Traffic on Sewickley Township road restricted by landslide
A section of Guffey Road in Sewickley Township has been reduced to a single lane of traffic because of a landslide. PennDOT officials Thursday announced the restriction, between Turner Valley and Mickanin roads, and advised that traffic will be controlled by stop signs until the problem is addressed. The curving...
Sketch released of suspect in shooting of Texas girl
HOUSTON — Authorities on Thursday released a composite sketch of a man accused in the death of a 7-year-old black girl during a Houston-area shooting that her family believes might have been racially motivated. The suspect is described as a white man in his 30s or 40s, wearing a black...
Police identify woman sought in Las Vegas manicurist death
LAS VEGAS — A 21-year-old Las Vegas woman was being sought Thursday for allegedly using a stolen car to run over and kill a Las Vegas nail salon owner who chased her last weekend for failing to pay for a $35 manicure, police said. Las Vegas police released an April...
7 killed after fiery crash, fuel spill on Florida highway
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Two big rigs and two passenger vehicles collided and spilled diesel fuel across a Florida highway Thursday, sparking a massive fire that killed seven people, authorities said. The wreck occurred on Interstate 75 about a mile south of Alachua, near Gainesville. The flames were fed by...
Beny, the drug-sniffing dog, hitting the road with state police trooper to fight drugs
Beny has a nose for drugs. The 1-year-old Belgian Malinois dog from the Czech Republic — hence only one “n” in his name — and handler Trooper Jason Young are newly assigned to the Kittanning state police station. The state bought the dog for about $8,500 and paid for his...
Allegheny County sheriff: McKees Rocks man held infant daughter while trying to hold deputies at bay
Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies on Thursday had to break into a residence in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln Place neighborhood and then into a bedroom to arrest a fugitive who had been on the run since last summer, authorities said. The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Department said Joshua Currington, 32, of McKees Rocks, held...
Westmoreland’s chief public defender announces judicial candidacy
Westmoreland County’s chief public defender announced Thursday he will be a candidate for one of two judicial vacancies this year on the Common Pleas Court. Republican Wayne McGrew, 50, of Sewickley Township, is making his first run for judge. “Court appearances can be some of the most stressful times in...
14-year-old boy arrested on murder charge after fatal crash from egg prank
HOUSTON — A 14-year-old boy who authorities say was driving an SUV that caused a fatal car accident has been arrested on a murder charge. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says the SUV was filled with teens who were throwing eggs at other cars Tuesday afternoon when another driver began...
Mother of Trayvon Martin to speak in Pittsburgh
Sybrina Fulton, mother of slain black teenager Trayvon Martin, will speak at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary later this month. Martin was 17 when he was shot and killed in 2012 by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. He was walking through the neighborhood when Zimmerman called 911 to...
Former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy honored with ceremonial key to city
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Thursday honored the city’s second longest-serving mayor — Tom Murphy — with a ceremonial key to the city, crediting the North Side resident with creating the city’s riverfront parks and trails and for his long record of public service. Peduto noted that Murphy’s tenure from...
Pittsburgh investigating whether private police training violates ethics
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said it’s still unclear whether two Pittsburgh police commanders violated department, city or state ethics rules by taking training they received through the department and turning it into a private business. City officials are looking into whether Cmdrs. Jason Lando and Cristyn Zett and Officer Jason...
Flu is widespread in Pennsylvania, but numbers are down from last year
The flu is widespread in Pennsylvania for the first time this season, but overall numbers are down compared to last year. Allegheny County has seen a dramatic drop in cumulative cases of the flu, just 126 so far this year compared with 1,241 in 2017-18. The cumulative number of hospitalizations...
Federal investigation closed after Mattress Factory settles sexual harassment claims
A National Labor Relations Board investigation into allegations that the Mattress Factory violated federal labor laws has been closed, the museum’s acting director, Judith O’Toole, announced Thursday. The news comes more than a week after the Mattress Factory settled with a group of former and current employees who accused supervisors...
