Western PA Local News category, Page 1423
Dog missing from Trafford family found dead in Braddock
One day after an Armstrong County woman was charged with theft after police say she failed to return a dog she was pet sitting for a Trafford family, the animal was found dead near railroad tracks in Braddock. Eva Hodgdon, owner of the 1-year-old German shepherd named Nani Nyx, said...
West Deer woman accused of beating, sexually assaulting 7-year-old girl faces multiple felony charges
A West Deer woman faces multiple felony charges after a girl told authorities she was beaten and sexually assaulted by the woman multiple times. Kerren Amanda Morra, 28, of Hampshire Lane was charged with two counts of aggravated indecent assault and counts of unlawful contact with a minor and endangering...
North Huntingdon woman charged with animal cruelty after blind, thirsty pugs found in condemned home, police say
A North Huntingdon woman is charged with animal cruelty after police said two dogs were rescued from her home, which was condemned Tuesday. Both of the pugs are permanently blind because of eye infections and they were suffering from complications related to water deprivation, lack of veterinary care and living...
Harrison commissioners to vote on police chief’s retirement and rehiring
The question of whether Harrison police Chief Michael Klein can retire later this year and be rehired on a part-time basis will be a topic for discussion by the township commissioners Monday. The board last month held off on voting whether to allow Klein to retire Oct. 28 and return...
Monroeville man accused of assault, pointing gun at relative during argument in Irwin
An Allegheny County man was arrested this week by Irwin police on charges of assaulting and pointing a loaded gun at a relative during an argument July 7. Raymond T. Musgrove Jr., 18, of Monroeville, was arraigned on multiple counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a...
Mt. Washington man convicted of killing witness against him gets life plus 80 years in prison
A Mt. Washington man convicted of killing a woman when he learned she was going to cooperate with federal investigators was sentenced Thursday to serve the rest of his life plus 80 years in prison. Price Montgomery, 42, proclaimed his innocence throughout the three-hour hearing before U.S. District Judge Mark...
Westmoreland jury convicts Mt. Pleasant man of rape
A Mt. Pleasant man has been convicted of the rape and sexual assault of two girls. Westmoreland County jurors found Kenneth R. Daniels II, 42, guilty of 10 counts including felony charges of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault. Prosecutors dismissed one sex-related charge during the trial,...
Norwin groups plan bus trips to Chambersburg, Branson
The North Huntingdon Seniors are planning a bus trip to Branson, Mo., from Sept. 26-Oct. 1, which will include tickets to six shows, a cave and winery tour and dinners. The trip is $1,113 for a double occupancy room. The bus will leave St. Elizabeth Church in North Huntingdon. Payment...
Georgia man accused of taking $30K from women in expert witness scam targeting doctors, nurses
A Georgia man is accused of taking more than $30,000 from two women in a scam targeting doctors and nurses in the Pittsburgh area. Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus on Thursday announced the apprehension of Richard Wayne Long, 48, of Ellenwood, Ga. According to a criminal complaint, detectives found Long...
Murrysville area: Kindergarten open house, Family Fun Night in Delmont, more
Kindergarten open house at Franklin Regional Incoming kindergarten families in the Franklin Regional School District are invited to attend a “Rockin’ Into Kindergarten” program and open house at 6 p.m. Aug. 18 at the district’s primary school, 4121 Sardis Road. Families can tour the new school and meet teachers and...
100-ton beams for Fern Hollow Bridge replacement to begin 124-mile journey
Beams that will ultimately support the rebuilt Fern Hollow Bridge will begin their 124-mile journey Monday from Central Pennsylvania to Frick Park, according to PennDOT officials. The beams were produced in Roaring Spring in Blair County and will travel through Cambria and Armstrong counties before ending up on the South...
Pittsburgh Jewish, Black leaders call out Doug Mastriano for ties to Gab social platform
A group of prominent Jewish and Black Pittsburgh leaders on Thursday condemned Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano for his ties to the right-wing social media platform Gab. Gab is a site accessed by the accused Tree of Life shooter Robert Bowers, who used the platform to share conspiracy theories targeting...
