Regional category, Page 308
Proposed Pa. hate crimes package would up penalties, extend protections
After months of painstaking work and reaching out to stakeholders across Pennsylvania, State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, Wednesday introduced a package of four hate crimes bills. The bills, said Frankel, are designed to increase penalties, provide better reporting and police training and protect the rights of hate crimes victims....
Charges against Steelers’ Anthony Chickillo withdrawnVideo
Charges against Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo were withdrawn Wednesday in Fayette County court. Chickillo, 26, was arrested Oct. 20 by state police on accusations that he assaulted his girlfriend at Nemacolin Woodlands in Wharton Township. District Attorney Richard Bower said both parties decided not continue with prosecution after 90 minutes...
Manufacturing jobs fading in Rust Belt. Will it matter in 2020?
TOLEDO, Ohio — President Donald Trump once promised that coal and steel would be the beating heart of a revived U.S. economy — a nostalgic vision that helped carry him to victory three years ago in the industrial Midwest. But a year away from Election Day, that promised renaissance is...
Teen girl hurt in fall while jumping between roofs in Butler
A teenager was injured Tuesday night when she fell while jumping between the rooftops of buildings along Main Street in downtown Butler, according to authorities. The girl fell about 20 feet and suffered leg and back injuries, first responders said. She was unable to move in the roughly 2-foot wide...
Paramedics in Washington County taken to hospital after exposure to unknown substance
Paramedics responding to a medical call overnight in Washington County were taken to a hospital to be examined after they were exposed to an unknown substance, according to a 911 supervisor. The incident occurred around 2:15 a.m. in the 1000 block of Garfield Avenue in Roscoe. A hazardous materials team...
Pittsburgh area jobless rate up slightly but still better than a year ago
The Pittsburgh region’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.0 % in September, the first time it’s been that high since February, the state said Tuesday. With 600 fewer people employed in the seven-county region in September, the jobless rate increased by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.0% in September,...
Opening celebration set for bike trail extension in IndianaVideo
Local officials and trail advocates next week will celebrate the “soft opening” of a new extension of Indiana County’s Hoodlebug Trail that brings the hiking and bicycling route through the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus and into downtown Indiana. The event is set for noon on Nov. 8 at the...
Ohio drug charge against Steelers’ Benny Snell withdrawn
A drug charge filed in an Ohio court against Pittsburgh Steelers running back Benny Snell was withdrawn, but the rookie could still face consequences under the NFL’s code of conduct. Snell, who the Steelers selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft, admitted to smoking marijuana about 20 minutes...
Bishop who formerly led Cleveland diocese dies at 72
CLEVELAND — A bishop who formerly led the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland has died at the age of 72. The diocese said in a statement that the Most Rev. Richard Lennon died Tuesday morning. It didn’t give a cause of death. The statement says the bishop emeritus was installed as...
Coal giant Murray Energy seeks bankruptcy protection
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A major U.S. coal mining company is seeking bankruptcy protection, joining a growing list of struggling coal operations as communities switch away from fossil fuel to less-polluting renewable energy or natural gas. Ohio-based Murray Energy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization Tuesday. Several other major coal producers...
Man gets life in prison for Erie Pizza Hut shootingVideo
ERIE — A man who fatally shot his girlfriend and wounded her pregnant co-worker at a Pizza Hut in Erie has been sentenced to life in prison. A judge on Tuesday ordered 49-year-old Luis Rodriguez to serve the mandatory sentence without parole for first-degree murder in the death of 25-year-old...
WVU prof to speak at Saint Vincent College on stadium subsidies
The controversy over whether taxpayers in the region should provide funding for the arenas, stadiums and ballparks for Pittsburgh’s professional teams was played out in the 1990s, but a West Virginia University professor is revisiting the controversial topic in a speech at Saint Vincent College near Latrobe. WVU economics professor...
Poor water quality can drive snakehead fish to walk on land, research showsVideo
If taking over a river ecosystem isn’t enough for the invasive northern snakehead fish known as “fishzilla,” walking on land is another feat of the fish, according to new details released by a Wake Forest University researcher. The invasive fish has a snakelike appearance with its sleek shape and pattern...
