Man living in U.S. illegally sentenced for rape of girl, 12, in Lancaster County
LANCASTER COUNTY — A Guatemalan national who is living in the United States illegally will serve between six and 12 years in prison for the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Quarryville, according to the borough’s police department. Magdilio Diaz-Vasquez, 22, was sentenced on Jan. 18, the same day he...
Pitt-Greensburg Alumni Association seeking nominees for annual awards
The Pitt-Greensburg Alumni Association is accepting nominations through July 8 for the three awards is presents each year. The awards, Alumnus of Distinction, Volunteer Excellence, and Young Alumni Leadership, recognize Pitt-Greensburg alumni for their professional accomplishments, service to their communities, and commitment to the Pitt-Greensburg. The Alumnus of Distinction Award,...
6th person accused in Fayette-Westmoreland drug acquisition scheme
State police in Greensburg have arrested a sixth person in connection with an illegal drug-acquisition operation which operated from 2015-16 in Fayette and Westmoreland counties. Brooke N. Cross, 27, of Largo, Fla, formerly of South Huntingdon, was arraigned Thursday on charges of illegal acquisition of a controlled substance, participating in...
Man charged with setting Ohio sheriff’s deputy on fire
RAVENNA, Ohio — Authorities say a man tossed a flammable liquid on an Ohio sheriff’s deputy trying to arrest him and set him on fire, causing severe burns. The Portage County Sheriff’s Office says the deputy was injured Thursday evening in Rootstown Township, about 55 miles south of Cleveland. The...
Westmoreland County Democrats host candidates forum in Washington Township
The Westmoreland County Democratic Party will hold a candidates forum for Region 2 on Tuesday at the Washington Township Community Building. Region 2 includes Kiski Valley communities in Westmoreland County. “Our incumbent Westmoreland County commissioners, candidates for court of common pleas and county row offices have all accepted our invitation...
Trump declares emergency to build border wall
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will declare a national emergency to fulfill his pledge to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump said he will use executive powers to bypass Congress, which approved far less money for his proposed wall than he had sought. He plans to...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend
For some, this weekend is a three-day respite –Monday is Presidents Day. Here’s what is going on: ••• Uncork it The Senator John Heinz History Center in the Strip District tonight will host its 21st annual “History Uncorked: Out of this World” soiree for young professionals. The event features live...
Apollo man accused of assaulting woman headed to court, some charges dismissed
A Leechburg judge dismissed felony assault charges against an Apollo man accused of attacking a woman. James Orlando Oquinn, 29, will head to the Armstrong County Court of Common Pleas on a new felony charge of allegedly strangling the woman, District Judge James Andring ruled Wednesday. The woman told Apollo...
U.S. adopts new rules for handling child bride petitions
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has announced new rules for scrutinizing requests to bring minor spouses to the United States. That word comes from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — the agency that considers whether to approve such requests. The Associated Press reported last month that thousands of requests...
Main suspect in Sweden’s royal jewels heist confesses
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The main suspect in the theft of royal funeral artifacts from a Swedish cathedral confessed Friday to stealing them after his DNA was found on the items that were pulled out last week from a garbage bin north of Stockholm. Swedish broadcaster SVT, reporting Friday from a...
Tarentum homeowner worries about repairing house after fallen tree removed
The extent of the damage caused to a Tarentum home when a tree fell on it Wednesday was more apparent Friday after the tree had been removed. The buckeye tree that fell on Frank Lee’s house at 400 Allegheny St. was removed Thursday afternoon, Lee said. Lee was back in...
Deaf student stars in Pittsburgh Playwrights productionVideo
Aaliyah Sanders has been deaf since birth. She has also been acting in school productions since the fourth-grade. But being cast in a professional play was not on her radar. “No. I never even thought of it, not in a professional play,” Aaliyah said through an interpreter. “I never thought...
