Top Stories category, Page 1177
Police: Woman rescued after car went over hillside in the South Side
A woman was rescued Thursday after her car careened over a hillside in Pittsburgh’s South Side. Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews said Pittsburgh emergency responders were dispatched to the 2800 block of Patterson Street around 1 p.m. They saw a car on the wooded hillside between Patterson and Josephine streets....
Rostraver man sentenced up to 2 years in jail after pleading guilty to child pornography charges
A Rostraver man could spend about 17 more months in the Westmoreland Count Prison after pleading guilty Thursday to child pornography charges. Benjamin D. Powell, 38, was sentenced by Westmoreland Judge Christopher Feliciani to one year, less one day to two years, less two days in return for pleading guilty...
Latrobe woman sentenced to 8-to-16 years on rape, child sex charges
A 34-year-old Latrobe woman has been sentenced to 8-to-16-years in state prison Thursday for having sex with two teenage boys in a Unity home, starting as far back as 2004 and as recently as 2016. Shanda Rae Hitchcock was sentenced by Westmoreland Judge Timothy Krieger as a result of her...
Youth soccer association treasurer from Beaver County admits to stealing $100,000
The former treasurer of a youth soccer organization in Beaver County admitted to stealing $100,000 for personal expenses. Jenessa Tolejko, 35, of Beaver pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of wire fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced Thursday. Tolejko served as treasurer of the Brighton Township-Beaver...
West Virginia man admits to stealing $2.5 million in mining equipment
A West Virginia man pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to five thefts of specialized mine equipment that occurred in Armstrong and Indiana counties. Eudell Dickerson, 46, of Beckley, W.Va., pleaded guilty to two counts before Chief U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak. The court was advised of...
Beaver County tax collector pleads guilty to embezzling $1M from Center Township, school district
The elected tax collector for Center Township in Beaver County admitted to embezzling $1 million from the township and school district and filing a false tax return. Jeanne Bowser, 62, of Aliquippa pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of wire fraud and filing false income tax returns, Acting United...
Pittsburgh ‘made a mistake’ on thousands of tax bills
Pittsburgh’s finance department “made a mistake” when it didn’t include tax discounts or abatements on thousands of tax bills this year, city Finance Director Douglas Anderson said Thursday. “The mistake was made,” Anderson said. It means several thousand taxpayers in Pittsburgh who use programs like the Homestead exemption or the...
Greensburg man charged with raping toddler
A Greensburg man was arrested by state troopers Thursday, charged with raping a toddler two years ago, according to court documents. James A. Swanson, 44, was charged with aggravated indecent assault of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and rape of a child. State police say the assaults occurred on...
Valley High School teacher accused of sending sexual texts to student
A Valley High School teacher is accused of sending inappropriate sexual text messages to an underage student. Police charged Sean Timothy O’Neil, 34, of North Apollo with felony counts of disseminating explicit sexual materials to a minor, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and criminal use of a...
Peduto announces $115 million in commitments from regional nonprofits for OnePGHVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto released a plan Thursday that could result in $115 million from the region’s nonprofits to fund affordable housing, recreation and social service programs. The funds would go through a new standalone entity called OnePGH. “Today we are setting a new model for cities around the county...
Addiction treatment providers in Pa. face little state scrutiny despite harm to clients
This investigation is a joint project of KHN, a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues, and Spotlight PA, an independent, collaborative newsroom dedicated to producing investigative journalism for all of Pennsylvania. When Ian Kalinowski was at work, his mom usually texted him. So when he saw her...
Nearly half of all Pennsylvanians have at least 1 covid vaccine shot
Over 6 million people in Pennsylvania (47.3% of residents) have at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and more than 3.8 million have been fully vaccinated (30.3% of residents), according to the data posted by the state on Thursday. And locally, the state reported that 655,660 of Allegheny County...
Pa. drug overdose deaths rose in 2020, likely fueled by pandemic, officials say
Overdose deaths in Pennsylvania ticked upward in 2020 after two years of relatively stable numbers, something officials say is likely the ripple effect of a pandemic that caused an influx of stress and isolated people from their support systems. “The uncertain, stressful and isolating nature of the pandemic has caused...
