Scout affiliate accused of secretly filming boys indicted
CLEVELAND — A man accused of secretly recording boys changing clothes at a YMCA, his home bathroom and in teepees at an Ohio scout reservation has been indicted on federal charges including sexual exploitation of children. The four counts against 39-year-old Thomas Close also include having child pornography. An affidavit...
Free gun locks available for veterans at Westmoreland County courthouse
Local veterans can obtain free gun locks at Westmoreland County’s veterans affairs department. Supplies of the locks are limited and anyone who wants one should check with the agency to confirm availability at 724-830-3530. Locks are available through a partnership between the Westmoreland County Department of Veterans Affairs and the...
Hitchhiker Brewing’s hops get national props
A love of beer brewing is translating into national recognition. It’s almost overwhelming for Hitchhiker Brewing Co. founder Gary Olden after being named “One of the Best Breweries to Watch in 2019” by online magazine Hop Culture. “It’s certainly very humbling and really awesome that people respect our work, and...
Assault charge dismissed against woman accused of pointing gun at man walking his dog in New Kensington
A 70-year-old New Kensington woman accused of pointing a gun at a man who was walking his dog near her home pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. In addition to pleading guilty Thursday to the summary offense, Sharon Shirley was required to pay a $25 fine. District Judge Frank J. Pallone...
Parkland report cites mistakes by officials, recommends arming teachers
A Florida commission investigating the February shooting deaths of 17 people at a state high school in Parkland said in a starkly worded report that security at public schools must be improved and recommended arming teachers and spending more on mental health programs. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public...
American held in Moscow for spying is also British, Irish
MOSCOW — The American former Marine who is being held in Moscow on spying charges also holds British and Irish citizenship, officials said Friday, and Britain’s foreign secretary charged that Russia is trying to use him as a pawn in its geopolitical games. Paul Whelan, the global security director for...
Man thought nearly brain-dead recovers and leaves hospital
OMAHA, Neb. — A man whose children had decided to remove his breathing tubes has recovered and left an Omaha hospital after weeks of therapy. Now his family members call T. Scott Marr — once nearly brain-dead — the “miracle man.” Marr originally was diagnosed with a stroke on Dec....
Democrats, Trump meet on shutdown; they says he is resisting
WASHINGTON — With no shutdown resolution in sight, Democratic leaders urged President Donald Trump to reopen the government Friday in a White House meeting during which they said he indicated he could keep it closed for “months or even years.” Trump met with the congressional leaders for the second time...
Manor Township woman to serve at least 20 years for hatchet attack that killed husband
A Manor Township woman will spend at least 20 years in prison for attacking her husband with a hatchet in 2017. Melanie Sue Snyder, 43, pleaded guilty Friday in Armstrong County Court to a single charge of third-degree murder for the July 27, 2017, attack in which, police say, she...
Cops: West Newton man placed infant in car seat carrier in middle of road
A West Newton man was arrested Thursday on police accusations that he placed an infant girl in the middle of a borough street after stealing $70 from the baby’s mother, according to court papers. Nathaniel Scott Bartko, 24, was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail. A...
Trafford woman arrested in Jeannette hit-and-run; pedestrian injured
A Penn Township woman was jailed Friday after police said she hit a man with a car in front of a Jeannette restaurant Thursday night and fled, according to court papers. The pedestrian told police he had parked across the street from Johnny’s Wife’s Place and was walking toward the...
Kevin Hart ‘evaluating’ returning to host the Oscars
Will Kevin Hart return as Oscars host? The comedian said Thursday he is “evaluating” whether to return to the job he stepped down from last month over the backlash he faced concerning his past homophobic remarks. The comments came during a taping of Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show on Thursday —...
5 children heading to Disney killed in fiery Florida crash
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Five children heading to Disney World in a church van from Louisiana died along with two truck drivers in fiery crash on Interstate 75 in north Florida, the Florida Highway Patrol said Friday. The children were traveling in a large passenger van from Avoyelles Parish, Lt....
