Top Stories category, Page 514
Pittsburgh contractor accused of stealing more than $270,000 from couple
A Pittsburgh contractor arrested Tuesday is accused of stealing more than $270,000 from a couple who hired him to design a home more than three years ago. Page F. Thomas, 55, was hired in September 2020 by Douglas and Traci Borsch to design a home in Pittsburgh, according to a...
Frustration sets in as hiring struggles continue at juvenile detention center
Westmoreland commissioners said there is growing frustration over delays to fully reopen the county’s juvenile detention center program. The 16-bed detention center at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield was closed in June following a series of state inspections that cited the facility for staffing and training issues. It...
Greensburg YMCA to be overseen by Pittsburgh branch during leadership transition
A leadership team from the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh will evaluate and oversee the YMCA of Greensburg for the next four months while it seeks a new CEO, leaders said Wednesday. Following the departure of Suzanne Printz, the Greensburg YMCA’s outgoing CEO, the Pittsburgh location will “provide executive leadership for...
Evidence linking Unity woman’s death to Thomas Stanko revealed in court filing
A Unity man prosecutors contend killed his girlfriend, although her body hasn’t been found, was suspected of prior abuse against her and former wives, according to court filings. Thomas G. Stanko, 53, was charged in late 2022 with criminal homicide, tampering with evidence and abuse of corpse in connection with...
Arrests reported in New Kensington gun store smash and grab
Federal investigators say they’ve arrested four men who may be connected to the theft of about two dozen firearms from a New Kensington gun shop. TribLive news partner WTAE first reported the suspects in the burglary were taken into custody Wednesday after police stopped an Audi at the intersection of...
Former Bullskin pain clinic physician accused of improper preparation of medication
A physician who operated a pain clinic near the Fayette-Westmoreland border has been indicted on accusations that he sold and administered injections to patients that were prepared in unsanitary conditions at his Monroeville home, according to court papers. John I. Park, 67, is charged with adulteration of a drug shipped...
Ohio bans gender-affirming care and restricts transgender athletes despite GOP governor’s veto
COLUMBUS — Ohio has banned gender-affirming care for minors and restricted transgender women’s and girls’ participation on sports teams, a move that has families of transgender children scrambling over how best to care for them. The Republican-dominated Senate voted Wednesday to override GOP Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto. The new law...
State university workers reach tentative contract with Pa. university system
The union representing 700 state university employees who work in admissions and financial aid, residence life, career services and other student support has reached a tentative contract agreement with the State System of Higher Education. The pact involving members of the State College and University Professional Association (SCUPA) would span...
West Deer man accused of recording secret videos of nude girl
A West Deer man was arrested Tuesday after, police said, he secretly video recorded a girl nude in Derry Borough, according to court papers. Coby C. Jones, 51, is facing charges of child pornography, invasion of privacy and sexual abuse of children filed by Westmoreland County detectives. Jones is formerly...
New Kensington shooting investigated; suspects in custody
Traffic was stalled briefly on the New Kensington Bridge Wednesday afternoon while police stopped a vehicle suspected of being involved in a shooting in the morning. According to Westmoreland 911, a shooting was reported around 10:30 a.m. along Haser Drive in the city at a Westmoreland County Housing Authority apartment...
Special Olympics North America brings softball championship to Pittsburgh
The Special Olympics North America softball championship, featuring more than 30 teams from across the U.S. and Canada, is coming to Pittsburgh and the A-K Valley in September. The No Offseason Sports facility on Little Deer Creek Valley Road near Russellton will host the event Sept. 6-8. Officials from the...
Frequent GOP candidate Shaffer launches bid for North Hills House seat
A frequent Republican political candidate in Pittsburgh’s North Hills is taking another shot at elected office, this time for a state House seat being vacated. Jeremy Shaffer, a former Ross commissioner, announced his candidacy Tuesday for Pennsylvania’s 28th state House District, which includes Bradford Woods, Marshall, Pine, Richland, West Deer...
