Regional category, Page 349
Pittsburgh Bishop Zubik creates diocesan department to address sex abuse claims
Pittsburgh Bishop David A. Zubik on Thursday announced the formation of a new diocesan department to respond to sexual abuse claims and make good on promises he outlined in a pastoral letter released earlier this month. The Secretariat for the Protection of Children, Youth and Vulnerable Adults will begin work...
16th possible arson damages vacant Somerset mobile home
The cause of a suspicious fire inside an abandoned Somerset mobile home early Thursday morning is being investigated as the 16th possible arson at the same mobile home court since last May, Somerset police said. Somerset police and the state police fire marshal are seeking the cause of the fire,...
Rare cancers prompt Pa. Health Department reviews
The rare Ewing sarcoma cancers that struck 12 children and young adults in southeastern Westmoreland County between 2011 and early 2018 did not reach the threshold to be considered a statistically significant cancer cluster, a state health department spokesman said Thursday. “We looked at all the cases and determined there...
Pa. Ag secretary praises farmers for thinking outside the glass
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding praised dairy processors such as Penn Hills’ Turner Dairy Farms on Thursday for thinking beyond fluid milk. “We need more dairy processing in the state to correspond with where the consumer trends are,” Redding said at the annual Turner Dairy Producers Luncheon in Blairsville. Those...
Armstrong County billboard owner on controversy: ‘I will not give in’Video
The owner of an Armstrong County gas station said Thursday he might close his business after Sunoco and at least two local fuel suppliers cut ties with him over controversial messages he posted to a digital billboard. John Placek, who owns both the billboard and a gas station along Route...
Philly landlord charged with stealing from murdered tenant’s home
Authorities say a landlord was charged with stealing from his tenant’s home in Philadelphia the day after he was murdered. Police say 38-year-old Dan Charyna was arrested early Thursday morning and charged with burglary, criminal trespass and theft. Officers responded to the home Wednesday evening, the same location the tenant...
Indiana County man killed when car strikes tree
A 25-year-old man from Center Township in Indiana County died in a car crash in Young Township just after 8 p.m. Wednesday. Indiana County Coroner Jerry Overman said Thursday that John Robert Davidson of Aultman died from blunt force trauma. Davidson was driving a Honda Civic north on McIntyre Road...
St. Thomas More Parish to host ’24 Hours for the Lord’ confessions
Now there’s no excuse for not going to confession — although it might require a bit of a drive. St. Thomas More University Parish in Indiana will stay open for 24 hours April 5-6 for the “24 Hours for the Lord” confession initiative encouraged by Pope Francis. The Catholic parish,...
Woman killed in Fayette County house fire
A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of a fatal house fire early Thursday in Springhill Township, Fayette County. The victim was a woman in her 70s who lived in the lower level of a garage apartment in the 100 block of Greater Point Marion Road, according to...
Sunoco cuts ties with Armstrong County gas station over ‘offensive’ billboard
Sunoco said Wednesday it is halting fuel deliveries to an Armstrong County gas station because its owner posted controversial messages to a digital billboard about a quarter-mile away. The fuel giant also started removing Sunoco signage and trademarks from the Worthington station, according to company officials. The digital billboard along...
State police in Uniontown looking for missing Markleysburg man
State Police in Uniontown are searching for a missing 43-year-old man who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. According to police, Edward Eakle of Markleysburg was last seen at his doctor’s office on New Salem Road in Uniontown on Tuesday. Police said Eakle was caught on surveillance video leaving the office...
Donora man ordered to repay $159K he scammed from retired Lancaster teacher
A former Indiana University of Pennsylvania basketball star will avoid prison time after he promised to repay the $159,000 that he admittedly conned from a retired school teacher. Yancey Darnell Taylor, 47, of Donora, pleaded guilty Friday in Lancaster County to two felony theft counts and was sentenced by Judge...
Butler County native’s heart donated to 10-year-old after fatal Tennessee crash
The heart of a Jefferson Township native who died Saturday in a crash along a Tennessee highway will go to a 10-year-old. Sarah Kasunic, 23, was an organ donor, according to information shared in a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for her funeral. The fundraising effort had taken in almost...
