Tony LaRussa stories, Page 21
Police: Pittsburgh teen dies in Mercer County rollover crash after pickup hits wrecked vehicle
A woman who was a passenger in a vehicle that rolled over after the driver lost control along Interstate 79 in Mercer County on Friday died when another car crashed into the wreck. Danielle J. Duncan, 19, of Pittsburgh was pronounced dead at the scene following the crash near mile...
Drug sting in Apollo leads to arrest of Vandergrift, West Deer suspects accused of selling meth
Two people who were the target of a drug investigation this summer by Apollo police and the Armstrong County Drug Task Force face felony charges for allegedly selling methamphetamine. Curtis John Hepler, 63, of the 100 block of Hamilton Avenue in Vandergrift was charged with four felony counts of possession...
Police: Springdale couple threaten, follow woman after she made wrong turn onto their block
Springdale police arrested a couple after a woman told them the couple chased and threatened her when she made a wrong turn onto their street while driving her sons to a Halloween event at the high school. Cesare Biagio Palumbi, 30, was charged with four felony counts of aggravated assault...
Police: North Apollo man faces nearly 700 felony counts after admitting to having child porn on computer, phone
State police charged a North Apollo man with nearly 700 felony counts after he admitted to having pornographic images and videos of children on his computer and cellphone, investigators said. Jacob Charles Busler, 31, of Clark Avenue was charged with 680 counts of possession of child pornography and one count...
Pine’s plan for multi-use artificial turf fields aims to cut play-time lost to soggy grass
Work is underway in Pine on a multi-million project to tear out the soccer fields at the community park and replace them with a pair of multi-use fields that will be covered with artificial turf. Township officials said the project is part of the township’s ongoing effort to improve the...
Fundraiser set up for paper carrier who rescued elderly Tarentum couple from fire days after losing her car in blaze
A fundraising effort is underway to help a newspaper carrier who lost her car and other belongings to a fire just two days before she risked her life to pull an elderly couple from a burning house in Tarentum on Monday. A GoFundMe page was set up Tuesday to help...
Alert newspaper carrier rescues elderly couple from burning house in Tarentum
Becoming a hero was the furthest thing from Jennifer Colarossi’s mind while she was delivering newspapers in Tarentum before the sun came up Monday. She was just trying out a few changes to her delivery route to see if she could shave a little time off the process. That decision...
Police: Couple caught having sex in truck tractor idling along Route 28 on-ramp; gun, drugs found inside
State police accused a man of selling drugs and illegally carrying a gun after a pair of troopers pulled up on a truck tractor parked on a Route 28 on-ramp in Harrison while the man was in the cab having sex with a woman. William Bruce Greiner, 49, of the...
Pine’s Holiday Dazzle 2022 features family focused activities
Two years in a row might not yet make it a tradition, but having a sloth at the annual Holiday Dazzle in Pine could be heading in that direction. “We like to have this event before Thanksgiving to get people in the mood for the holidays,” said Gina Kampi, program...
Homicide charges filed against UPMC doctor accused of causing wreck that killed fellow physician
Police accused an emergency room doctor of being drunk while driving nearly 130 mph in July when he lost control of his Tesla and crashed, killing the physician who was his passenger. Joseph Henry Yanta, 38, of the 2000 block of Reis Run Road in Franklin Park was charged by...
Tarentum woman escapes injury after porch roof collapses
An elderly woman was inside her Tarentum home and escaped injury when the roof of the front porch collapsed Tuesday afternoon. It was the second home in the neighborhood where the porch collapsed in the past week, according to authorities. Police, fire and EMS responded at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday to...
Fawn man wielding a gun shot by troopers after ignoring orders to drop weapon, police say
State police say a Fawn man was brandishing a gun and ignored repeated orders to put the weapon down before they fatally shot him early Monday. Zachary John Cervice, 50, was dead at the scene, said state Trooper Josh Black, public information officer for state police in Butler. According to...