North Strabane man to plead guilty to fatally shooting bald eagle
A North Strabane man has agreed to plead guilty to fatally shooting a bald eagle last year in Washington County, court records show. As part of the plea deal, attorneys said Rodney Thomas, 51, will forfeit an air rifle and suppressor and pay $9,800 in restitution to the Pennsylvania Wildlife...
New Kensington woman found hiding in discarded refrigerator in the woods after high-speed chase, police say
The search for a woman who police said they pursued in a high-speed chase through New Kensington and Lower Burrell led officers to a rusted refrigerator in the woods, court documents show. That’s where police said they found Rachel Mautino, 45, of New Kensington, hiding early Sunday after the pursuit...
New Kensington man accused of assaulting, threatening officer during arrest
A New Kensington man is accused of hitting and threatening a city police officer while he was being arrested on charges of strangling a woman Sunday. Charles Lavon Lewis, 27, is being held in the Westmoreland County jail on $25,000 bond. New Kensington police went to an apartment in the...
Leechburg forges ahead with regional police plans; state study supports move
Leechburg officials are moving forward with efforts to regionalize their police force with West Leechburg and Parks Township. A regional police study was completed in December, and it recommended consolidating the departments. Officials met Jan. 11 to review the study results. “The biggest thing is the coverage and the assistance...
Man whose car went into Harmar creek found dead in vehicle
A man whose car sped through a Harmar parking lot Wednesday morning before rolling over and landing in a creek was found dead in the vehicle, but it remains unclear what caused the crash or the man’s death. The crash happened just after 8 a.m. off Gulf Lab Road, near...
New report sees a boost in undergraduate enrollment on college campuses
Research released Wednesday suggests fall undergraduate enrollment on college campuses across most of the nation rose for the first time since before the covid-19 pandemic, ending a slump that has strained many institutions. But while more than two-thirds of states saw overall gains, others — including Pennsylvania — continued as...
Americans’ economic outlook brightens as inflation slows and wages outpace prices
WASHINGTON — After an extended period of gloom, Americans are starting to feel better about inflation and the economy — a trend that could sustain consumer spending, fuel economic growth and potentially affect President Joe Biden’s political fortunes. A measure of consumer sentiment by the University of Michigan has jumped...
Morning Roundup: 2 Pittsburgh officers injured after shots fired in Garfield
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 24: 2 Pittsburgh officers injured after shots fired in Garfield Two Pittsburgh police officers were injured Wednesday morning after responding to a ShotSpotter notification in the city’s Garfield neighborhood. Police were dispatched to the 5300 block of...
Authorities ID man killed by Pittsburgh police in South Side Slopes
Authorities have identified the man shot and killed early Wednesday by Pittsburgh police as Austyn Cousins, 26. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Cousins was shot by “law enforcement officer(s)” in the 1900 block of Huron Street around 1:49 a.m. He died less than an hour later at UPMC...
Harrison native has never missed a Super Bowl. He’s set to attend for 58th time
Harrison native and mega-Steelers fan Tom Henschel isn’t letting recent physical ailments deter him from continuing his streak of attending every Super Bowl. “It’s my 58th year going to a Super Bowl,” Henschel said Tuesday. “He’s determined to go and on a mission,” added Regina, his wife of 47 years....
Turkey’s parliament approves Sweden’s NATO membership, lifting key hurdle
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish legislators on Tuesday endorsed Sweden’s membership in NATO, lifting a major hurdle on the previously nonaligned country’s entry into the military alliance. Lawmakers ratified Sweden’s accession protocol 287 to 55, with ruling party members saying the Nordic country’s tougher stance on Kurdish militants was key to...
Bovard house fire displaces renters; no injuries reported
At least two residents were displaced when fire damaged a two-story house Tuesday evening in Hempfield. Crews from about 10 fire departments were dispatched shortly after 5:30 p.m. to the blaze in the 300 block of Price Street in the village of Bovard. One of the residents was at home...
Rep. Chris Deluzio kicks off reelection campaign in key congressional district
The race for Southwestern Pennsylvania’s most pivotal congressional district got rolling Tuesday. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, kicked off his reelection campaign Tuesday evening with an event at a training center for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT). Deluzio represents Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District — a...
