Allegheny category, Page 308
Officials: Abducted Penn Hills teen found safe, suspect arrested
A 19-year-old man accused of assaulting and kidnapping a 16-year-old girl from her Penn Hills home Wednesday afternoon was in the Allegheny County Jail Thursday morning. Jermaine LaQuay Rodgers was taken into custody after a standoff in McKeesport, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported. Rodgers allegedly broke into the Glenbrook...
State takes charge of debt-ridden Penn Hills School District’s financial recovery efforts
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has placed the Penn Hills School District in financial recovery status in an attempt to get the debt-ridden, shrinking district back on track to solvency, officials announced Wednesday. The oversight move means that the state will appoint a full-time chief recovery officer to work with...
Candidate challenging Pittsburgh council president opposes gun restrictions
A University of Pittsburgh student announced plans this week to challenge Pittsburgh City Council President Bruce Kraus for his District 3 seat during this year’s Democratic primary. Chris Kumanchik, 25, of Central Oakland is the third Democrat to oppose Kraus, who is seeking a fourth term. The other candidates are...
TSA officers to rally Friday at Pittsburgh International Airport
Transportation Security Administration workers are ready to show their frustration with the current government shutdown. A rally by union leaders representing TSA workers in Pennsylvania has been planned for 11 a.m. Friday at the Pittsburgh International Airport’s ticketing level. On Wednesday, those leaders called for an end to the shutdown....
Music City Downtown aims to transform live music scene in PittsburghVideo
When John Valentine owned the former Palate Bistro in Downtown Pittsburgh, diners often asked about nearby places to catch some post-dinner music. “There really wasn’t anywhere to tell them to go,” he said. “Pittsburgh really needs places where visitors can go to enjoy live music.” A new collaborative effort aims...
DUI charge dropped against Green Tree police officer
A judge dropped a driving under the influence charge against a Green Tree police officer who ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle last month. Eric Diehl, 49, had been on administrative leave since the Dec. 7 crash on Saw Mill Run Boulevard shortly after 1 a.m. Pittsburgh...
Police: Man stole $1,500 worth of tools from Home Depot on Rt. 22
A man walked out of the Home Depot in Wilkins on Friday with more than $1,500 worth of stolen tools in his cart, according to police. The incident happened about 1:10 p.m. at the home improvement store on William Penn Highway, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Police said employees...
Air quality still a concern in Mon Valley 3 weeks after Clairton Coke Works fire
No excess sulfur dioxide has been found in the air around the fire-damaged Clairton Coke Works for more than a week, officials said Wednesday, but they continued urging residents with respiratory issues to limit their time outside. The Dec. 24 fire at the U.S. Steel-owned facility caused severe damage, but...
Pittsburgh investigating damage to Lawrenceville cars from salt truck
A Pittsburgh Public Works Department salt truck sideswiped several vehicles in Lawrenceville early Sunday, and the driver failed to report the mishap until Monday, a city official said. Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto, said public works officials are investigating. He said it was unclear if the driver, who...
Forward Township man, 75, dies in house fire, 2 firefighters injured
A man died Tuesday night after a fire ripped through his Forward Township home. Robert Morgan, 75, died at 5:30 p.m. inside his house on Morgan Run Road, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday. His cause and manner of death has not yet been released. According to the...
Man who stabbed 5 at Homestead mental health facility gets 30 to 60 years
JoAnn Latshaw spent years organizing medications for her patients at Turtle Creek Valley Mental Health. Now, more than two years after she was critically injured in Dustin Johnson’s 2016 stabbing spree at the facility, she cannot keep track of her own medications. “It’s frustrating to not be able to do...
Joanne Rogers to get George Romero Legacy Award at the ‘Elly Awards Gala’
Joanne Rogers, wife of the late Fred Rogers, will accept The George Romero Legacy Award at the 2019 Steeltown Elly Awards, presented by PNC at The Rivers Casino Ballroom on April 11. Past awardees include film legend George Romero, former Fred Rogers Company CEO Bill Isler, and philanthropist Audrey Hillman...
Pittsburgh police to get domestic violence unit with $500K grant
A Pittsburgh police unit focused solely on domestic violence is in the works thanks to a $500,000 grant from the local Nina Baldwin Fisher Foundation. Legislation to accept the grant was introduced before City Council on Tuesday, said Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto. The money will pay for...
