Tony LaRussa stories, Page 24
Truck driver averts serious injury after colliding with freight train in Brackenridge
The driver of a box truck escaped serious injury when the vehicle collided with a freight train while making a turn to cross railroad tracks in Brackenridge. The crash was reported at 12:05 p.m. involving a northbound Norfolk Southern train and a vehicle from YRC Freight, which has a depot...
West Deer man awaiting trial over shooting at neighbors accused of brawling with police; felony charges filed
A West Deer man who is awaiting trial on felony charges that he shot at his neighbors while they were having their property surveyed in April 2021 has been accused of attacking officers who tried to arrest him for allegedly harassing people in his neighborhood. Raymond Arthur Nelson, 64, of...
Faces of the Valley: Leechburg’s Doreen Smeal is on a mission to make the town the most it can be
Doreen Smeal could have used all the free time she had after retiring four years ago to do the things she put off while commuting daily for 39 years to her banking job in Pittsburgh. And while the Leechburg native carves out time to spend with her grandchildren and pursue...
Union: Strike averted at Lower Burrell nursing home, 17 others; workers still set to walk out at 18 facilities
A strike has been averted at a Lower Burrell nursing home and 17 others across the state after a tentative contract was reached between the company and the union representing its employees. But workers at 18 additional nursing homes operated by other companies involved in contract talks, including ones in...
Harrison man arrested for burglary in 2013 charged with attempted gun purchase
A Harrison man faces a felony count of illegal transfer of a firearm after, police say, he didn’t tell authorities about his criminal record when he tried to buy a gun at a sporting goods store. In addition to the felony charge, Zakery Boreland, 24, of the 400 block of...
Woman accused of threatening to shoot Harmar gas station clerk over candy faces assault, robbery charges
A woman was arrested on her birthday after a clerk at the Marathon station in Harmar accused her of threatening to shoot him if he didn’t pay for her candy and then fighting with him when he tried to stop her from walking out with a pack of cigarettes. Samantha...
Police accuse North Hills man of beheading woodpecker sign at Upper Burrell tavern
A North Hills man is accused of decapitating the bird on a custom-made sign at Woodpeckers Pub & Grub in Upper Burrell and driving off with it as a souvenir. Matthew John Hoch, 33, of McIntyre Road in Richland Township was charged with felony counts of theft and receiving stolen...
Trial ordered for man accused by Kiski Township police of having illegal pistol among weapons found in car
A man who isn’t old enough to have a handgun has been ordered to stand trial on felony charges because, authorities say, Kiski Township police officers found a pistol with a rubbed-out serial number, a rifle and a crossbow when they searched his car. District Judge James Andring ordered Lucas...
Clinton Township man faces multiple felonies after woman calls police about stranger on her porch
A Clinton Township man was ordered to stand trial on multiple felony charges after state police responded to a call from a woman who said she became frightened when a man dressed in black came to her front door asking for a drink and then tried to pull the screen...
Man accused of entering Ford City woman’s house to use bathroom, eat, nap on porch
State police arrested a man after a Ford City woman told a trooper that he came into her house and used the bathroom before eating some food and covering up with a garbage bag on the back porch to nap. Lawrence Robert Vail III, 29, of 200 block of Oak...
Stretch of inbound Parkway West to close overnight through mid-September
Work to repair the bridge carrying traffic over the Parkway West will begin Friday evening and require a portion of the inbound lanes to be shut down overnight through the middle of September, PennDOT announced. The bridge was damaged Feb. 2 when a truck crashed into the support structure for...
No injuries reported in fire at Squirrel Hill condominium complex
Residents of a condominium complex in Squirrel Hill were forced out of their homes after a fire broke out early Friday morning, according to authorities. Firefighters were dispatched to the 5100 block of 5th Avenue at around 1:40 a.m., according to emergency dispatchers. The fire was raised to two alarms...