Pittsburgh Public Schools taps Wayne Walters as superintendent
Wayne Walters, who has been working as interim superintendent, will become the permanent head of Pittsburgh Public Schools after a national search concluded he remained the top candidate to fill the role, school board officials said Thursday. School board President Sala Udin pointed to Walters’ “career-long dedication to high standards,”...
Verona boutique takes fresh approach to fashion-related services
Verona may not be the first place you would think of when it comes to fashion, but a recent addition to the town’s business and artistic community has added a unique set of services in Found By Flourish. Located at 550 Jones St. and just off of Allegheny River Boulevard,...
In brief: News from McCandless, Memorial Park EPC
Meet & Greet The McCandless Democratic Committee will host a Summer 2022 Meet & Greet on Aug. 5 from 5-8 p.m. at Devlin Park, 9955 Grubbs Rd., behind the town hall. Elected officials, committee members and local residents will be on hand. Light refreshments will be served. There will be...
Charlie Brown, 1980s rock musicals to be performed at Westmoreland County Community College this weekend
Fans of Snoopy or 1980s rock are in for a treat this weekend. Through Westmoreland Performing Arts, high school- and middle school-aged students will perform “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and “Rock of Ages” at Westmoreland County Community College. The antics and adventures of “Peanuts” comic book characters will...
Hampton Council holds special meeting on sewage plant project
During a special meeting held July 13 prior to Hampton Township Council’s regular meeting, municipal controller Jerry Speakman gave a presentation regarding the possible approval of a strategy for the funding of an ongoing project to upgrade the Allison Park Wastewater Pollution Control Plant. Speakman recommended that the township issue...
Activist pleads guilty to trying to set fire to 2 Pittsburgh pizza shops
A Pittsburgh activist and art curator said that when she attempted to start a fire at two different pizza shops one night in October 2019 that she was mentally exhausted from fighting against a racist system. “My brain broke,” Nicky Jo Dawson told a judge on Thursday. “It, literally, was...
Pittsburgh father seeks help in finding daughter’s killer a year later
Ten days shy of one year since his daughter was gunned down on a Pittsburgh street, Robert Washington pleaded for help not only catching his own child’s killer, but for help catching the culprits in all of the city’s unsolved homicides. “We need some closure,” said Washington, whose 27-year-old daughter...
Sewer rates rise in Oakmont
Effective this billing cycle, Oakmont Borough is raising sewage rates for all Oakmont Water Authority customers from $7.29 per 1,000 gallons to $9.50. The minimum charge for 6,000 gallons will rise from $43.74 to $57. The increase comes directly from the borough and not from the water authority. This marks...
Taxing situation: examining Hampton Township School District’s 2022-23 budget
The start of Hampton Township School District’s fiscal year means that tax bills have been mailed to local property owners. For the majority of them, what they owe this year is more than what they paid in 2021, primarily because of a 0.69-mill increase in the real estate tax rate...
Monroeville prepares for annual National Night Out
Monroeville emergency services are preparing for their annual National Night Out celebration. The event will be held from 6-8 p.m. Aug. 2 in Monroeville Community Park West at Pavilions 2 and 4. There will be fire trucks, police cars, ambulances and an emergency helicopter, and members of the Allegheny County...
Allegheny County Health Dept., USDA begin aggressive raccoon rabies program
When it comes to rabies, raccoons amount to what could be called super spreaders. Now the Allegheny County Health Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services are set to begin an aggressive raccoon rabies baiting program later this month. Starting on July 25, a six-week project will begin...
Camp Invention at Gateway teaches students balance between creativity, STEM
Students tapped into their creativity and problem-solving skills as they constructed Astro-Arm devices, created arcade games and built aquatic habitats at Camp Invention, hosted at Gateway High School. Camp Invention is a nationally recognized nonprofit summer enrichment program on science, technology, engineering and math- based education. “In the morning we...
Ex-Pitt emergency management director gets probation for stealing/reselling PPE
Christopher Casamento earned $95,000 as the director of emergency management at the University of Pittsburgh. It was a job he went to school for and loved. But he lost it and more when he stole more than 13,000 pieces of personal protective equipment from the stockpile that he oversaw to...
