Western PA Local News category, Page 551
Police charge Pittsburgh city worker in bug-spray attack on motoristVideo
Donald Jones of Wilkinsburg was driving his two daughters to school last week when their morning commute turned traumatic. Watching through their car window, the girls wailed in horror as a Pittsburgh Public Works employee squirted what police said was wasp spray in their father’s eyes during a dispute on...
Convicted rapist, formerly of Greensburg, now accused of raping 3-year-old
A former Greensburg man who is serving a state prison sentence in a violent rape was arraigned Friday on new sexual assault accusations police said involved a 3-year-old child. Justin Owens Hall, 30, who is being held at SCI Smithfield, is accused of sexually assaulting the child at a Penn...
Leechburg Area School District to implement new early dismissal policy
Starting Monday, the Leechburg Area School District is implementing a new early dismissal policy for students to follow. Students with a scheduled early dismissal will be required to have a parent or guardian come to the school’s office and sign them out. “For safety procedure, I want parents coming in...
Leechburg Area students caught with BB gun, no threat to school
Leechburg Area School District administrators called in local police after students were reported playing with a BB gun outside of school grounds, but close to David Leech Elementary School. “We had some older students who were clowning around with a BB gun,” said district Superintendent David Keibler. “They were outside....
Battle to save Charleroi glass plant entangled in political campaign for Senate
The battle to save a Charleroi glassmaking plant whose owner wants to close it by year’s end and move operations to Ohio became entangled Friday in the politics of the U.S. Senate campaign in Pennsylvania. Republican Senatorial candidate David McCormick blamed the pending closure of the LCN Corelle Brands plant...
Greensburg Salem seeks school spirit posts on Instagram
Greensburg Salem is among area school districts entered in a “Friday Night Lights” competition, vying for prize money offered by T-Mobile. Supporters can help the district’s attempt to claim a $5,000 prize by taking a school spirit photo and posting it on Instagram by Sept. 20. The post should have...
Confidence boost: Black belt pays it forward with Tang Soo Do school in Ross
If the story sounds painfully familiar, a mother and her child both lived it. “Growing up, I was poor. We didn’t know it. We just made do,” Christina Mrkonja recalled. “And I was very quiet, so I got made fun of. I was bullied.” Fast-forward a generation to a comparable...
Secret Service report details communication failures preceding July assassination attempt on Trump
WASHINGTON — Communication breakdowns with local law enforcement hampered the Secret Service’s performance ahead of a July assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, according to a new report that lays out a litany of missed opportunities to stop a gunman who opened fire from an unsecured roof. A five-page...
New Kensington officer sidelined 3 days after being injured during man’s arrest
A New Kensington police officer suffered a severe wrist sprain causing him to miss three days of work after he and two other officers ended up in fights with an Oklahoma man they had been called to check on. According to court records, a sergeant and an officer went to...
Sewickley Township man accused of threatening neighbor with knife pleads guilty
A Sewickley Township man who pleaded guilty this week to charging at his neighbor with a knife will be released from jail to inpatient treatment, according to a court order. Kurtis C. Baker, 33, pleaded guilty Wednesday to terroristic threats, criminal mischief and drug possession. He was sentenced to six...
Students, parents say new Greater Latrobe Senior High schedule cut kids’ access to extra help
Administrators this year cut back on flexible time that was built into the schedule at Greater Latrobe Senior High after they say too many students abused the midday period intended for club activities or extra help with academic subjects. But students and parents told the school board this week the...
Refurbished Leechburg playground open to public
Thomas Zimmerman and his two boys walked past the playground on Campbell Avenue every day for two weeks to see if it was finished. On Tuesday, he and his boys got what they were wishing for. About two months after the ground was broken, the playground was opened for use....
Murdoch Farms ‘Blinker House’ on the market in Squirrel Hill
A stately stone home is on the market in the Murdoch Farms neighborhood of Squirrel Hill. Known as the “Blinker House,” the limestone residence is listed for $2.6 million by Realtor David Onufer of Hanna Luxury Real Estate, Onufer Team of Squirrel Hill. “Homes like this come along once in...