Traffic stop by Tarentum police for tinted windows, canceled registration leads to felony gun, drug charges
Tarentum police accused an Arnold man who isn’t allowed to have a firearm of lying about a gun found in his vehicle during a traffic stop for dark-tinted windows. Christian Barr Hawkins, 28, of the 2000 block of Kenneth Avenue, Arnold was charged with felony counts of carrying a gun...
County detectives file multiple child sex charges against Harrison man; girlfriend also arrested
A Harrison man who is a registered sex offender faces multiple felony charges after a 13-year-old told detectives that the man regularly touched them inappropriately for nearly six years. Adam Rezak, 37, of the 1100 block of Liberty Avenue was charged by Allegheny County Police with two counts each of...
Surge in RSV cases causing longer ER wait times at UPMC Children’s Hospital
A spike in the number of babies suffering from the respiratory illness RSV is increasing the emergency room wait times at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, according to officials. Dr. Raymond Pitetti, director of the emergency department at Children’s, said the surge in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) began about six...
Woman accuses West Deer man of sexually assaulting her while sleeping at friend’s house after party
West Deer police charged a man with sexually assaulting a woman after a party at her friend’s house, where he was living as a roommate. Dominic J. Richards, 27, of the 1200 block of Logan Road in West Deer was charged with four misdemeanor counts of indecent assault, according to...
Big Sewickley Creek Watershed group using mini grants to shine light on conservation efforts
For the past two years, a group of residents has been monitoring the work of natural gas drillers operating in the Big Sewickley Creek Watershed to make sure they are following the rules to prevent polluting or damaging the waterway’s delicate ecosystem. But their conservation efforts go beyond just looking...
Vandergrift police shock man who bit officer, fought with others arresting him for warrants
Vandergrift police say a man wanted on multiple warrants had to be repeatedly shocked with a stun gun after he ran from officers and then bit one of them in the arm while being taken into custody. Antjuan Dewayne Smith, 39, of the 2600 block of Brown Avenue in Hempfield...
Lower Burrell police say man repeatedly fought officers during arrest — even in jail cell
A man wanted on an arrest warrant was charged with felonies by Lower Burrell police after they accused him of kneeing an officer who tried to take him into custody and spitting blood at officers while he was in a holding cell. Christopher A. Love, 38, of the 700 block...
Former basketball star, now an instructor, charged with sexual assault of student athlete
Police in Armstrong County charged a former standout high school and college basketball player with sexually assaulting a student at a skills school he operates. South Buffalo Township police charged Mark Anthony Shehady, 24, of the 500 block of Dorseyville Road in O’Hara with nine felonies: three counts each of...
Allegheny Valley Hospital hosts Howl-O-Ween pet parade featuring therapy dog team
Staff and patients at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison got a chance to forget about their daily stresses and concerns for a short time while a team of therapy dogs donned their favorite costumes for a Howl-O-Ween parade. “Nothing brings a smile to the face of a patient or employee...
Kiski Township police arrest warrant suspect who they say tried to flee traffic stop by running into river
Kiski Township police say they arrested a man wanted on multiple warrants after he fled from a traffic stop and then tried to avoid being captured by swimming across a river. David Wayne Siford, 41, of the 100 block of Washington Avenue in Vandergrift, was charged with two felony counts...
Murrysville man accused of breaking into Washington Township woman’s home same day as release on bond
A man who was out of jail on bond after being accused of strangling his former girlfriend was arrested by Washington Township police after she told them he threatened to kill her and broke into her house the same day he was released. Colby Matthew Bowling, 28, of the 300...
Police: New Kensington woman accused of robbing man who borrowed money from her
A New Kensington woman was charged with robbery and assault after a resident at the Central Towers high-rise told police she sucker-punched him and searched through his pockets because he owed her money that he had borrowed to buy drugs. Isis Marie Grey, 27, of 8 Pine Court was charged...
Man awaiting trial for multiple gun charges accused of burglarizing Tarentum home
A Penn Hills man awaiting trial on multiple gun charges faces additional felony counts after his former girlfriend accused him of breaking into her Tarentum home and stealing her belongings. Finel Javon Thompson, 20, of the 1600 block of Nash Avenue in Penn Hills was charged by Tarentum police with...
