Western PA Local News category, Page 752
Tractor-trailer collides with car in Pleasant Unity, man being evaluated
A man was being evaluated by emergency medical personnel for injuries he sustained when a tractor-trailer collided with his car in Unity late Tuesday night, a Westmoreland County Public Safety supervisor said. The crash along Pleasant Unity Road near the intersection with Schmucker Road was reported at about 9:20 p.m....
Pittsburgh police: Suspect in Florida homicide caught Downtown during Market Square smoke shop raid
A Florida man wanted on homicide charges in Florida was arrested in downtown Pittsburgh on Tuesday when police were searching for a suspect at a Market Square smoke shop, police said. The suspect, Danitto Simpson, 26, was wanted on a warrant in connection with a homicide last September in Daytona...
Saxonburg’s borough manager headed to court, accused of shooting dog
Saxonburg’s borough manager is headed to Butler County Common Pleas Court on charges accusing him of shooting his neighbor’s dog. Charges against Steven May were held for court Tuesday after a hearing before District Judge Jack D. Ripper in which eight people testified. May, 43, is charged with a felony...
Allegheny County judge sends rapist, most ‘dangerous’ defendant he’s faced, to prison for 49 years
It was all about control. The victim said that James Byrd always wanted to control her — when they dated on and off for years while he was in and out of prison, and more than a dozen years after that when he raped her. The prosecutor, too, said that...
Hunker man acquitted of animal cruelty in dog shooting, found guilty of other charges
A Hunker man told a Westmoreland County jury he had no alternative but to kill his neighbor’s dog as it lay wounded in his driveway after being shot by another neighbor. “The dog was growling, showing it’s teeth. I was intimidated. It stood up on its front legs but couldn’t...
Zoning change to allow more townhouses supported by Pittsburgh Planning Commission
A proposal that would make it easier to build attached housing — like townhomes and rowhouses — in Pittsburgh earned unanimous support from the Planning Commission on Tuesday. The legislation now will be sent to City Council for a final vote. The zoning change, spearheaded by Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North...
Former WCCC student not guilty of screwdriver assault of instructor
It took a Westmoreland County jury just 20 minutes on Tuesday to find a former Westmoreland County Community College student not guilty of assaulting his instructor. Jurors acquitted David Ross, 26, of Unity, of a felony charge of aggravated assault and a simple assault offense. Prosecutors claimed Ross used a...
Pittsburgh recognizes Frick Park, synagogue as historic, considers designation for cemetery
Pittsburgh’s Frick Park and B’nai Israel Synagogue now are recognized with historic designation, and the city is considering designating a cemetery as historic for the first time. City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved historic recognition for the park and the synagogue after the city’s Planning Commission and Historic Review Commission...
Judge gives Tarentum killer 15-40 years for beating, strangling, stabbing woman
Juan Hayden didn’t just fatally stab Susan Jeffries in 2019. First, he beat and strangled her. Hayden’s efforts to make the Tarentum woman suffer, along with his history of domestic violence, led prosecutors to seek the maximum penalty of 20 to 40 years in prison when he was sentenced Tuesday...
Shaler Area High School hosts 8th STEAM competition
On Friday, 23 high school teams headed to Shaler Area High School to participate in the annual science, technology, engineering, art and math competition. “This is our eighth time hosting the competition,” said Paul Stadelman, high school math teacher and event co-coordinator. “When we first started, we were only around...
County police: 17-year-old to be charged as adult, accused of being in a gunfight with Stowe police
A 17-year-old boy faces felony charges after police say he fired gunshots at police officers in Stowe Township on Tuesday afternoon. Delvonte Woodson, 17, of Stowe Township, faces charges including criminal attempted homicide, assault of a police officer, and illegal possession of a firearm, Allegheny County Police said Tuesday night...
Free at-home covid test mail program will end Friday
Get your orders in while you can — the federal free covid test program is shutting down again at the end of the week. The program, run through the U.S. Department of Health and the United States Postal Service, has provided free at-home covid-19 rapid tests in sets of four...