North Huntingdon athletes bring home hardware from international kickboxing competition
Two North Huntingdon athletes ranked internationally at the Junior World Kickboxing Championship in Budapest, Hungary, recently. Xander Eddy, 15, and Gabby Viola, 14, are the first athletes in the state to receive medals at the tournament, according to Bill Viola Jr. — coach and Gabby Viola’s father. “To have two...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to visit Pittsburgh for Harris rally
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will travel to Pittsburgh Sunday on behalf of the Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz presidential campaign. She will “fire up young voters” as part of the campaign’s Youth Vote Week of Action in partnership with the Democratic National Convention for National Voter...
Bomb, shooting threats to Pine-Richland School District deemed false
Bomb and school shooting threats made Friday against Pine-Richland School District were not credible and originated in Australia, law enforcement officials said. Northern Regional Police Chief Bryan S. DeWick said his department and the FBI classified the threats as “swatting calls. As a precaution, district officials said, after-school and evening...
GOP asks Pa. Supreme Court to bar counties from letting voters fix mail-in ballot errors
The Republican Party is asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to find it illegal for county boards of elections to alert voters to defective mail-in ballots and give them the chance to correct any errors. Voters’ rights groups called the petition filed Wednesday by the Republican National Committee and state Republican...
Reel in fish sandwiches year-round at these Western Pa. eateries
Pittsburgh is no stranger to the fish sandwich scene. When Lenten season rolls around each year, fish sandwiches are abundant and sold at just about every VFD, church hall and restaurant in Western Pennsylvania. But what if you’re craving fish-on-bun-fun the rest of the year? These regional fish-friendly restaurants serve...
Frazer sues Pittsburgh Mills mall owner over potholes, lack of maintenance
Pothole-riddled roads near the Pittsburgh Mills mall are the result of negligence by the mall’s owner and would cost Frazer $4.5 million to fix if the mall owner doesn’t. That’s according to a lawsuit filed by the township against the Mills’ property owner — identified in court records as Pitt...
Salim’s Middle Eastern Foods to close after 45 years in North Oakland
A staple of the Middle Eastern food community is closing in North Oakland. Co-owners Rosemarie and Salim El-Tahch opened Salim’s Middle Eastern Foods a year after they married in 1978. Forty-five years later, they’re still operating from their original location at 4705 Centre Ave. But the end looms as the...
Patrick Cassidy talks about mom Shirley Jones in advance of gala honoring her
On Saturday, Pittsburgh CLO will honor Shirley Jones, Western Pennsylvania native and legend of stage and screen, with a Broadway star-studded gala celebration at the Byham Theater in Downtown Pittsburgh. Jones was born in Charleroi and grew up in Smithton — her family owned Jones Brewing Co., which made Stoney’s...
Are spotted lanternflies on the decline in Western Pennsylvania?
Spotted lanternflies are still a pest in Western Pennsylvania, but populations are trending lower in certain regions. Sandy Feather works as a Penn State Extension educator in Pittsburgh. She has noticed a large decrease in spotted lanternflies. “I bet we don’t have a 10th of the population that we had...
Morning Roundup: 2 vehicles hit Beechview building; zoo regains ‘gold standard’ certification
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Sept. 20: Crash causes chain reaction in Beechview Two vehicles hit a building in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood Thursday evening. University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball great Carl Krauser had finished a training session with a client and was on...
1 man dead after shooting at Ellwood City business
A man is dead and a suspect in custody after a shooting Thursday night in Ellwood City. The incident took place at Ellwood City Forge, though Timothy Woods, 31, who lives in the borough, was arrested on Belton Road in North Sewickley, according to police. He’s facing a homicide charge...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Sept. 20-22
Well, that’s an official wrap on summer, folks! It’s time to think about chilly nights, mugs of hot apple cider and the scent of falling leaves. Here are a few things to do while ushering in autumn during a still-warm weekend. Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival This weekend, musicians will fill...
