Tom Davidson stories, Page 22
Gov. Wolf signs bills for use-of-force registry, stronger background checks for cops in Pa.
After an East Pittsburgh police officer shot and killed Antwon Rose II two years ago, critics of the officer wondered how he had been hired so easily after facing previous misconduct complaints. Rose would have celebrated his 20th birthday Sunday The officer, Michael Rosfeld, had a checkered past, Pennsylvania Attorney...
Police: Ohio man caught with loaded handgun at Pittsburgh airport won’t be charged
An Ohio man won’t face criminal charges after federal authorities found a loaded handgun in a bag at Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday, Allegheny County Police said. Transportation Security Administration officers found the .32-caliber handgun loaded with seven bullets, TSA said in a news release. The bag belonged to an...
Dispatcher: Verona authorities rescue person who fell off Jet Ski in Allegheny River
A person who fell off a Jet Ski in the Allegheny River near Arch Street in Verona on Sunday, July 12, was transported to an area hospital, an Allegheny County 911 shift commander said. Verona police and fire departments were dispatched at about 7 p.m. They could not be reached...
UPMC doctors say latest coronavirus cases less severe in Western Pa.
The surge in covid-19 cases in Southwestern Pennsylvania is infecting a younger, less vulnerable demographic, and thus far the most recent cases appear to be less severe, doctors at UPMC said Thursday. The latest cases are mainly linked to younger people who contracted covid-19 after traveling out-of-state or while socializing,...
Food service director accused of misusing $12K in subsidies from Hill District Catholic school
A 48-year-old North Versailles woman accused of spending more than $12,000 of federal school lunch subsidies on personal expenses between 2014 and 2016 turned herself in to authorities Thursday, according to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office. Rebecca L. Moore was food service director for St. Benedict the Moor School...
Pittsburgh man dies after being shot in Larimer
A 34-year-old man died after he was shot Sunday morning in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood, police said. Keith D. Byrd died at 5:58 a.m. Sunday at a local hospital, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. Byrd was found shot in the 100 block of Shetland St. at about 4...
Allegheny County officials confirm 6 coronavirus cases at courthouse
Allegheny County court employees and prosecutors are among recent covid-19 cases in the county, officials confirmed Monday. Six employees have been diagnosed with the disease, according to Allegheny County court administrator Christopher Connors. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.’s office also posted on social media that three of...
Allegheny County reports 218 new coronavirus cases, 1 death
Allegheny County Health Department officials reported 218 new covid-19 cases on Monday, one new death and four new hospitalizations. The new death reported Monday brings the toll to 188. This is the second time the daily report has surpassed 200 cases. It ends a trend of declining daily totals since...
‘It’s getting ridiculous,’ bar owner says of alcohol ban during Allegheny County protestVideo
About 50 people rallied in front of the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon, protesting the newly imposed restriction on alcohol consumption in restaurants and bars. Many said the ban imposed by county Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen will cripple the industry. Three hours after the protest, the...
Another West Mifflin-based Port Authority driver diagnosed with covid-19
Another Port Authority of Allegheny County employee who works out of the authority’s West Mifflin garage has tested positive for covid-19, the authority said Wednesday. It is the 17th case involving a Port Authority employee. The employee has been in a medically directed self-quarantine since March 19, but they tested...
Pittsburgh officials to enforce fireworks laws, restrict large gatherings during July 4th weekend
Pittsburgh’s public safety agencies are taking a different approach to monitoring gatherings to mark Independence Day because of the coronavirus pandemic. “We all know that these are uncertain and trying times,” Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said in a statement. “But if we can pull together as a city and...
Alcohol ban protest organizer’s West Deer bar reports positive covid-19 test in employee
The sports bar owner who was organizing a protest against Allegheny County’s covid-19 restrictions closed his West Deer business Tuesday night after an employee tested positive for the virus, according to a post on the bar’s Facebook page. Xtra Innings Sports Bar and Grille on Saxonburg Boulevard is owned by...
New online tool helps crunch coronavirus numbers throughout Pennsylvania
As covid-19 cases continue to increase in Allegheny County, state officials Tuesday launched a new online dashboard that put the numbers into perspective by comparing them on a week-to-week basis. “This dashboard provides the entire community with early warning to changes in covid-19 infection so that we can take action...