Forward Avenue and Commercial Street in Squirrel Hill to close Jan. 21
A portion of Forward Avenue and Commercial Street in Squirrel Hill and Swisshelm Park will be closed to traffic next week for landslide work. The road will be closed between Summerset Drive and Whipple Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting Monday, Jan. 21 through Friday, Jan. 25, according...
Bayer to close site in Robinson by 2020, cut nearly 600 local positions
Global pharmaceutical giant Bayer Corp. announced Tuesday it is closing its Robinson campus within the next two years. It will mean the loss of 569 jobs and 96 contractors, the company said in a statement. The news shocked Robinson officials, but the Airport Area Chamber of Commerce believed Bayer employees...
Pittsburgh council members could face charges over gun restrictions, DA says
Pittsburgh City Council’s proposed gun legislation might be unconstitutional and could result in criminal charges against members of council, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said in a letter to the councilman who introduced the bills. The legislation, proposed last month by Councilman Corey O’Connor, would ban semi-automatic...
Burglar breaks into Shadyside’s Henne Jewelers, leaves empty-handed
A burglar got into a Shadyside jewelry store early Tuesday morning, but left with nothing. The jewelry at Henne Jewelers was in a vault and out of the burglar’s reach, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported Tuesday. Officers responded to an alarm at the store in the 5500 block of...
Flipper fun at Pinball PA and other places around Pittsburgh region
It’s just before 11 a.m. on a Saturday when Zakk Akin arrives at work. He makes his way through the dark, maze-like facility. The place is silent, save for the jangling of his key chain. He flips a switch, creating a cacophony of buzzing, beeping, bells and robotic voices. Colorful,...
Man dies after being shot multiple times in Wilkinsburg
A Monroeville man died after being shot Monday night in Wilkinsburg. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim as Tramaine Solomen, 30. He died at an unnamed hospital around 10:35 p.m. Around 8:20 p.m., Allegheny County 911 dispatchers received several calls about shots fired in the 1500 block...
10 years later, Beaver Co. flight attendant recalls life-altering ‘Miracle on Hudson’
Ten years later, Doreen Welsh still remembers the eerie quiet after the engines on US Airways Flight 1549 stopped running. The plane had just taken off from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport on Jan. 15, 2009, when it struck a flock of Canada geese just northeast of the George Washington...
KDKA’s Marty Griffin relishing ‘cancer-free’ news
KDKA radio host Marty Griffin is cancer-free. Griffin joyfully shared the news hours after undergoing PET and CT scans Monday morning, six weeks after completing treatment for HPV-related cancer. Griffin said he feels “excellent.” “I’m thrilled, crying like a baby,” he said. Griffin, 59, announced in September that he was...
Cops: Stats show violent crime down, community outreach working in Pittsburgh
Gun violence in Pittsburgh decreased across the board last year, from homicides to calls for shots fired, city officials said Monday. Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich credited more officers, more technology and more community outreach for the declines. Homicides fell by 5 percent between 2017 and 2018, from 58 to...
Judge agrees to outside jury for cop accused of killing Antwon Rose
Jurors from outside Allegheny County will hear the homicide case against a former East Pittsburgh police officer accused of killing an unarmed teen in 2018, a judge decided Monday. Patrick Thomassey, an attorney for former officer Michael Rosfeld, argued in a Dec. 20 hearing that the extensive media coverage surrounding...
Driver seriously hurt after vehicle goes off Parkway East near Churchill
A Pittsburgh man was injured when his SUV went over a steep hillside along the Parkway East early Monday morning. The incident occurred just after 6:30 a.m. at mile-marker 80.7, which is between the Business US-22 and Rodi Road exits. State police said Lamonte Lewis, 58, was driving eastbound in...
Will Fetterman’s legacy set Braddock on a path to renewal?
John Fetterman cast only one vote during his 13 years as Braddock’s mayor: In 2012, he helped the borough council choose a president. The mayor of the Western Pennsylvania steel town that wakes each morning in the shadow of the hulking Edgar Thomson Works along the Monongahela isn’t supposed to...
