Allegheny Valley School District renews Superintendent Pat Graczyk’s contract through 2029
Patrick Graczyk will lead the Allegheny Valley School District through the 2028-29 school year. The school board Aug. 15 approved Graczyk’s contract for a term effective July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2029. He will receive a base salary of nearly $182,000 for the 2024-25 school year, according to the...
Longtime defense attorney acquitted in Allegheny County Jail drug caseVideo
A longtime defense attorney accused of sneaking drug-soaked papers into Allegheny County Jail more than four years ago is not guilty. Paul Gettleman, 78, was charged with contraband, drug delivery and conspiracy, after a grand jury said he delivered papers soaked in K-2, or synthetic marijuana, to an inmate at...
Local doctors: New RSV vaccine can help protect newborns from severe illness
A newly approved vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, will give pregnant moms a chance to protect their babies from wheezing, coughing and other more serious symptoms that can land infants in the hospital. Pfizer Inc.’s Abrysvo is the first vaccine for use during pregnancy that works...
Pittsburgh police issue charges in hit-and-run that killed 66-year-old pedestrian
Pittsburgh police issued an arrest warrant Tuesday in connection with an April 11 hit-and-run that killed a Pittsburgh pedestrian. Joseph Betha, 54, of Wilkinsburg has been charged with homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death, accidents involving death while not property licensed, and involuntary manslaughter, police spokesperson Cara Cruz said. It...
Nurse’s aide accused of prying rings from Murrysville dementia patient’s hand
A nurse’s aide accused of stealing a Murrysville dementia patient’s engagement and wedding rings likely pried them from the elderly woman’s hand, police said. Christina L. Ankney, 39, of Braddock is charged with robbery in connection with the incident at Redstone Highlands in Murrysville. A warrant has been issued for...
Cleveland-Cliffs wants U.S. Steel to disclose other buyout proposals
Cleveland-Cliffs, the steelmaker attempting to acquire the historic Pittsburgh company U.S. Steel, wrote a letter demanding that U.S. Steel disclose any other buyout offers it has received. Last week, the United Steelworkers union (USW) said it would only back the Cleveland-based steel producer in acquiring U.S. Steel. The letter, dated...
Spotted lanternflies are swarming Western Pennsylvania
When Moshe Marvit got off work in Green Tree this week, he noticed that every single car in the parking lot was covered in spotted lanternflies. “There were tens of thousands of them in a small space,” said Marvit, a lawyer who lives in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood. “It felt like...
Jeannette man pleads guilty to strangling woman, smuggling phone into county jail
A Jeannette man was ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to charges in five separate cases, including allegations that he strangled a woman and smuggled a cellphone into the Westmoreland County Prison. Leon D. Fair, 24, was sentenced Tuesday to serve at least...
Dick’s Sporting Goods to lay off employees as retail theft cuts into profits
Dick’s Sporting Goods said on Tuesday that retail theft has hurt its profits, one of the reasons the Findlay-based chain is laying off an unspecified number of employees. “We are conducting a business optimization of our organization to better align our talent, organizational design and spending in support of our...
The Foodture restaurant is back after legal fight over name
The former Back to the Foodture restaurant will reopen Saturday in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood. The SouthSide Works location will remain permanently closed. The temporary closure of both was the result of months of emails with lawyers representing Universal Studios. Universal Studios emailed the owners — chef Angel Magwood and her...
Annual Pa. Game Commission elk cam starts streaming
With the September peak of Pennsylvania’s elk mating season fast approaching, the Pennsylvania Game Commission once again has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, a field that typically serves as a hub of elk activity during mating season. Video and sound from the camera are...
Deputies arrest man in New Kensington wanted by Allegheny County sheriff since January on multiple warrants
A Pittsburgh man wanted by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office since January on multiple arrest warrants was taken into custody Tuesday after deputies found him hiding in the bathroom of a New Kensington home. Pittsburgh police charged Tre DeVaugn Wingate, 31, on Jan. 13 with felony counts of aggravated assault,...
