Top Stories category, Page 981
Pa.’s broken ‘compassionate release’ law, by the numbers
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. In Pennsylvania prisons, thousands of people are aging behind bars, suffering from chronic health conditions, and requiring regular medical care that...
Former Westmoreland Coroner Ken Bacha hired as chief operations officer at Mutual Aid
Kenneth Bacha, who served as Westmoreland County’s coroner for 20 years until he was defeated in the 2021 election, has taken a new job with Mutual Aid Ambulance Service Inc. as its chief operations officer. Bacha, 60, of Greensburg, began his new job last week. “I’m really excited about it....
Irwin man accused of killing estranged wife’s boyfriend in North Versailles
A 40-year-old Irwin man is charged with homicide after police say he shot and killed a man in North Versailles last month before shooting himself in the head. Samuel Trusso, who police said is expected to survive, is charged with criminal homicide and firing a gun into an occupied structure...
Upcoming PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season showcases powerful women
The 2022-23 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Series has a strong theme of female empowerment. “From ‘Six,’ which allows King Henry VIII’s wives to tell their stories, to the all-female creative team of ‘Hadestown,’ to iconic leading ladies like Elsa, Tina Turner and Tracy Turnblad, this season shines a light on...
Man accused in regional bail scam to stand trial on conspiracy charges for Hempfield case
After a Hempfield woman handed over $5,000 to a man she was led to believe was a bail bondsman, she wasn’t able to get in touch with a person who claimed to be her daughter’s attorney. Darlene Johnston, 60, testified Tuesday that she got a phone call on Feb. 28...
Mt. Pleasant man gets house arrest, probation for role in Capitol riot
Samuel Fox was inside the U.S. Capitol for only two minutes during the riot there on Jan. 6, 2021. He didn’t engage in any violence. He didn’t take anything. He had no weapons, no tactical gear and a barely charged cellphone. For those reasons, a judge ruled Tuesday, the Latrobe...
Repairs to Port Authority bridge in Pittsburgh to be done by end of May, officials say
Repairs to Port Authority of Allegheny County’s bridge over Saw Mill Run Boulevard in Pittsburgh should be finished by the end of May, officials said Tuesday. The bridge has been closed since early February when crews discovered that water coupled with the freeze and thaw cycle had caused part of...
Greenfield man charged after police say he tried to force way into Pittsburgh Public Schools offices
A man from Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood is accused of forcing his way into Pittsburgh Public Schools’ administrative building in Oakland on Monday. Kevin McSwiggen, 40, faces two counts of aggravated assault after police said he injured two school police officers during a scuffle in which the officers were trying to...
Ohio GOP lawmakers push sexual orientation discussion ban
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio educators would be banned from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, under newly introduced Republican legislation that mirrors a recently passed Florida law dubbed “Don’t say gay” by critics. The Ohio legislation also requires that teaching about sexual orientation or...
AG Josh Shapiro bans Martino Motors from selling cars
A Penn Hills used car dealership is banned from selling cars in Pennsylvania. Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced in a press release Monday that Martino Motors, 536 Rodi Road, violated an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (AVC) that the dealership entered into in 2014. “Martino Motors agreed to play by the...
Prayer vigil for Ukraine set for Saturday in Greensburg
A group of area religious leaders will lead a prayer vigil for the people of Ukraine from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Bononi & Bononi parking lot at the corner of South Main and East Third streets in Greensburg. “We want to present a unified message on Russia’s...
In fiery speech, Zelenskyy implores U.N. Security Council to hold Russia to accountVideo
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an impassioned address to the United Nations Security Council, on Tuesday likened Russian atrocities in his homeland to Nazi war crimes, calling for Nuremberg-style tribunals to hold Moscow accountable. “They shot and killed women outside their houses — they killed entire families,...
Police: Drug charges filed against West Deer man who said disturbance was reaction to attack by demons
A West Deer man faces a felony drug charge after telling police he woke his neighbors at 2 a.m. because he was being attacked by white demons with black eyes, authorities said. Donald A. Cowfer Jr., 34, of Tarentum-Culmerville Road was charged with felony possession of drugs with the intent...
