Western PA Local News category, Page 1345
Pittsburgh man suspected in Brookline bank robbery apprehended
A Pittsburgh man wanted in connection with an August bank robbery in the city’s Brookline neighborhood was arrested Tuesday. Timothy Sowinski, 53, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Western Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force and Pittsburgh Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit, Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews reported. He was wanted...
West Deer supervisors choose new colleague from 3 candidates
West Deer has a new supervisor. Supervisors chose David Harrison, a 32-year resident of the township who has served on various boards in the past, at a special meeting Thursday evening. He runs a consulting firm for sound and vibration engineering. A vacancy for District 4 supervisor was created when...
Heinz History Center offers kids free admission in October
Fall is upon us and as the weather cools down and convinces families to seek out indoor activities, the Senator John Heinz History Center has come up with an idea to make visiting the venue more affordable. The history center is offering free admission for all kids aged 17 and...
2 people left homeless, pets dead, after Salem mobile home fire
Two people were homeless Wednesday evening after a trailer fire that killed two of their pets. Neither of the homeowners was injured when a mobile home caught fire early Wednesday evening in the 100 block of Bennett Drive in Salem, fire officials said. Crews were called about 5 p.m. and...
Monroeville’s Divine Mercy Academy hits stride
In 2018, families with children attending the pair of Catholic elementary schools in Monroeville, St. Bernadette and North American Martyrs, learned of their impending merger. Principal Nikole Laubham thinks the combination of the two, Divine Mercy Academy, is hitting its stride with the start of another school year. “With any...
Former McKeesport teacher facing multiple sex charges waives preliminary hearing
A former McKeesport Area middle school teacher and youth basketball coach accused of sexually assaulting several boys waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday. Eric Fairman, 27, of Pleasant Hills was scheduled to go before District Judge Michael W. Thatcher on multiple charges including indecent assault, unlawful contact with minors, corruption of...
Fayette woman killed in head-on crash in Hempfield, police say
A Fayette County woman was killed in a Hempfield crash Wednesday afternoon, according to state police. Troopers said another vehicle slammed head-on into the Kia Sedona Betty J. Wagner, 73, of Franklin Township, was driving on Arona Road at 4:45 p.m. Wagner was pronounced dead at the scene. Wagner and...
Prosecutor says deadly force not justified in Penn Borough shooting
A Penn Borough man told a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday he was shot in the chest by his landlord last summer. Nathan Booher, 26, testified he was unarmed on Aug. 28, 2021 when he entered the house he had lived in the previous three years with his mother’s boyfriend and...
Tessa Pagone of Gibsonia crowned Miss Pennsylvania Jr. Teen
Tessa Pagone of Gibsonia was crowned the 2022 National American Miss Pennsylvania Jr. Teen at the state pageant held in Virginia in August. The Deer Lakes High School sophomore has participated in National American Miss pageants for six years and most recently competed in the age 13-15 bracket. She qualified...
Donora man contends bar fight that left three injured started by jealous boyfriend
A Donora man told a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday he pulled out a knife to protect himself during an all-out brawl three years ago at a North Belle Vernon bar that left three people seriously wounded. Eric Cook, 46, testified during the third day of his attempted murder trial that...
Expert refutes concussion claims in suit against West Mifflin Area School District
The neuropsychologist who invented the widely used ImPACT test to help diagnose concussions testified on Wednesday that symptoms experienced by a West Mifflin man hurt on the high school football field 13 years ago are unrelated to that injury. Dr. Mark R. Lovell told a jury that he believes Shane...
Bells Mills Road closed after vehicle strikes covered bridge
Bells Mills Road connecting South Huntingdon and Sewickley townships has been closed at the Bells Mills Road bridge, after a vehicle struck the bridge on Tuesday, according to PennDOT officials. Damage to the bridge necessitated the road closure, according to PennDOT spokesperson Melissa Maczko. Vaughn Neil, an engineer with Westmoreland...