Valley Points YMCA offering $1 membership deal on Presidents Day
People looking to join any of the three Valley Points YMCA locations can do so for $1 on Presidents Day. The flash sale on memberships means that people can save as much as $60.60 by joining on Monday. Valley Points YMCA CEO Mike Newell said the deal applies to all...
Body found on island 26 years ago has been identified
NORWALK, Conn. — A body found on an island off Connecticut 26 years ago has finally been identified. The Hour reports that Norwalk police on Thursday announced that using fingerprints they have figured out the identity of the man discovered April 18, 1996, on city-owned Shea Island in Long Island...
Ohio children’s hospital ends use of cats for medical procedure class
CINCINNATI — Cats will no longer be used by an Ohio children’s hospital for teaching doctors a method of examining human airways and lungs. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had complained to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center about practicing bronchoscopy procedure on cats. The animal rights group says...
Pa. man gets life for murder, attempted rape of teen cousin
CROYDON — A Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty to the murder and attempted rape of his 14-year-old cousin who was stabbed dozens of times and also shot inside a home where they both lived. Colin Haag III entered his plea Thursday and was sentenced to life in prison without parole....
Pa. husband accidentally runs over, kills wife in their driveway
PALMER — Authorities say a man accidentally ran over and killed his wife in the driveway of their Pennsylvania home. Palmer Township police say the accident occurred around 3 p.m. Thursday, moments after 66-year-old Debra Mitchell got out of the car. Mitchell was walking toward the back of the vehicle...
Pa. town removes banner honoring military service of State College shooter
Bellefonte officials have removed a “hometown hero” banner that honored a mass shooter, according to WJAC. The banner depicted Jordan Witmer, 21, of Bellefonte, an Army veteran who killed three people and injured another in State College before committing suicide Jan. 24. The banner predates the shooting, and is one...
Vice president Mike Pence makes his 1st visit to Auschwitz
WARSAW, Poland — U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is visiting the memorial site of Auschwitz along with the Polish president. It was the first visit for Pence, a conservative Christian, to the site where German forces murdered 1.1 million people, most of them Jews but also Poles, Roma and others,...
Top Vatican priest in Paris facing ‘sexual aggression’ probe
PARIS — A French judicial official says the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into alleged “sexual aggression” by Catholic priest Luigi Ventura, the Apostolic Nuncio to France. Confirming a report published by Le Monde newspaper on Friday, the official said the investigation will be conducted by Paris police...
Crews demolish Rostraver house to extinguish fire
Firefighters used heavy equipment to demolish a burning house in Rostraver Township Friday morning, according to the Rostraver Central Fire Department. The fire on Tyrol Boulevard started just before 3 a.m. Nobody was living at the house, which was used as a storage facility for nearby business Equipment Connection. Nobody...
HUD distributes funds to Western Pa. housing authorities
Housing authorities in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Westmoreland, Armstrong and Butler counties will receive about $657,000 in federal money to support public housing residents and housing voucher program recipients so they can earn more money and reduce their dependence on public assistance and rental subsidies. The money from the Department of...
Dave McElhinny: Having health care can be ‘bittersweet’
I don’t know about you, but I think “prejudiced people are all alike.” This is what’s known as an oxymoron, a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear together. I used to think oxymoron was a term to describe a dumb person who has acne. When I mentioned...
Creator of Triangle Bar and Grill’s massive Battleship hoagie dies
It started as a gag gift in the 1960s. The Catanzano brothers, Joseph and John, were at the family’s Swissvale bar, the Triangle Bar and Grill, and made a special sandwich for their friend Tony Villiotti. They bowled in a league together, and the night of the bowling banquet was...
Former drama teacher charged with having sex with a student
WASHBURN, Mo. — A former Missouri drama teacher has been charged with having sex with a 16-year-old student at the high school. The Springfield News-Leader reports that 23-year-old Chelsie Leroy, of Washburn, was charged last week with four felonies, including two counts each of second-degree statutory rape and sexual contact...
