Madasyn Lee stories, Page 19
More than 300 West Penn customers in A-K Valley lose power after truck takes down poles
More than 300 West Penn Power customers were left in the dark Monday morning after a dump truck took out multiple utility poles in Harmar, officials said. West Penn Power spokesman Todd Meyers said the incident happened shortly after 6:20 a.m. in the 1200 block of Russellton Road. Meyers said...
Allegheny County man sentenced to 15 years for running fentanyl trafficking organization
An Allegheny County man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for running a fentanyl trafficking organization two years ago, prosecutors said. Cameron Basking, 28, who had addresses in Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh, was convicted of multiple federal drug and firearm offenses after a weeklong jury trial, U.S. Attorney Scott...
Pennsylvania ranked as 5th best state for singlesVideo
Being single for Valentine’s Day might not be so bad this year — especially for people in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth came in fifth out of all 50 states as the best place to be single in 2020, according to a recent WalletHub.com report. The report used 29 metrics related to...
She didn’t want to be a nurse. Now she’s director of a Frazer school that teaches nurses
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things they do. Lynne Rugh never thought nursing was for her. But a nudge from a friend’s mother led her to a rewarding career she has been working in for close to five...
Route 65 in Avalon reopens after water main break caused 7-hour lane restriction
A water main break shut down a portion of Route 65 in Avalon for about seven hours, Allegheny County officials said. The incident was reported at 2:15 p.m. between South Ohio Street and Fisk Avenue, according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. PennDOT Community Relations Coordinator Joel Morris reported at...
Collier man sentenced to 12 years for heroin distribution
A Collier man was sentenced this week to 12 years in federal prison for having $376,000 worth of heroin in his Porsche SUV. The drugs were found by police after a high-speed chase on Route 28 five years ago, according to federal prosecutors. William Thompson, 37, previously pleaded guilty of...
Verona teen arrested, charged with attempted homicide in Wilkins shooting
A Verona teenager was arrested Thursday for allegedly shooting another teenager in Wilkins last week , Allegheny County Police said. Shawn Nazier Frye-Culbreth, 16, is charged as an adult with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, theft of a motor vehicle, theft, receiving stolen property, firearms violations and criminal conspiracy in connection...
Leechburg’s newest council members hope to bring fresh perspective to borough
Ruth Bender and Megan Goedicke love Leechburg. The two women have no prior political experience, but wanted to make a difference in their borough. So they ran for council and were elected. “I wanted to take a more active role in town,” Bender said. Both women ran unopposed in November’s...
Deer Lakes High School gets groovy with ‘Beehive: School Edition’Video
Get ready to be taken back to the 1960s this weekend at Deer Lakes High School. A cast, stage crew and live band of about 50 students in grades nine-12 will perform “Beehive: School Edition” from Jan. 31 through Feb. 2 in the high school auditorium. The hour-and-a-half-long musical tells...
Students at South Allegheny School District dismissed early because of bedbug
Students at the South Allegheny School District were dismissed early Tuesday after a bedbug was found in a school building, officials said. District officials made the decision to dismiss middle and high school students early out of “an abundance of caution.” Finding a bedbug doesn’t mean the building is infested,...
Leechburg Area Pool in Gilpin needs help from public to stay afloat
The future of the Leechburg Area Pool could be in jeopardy if it can’t recruit new board members, officials said Monday. The six-decade-old pool in Gilpin could potentially dissolve, which is akin to a form of bankruptcy, the pool’s board told members in a letter posted to Facebook. “We need...
Longtime Lower Burrell bartender mixes up a variety of drinks, flavors
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact Senior News Editor Tom Fontaine at tfontaine@tribweb.com. Amber Adda can’t remember how she landed...
$2.39 million Match 6 ticket sold in Butler County
A Match 6 ticket worth $2.39 million was sold in Middlesex, Butler County. The ticket correctly matched all six winning numbers, 01-06-19-25-34-42. It was sold in Saturday’s drawing at the CoGo’s at 1370 Pittsburgh Road. The store will earn a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. The Lottery said...
