General Carbide expanding, adding new jobs
General Carbide Corp. in Hempfield is a step closer to adding more jobs. The second-generation, family-owned precision tooling company this week received approval for technical review by the Hempfield Township Planning Commission to add 12,500-square-feet to its facility at 1172 Garden St., making room for 20 new manufacturing positions. Company...
County officials meet with health department, discuss Clairton Coke Works fire
Allegheny County Council members met with Health Department officials Wednesday to discuss the ongoing impact of a Dec. 24 fire at Clairton Coke Works that hindered the facility’s ability to clean coke oven gas and remove sulfur dioxide pollution. The meeting with council members came a day before Health Department...
Penguins to begin construction at Civic Arena site by fall
The Penguins plan to begin the first phase of construction for the long-delayed redevelopment of the former Civic Arena site in Pittsburgh this fall, President and CEO David Morehouse said Wednesday. Morehouse declined to offer project details. He joined Gov. Tom Wolf and local officials at the Allegheny County Intermediate...
Gas line explosion in San Francisco sets buildings on fire
SAN FRANCISCO — A gas explosion in a San Francisco neighborhood shot flames high into the air Wednesday and was burning four buildings as utility crews scrambled to shut off the flow of gas. Construction workers cut a natural gas line, San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. Authorities initially...
Knoch High School student who made shooting threat ‘as a joke’ released on bond
A Knoch High School student charged with making online threats about shooting classmates has been released from jail. According to court documents, Jason Bowen, 18, of Middlesex, was released from the Butler County jail on Tuesday after Butler County Judge Timothy McCune granted a motion to modify his bail from...
Greensburg man found guilty of sex assault
A Greensburg man was found guilty Wednesday of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and could face up to 23 years in prison when he is sentenced this year. Westmoreland County jurors convicted Daniel DeAugustine, 38, of five counts, including felony offenses of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault,...
Scams abound at tax time
When the tax man comes, the scam man isn’t far behind. Pennsylvania Department of Revenue Sec. Dan Hassell warned taxpayers Wednesday that phishing schemes con artists use to steal money and personal information to file bogus tax returns are common every year at tax time. “Criminals use high-pressure tactics and...
Toomey bill would strip Trump of unilateral tariff authority
Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. senator, went on the offensive Wednesday against the Trump administration’s trade policies, promoting a bipartisan bill to strip the president of the authority to impose tariffs based on national security. Speaking at a Washington, D.C., news conference focusing on the impact of steel and aluminum...
Woman who accused Justin Fairfax of sexual assault gives her account
The woman who accused Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assault released a statement Wednesday identifying herself and describing an encounter in July 2004 during which she said Fairfax sexually assaulted her. “What began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault,” said Vanessa Tyson, a fellow at...
Century III Mall deemed ‘unsafe and uninhabitable’
West Mifflin Code Enforcement declared Century III Mall unsafe and uninhabitable because of a water and fire suppression system in the building, according to social media posts by the borough. The borough posted a photo of the notice on Facebook and Twitter. “This structure is unsafe and uninhabitable. (Its) occupancy...
Trump wanted $20 million for 2006 Moscow deal, developer says
Donald Trump’s dream of putting his name on a tower in Moscow came with a hefty price tag: $20 million. Trump demanded that non-negotiable fee in 2006 from a Ukrainian-Russian named Pavel Fuks, who made his fortune in oil trading, banking and real estate development. Fuks, who says he’s been...
Michigan man dies trying to get daughter’s dead cat out of roadway
MERRILL, Mich. — Authorities say a Michigan man was fatally struck by a car while trying to remove his daughter’s dead cat from a roadway before she saw it. Saginaw County sheriff’s officials say 50-year-old Andrew Rosas of Merrill was struck before sunrise Tuesday by a woman who was driving...