Pet python on the loose in Duquesne; residents urged to stay back, contact police
Duquesne police are asking residents to be on the lookout for a pet python that escaped from its owners. The white snake, which is between 5- and 7-feet long, went missing Thursday near the 800 block of State Street while its owners were out for walk, according to authorities. Police...
Police say West Deer man convicted of indecent exposure, open lewdness committed same crimes again
A West Deer man who has been a registered sex offender since 2012 and was convicted in 2019 of indecent exposure and open lewdness in front of children, is accused of committing the same crimes again. David Stanley Boyer, 72, of the 3000 block of Countrywood Drive was arrested and...
Police say Springdale man out on bond for assaulting woman now accused of strangling her
A Springdale man who was out on bond and ordered not to have contact with a woman that police say he assaulted has been charged with trying to strangle her. Adam Stavish, 34, of Duquesne Court was charged with a felony count of strangulation along with two counts of simple...
Armstrong County insurance agent accused of working with expired license, taking money for policy that wasn’t issued
An Armstrong County insurance agent will stand trial on charges that he operated with an expired license and took money from a customer for a policy that never was issued. The state attorney general charged Thomas John Scheeren, 41, of the 100 block of Sherwood Drive in East Franklin, with...
Arson ruled in fire at vacant house in Point Breeze North
A fire that broke out in a vacant home in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze North neighborhood early Wednesday was intentionally set, according to authorities. Firefighters dispatched to the 6900 block of McPherson Boulevard shortly after midnight were met with heavy smoke pouring from the top floor of the two-and-a-half-story house, according...
Mt. Oliver man accused of pistol whipping 2 people in Clairton
A Mt. Oliver man was arrested by Allegheny County police in connection with the assault of two people Monday night in Clairton. Clairton police asked the county to assist after officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 1100 block of Marion Circle shortly after 9:30 p.m. When...
Stretch of inbound Parkway West to close overnight through mid-September
Work to repair the bridge carrying traffic over the Parkway West will begin Friday evening and require a portion of the inbound lanes to be shut down overnight through the middle of September, PennDOT announced. The bridge was damaged Feb. 2 when a truck crashed into the support structure for...
Students in southern Butler County set to begin school year at district with new name
Students in six south Butler County communities will return to classes Thursday for a new school year under a new district name. More than a year ago, officials in the South Butler County School District began the process of changing the district’s name to Knoch School District. School officials said...
Pittsburgh firefighter treated for heat exhaustion at house fire in Allegheny West
A Pittsburgh firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion after battling a fire that broke out early Wednesday at a home in Allegheny West, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Fire crews responded shortly after 12:40 a.m. to the 900 block of Western Avenue, according to Allegheny County emergency dispatchers. The...
New Kensington man charged with strangulation after neighbor calls cops about fight
A New Kensington man was charged with felony strangulation after a neighbor called police to report two people fighting in one of the apartments in her building. Derek Lee Knuckles, 64, of the 1000 block of Victoria Avenue, also faces a charge of simple assault in connection with the alleged...
Moon Area school officials say cyber ‘incident’ won’t delay return to classes
Officials in the Moon Area School District say they are investigating what’s being described as a cyber “incident” affecting some of its computer systems. The computer problems are not expected to cause disruptions when students return to classes from summer break on Wednesday. “We recently began experiencing a cyber incident...
Nursing homes in Lower Burrell, North Huntingdon among 24 statewide set to strike
Employees of nursing homes in Lower Burrell and North Huntingdon are among those at 24 long-term care facilities in the state who voted to strike, claiming unfair labor practices and a lack of accountability, according to union officials. Four of the nursing homes are owned by Comprehensive Healthcare, which operates...
Arrest warrant issued for man wanted in fatal North Braddock shooting
Allegheny County police have obtained an arrest warrant for a man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting in North Braddock. When police and paramedics responded to a shooting near the intersection of Jones and Baldridge avenues shortly after 6:30 p.m. Aug. 14, they found Leonard S. Morris-Graham, 29, of...
