Justin Vellucci stories, Page 34
Air quality in Western Pa. continues to improve, could return to normal levels by Monday
With Canadian wildfires still burning and sending smoke into the Northeast, a government website has proved to be a valuable, easy-to-use resource for people looking for the latest information about air quality in their communities. The website AirNow.gov allows users to search for air quality data by city, state or...
Pittsburgh Regional Transit riders involved in November crash sue driver who struck bus
Two Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus riders involved in a head-on crash in November sued the driver who hit them Thursday in the Court of Common Pleas. Victoria Coleman, of the Hill District, and John Peters, who listed his home address as the H. John Heinz III Department of Veterans Affairs...
Wilkinsburg man gets 17½ to 40 years for 2022 killing in Homewood
A Wilkinsburg man was sentenced Thursday to 17½ to 40 years in prison for killing a man in Homewood last year. Khatrell Haynes-Morgan, 20, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and aggravated assault in March after reaching a plea deal with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, court records show. As...
2 men convicted in Downtown Pittsburgh killing of 18-month-old
De’Avry Thomas was a happy toddler. “He never really cried,” said Khalil G. Darden, Jr., 22, of Pittsburgh, the boy’s godfather. “He always wanted to have fun. He was always smiling.” De’Avry just 18 months old, was killed in a drive-by shooting Downtown over Memorial Day Weekend in 2022. On...
1 hospitalized, 1 in custody after shooting in Clairton
One person was hospitalized after a shooting Wednesday afternoon in Clairton. The shooting happened around 2:30 p.m. in the 4300 block of Bataan Avenue, Allegheny County Police said. First responders found one manwith what police called a non-life-threatening injury to the knee. The man, who was not identified, was taken...
Western Pa. air quality worsens as Canadian wildfires continue to burn
Air quality in Western Pennsylvania dropped to unhealthy levels Wednesday and could remain that way until at least Sunday as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to pollute the Northeast. Pittsburgh’s air quality index, or AQI, hit 155 around 3 p.m., according to the government website AirNow.gov. The reading had dropped...
McKeesport woman charged in connection with death of man found wrapped in plastic
A McKeesport woman was taken into police custody Tuesday in connection with the murder of Donte Glover, a 36-year-old man who was found dead and wrapped in plastic. Lindsey Jackson, 37, is facing charges of homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office said. Jackson...
Pittsburgh man told investigators he stabbed man in Shadyside ‘out of convenience,’ police say
A Pittsburgh man faces attempted homicide and other charges after police said he told them that he stabbed a man “out of convenience” over the weekend in Shadyside. Jasper Jacob Hilliard, 21, of Shadyside, was awaiting medical clearance Tuesday afternoon to be taken to Allegheny County Jail, according to Public...
Medical examiner IDs man killed in Wilkinsburg shooting
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified a man who was shot to death Saturday night in Wilkinsburg. Michael Anthony Tomlin, 32, of Verona, was found with a gunshot wound around midnight Saturday in the 1300 block of Franklin Avenue, according to Allegheny County Police. Authorities pronounced Tomlin dead...
40 Pittsburgh schools to shift to remote learning Thursday due to heat
Pittsburgh Public Schools plans to temporarily close 40 district schools in favor of remote learning Thursday because of anticipated high temperatures. For a list of the affected schools, which officials said do not have sufficient air-conditioning, click here: www.pghschools.org/Page/6250. Students from those schools will receive virtual instruction on Thursday and...
Antisemitic stickers found in Squirrel Hill park on 1st day of synagogue shooting trial
Antisemitic stickers were found in a Squirrel Hill park Tuesday, as the much-anticipated Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial got underway. About 15 stickers were removed from utility poles and other public surfaces at Wightman Park, and the stickers also have been found in Schenley Park, along Beechwood Boulevard, and in Oakland,...
A decade later, Trib still seeking answers in the death of employee who had gone missing
Dan Niehaus was a quiet man who preferred to keep a low profile. People who knew him hope new information emerges that could help break the silence surrounding circumstances of his disappearance a decade ago. Robert Miklos said he and Niehaus worked side-by-side for several years tying up bundles of...
McKeesport teen suspected in 2021 shooting arrested in Pittsburgh’s West End, sheriff says
A McKeesport teen wanted in connection with the 2021 shooting of a girl in Clairton has been arrested, Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus said Friday. Anthony Gibson, 18, was charged in May 2021 after police said he fired multiple shots near the Soft Serve and Dee-Lights ice cream shop...