Bowling fundraiser raises $9K for St. Joseph student battling Ewing’s sarcomaVideo
Bowling is one team that St. Joseph High School senior Eli Swierczewski doesn’t play on. But that didn’t stop the 18-year-old from getting a strike at least once Sunday during a bowling fundraiser to help raise money for his cancer treatment at Wildlife Lanes in Lower Burrell. “I’m having a...
Outbound Liberty Tunnel reopens following crash
The outbound lanes of the Liberty Tunnel have reopened following a crash on Sunday morning, according to PennDOT. The crash occurred just after 9:45 a.m., according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. One person was taken to a hospital, the dispatcher said. Additional information was not immediately available....
Police: Missouri man arrested at Pittsburgh airport with loaded gun didn’t have permit
A Missouri man was arrested at Pittsburgh International Airport after TSA officers found a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag at the security checkpoint, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Donnell Whitcancek, 59, of Garden City, was arrested and charged with a firearms violation because he didn’t have a valid...
State Rep. Joseph Petrarca to hold 2 free concealed carry events
State Rep. Joseph Petrarca, D-Washington Township, will hold two free concealed-carry events to ensure 55th District residents are aware of their Second Amendment rights. The informational events will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 30 at Huber Hall in Latrobe and Feb. 6 at the West Leechburg Fire...
Fire marshal can’t rule out arson in blaze that destroyed Freeport home
A state police fire marshal said he can’t rule out arson as the cause for a fire that destroyed a Freeport home last weekend. The single-story, ranch-style house at 165 Washington St. was being renovated after it was damaged in another fire four months ago. The home caught fire again...
Pittsburgh man sentenced in drug raid that sickened 18 officers
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced to time served for conspiring to distribute a large amount of a fentanyl analogue three years ago , according to federal prosecutors. Anthony Lozito, 40, of Pittsburgh’s West End neighborhood, allowed cyclopropyl fentanyl to be packaged in his Bond Street home in exchange for a...
Florida woman arrested at Pittsburgh airport checkpoint with stolen gun
A Florida woman was arrested after she was caught with a stolen handgun in her carry-on bag at the Pittsburgh International Airport, according to TSA. Diana Lynn Askew, 53, of Plantation, Fla., had a loaded .38 caliber handgun, police said. TSA officers on Monday detected the weapon at the airport...
Leechburg wants to honor military veterans with banners
Leechburg is joining other Alle-Kiski Valley communities in honoring their veterans and active military service members with banners. A three-person committee that includes Mayor Wayne Dobos has been working on the “Hometown Hero” banner program since last year. The other community members are Doreen Smeal and Debbie Canzano. The banners...
West Deer acquires box for residents to safely dispose of medication
West Deer residents now have a safe place to drop off unwanted medications. The township recently acquired a Safe Medication Disposal box, which is in the lobby of the municipal building. West Deer police partnered with KidCents and The Rite Aid Foundation to get the box, which was donated by...
Police looking for missing Verona man last seen in December
Authorities are looking for a 22-year-old Verona man who was last seen in December in Penn Hills. Allegheny County police said the Verona Police Department notified them of Christian Moore-Rouse’s disappearance on Jan. 6. The man was last seen Dec. 21 at the Dollar Tree on Rodi Road in Penn...
Canonsburg man pleads guilty to using cell phone to access child porn
A Canonsburg man pleaded guilty in federal court to accessing lewd images and videos of underage children on his cell phone, prosecutors said. Robert Fichter, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said. Fichter was caught as part of a Homeland Security...
Blaze destroys Freeport house that was being repaired after a fire 4 months ago
A Freeport home that caught fire in September and was undergoing renovations was destroyed early Sunday when another fire broke out. Firefighters were called to a home at 165 Washington St. shortly after 4 a.m. When they arrived, they found the house fully engulfed. “The fire was already through the...