Pa. selects pilot programs to boost support for those battling addiction
Western Pennsylvania human services agencies will play a major role in a new pilot program designed to help individuals battling opioid addiction remain in treatment and find stable housing. Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday announced that agencies in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties are among 16 in...
New Otter Trot 5K series features 6 trail races
The Conemaugh Valley Conservancy is encouraging people to welcome spring’s return by signing up for its new Otter Trot series of 5K races along regional trails. The six races, spaced over as many months, “seemed like a fun way to get people to explore the trails in the area,” while...
Murder, DUI counts added in Philly crash that killed 3
PHILADELPHIA — A driver arrested after a south Philadelphia crash that killed three people, including two members of a Mummers organization, is now facing third-degree murder charges. Twenty-nine-year-old Keith Campbell was originally charged with vehicular homicide and aggravated assault after the Jan. 2 crash. Anthony Voci of the district attorney’s...
Man accused of emailing school threat to Butler newspaper
A Butler man who is accused of warning about violence at Butler High School is in the Butler County Prison. State police said Benjamin David Jacox, 25, sent an email to the Butler Eagle newspaper warning of crimes and shootings at the high school. “Hello, I have bad news for...
2,700 pounds of kielbasa recalled for chance of containing metal
A New Hampshire food manufacturer has recalled nearly 2,700 pounds of kielbasa sausage after inspectors determined the products could be contaminated with metal, federal officials said. The recall applies to North Country Smokehouse ready-to-eat sausage produced on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8. The products were shipped to retailers nationwide. As...
Robert Morris University symposium to focus on women’s leadership
Robert Morris University’s Women’s Leadership & Mentorship Program will present its 4th Annual Women & Transformational Leadership Symposium, from 8:30 a.m. through 5 p.m. March 28 and 29 at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel, 1160 Thorn Run Road, Moon Township Demeatria Boccella of FashionAFRICANA will be keynote speaker for the...
State Police Troop A, Indiana station, moving to new building
State Police Troop A’s Indiana station will be moving into a new home effective 7 a.m. Tuesday. Trooper Cliff Greenfield said the station’s new address will be 35 Fenton Road, Indiana, PA 15701. The station is relocating about one-half mile away from its former location at 4221 Route 286 Highway...
Paramedic files sexual harassment lawsuit against Fayette County ambulance service
A longtime female paramedic with Fayette EMS is suing the ambulance service and a veteran supervisor, alleging she was sexually assaulted and harassed on the job. The woman claims in a civil discrimination complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh that she went to the Uniontown ambulance station March...
Pittsburgh gas prices hold steady as rises seen in all states
Drivers in the Pittsburgh area got a break from rising gas prices, but that wasn’t the case across the state and nation. Average gas prices in Pittsburgh did not change over the past week, remaining at $2.76 per gallon, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 731 stations. That’s 12.3 cents per...
Officials: IUPatty’s police incidents down from 2018, but still plentiful
Overall police incidents during the annual IUPatty’s weekend, 7 a.m. Thursday through 7 a.m. Sunday, were down compared to last year, according to officials tracking the incidents in central Indiana County. The boisterous, three-day celebration thrown by students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is not sanctioned by the university and...
Boy shot, man injured during scuffle at Washington County cinemas
A boy and a man were treated and released at area hospitals after being involved in an altercation late Saturday that resulted in the boy being shot in the leg at a Washington County movie theater. The man, from Greene County, whom police didn’t identify, suffered unspecified injuries in the...
In Pennsylvania, young lawmakers drive conversation on reducing student debt
When freshman state Sen. Lindsey Williams, a Democrat from West View, learned Philadelphia Sen. Vincent Hughes was crafting a bill to tackle student debt refinancing, she quickly agreed to circulate a co-sponsorship memo. Williams, 36, and fellow freshman state Sen. Katie Muth, a 35-year-old Democrat from Montgomery County, are among...
