Deb Erdley stories, Page 22
Former Pittsburgh U.S. Attorney: ‘Russia is interested in destroying democracy’
American voters are in the midst of a Russian redux, warns David Hickton, the former U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh whose office uncovered the 2016 Russian election hacks. Hickton, founding director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security, was U.S. Attorney for the Western District of...
Penn-Trafford Drama Guild launches prom shoe drive as students rehearse for ‘Footloose’
Cinderella would approve. The Penn-Trafford Drama Guild isn’t searching for her glass slipper, but members are soliciting donations of gently used prom, homecoming or other special occasion shoes for a shoe drive at the high school’s spring musical “Footloose.” Penn-Trafford’s high school thespians will present the beloved story of youthful...
Census Bureau finds Pa. divorce rates declined over the last decade
Maybe those branding experts had it right when they attempted to adopt the “Pennsylvania is for lovers” slogan a few years back. Or, at least it is a land of lasting love. No less authority than the U.S. Census Bureau — that fountain of all things numerical across America —...
Sen. Casey launches campaign for sweeping child welfare reformsVideo
Pennsylvania senior Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, is making it clear he’s in it for the long run. Two years into his third term, Casey, 59, is barnstorming the Keystone State to promote an ambitious package of child welfare proposals that even he concedes may take years to bring to fruition....
Seton Hill names new dean for visual, performing arts
Seton Hill University has named Kellee Van Aken as dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts. Van Aken, associate professor of theatre and chair of the Theatre and Dance Department at Seton Hill, joined the faculty in 2011 and has served as interim dean of the School of...
Sons of the American Legion remember a friend and toast veteransVideo
On a chilly Sunday morning before the sun came up, about a dozen of Mike Osenkowski’s friends gathered at the American Legion hall that houses Post 982 in Unity. Just hours after the bar closed, guys like Dave O’Barto and Patrick “Rabbit” Quinn, members of the Sons of the American...
Young chess players polish their skills at Ligonier library as tournament draws nearVideo
Saturday morning, while many of their friends were still noshing Frosted Flakes, Bethany Horman and Matthew Smith were staring down a chessboard and mastering the fine points of castling and capturing en passant in the basement of the Ligonier Public Library. Horman, 7, of Ligonier and Smith, 10, of Derry...
2 dead in Fayette County crash
Two people were pronounced dead early Saturday morning at the scene of a one-car crash in Redstone Township, Fayette County. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Phillip Reilly identified the victims as Miranda Huseman, 27, and Daniel August Guthrie, 32. Specific addresses for the deceased were not available Saturday, but Reilly said...
Tom Wolf’s scholarship proposal targets low- and middle-income students at Pa. state schools
It’s a far cry from “free college for all” — or even “tuition-free public college” — but Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed Nellie Bly Scholarship echoes facets of those proposals. The idea for the new scholarship is included in Wolf’s state budget proposal. He said it would help low- and middle-income...
New state fund will underwrite counseling for victims with old sexual abuse claims
Survivors of sexual abuse now can access trauma counseling and therapy under a provision quietly inserted in a Pennsylvania statute of limitations reform bill late last fall. In addition to extending the time for survivors of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits until their 55th birthday and eliminating the statute...
Pitt to host coronavirus panel discussion Wednesday evening
Public health, history, political experts and epidemiologists will gather Wednesday at the University of Pittsburgh to discuss the coronavirus outbreak. The event is sponsored by the Pitt Asian Studies Center. Mari Webel, an assistant professor of history, pulled together the panel in an effort to address the lack of information,...
Clergy sex abuse class action lawsuit against Pittsburgh diocese seeks to add Greensburg, others
Lawyers in a class action suit trying to force the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh to open its clergy abuse archives expanded their campaign to include the Greensburg, Harrisburg and Altoona-Johnstown dioceses as well as the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The move comes one month after Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Judge...
Notice of execution signed for Allegheny County man convicted of 2012 slaying
In the absence of gubernatorial action, Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel on Monday signed a notice of execution for an Allegheny County man convicted of capital murder in the Jan. 2012 slaying of his estranged girlfriend, Karissa Kunco. Jordan Alexander Clemons, 31, formerly of Mt. Washington, was convicted of...