Pitcairn mayoral race pits 20-year-old challenger against 81-year-old incumbent
Margaret “Betsy” Stevick’s phone never seems to stop ringing. And the octogenarian mayor of Pitcairn never seems to stop moving. At 81, she’s running for reelection to another four-year term in the May 18 primary. Her opponent in the Democratic primary is 20-year-old Mika Petrosky, who also grew up in...
Massage parlor owner seeks new trial on human trafficking, prostitution charges
A woman who owned and operated four massage parlors in Murrysville, Delmont and Monroeville will get a hearing on her appeal to withdraw her guilty pleas to promoting prostitution and participating in a human trafficking ring, a Westmoreland County judge decided Wednesday. Judge Scott O. Mears granted the Post-Conviction Relief...
Greensburg man arrested in connection with fatal drug overdose
A Greensburg man was arrested Thursday on charges he sold drugs to a woman who authorities say later provided some to a companion, resulting in a fatal overdose, according to court papers. Jody J. Cicchitello, 51, is charged with drug delivery resulting in death, drug possession and conspiracy. Southwest Greensburg...
Kennywood, Sandcastle, Idlewild set to open for summer of food, rides, slides
Summer cannot be far away. The official opening of Kennywood in West Mifflin is May 8. Sandcastle in West Homestead and Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier aren’t far behind. They are planning for a May 29 debut. After shortened schedules last year because of the pandemic, the parks are focused...
Report: Pittsburgh paid more than $460K to settle police-related lawsuits last year
Pittsburgh paid out more than $400,000 to settle five lawsuits brought against the city and its police bureau in 2020, according to an annual report released this week. In that same time, 15 more lawsuits were filed against 22 officers, including several that stem from protests against police brutality in...
After easing off-street parking requirement, Pittsburgh considers move to limit curb cutsVideo
Pittsburgh officials are working to reduce the number of driveways required for new townhouses in the city. Creating off-street parking requires a curb cut and makes walking on sidewalk potentially dangerous, Councilwoman Deb Gross said Tuesday during a council committee meeting. Under a proposed change in the local zoning law...
Despite decreasing covid transmission rates, Westmoreland schools still apt to shut down with positive cases
Despite school districts in Westmoreland County making strides to restore a sense of normalcy for students, they still feel the pinch of state guidelines when it comes to closing buildings because of coronavirus cases. So far this week, Hempfield, Norwin, Belle Vernon Area and Derry Area districts have been forced...
Pittsburgh man faces federal gun charges after SWAT search
A Homewood South man faces a federal detention hearing Friday after Pittsburgh police said they seized four guns from his home. Dane Brooks, 52, was charged Wednesday on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Pittsburgh police said the arrest came after members of the SWAT...
Biden to the nation, world: ‘America is rising anew’Video
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden declared Wednesday night in his first address to a joint session of Congress that “America is rising anew,” and pointed optimistically to the nation’s emergence from the pandemic as a vital moment to rebuild the U.S. economy and fundamentally transform roles the government plays in...
President Biden name-checks Pittsburgh in speech to CongressVideo
President Joe Biden invoked the Steel City in his speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, asking why wind turbine blades can’t be made in Pittsburgh rather than Beijing, China — essentially challenging U.S. businesses to bring manufacturing jobs back from overseas. President Biden: "There is simply...
Watch live: President Biden’s address before the joint session of CongressVideo
President Joe Biden is laying out his policy agenda and updating the nation Wednesday in his first address to a joint session of Congress....
A Pa. cheerleader’s profane Snapchat rant lands before the Supreme CourtVideo
PHILADELPHIA — When Brandi Levy learned she’d been relegated to Mahanoy Area High School’s junior varsity cheerleading team in 2017 she did what most teens these days do — turned to social media to vent her frustration. But her profane post on Snapchat — in which the then-14-year-old, middle finger...
