Western PA Local News category, Page 762
Ex-home health aide pleads guilty to sexually assaulting Pittsburgh client
A former home health aide pleaded guilty Monday to institutional sexual assault for abusing a Pittsburgh woman for whom she worked. Vanessa C. Callender, 31, of Dormont will be sentenced May 29 by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Elliot Howsie. The victim uses a motorized wheelchair and requires in-home care...
Jury conduct questioned in appeal of Apollo man’s conviction for wife’s murder
The lawyer for an Apollo man sentenced last month to life in prison for the first-degree murder of his estranged wife claims improper conduct by jurors should have warranted a mistrial. In court documents filed Monday, defense attorney Adam Gorzelsky claimed one juror improperly contacted an assistant district attorney during...
Trial begins for Hunker man accused of shooting neighbor’s dog
Two dogs who were shot to death were killed by neighbors in retaliation for a dead peacock, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said in court Monday. Jason Beal, 37, of Hunker is accused of shooting one dog and other crimes in an attempt to cover up the incident. He is facing...
Pittsburgh doubles down on goal to reduce car crashes
Pittsburgh officials on Monday reaffirmed a commitment to reducing fatal vehicle crashes through speed hump installations and similar projects. The initiative, called Vison Zero, aims to curb car crashes and eliminate fatal crashes. City officials have dedicated $1.4 million to traffic safety initiatives this year, about double the amount set...
Lawsuit challenges Pennsylvania’s use of solitary confinement
A lawsuit filed Monday in federal court seeks to ban Pennsylvania’s prison system from holding inmates in prolonged solitary confinement and to eliminate the practice entirely for those who are mentally ill. Filed Monday in federal court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the complaint alleges violations of the constitutional...
Former East Huntingdon firm must pay $40K in employee medical bills after health insurance lapses
An East Huntingdon metalworking company will be required to pay about $40,000 to employees who racked up medical bills in 2019 when the company let its health insurance lapse — even though it deducted money from workers’ pay, a federal judge ruled. Robert H. Kendi, president of Ken-Co. Fabricating Co.,...
Trucks detoured, traffic restricted as work continues on New Kensington Bridge
Traffic restrictions and a detour for trucks are scheduled to start Tuesday morning as work continues on the New Kensington Bridge. A long-term traffic shift will start at about 7 a.m. Tuesday, PennDOT announced Monday. The shift is needed to allow for painting, fence replacement and sidewalk repairs. Two 10-foot-wide...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of March 4, 2024
Utility customers report scam calls Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority is warning customers about an uptick in calls and texts from scammers impersonating the utility provider. Scammers are asking customers to call a phone number to pay their bills and avoid delinquency or shut-offs. This false number shares an area code...
North Hills School District designated a Great Pennsylvania School
North Hills School District is designated as a Great Pennsylvania School. The designation, a new initiative of the Pennsylvania School Board Association, recognizes Pennsylvania public schools that provide students with access to challenging programming, strive to be community-centric, demonstrate financial well-being and display resilience. North Hills is the third district...
Chartiers Valley elementary students learn CPR
Students at Chartiers Valley’s elementary schools are learning a life-saving skill. Chartiers Valley’s Primary and Intermediate schools participated in the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge fundraiser earlier this year. Students learned hands-only CPR during physical education classes. “We were very impressed with how it went,” said Suanne Estatico, physical...
MacDonald exits Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, seeks GOP write-in
The Pittsburgh area’s most contentious congressional race narrowed Monday as Laurie MacDonald dropped out of the Democratic primary in the face of a challenge to her nominating petition signatures. Her departure leaves a two-person race in the April 23 contest between incumbent U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, and Edgewood Councilwoman...
Police accuse Penn Township nurse practitioner of illegally ‘prescribing pills by the thousands’
The arrest of a nurse practitioner accused of writing fake prescriptions culminated from months of police work, including examining trash put out at the suspect’s Penn Township home, executing search warrants at 19 locations and surveillance, court filings show. Penn Township police Chief John Otto said his department received a...
