Morning Roundup: 2 vehicles hit Beechview building; zoo regains 'gold standard' certification

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Sept. 20:

Crash causes chain reaction in Beechview

Two vehicles hit a building in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood Thursday evening.

University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball great Carl Krauser had finished a training session with a client and was on his way to Dunkin when he noticed smoke pouring out of Gaetano’s Banquet Center and Catering. He returned Friday to see the aftermath.

“I was like wow, how did this happen?” he said. “There was a lot of smoke and ambulances. There were people crying.”

TribLive news partner WTAE reported the crash happened at the Banksville Road business just before 7 p.m.

A bystander told WTAE it was a chain reaction after a vehicle hit a car and a truck, sending them both into the building.

No injuries were reported, but an overhang above the main entrance collapsed.

Owner Anna Gaetano told TribLive she’s “not really sure exactly how the sequence of events happened,” but the main structure did not sustain any damage. All events will go ahead as planned.

“Everything is fine inside, and we’ll be able to handle everything,” she said.

That’s good news to Krauser, who praised Gaetano’s and wondered whether business might be impacted.

“This place is so good for the community,” he said. “They are always hosting events and I see people having fun at those events when I drive by. So when you drive by and see something like this, it’s scary.”

Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium regains accreditation

The Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium announced Thursday it had earned the “gold standard” designation in animal care, nearly a decade after losing it in a spat over its elephant handling practices.

In 2021, zoo leadership initiated the process to get back in the good graces of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which accredits more than 230 zoos and aquariums across 13 countries.

The AZA had revoked accreditation in 2015, when the zoo refused to ditch its practice of allowing some staff to freely interact with elephants in their enclosures.

According to a release from the zoo, getting it back was a cinch.

It said AZA inspectors were impressed by the health of the animals at the Highland Park facility as well as the International Conservation Center in Somerset and gave high marks to the zoo’s sustainability and conservation measures.

The lack of accreditation had cost the zoo grants and ties, like access to a top sea turtle protection program, over the years. It also put it in violation of its lease with the city, though officials never acted to terminate the deal.

Oakmont caregiver accused of abandoning client to smoke weed

Paid to closely monitor a young woman with intellectual disabilities, Kelsey Brown instead allegedly spent much of her shift Sept. 10 smoking marijuana in her vehicle.

According to video footage cited in court papers, Brown’s more than 90-minute smoke break was interrupted when her 19-year-old client left her Verona home, walked to her vehicle and asked for toilet paper.

It was interrupted a second time by Verona police Officer Thomas Dessell around 8 p.m., who said in a criminal complaint he was dispatched for a suspicious vehicle.

Dessell said he arrived on the 500 block of North Avenue and found Brown bent over in the driver seat of a Jeep, which smelled of marijuana.

Brown stepped out of the vehicle and showed signs of impairment, according to the complaint, as she revealed she’s a caretaker for a dependent person in a nearby assisted living home operated by On-Site Companionship Services.

A search of the vehicle turned up a plastic bag of suspected marijuana, Dessell said.

Brown, 32, of Oakmont faces misdemeanor neglect and drug charges. She awaits her preliminary hearing.

Forward Township supervisor charged with drunk driving

David Levdansky, a Forward Township supervisor and retired state representative, has again found himself in trouble with the law, this time for allegedly driving drunk on his way home from a charity event.

Duquesne police said Levdansky, 70, was in an SUV traveling south on Route 837 around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday when he merged into the slow lane without using his turn signal.

He was pulled over, started driving again and pulled over once more by Officer Caleb Black, according to the criminal complaint.

Black said Levdansky could only produce an expired license and appeared to be flushed and glossy eyed. He failed a field sobriety test and was deemed unfit to drive, court records show.

Levdansky is charged with driving under the influence and failing to use turn signals.

In March, he was also accused of inappropriately touching a female township employee. He was found guilty in June and appealed the decision shortly afterward.