Pittsburgh school board member critical of superintendent’s response to Oliver violence
A Pittsburgh school board member whose district includes Oliver Citywide Academy accused the superintendent of being “more concerned with the aesthetics of looking good in public than taking any real action” a day after a deadly shooting at the Marshall-Shadeland school. Oliver student Jaymier Perry, 15, of Hays, faces homicide...
Bethel Park police lieutenant charged in illegal immigrant transport case
A Bethel Park police lieutenant was taken into federal custody Thursday afternoon after authorities said he transported an illegal immigrant. FBI spokesperson Catherine Coennen confirmed that Lt. Blake Thomas Babin, 59, of Bethel Park, is in custody. He is facing a felony charge of transporting an illegal immigrant, according to...
Braddock man gets 12 to 24 years in prison for role in fentanyl ring
A Braddock man was sentenced to 12 to 24 years in prison for running a million-dollar fentanyl drug ring. Domonique Taylor, 39, pleaded guilty to felony drug trafficking, gun possession and money-laundering charges, state Attorney General Michelle Henry said Thursday. In March 2022, the state Attorney General’s office and local...
New Kensington auto show brings joy to community, car lovers
Each car displayed Sunday at The River Community Church’s 17th annual car show in New Kensington had a story. But Chris Laskowski’s story is a pretty wild one. Laskowski’s father, Stephen, spent $3,400 at a Monroeville dealership, after arriving home from the Vietnam War in 1970, to buy a brand-new...
Springdale, Oakmont Scouts plant flags at Harmar cemetery for Memorial Day
Boy Scout Alexander Fugate walked up to the grave of Joseph S. Senti, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and died in 1970, and replaced a slightly tattered U.S. flag Sunday with a fresh one. On a sun-splashed morning, Fugate then walked a few more steps...
East Liberty man accused of robbing Shadyside bank arrested
An East Liberty man was arrested Saturday after being accused of robbing a Shadyside bank, authorities said. Pittsburgh Police charged Rashon Coleman, 29, with two counts of robbery and one count theft by unlawful taking for stealing $25,045 from the PNC Bank at 5932 Centre Ave. Coleman entered the bank...
Memorial ceremony held as Brackenridge changes Third Avenue street signs to McIntire Way, honoring slain chief
Rain fell gently on a wooden podium framed by flags and wreaths as Lori McIntire walked up to the microphone, then choked out the words. “Third Avenue is where Justin was born and raised,” said Lori McIntire — a 50-year resident of Third Avenue, clad in a gray t-shirt memorializing...
Indiana Township wows young kids with its first-ever ‘Touch-a-Truck’ event
Indiana Township firefighter Mike Klier had a message Saturday morning for 4-year-old Gia Chanampa as he handed her a yellow, plastic firefighters helmet from his firetruck. “You’ve gotta drink your milk and eat your vegetables if you want to be a firefighter,” said Klier, 59, a Shaler resident who responds...
Allison Park man found stabbed to death near North Side homeless encampment
A man described as a “success story” for working his way out of homelessness was found stabbed to death Friday morning near a homeless encampment in Pittsburgh’s North Side. Michael Dodson, 30, of Allison Park, was found around 6:45 a.m. in a wooded area near an encampment off Route 28,...
Pittsburgh man accused of shooting 2 men outside Strip District bar
A Pittsburgh man is accused of shooting two men after an argument late last month outside a Strip District bar. Jaquan Steadman, 24, faces charges including two counts each of attempted homicide and reckless endangerment and four counts of aggravated assault, online court records show. Pittsburgh police said they responded...
Pittsburgh’s acting police chief addresses racial profiling, police brutality in City Council interview
Larry Scirotto, Pittsburgh’s acting police chief, said Thursday during a four-hour interview with City Council that his officers should follow a ban on minor traffic stops. City Council voted in late 2021 to ban police from pulling over drivers for minor infractions such as having a burned-out brake light or...
Man dies in head-on crash in North Versailles
A 65-year-old man was killed in a head-on crash Tuesday afternoon in North Versailles, according to authorities. North Versailles police said the two-vehicle crash happened around 3:15 p.m. on East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard near Braddock Avenue. A 19-year-old man driving an SUV with a 16-year-old female passenger crossed the median and...
