Pittsburgh police seek missing juvenile
Pittsburgh police are seeking information about a male teen reported missing on Wednesday. Police said they are looking for Sh’Kia Ross, 14, of Pittsburgh, last seen Downtown on the 1400 block of Forbes Avenue. He is a Black male, 5-feet-9-inches tall and 150 pounds with brown eyes and black hair....
Warner voted in as president of North Allegheny School Board
The North Allegheny School Board will be led by two Democrats. School board members elected Democrat Elizabeth Warner as president during a board reorganization meeting Dec. 6 by a vote of 7-0 with two abstentions. Democrat Paige Hardy was elected vice president on a 5-4 vote. Warner, who was re-elected...
Murrysville Council OKs lease for gas, oil rights under 2 parks
Murrysville Council has approved oil and gas rights leases for several hundred acres of land beneath its two largest parks. Council voted 4-2 Wednesday to enter into separate leases with the sole bidder, Olympus Energy, for 74 acres below Duff Park and just under 306 acres of Murrysville Community Park,...
2 men accused of releasing alligator spotted this summer along Kiski River ordered to pay fines
Two men who sparked a series of alligator sightings along the Kiski River this summer have been ordered to pay fines for allowing a pet reptile to escape into the waterway. Austin Randall, 23, of Lyndora, Butler County, told investigators that he lost his pet alligator, Neo, when he tried...
New Kensington slaying co-defendant testifies shooting victim was feared
One of the seven people charged with robbery and murder of a man last year in New Kensington told a Westmoreland County jury that the shooting victim was a known drug user and thief who was feared in the community. Raquan Carpenter, 20, of Pittsburgh, testified Wednesday for the prosecution...
Pitt students, friends hold memorial vigil for pedestrian killed by UPMC shuttle bus
Emily Watson read books voraciously, exercised each day at the gym, and drove frequently to Presque Isle Beach, where she liked to watch the sun set over Lake Erie and reflect. A Pittsburgher and Point Park University alumna, Watson supervised the transport department at UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Oakland and...
Rankin police Chief Jeremi Gregory remembered as a champion of the community
Rankin police Chief Jeremi Gregory was the embodiment of a man walking in his purpose, with a magnanimous presence and a genuine soul, according to those who knew him best. He was a cop’s cop, according to those who knew him well. “He wouldn’t ask his cops to do anything...
Ex-con headed to Allegheny County court in fatal Stowe Township shooting
A jitney-driving ex-con who said he was looking to buy drugs is headed to Allegheny County court next month in connection with the fatal Nov. 22 shooting of a Stowe Township man, authorities said. Allegheny County Police had charged Arrmon Hagans, 43, of Wilkinsburg, with criminal homicide; three counts each...
Western Pa. lands $144M in federal funding for expanded passenger rail service
It’s all aboard for more passenger rail service in Western Pennsylvania. Federal lawmakers said Wednesday that the Federal Railroad Administration is putting $144 million toward a project that will add a daily round trip on Amtrak’s passenger rail line between Pittsburgh and New York City. The funding will be used...
Greensburg woman charged after police say she boarded school bus, berated driver
A woman is charged with disorderly conduct and unauthorized entry of a school bus after police said she boarded a Greensburg Salem School District bus and berated the driver a few days before Thanksgiving. City police were called to Allegheny Street near the Autumnbrook Apartments on Nov. 20 for a...
Lights, decorations wrap up the holiday season in the North Allegheny Area
Wrap up December with holiday fun in the North Allegheny area, including adding some unique decor to the Christmas tree. Franklin Park Borough is selling a commemorative tree ornament to celebrate its bicentennial this year. The silver ornament showcases the borough’s new logo on a stocking with the words “Franklin...
Judge nixes minimum wage hike for Allegheny County workers
An effort to establish and increase a minimum wage up to $20 an hour for Allegheny County employees was ruled invalid by a judge this week. The bill was challenged by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald after it was passed over his veto. Fitzgerald said when he filed an action...