Former Greensburg lawyer pens political thriller set in Westmoreland
“Settlers’ Cemetery,” a former Greensburg lawyer’s debut novel, may have tongues wagging in Greensburg. The novel, by attorney and political gadfly Gary Fine, is peppered with the kind of scandalous tales I heard as a courthouse reporter in the 1980s, and then some. Fast forward 40 years. Add a political...
Greensburg physician sentenced to prison in opioids for sex scheme
A Greensburg physician convicted of dispensing opioids for sex was sentenced Friday to more than three years in federal prison. Dr. Milad Shaker, 52, of Greensburg was convicted of 14 counts of federal drug violations following a six-day trial in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh in October. U.S. District Judge...
Slippery Rock cancels Chinese New Year celebration
The impact of the coronavirus, the mysterious respiratory virus that cropped up in Wuhan, China in December, reached into Butler County Wednesday when officials at Slippery Rock University canceled plans for a Chinese New Year’s celebration slated for Feb. 15. The outbreak, which had killed nearly 500 as of Wednesday,...
Friends of Flight 93 announces new leadership
The former senior executive director of the Pentagon Memorial Fund was appointed executive director of the Friends of the Flight 93 National Memorial. Officials said Andrew Ammerman, who served as senior executive director of the Pentagon Memorial Fund for more than 13 years, will assume the post as new leadership...
Clarion University to introduce campus safety smart phone app
There’s an app for nearly everything and, next fall, Clarion University students will have the opportunity to tap one designed to fight sexual violence on campus. Officials at Clarion said the state-owned university located about 75 miles north of Pittsburgh will use a state grant to launch LiveSafe, a mobile...
Seton Hill to offer RN to BSN program online
Seton Hill University is joining the growing list of colleges and universities offering online bachelor of science programs for registered nurses. Officials at the Greensburg private university said the new program will offer working professionals the ability to complete a bachelor’s degree in a flexible format. The move comes as...
Sweeping changes to Pennsylvania election law could make early voting a norm
The heat is on — and it’s getting hotter for election officials across Pennsylvania as the April 28 presidential primary approaches. A new state election law that allows, among other things, no-excuse mail-in balloting 50 days before an election, coupled with the introduction of new voting machines in 22 counties,...
Pitt cancels spring programs in China
Citing a new U.S. State Department advisory against travel to China, the University of Pittsburgh Friday instructed students, staff and faculty slated to travel there in the coming weeks to cancel their plans. Several Pitt groups were scheduled to travel to China in March. Pitt spokesman Kevin Zwick said the...
Westmoreland County Community College seeks nomination for distinguished alumnus award
Westmoreland County Community College officials are seeking nominations for the school’s 2020 Distinguished Alumnus Award through Feb. 13. The award recognizes and honors alumni who have distinguished themselves through professional accomplishments, significant community based service, and support or service to the college. It will be presented at the college’s commencement...
Citing Bolton revelations, Sen. Casey reiterates call for witnesses in impeachment trial
Pennsylvania senior U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, reiterated a call for the inclusion of “relevant” witnesses and documents Thursday morning as he prepared to attend the second day of questioning at the impeachment trial of President Trump. Casey’s comments during a press call Thursday morning came as Republicans continued to...
Pittsburgh school for the blind facing teacher shortage
While educators fear many of Pennsylvania’s K-12 schools may face a teacher shortage soon, one specialized school says it already has one. Rachelle Rectenwald is assistant superintendent at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, a multifaceted school serving individuals with blindness and visual impairment at its Oakland campus. She...
Trump support edges up in Pennsylvania poll as impeachment continues
President Trump has grown stronger with Pennsylvania voters despite ongoing impeachment proceedings, a poll finds. A majority of the 628 registered Pennsylvania voters who responded to a Jan. 20-26 Franklin & Marshall Poll said it is time for a change in the White House. Still, 38% of them said President...