Pleasant Hills man sentenced for high speed DUI crash that killed a passenger
A 25-year-old Pleasant Hills man on Tuesday received a 3- to 6-year prison sentence for a December 2019 crash in Whitehall that killed a passenger. Tyler DeGraffenreid told police he smoked marijuana that day and drank numerous beers and several shots of whiskey before the Dec. 15, 2019, crash on...
Authorities trying to identify vandal suspect from May 30 Pittsburgh protests
Authorities are seeking help in identifying a man who is accused of helping to destroy a police vehicle during May 30 protests in Downtown Pittsburgh. The Damage Assessment and Accountability Task Force, a group made up of local, state and federal authorities including Pittsburgh police, are investigating crimes that happened...
West Deer bar owner organizing protest over covid-19 drink sales ban
The owner of a West Deer bar is planning a Thursday protest in Downtown Pittsburgh about Allegheny County’s decision to prohibit alcohol sales inside bars and restaurants. “We will protest the shutdown of bars,” John Pavlik of West Deer wrote on his personal Facebook page. The protest is set for...
Pa. Health Department taking online complaints of covid-19 violations
People who have a complaint about a business that is violating restrictions put into place because of the coronavirus pandemic can report it to the Pennsylvania Department of Health using an online form. The form asks for basic contact information from the person making the complaint, information about the business...
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s push to impeach Gov. Wolf likely to fail, experts say
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s push to impeach Gov. Tom Wolf for imposing coronavirus-related restrictions that wreaked havoc on Pennsylvania’s economy is historically unprecedented, political experts said Wednesday. It’s also unlikely to get the support needed for a gubernatorial impeachment to move forward, the experts said. “These are outlandish claims, accusations,”...
Allegheny County reports no new cases of covid-19, 3 deaths
Allegheny County health officials reported no new covid-19 cases, three new deaths and one new hospitalization on Wednesday. There have been 2,113 confirmed or probable cases of the disease, including 1,979 confirmed cases and 134 probable cases, county health officials said. The Allegheny County death toll from covid-19 is 177....
Former Speaker Mike Turzai starts as Peoples’ general counsel
Former Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai’s whirlwind week continued Tuesday, when he started his life in the private sector as general counsel of Peoples, the Pittsburgh-based gas utility. His last day in office as speaker Monday was spent advancing two bills out of committee that would change how police are...
YWCA Greater Pittsburgh’s Downtown building is on the market
YWCA Greater Pittsburgh’s building on Wood Street Downtown is on the market, its leader said Tuesday. The move was in the works before the coronavirus pandemic and is part of the YWCA’s new organizational strategy to focus its resources to supporting race and gender equity, especially for women of color,...
Scott man accused of hurting 3 Pittsburgh cops during Downtown protest
A 24-year-old Scott man who is accused of hurting three Pittsburgh police officers during the May 30 protests Downtown has schizophrenia and is in jail after an unrelated June 10 incident at his grandparents’ home, according to criminal complaints. Authorities used surveillance camera footage to identify Andrew Augustyniak-Duncan as the...
Community activists outline demands for police reform in Pittsburgh, Allegheny CountyVideo
African American activists on Monday outlined a dozen police reforms they want to see enacted immediately by Allegheny County and Pittsburgh officials. The group, which calls itself the Allegheny County Black Activist/Organizer Collective, is made up of several black-led organizations and has the support of Allegheny County Councilwoman Olivia Bennett...
Downtown ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural welcomed by Pittsburgh officialsVideo
The Black Lives Matter message that’s spurred daily gatherings in Western Pennsylvania since May 30 is now painted on a highly visible retaining wall along the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh. “BLACK LIVES MATTER” is written in giant white block letters that are outlined in red on the retaining wall...
Roof collapses at church on Pittsburgh’s North SideVideo
Authorities responded Monday afternoon to the collapse of the roof at a church on Pittsburgh’s North Side. An Allegheny County 911 shift commander couldn’t provide details but said the city’s police, firefighters and emergency medical services were dispatched at 12:42 p.m. to Christian Fellowship Center Church on McClure Avenue in...