Pittsburgh considers banning fur sales, horse-drawn carriage rides, foie gras
Animal-rights legislation being considered by Pittsburgh City Council would ban fur sales, horse-drawn carriages and the French delicacy foie gras in the city. The would-be ban on fur sales and manufacturing is needed because of the “tremendous suffering” that millions of animals face each year when they are killed for...
Bell ringers critical to Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, ringing opportunities exist in Pittsburgh’s North Suburbs
This updated version corrects the addresses of the Walmart and Kuhn’s stores where bell ringers can sign up for a shift. Back in the 1800s, when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was a sailor back in Liverpool, England, there was a big iron kettle called “The Simpson’s Pot” where passersby...
Craft show rings in season at Divine Mercy Academy in Monroeville
It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Divine Mercy Academy, especially when Santa Claus descended down a flight of steps. “That’s a lot safer than a chimney,” Eddie Hollinger, playing the part of St. Nick, observed. He was headed from the Monroeville school’s gymnasium to the downstairs...
Youngwood bartending school featured on ‘World’s Greatest’ show
A Youngwood business that trains students in high-end bartending, service, sommelier skills and even the basics of owning and operating their own bar will be featured on national television. Wines, Steins & Cocktails was chosen by the “World’s Greatest” series as “World’s Greatest Professional Bartender School” and will be part...
Norwin OKs 6.8% state set cap on any possible tax hike
Property owners in the Norwin School District will not see a tax increase for the 2024-2025 school year that is more than the state-permitted maximum of 6.8%. The Norwin School Board this week unanimously adopted a resolution that it would not seek to raise taxes higher than the amount determined...
Ross man gets probation for threatening congresswoman, senator
A Ross man who federal prosecutors said threatened members of Congress will serve a year of probation, including six months on house arrest. Harry E. Miller, 65, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab. Miller was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2021 and charged with...
Gateway School Board caps tax increase, elects president
An increase in Gateway School District’s real estate tax rate is capped at 5.3% for 2024. The school board voted Dec. 5 to approve a resolution vowing not to exceed the index established for the district by the state Department of Education. Legislation adopted as Act 1 of 2006 calls...
Fox Chapel Area School Board reorganizes
The Fox Chapel Area School Board conducted its annual reorganization meeting Dec. 4, and members re-elected three of the board’s top officers. Marybeth Dadd was re-elected president; Ronald P. Frank as vice president and Vanessa K. Lynch as assistant secretary. Board members re-elected in the November election — Dadd, Frank,...
Fox Chapel, Jewish Spark to host community Menorah Lighting
The Jewish Spark and Fox Chapel Borough will host the Fox Chapel Community Menorah Lighting 5 p.m. on Dec. 13 at the Fox Chapel Borough Building, 401 Fox Chapel Road. A state-of-the-art Menorah display will feature LED lights. Area dignitaries will be present for the event, which is free and...
Former Pa. state cop sentenced to federal prison for child porn offenses
Sean R. McKenzie said he joined the Pennsylvania State Police in 2008 in hopes of doing good and helping others. Instead, he did the exact opposite, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Grogan. McKenzie, 39, was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years in a federal prison on child pornography possession charges....
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in Sewickley, South Huntingdon
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This is the final installment of the 25-part series.) South Huntingdon and...
‘At the right place, at the right time’: Go Laurel Highlands recognizes 9 photo contest winners
For Connie Weyant, the photograph that placed her in the top nine of Go Laurel Highlands’ annual photo contest took years of patient waiting. Weyant, of Somerset, has been observing Somerset Lake for about eight years in search of a bald eagle. She’s received countless calls from friends, pointing her...
Toys for Tots requests up more than 40% over last year
Toys for Tots groups in some areas are seeing a more than 40% increase is requests over last year, a situation they say stems from a number of economic factors. “There’s a higher need for gifts for families in need,” said Jennifer Neilen, Allegheny Valley chapter Toys for Tots coordinator....
