400 million vision and rehabilitation facility at Mercy Hospital. UPMC officials and doctors and local dignitaries gathered at Mercy in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood to celebrate the nine-story tower with views of the city skyline and Monongahela River. The project scheduled for completion in...
CSA collaboration could lead to more produce choices
Two Western Pennsylvania farming cooperatives are joining forces to create the area’s biggest community-supported agriculture program. The two cooperatives — Clarion River Organics in Sligo and Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance in Pittsburgh — have both run large CSA programs for years. They are now working together to increase efficiency and...
Meet Eloise, the new brown pelican at the National Aviary
Thursday afternoon the National Aviary, announced “Eloise”, as the name of a brown pelican new to their wetlands habitat. The public was able to vote between three names through an online poll at TribLIVE.com. Eloise was relocated to the National Aviary after suffering a wing injury in Florida. The bird...
Heritage trail meeting set for Thursday at Lamplighter
The Westmoreland Heritage Trail monthly meeting will take place tonight, Thursday, 7 p.m. at the Lamplighter Restaurant in Salem Township. Construction of the trail’s fourth phase, which will connect Murrysville and Export, is set to begin this spring, and trail officials kept plenty busy in 2018. Among other accomplishments, they:...
Sewickley Township firefighter injured by fallen tree
A firefighter was hospitalized with a fractured shoulder after being struck by a tree in Sewickley Township on Wednesday, according to Lowber Fire Department Chief Matt Geis. Firefighters received word that a downed tree was blocking Lowber Road around 7 p.m., Geis said. The tree was tangled up in vines....