Springdale promotes 2 police officers to sergeant
Two Springdale police officers soon will be referred to as sergeants. Council approved the promotions for Paul Perriello and Fred Hockenberry at its meeting Aug. 15. “I’m just happy that I have a supportive mayor and council. I look forward to bolstering our department and continue to grow it for...
Norwin library to hold book sale
The Friends of the Norwin Public Library will hold a “pop up” book sale from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, in the library’s lower level at 100 Caruthers Lane, Irwin. A wide selection of gently used books will be available. All proceeds benefit the Norwin Public Library....
Western Overlook to be dedicated at Flight 93 National Memorial
A new project at the Flight 93 National Memorial will be finished in the coming weeks. Work on the Western Overlook is being completed and a dedication ceremony is planned for Sept. 9 after the annual Heroes’ Walk, said Friends of Flight 93 executive director Donna Gibson. The renovated area...
Nominations sought for Greensburg’s 2nd annual pet ambassador title
Greensburg is going to the dogs — and cats — this month as the city prepares to select its second annual pet ambassador. Last August, shoppers in downtown Greensburg cast a combined 2,000 votes for 10 finalists in the inaugural competition — with Guaje, a Rottweiler-coon hound mix, claiming the...
TSA confiscates 26th gun of year at Pittsburgh airport, matching last year’s total
An Indiana County man was stopped from carrying a handgun onto a Pittsburgh International Airport flight Monday, bringing the total number of firearms confiscated there since January to 26, matching 2022’s figure, officials said. Transportation Security Administration officers detected the .380 caliber gun in the man’s backpack, TSA spokesperson Lisa...
Police accuse homeless man of pawning Pine parents’ jewelry, coins for nearly $5K
A Pine man is accused of pawning his parents’ jewelry and coins after they they let him sleep in a tent in the backyard and come into the house to eat and use the bathroom. James Sergei Betts, 28, who is homeless, was charged by Northern Regional Police on Aug....
NTSB will not investigate fatal Plum home explosion for now
The National Transportation Safety Board has opted not to investigate this month’s massive fatal explosion in Plum based on preliminary information that the source of the blast was inside the home that blew up — not in an outside pipeline. That could change, as more details emerge about the disaster...
Downtown Pittsburgh to get temporary public bathrooms
Officials are working to have temporary public bathrooms installed in Downtown Pittsburgh, but it’s unclear when and where they’ll be available. “We understand the critical need,” said Maria Montaño, a spokesperson for Gainey. “Right now there are zero public bathrooms in the Downtown neighborhood, and that creates a lot of...
West Deer, Deer Lakes schools renew police agreement
West Deer’s police department will continue to station officers at Deer Lakes schools. Township supervisors and the school board approved a memorandum of understanding between the two bodies for policing at Curtisville Primary Center, East Union Intermediate Center and Deer Lakes Middle School. Police Chief Robert Loper told supervisors Deer...
Large crowd voices opposition as Highlands renews superintendent’s contract
An overflow crowd turned out Monday to hear the Highlands School Board consider a contract renewal for Superintendent Monique Mawhinney, seven months before her term is set to expire. Close to 100 people crammed into the high school library, with several asking the board to consider the district’s economics, test...
Temporary Cleveland-to-Pittsburgh flight coming this winter
Though just a bit over two hours away by car, Alaska Airlines soon will be offering a flight from Cleveland to Pittsburgh this winter. The daily, afternoon flight only travels one way from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. According to the Alaska Airlines website, tickets start as low as $129. The Seattle-based...
Resource center event announced for Plum’s Rustic Ridge residents
Multiple services and help will be available for residents of Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood during an event Thursday afternoon at the borough’s municipal center, officials announced Tuesday. The Multi-Agency Resource Center will be offered from noon to 8 p.m. in the municipal center’s gymnasium. Individuals will need to provide identification...
Reese Memorial Fund accepting grant applications from youth recreation groups
Following their third successful 5K fundraiser, officials from the Mike Reese Memorial Fund will be accepting grant applications through the end of August. The annual Mike Reese Memorial 5K Roast, Run & Family Fun event began in 2021, in memory of Reese, 42, who served as state representative in the...