Police: More than 60 victims in Virginia changing-room camera case
FAIRFAX, Va. — Police believe more than 60 women and girls were secretly recorded undressing in changing rooms at northern Virginia shopping malls in the weeks before Christmas. Fairfax County Police arrested 39-year-old Mumtaz Rauf of Alexandria on Christmas Eve and charged him with unlawful filming of a minor after...
Valve replacements could cause short water outages in Tarentum
Tarentum businesses and residents may experience brief water outages over the next two weeks as crews install new water valves throughout the borough. The project of close to $70,000 is being done by Tarentum Public Works crews in conjunction with Meyer Excavating, Inc. According to the borough’s website, installation of...
Bicyclist back in hot seat for ignoring court order to stay off Westmoreland roads
The Hempfield bicyclist who served nearly two years behind bars for obstructing traffic on county roadways could roll his way back to jail soon. Westmoreland County prosecutors contend David Smith, 59, violated terms of his probation by riding his bicycle on county roads in late October. “I don’t know what...
‘Trump Show,’ Act III: What to watch as House Democrats take control
WASHINGTON — Act III of the Trump presidency, which can often feel like an off-Broadway production, officially began at noon Thursday when Democrats took control of the House and everything changed for Donald Trump. Republicans controlled the House for the first two years, or acts, of the “Trump Show,” but...
Mexico asks U.S. to investigate tear gas incident at border
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s foreign affairs ministry has formally asked the United States government through its embassy for a thorough investigation into a Jan. 1 incident in which U.S. agents fired tear gas into Mexico to stop crossing migrants. In a statement Thursday, the ministry said it lamented any violent...
Citizens School of Nursing continues mixed use trend at Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer
Students who attend Allegheny Health Network’s Citizens School of Nursing are looking forward to the changes as they prepare to start a new year in a new location. “I think the upgrade is going to be really nice,” said senior Ashley Alcorn, of New Kensington. “I think it’s going to...
Landslide restricts traffic along Markle Road in Allegheny Township
A landslide has restricted traffic along a section of Markle Road in Allegheny Township. PennDOT announced Thursday that traffic on Markle Road, between Park Road and Pine Run Road, will be restricted to a single lane controlled by stop signs. PennDOT spokeswoman Valerie Petersen said officials have been monitoring the...
Woman pleads not guilty in fatal butt injections
NEW YORK — A New York City woman accused of killing a patient at an illegal cosmetic surgery clinic has pleaded not guilty to charges including manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Whalesca Castillo, 44, was arraigned Thursday in the June 17, 2018 death of Lesbia Ayala of Philadelphia. Prosecutors say...
2 juveniles detained in connection with McKees Rocks shooting
Police detained two juveniles in connection with a shooting in McKees Rocks on Thursday. A man was shot in the chest shortly after 11:30 a.m. in the 700 block of Bouquet Street, according to Allegheny County police. McKees Rocks police went to the area to investigate 911 calls about a...
Cell phone helps Greensburg police identify alleged shoplifter
A cell phone dropped in the parking lot of a Greensburg grocery store Sunday during an altercation between a security guard and an alleged shoplifter helped lead city police to a suspect. Police obtained an arrest warrant Thursday for Patrick Dominique Davis, 31, a Greensburg man accused of getting into...
Conor Lamb upholds promise not to vote Nancy Pelosi as speaker
Democratic Congressman Conor Lamb kept a campaign promise Thursday by not voting for Nancy Pelosi for speaker of the House. Even without Lamb’s vote, Pelosi secured enough support to reclaim the speaker gavel. Lamb, who won his first full term in Congress in November by beating Keith Rothfus in the...
Frazer police arrest 3 with stolen car, merchandise at Pittsburgh Mills Walmart
A Homewood woman is accused of using a stolen car to steal merchandise from the Walmart in the Pittsburgh Mills shopping complex. Frazer police charged Janlynn Marie Jordan, 31, with receiving stolen property, retail theft, criminal conspiracy, and traffic violations in connection with the incident at about 6:40 p.m. Wednesday....