Road work start in Penn Hills pushed to next week
The start of a closure on Verona Road at Second Avenue in Penn Hills was moved to accommodate the contractor’s schedule, according to Allegheny County’s Department of Public Works. The intersection will now close starting at 9 a.m. Sept. 26. The closure, which is expected to end in October, is...
Mellon Park plan calls for better connections and traffic calming
A public park in Pittsburgh’s East End is looking for some upgrades and a new plan details the desire to better connect the park’s two halves and to slow drivers down as they pass through. The Mellon Park Action Plan was released Wednesday, and it lays out the community’s priorities...
Derry Township man accused of taking $21K of guns through improper use of third-party financing
A Derry Township man is accused of taking $21,000 worth of guns and accessories from a Hempfield shop after state police said he misrepresented his financing through a third-party agency, according to court papers. David J. Cochran, 23, was arraigned Tuesday on a theft by deception charge. State police said...
Pittsburgh projected to spend $2 million more in gas for fleet this year
The city of Pittsburgh is expected to spend about $5 million in gas this year — about $2 million more than last year — to keep its fleet running amid soaring gas prices. The city spent $3.2 million in gas to fuel its vehicles in 2021, Councilman Anthony Coghill said....
Greensburg state store temporarily closed
There is no timeline for the Fine Wine & Good Spirits store in Greensburg to reopen after its temporary closure in early August because of what state officials described as “potential safety concerns.” The building’s co-owner John Rause said Wednesday that he has contractors lined up to assess moisture issues...
Jurors begin deliberations in 2017 Homewood triple fatal fire trial
The victims didn’t have a chance. Sandra Carter Douglas. Shamira Staten. Ch’yenne Manning. None of them, said Deputy District Attorney Brian Catanzarite, played any role in a fight Martell Smith had early on the morning of Dec. 20, 2017. A fight, the prosecutor continued, that drove Smith into such a...
Monroeville Historical Society hosts Heritage Day Festival
Monroeville Historical Society is preparing for its annual Heritage Day Festival on Oct. 1. Acting as a “tribute to Monreoville’s rural past,” the festival maintains a modern version of the community’s early farming day tradition, the Harvest Home Picnic. The tradition dates back to the 1890s and has slowly evolved...
Parents charged in New Kensington boy’s death
Both parents of 9-year-old Azuree Charles were charged Wednesday in connection with the New Kensington boy’s death in May. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said the boy’s father, Jean Charles, 40, of Brackenridge, is charged with first-degree murder, criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, unlawful restraint of a minor...
Aspinwall Fireman’s Park pavilion eyed for upgrades
People who use Fireman’s Park in Aspinwall will notice significant upgrades in coming months to the site off West Ninth Street. The state awarded the borough a $45,290 grant on Sept. 19 to renovate the park pavilion. “The borough is thrilled to receive the grant to update our beloved Fireman’s...
Shogan promises transparency at hearing for National Archives leadership role
A North Huntingdon native was questioned for 30 minutes Wednesday during a Senate confirmation hearing to review her nomination to be archivist of the National Archives and Records Administration. Colleen Joy Shogan said she would provide transparency in regards to all emails and communications between the agency and the FBI...
Freeport borough offices closed to public as council tries to hire backup secretary
One could make an argument that Freeport’s government is suffering from “long covid.” The term refers to having effects from the virus persist long after the infection is cleared. It’s much like Freeport’s situation with a borough building that has been closed to the public for the past two weeks...
Baldwin Township set to dedicate Russell ‘Huck’ Hamler Veterans Memorial
Russell “Huck” Hamler has never lost sight of the fact that he’s lucky to be alive. During World War II, Hamler, a 98-year-old Mt. Lebanon native and Baldwin Township resident was part of a top-secret elite Army unit known as “Merrill’s Marauders,” named after its commander, Brigadier General Frank Merrill,...
Sewickley Music Club kicks off 101st season
The Sewickley Music Club’s 101st year welcomes back its members for the 2022-2023 season of a talented line up of musical performances. First up is the return of the delightful 3Rivers4 Barbershop Quartet singing their famous four-part harmony a cappella program entitled, “Decades of Delight.” The Club members will meet...