The signs of spring are here if you know where to look
Recent warm temperatures, no matter how pleasant and notwithstanding the prognostications of a groundhog, aren’t signs of spring. But the signs already are here. They’re just a little more subtle. In his book, “Signs of Spring,” Bill Hamilton of Kiski Township, a retired biology professor from Penn State New Kensington...
Man killed in O’Hara tree accident remembered for his work ethic, love of life
Adam Hursen took such pride in his work, he sometimes took it home with him. The arborist at Treemasters in Pittsburgh was known to bring wood home from the trees he cut down and make furniture out of it. “He would take a slab of wood and make a coffee...
Greensburg police warn of Social Security scam
Greensburg Police warned residents to beware of identity theft scammers pretending to be from the Social Security Administration. Several residents called the police recently regarding these scam calls, the department posted on Facebook. The scammers ask their targets for personal information like dates of birth and Social Security numbers, threatening...
Awareness campaign focuses on preventing scald burns
Scald injuries can be serious enough to require surgery, but they’re also highly preventable — realities that are the focus of Burn Awareness Week, observed annually during the first week of February. “So many scald burns are preventable, such as cooking safely, practicing safe bathing habits, and being vigilant when...
Port Authority sends $3M bill to Norfolk Southern for August derailment costs
The Port Authority of Allegheny County is asking Norfolk Southern for $3 million to reimburse costs incurred during the August derailment at Station Square that disrupted light rail traffic for nearly three weeks. The derailment inconvenienced thousands of riders for weeks, Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman said. “Port Authority, our...
Man injured in alleged assault involving group of juveniles in Jeannette
Jeannette police are investigating an alleged assault by numerous juveniles who injured a man on South Sixth Street Sunday night. Investigators have several people of interest, and are reviewing security footage of the incident, according to Police Chief Shannon Binda. Police will not release more details about the alleged assault...
Hempfield student to receive Hispanic Heritage award in Miami
Jaylen Barrientos-Collins, a senior at Hempfield Area High School, will be one of six students to receive the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s annual National Youth Award on Thursday in Miami. Of Dominican descent, Barrientos-Collins was chosen for his leadership in the classroom and the community and for his focus on the...
New USDA ‘toolkit’ features resources for high-speed internet in rural areas
The federal government is encouraging rural communities to take advantage of new opportunities to expand broadband internet service. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a new toolkit to support the deployment of high-speed internet service in rural communities. The toolkit features 27 USDA programs meant to facilitate the...
Teen who attacked mom with Molotov cocktail charged as adult
DAVIE, Fla. — A Florida teen will be tried as an adult on charges that he beat his mother with a baseball bat and lit her on fire with a Molotov cocktail because she scolded him about sneaking out of the house and using social media. James Edward Monroe faces...
Conviction upheld for woman who urged boyfriend’s suicide
BOSTON — A young woman who as a teenager encouraged her boyfriend through dozens of text messages to kill himself is responsible for his suicide, Massachusetts highest court ruled Wednesday in upholding her involuntary manslaughter conviction. The Supreme Judicial Court said in a unanimous decision in the novel case that...
Driver in Liberty Bridge crash that injured couple, newborn gets house arrest
A Brownsville man will spend 20 months on house arrest for causing a head-on crash on the Liberty Bridge that severely injured a couple and their newborn son, an Allegheny County judge ruled Wednesday. Richard Hauschel, 33, must also wear an electronic monitoring bracelet during his house arrest, which will...
Virginia AG says he wore blackface at college party
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia sank deeper into political turmoil Wednesday when another top Democrat — Attorney General Mark Herring — admitted putting on blackface in the 1980s, when he was a college student. With Gov. Ralph Northam’s career in extreme peril over a racist photo in his 1984 medical school...
Mt. Pleasant officials fire police chief
Mt. Pleasant fired its police chief this week after four years on the job. The tenure of Chief Douglas Sam ended Tuesday, borough solicitor Deanna Istik confirmed. Borough council voted 6-3 on Monday to fire Sam. Istik declined to comment on the reasons for the termination, saying the personnel matter...