Fayette man facing federal charges for homemade grenades
A Fayette County man is facing federal charges for homemade grenades found in his vehicle during a traffic stop and later in his home. Nathanael Varney, 24, of McClellandtown said he had exploded similar devices for fun and was keeping others to defend himself, according to police. State police stopped...
Homeless youth program to expand in 4 Western Pa. counties
A program to alleviate youth homelessness in four Western Pennsylvania counties is set to expand now that it has new funding. Valley Youth House, an agency based in Bethlehem, Pa., recently received $1.6 million from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to build on the host home model...
Police: Man faces homicide in son’s death
State police in Mercer said they will charge a man with homicide in the death of his 14-year-old son, WPXI reported. A second man faces charges of child endangerment in connection with the case. The boy was found dead at about 11 a.m. Oct. 24 at his home in the...
State police: Man serving life for murdering children killed cellmate in Indiana Co. prison
A 43-year-old inmate from Philadelphia already serving two life terms for murdering two toddlers was charged Wednesday with the New Year’s Day killing of his cellmate at SCI Pine Grove in Indiana County. Dwight Darnell Bowen, now incarcerated at SCI Houtzdale, was charged by state police with homicide in the...
Police seek Jefferson Hills man charged with trying to rape boy
Authorities are searching for a registered sex offender from Jefferson Hills who is charged with attempted rape of a teen last month in Washington County. Russell Marycz, 43, is charged with attempted rape; kidnapping, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and corruption of minors; criminal solicitation; simple assault; and interference with custody...
Snyder of Berlin sold to competitor Utz
Snyder of Berlin, a well-known Somerset County producer of potato chips, pretzels, popcorn and other snacks, has been sold to Utz Quality Foods, its York County-based competitor, the company said Wednesday. Snyder of Berlin had been owned by food conglomerate Conagra Brands Inc. Utz bills itself as the largest family-managed,...
Ex-Fayette County funeral director admits bilking clients out of more than $500K
A former Uniontown funeral director pleaded guilty Tuesday in Fayette County to bilking more than 80 customers out of more than $500,000 worth of pre-paid funeral policy payments. Stephen E. Kezmarsky III, 52, of Uniontown, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of theft by deception, theft by failure to make required...
Twitter user gets Sheetz logo tattoo
Some people love Sheetz. Some people get Sheetz tattoos. Twitter user @Schulte_ posted a challenge Sunday to other tweeters: 100 likes and the Sheetz logo would be a part of them. If this gets 100 likes I’ll get @sheetz name tattooed on my leg. ?— Schulte?? (@Schulte__) October 20, 2019...
Fall trout stocked in Western Pa. waterwaysVideo
Steady rain didn’t dampen the anticipation of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and local anglers for the fall stocking of rainbow trout Tuesday at Deer Lakes Park and other waterways. The water temperature at Deer Lakes was 58 degrees, which is perfect for stocking trout, a coldwater fish, said...
Student experiment glitch prompts WVU building evacuation
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A spokesman for West Virginia University says a campus building has been evacuated after a student’s chemical lab experiment went awry. WVU spokesman John Bolt says students, faculty and staff in the engineering research building on the Evansdale campus were ordered out Tuesday. No injuries were reported....
Study: Rail-trails inject $930M annually into Pa. economy
Walking and biking trails developed along railroad rights-of-way contribute $930 million annually to Pennsylvania’s economy, and the regional Great Allegheny Passage trail is an important part of that figure, the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy estimates. According to the conservancy’s methodology, that estimate is on the low end of spending along the state’s...
House fire reported in Upper Tyrone
Firefighters responded to a house fire in Fayette County’s Upper Tyrone around 7:30 p.m. Monday, according to an 911 dispatch supervisor. The supervisor said at least four fire companies from Fayette County and several others from neighboring Westmoreland County responded to the fire at a house in the 300 block...