Pittsburgh’s Saw Mill Run corridor floods a lot. Planners aim to dry it out
A proposed master plan for Pittsburgh’s Saw Mill Run Boulevard would aim to promote pedestrian safety and reduce flooding along the problematic corridor. Saw Mill Run Boulevard has flooded 24 times over the last 11 years, said Lisa Werder Brown, executive director of Watersheds of South Pittsburgh, which led the...
‘Mamma Mia!’ set to take Pine-Richland High School stage
Perhaps Volvo owners and IKEA shoppers would disagree, but America’s favorite Swedish import appears to be ABBA. The pop quartet’s album sales in the United States are somewhere between 12 million and 20 million, but a better gauge of the group’s popularity may be on movie screens and theater stages,...
Authorities ID West End Bridge fatal crash victim
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the motorist killed Saturday in a three-vehicle crash on the West End Bridge as Eonna Devonna Lea Page, 25, of Pittsburgh. City police, firefighters and EMS were dispatched to the bridge, which connect Pittsburgh’s West End with its North Side neighborhoods, at 2:35...
Split invention, festival garner Latrobe inaugural spot in Dole Banana Hall of Fame
The City of Latrobe is no second banana — particularly when it comes to the yellow fruit that is the main ingredient in the town’s original frozen treat. The city on Monday was named one of three inaugural inductees in the Dole Banana Hall of Fame. Dole officials said they...
Pittsburgh to pay Garfield woman $7K to fix home after SWAT shootout
A Pittsburgh homeowner whose house was damaged during a SWAT shootout in August will receive money from the city to repair her home. Thousands of bullets were exchanged during a six-hour standoff Aug. 23 between police and a man in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood. The shooter, William Hardison, Jr., 63, died...
Pittsburgh City Council OKs budget changes for new firefighters contract
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved budget changes to cover the cost of a new contract with the city’s firefighters. The city and the union reached the deal late last year. It includes pay raises, new parental and pregnancy leave policies and upgrades to fire stations. The contract covers...
Mt. Pleasant council wants better communication with local Little League
Mt. Pleasant officials asked for improved communication from the Mt. Pleasant Area Little League at their council meeting Monday night. Council voted unanimously to approve Silvis Landscaping to mow the baseball fields at Willows Park twice monthly at a cost of $260 per visit. Borough officials also asked that the...
Monroeville Convention Center not closing after all, officials say
The Monroeville Convention Center won’t be closing after all. Monroeville officials said Tuesday afternoon the national arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby and Pittsburgh-based Oxford Development, which owns the convention center, have “mutually agreed to pursue termination of their lease agreement.” That agreement, announced in mid-February, would have terminated the...
Pittsburgh looks to reinstate limited spay and neuter program
After abruptly halting the program in February, Pittsburgh officials are looking to partially restore its spay and neuter initiative. The city plans to restart free spay and neuter services only for feral cats, Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said. The portion of the program that allowed city residents to get...
Girls flag football considered for Hampton High School
Football season could be right around the corner at Hampton High School. Pending school board approval on March 11, the Talbots are on the way toward fielding a girls flag football club in the spring. Athletic director Michael Gavlik gave a presentation at the board’s March 4 work session about...
Police release footage of suspect in reported Oakland rape
Pittsburgh police on Tuesday released video footage of a suspect they believe raped a woman in Oakland on Sunday — and they’re seeking the public’s help to identify him. The suspect, who is seen in black clothing in the surveillance footage, is described as possibly in his 30s, 5-foot-7 and...
Diagnosing ear infections in children is difficult; a new AI tool at UPMC could help
Using artificial intelligence technology, doctors may soon get a helping hand with diagnosing pediatric ear infections. A new software tool developed by UPMC and Pitt scientists analyzes video captured of a child’s ear canal via an auriscope connected to a smartphone camera to help determine if the patient has an...
More lawsuits filed in connection with insulin deaths at Western Pa. nursing homes
Two more wrongful death lawsuits were filed Tuesday against Lower Burrell’s Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in connection with allegations that a Harrison nurse administered fatal doses of insulin to patients there. The latest lawsuits were filed on behalf of the families of former Belair residents Jack Allen Rogers and...