‘Freaky Heart’: Pine author’s new book continues her promotion of acceptance
In her latest book, Pine resident Lori M. Jones writes about a teenager who bears a scar from a series of surgeries. “Cracked wide open, actually,” the main character, Annalise, muses. “Like a clamshell.” And so begins “Freaky Heart,” a journey through the mind of a young woman who was...
HVAC, lighting upgrades could cost Latrobe $425K
It could cost $425,000 for Latrobe to replace outdated HVAC equipment at city hall and its solid waste transfer station while also installing updated LED lighting at the transfer station and the city parking garage. City officials expect this month to learn the fate of their application for a share...
Trib Lunch Box: Hot temps, body found, cursive writing, local pharmacies
Here are some noon headlines from TribLive, Monday, March 4, 2024: • Will Pittsburgh break its record high temperature today? Some weather forecasts call for temperatures that could tie the record high of 74 degrees in Pittsburgh. The record for March 4 was set back in 1992 at 74 degrees....
Scrapped merger of Spirit, JetBlue good news for Westmoreland airport, official says
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport’s top official welcomed Monday’s announcement that Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways are grounding plans for a proposed $3.8 billion merger. “It is a great opportunity for us to know what we are facing. I think it holds nothing but good news for us,” said Gabe Monzo,...
Pittsburgh ties its record high temperature Monday
On a typical early March day, riding the zipline at Murrysville Community Park would mean risking frostbite. Thanks to southern winds, however, there was no chance of that Monday, as Pittsburgh tied its record high temperature for the date, meteorologists said. As of 4 p.m., the thermometer had hit 74...
1 dead, 2 injured in shooting in Allentown
A man died in a shooting Sunday night in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood Pittsburgh police responded to a 10-round ShotSpotter alert just before 7 p.m. in the 700 block of East Warrington Avenue. On the scene, police said they found a male victim inside 707 E. Warrington Ave. with a gunshot...
Arnold man dead after crash in O’Hara
O’Hara police are investigating the death of an Arnold man who died Sunday after a vehicle crash in O’Hara, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Thomas Harrity, 67, was traveling in a vehicle at 3 p.m. in the area of Powers Run and Freeport roads, when it apparently left...
Man’s body recovered from Yough in Ohiopyle State Park
A man’s body was recovered from the Youghiogheny River in Ohiopyle State Park on Sunday afternoon, according to park manager Ken Bisbee. The body was spotted by hikers on the Great Allegheny Passage between Confluence and Ohiopyle around 3:45 p.m. He appeared to be a fisherman, Bisbee said. In a...
Morning Roundup: Vehicle slams into Braddock building
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, March 4: Vehicle slams into urgent care building in Braddock A vehicle struck an urgent care building Sunday night in Braddock, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Emergency responders were called to the scene around 11:30 p.m. at...
What to look for in solar eclipse glasses
You don’t become the world’s leading manufacturer of paper glasses by being unprepared. That’s why employees at American Paper Optics, tucked into a corporate office park in the southwest corner of Tennessee, have been busy for the past two years preparing for the April 8 solar eclipse. “We’ve been doing...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area events, week of March 4, 2024
Assistant principal resigns from post at Plum High School The Plum School Board accepted the resignation of Melanie Manes, an assistant principal at the district’s high school. The North Allegheny School Board voted Feb. 21 to hire Manes as an assistant principal at that district’s intermediate high school, with a...
In brief: Seedling sale, club meetings, other North Allegheny area news, week of March 4, 2024
Environmental council seedling sale North Area Environmental Council is holding its annual seedling sale, offering a variety of non-invasive plants, trees and wildflower seed mixes to add to the beauty and natural habitat of yards and the ecological health of the region. The council also is partnering with North Park’s...
In brief: Pine-Richland area happenings, week of March 4, 2024
Environmental council seedling sale North Area Environmental Council is holding its annual seedling sale, offering a variety of non-invasive plants, trees and wildflower seed mixes to add to the beauty and natural habitat of yards and the ecological health of the region. The council also is partnering with North Park’s...