UK coroner: 102-year-old man got stuck on roof, dies of cold
LONDON — A British coroner has found that the death of a 102-year-old man who got stuck on his roof for three days after falling while adjusting his TV aerial was accidental. Ron Easton died in a hospital on Nov. 2, nine days after he was rescued from his ordeal...
Missing Westmoreland pair found safe in South Carolina
Two Greensburg-area people who had been considered missing have been found in South Carolina, and both are safe, Greensburg police said. Police said credit card purchases allowed them early Friday evening to track down Amanda Caldwell, 29, of Greensburg and Joseph Zyvith, 30, of Hempfield. Neither had been seen or...
Man arrested for stealing guitars tells TV cameras ‘Go Eagles’
“Go Eagles” was all a suspected burglar had to say to TV cameras after police in central Pa. arrested him. Dale Sourbeck, 49 of Pittston, was arrested and accused of stealing guitars from Rock Street Music on Thursday, according WNEP-TV. Police caught up with Sourbeck after the license plate of...
Conor Lamb upholds promise not to vote Nancy Pelosi as speaker
Democratic U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb kept a campaign promise Thursday by not voting for Nancy Pelosi for speaker of the House. Even without Lamb’s vote, Pelosi secured enough support to reclaim the speaker gavel. Lamb, who won his first full term in Congress in November by beating Keith Rothfus in...
Trump refers to many walls as he fights for border money
WASHINGTON — Everywhere President Donald Trump looks, he sees a wall. As he lobbies for money for his long-promised border wall, Trump keeps talking up other barricades. He’s pointing to walls in Israel, at the Vatican, even at former President Barack Obama’s house — though fact checkers have pushed back...
Lawrenceville United aims to combat hate in Pittsburgh neighborhood
Hate has no home in Lawrenceville. That’s the message of an upcoming safety meeting hosted by community group Lawrenceville United and the FBI. Discussions will focus on a recent spate of hate activity popping up in the former industrial town whose resurgence in recent years has propelled development and property...
Crane Avenue in Beechview closing for most of today
Motorists who travel near Route 51 in Beechview should lookout for detours today. A portion of Crane Avenue will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The road will be shut down between Route 51 and Dagmar Avenue so the public works department can perform drainage work. Anyone who...
State: Cranberry woman got $200K in assistance while running $1M business
A Cranberry woman faces criminal charges for allegedly receiving $200,000 in public assistance while operating a business that was paid $1 million from the state Department of Human Services. Kimberly Coleman faces three counts of welfare fraud. Each carries a maximum seven-year prison sentence. The Office of Inspector General says...
Harborcreek teen pleads guilty, mentally ill in grandma’s killing
ERIE — A 16-year-old Pennsylvania boy has pleaded guilty but mentally ill in the 2016 shooting death of his grandmother. The Erie Times-News reports Hunter Reeser entered the plea on Friday morning as part of a deal with prosecutors. Reeser was 14 when he was charged with shooting 60-year-old Sandra...
Following snowboarding death, Seven Springs says guest safety is ‘paramount’
After a Crescent Township man died this week from injuries sustained in a snowboarding accident at Seven Springs, officials from the popular Western Pennsylvania resort stress that safety is “paramount” for its guests. Matthew Camacho-Cook, 35, died Thursday at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, where he was taken Dec....
Lawyer seeks way for New Stanton teen to plead guilty but mentally ill for killing mother, brother
A New Stanton teenager could plead guilty but mentally ill this year for killing his mother and younger brother, his lawyer said. Jacob Remaley, 16, is considering a resolution to his murder case that would allow him to serve a portion of his sentence in a mental health treatment facility...
Homeland Security asks Pentagon to provide more help on border security
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security has asked the military to provide more help securing the U.S.-Mexico border, a defense official said Friday amid a political standoff over President Donald Trump’s demand for more money to build a border wall. The acting secretary of defense, Pat Shanahan, has not...