PNC Park continues to rank among MLB’s top ballparks
Of all the baseball stadiums in all the towns in all the world … PNC Park is among the best. Regularly. Hold your head high, Pittsburgh. You’ve got one of the best Major League Baseball parks there is. And while the team that plays there has rarely been viable after...
Police: Ford City man faces felonies for hitting neighbor in head with baseball bat
A man told Ford City police that he was hit in the head with a baseball bat when he went to a neighbor’s house to retrieve items from his former girlfriend. Benjamin Peter Space, 45, of the 700 block of Fourth Avenue in Ford City, faces charges of aggravated assault...
New Twitter biggie Musk may have thoughts on edit button
Elon Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO and power Twitter user who is now Twitter’s largest shareholder and newly appointed board member, may have thoughts on a long-standing request from users: Should there be an edit button? On Monday evening, Musk launched a Twitter poll about whether they want an edit...
Federal civil rights lawsuit filed against City of Pittsburgh in Jim Rogers’ death
The estate of a man who died in October a day after being tased by Pittsburgh police filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit Monday against the city and the officers on the scene that day. The complaint, filed by James Frierson, who is serving as the administrator of Jim Rogers’...
Democratic, GOP Senate bargainers reach $10B covid agreement
WASHINGTON — Senate bargainers reached agreement Monday on a slimmed-down $10 billion package for countering covid-19 with treatments, vaccines and other steps, the top Democratic and Republican negotiators said, but ended up dropping all funding to help nations abroad combat the pandemic. The compromise drew quick support from President Joe...
70 cats recovered from Hempfield home after owner calls for help
It will take thousands of dollars to get 70 cats and kittens that were rescued Sunday from a Hempfield hoarding situation into adoptable condition, said Jen Johnson, president of Ninth Life Rescue Center. She and volunteers from As They Come Animal Rescue are hoping for some community support to rehabilitate...
Suspect arrested in South Side Flats shooting
Pittsburgh police have arrested a man in connection with an April 2 shooting on Pittsburgh’s South Side that left another man in critical condition. Julyan Richards, 25, who was not listed with an address in court records, has been charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence. Shortly...
Men who played role in Pittsburgh garbage collector’s death plead in state court
Seven members of a local gang involved in violence in Pittsburgh’s Hilltop neighborhood that led to the 2014 shooting death of a beloved garbage collector have pleaded guilty in state court. All seven men were members of the Zhoove gang, based in Beltzhoover, which at the time was fighting with...
Westbound Turnpike exit in Cranberry to close Monday night into Tuesday morning
The westbound Cranberry exit ramp from the Pennsylvania Turnpike will close at 7 p.m. Monday night and reopen Tuesday morning as work crews remove a disabled tractor trailer from the ramp, turnpike officials announced Monday. The closure of the westbound Exit 28 ramp will be from 7 p.m. Monday night...
FBI: Sextortion of teenagers is growing problem
Teenagers, primarily boys, are being lured with the offer of money by “females” in return for sending sexually explicit photos and videos over social media, only to discover that they become victims in an elaborate extortion scheme seeking more money, according to the FBI in Pittsburgh. The FBI said Monday...
Hempfield man convicted in teen’s 2002 murder seeks early end to probation
A Hempfield man who as a teenager pleaded guilty to charges that he participated in the 2002 murder of a classmate’s older brother wants the 10-year probation term portion of his sentence, scheduled to begin this month, terminated to allow him to move to another state. Robert Laskowski, now 35,...
Ingram woman who got house arrest in child sex abuse case accused of violating probation
Trista Price pleaded guilty on March 24 to endangering the welfare of children for her role in her then-husband’s sexual and physical abuse of their two children 12 years ago. The plea agreement called for Price, 38, of Ingram, to serve seven years of probation with two years on house...
