Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Oct. 3:
Man faces arson charges over Giant Eagle fire
A man was arrested Thursday after allegedly sparking a fire in the Giant Eagle Market District at the Waterworks in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood.
Police said Russell Weleski, 33, set fire to a booth at the store’s cafe just after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to a criminal complaint.
A Giant Eagle employee extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived. A manager showed police camera footage of a man who frequents the store and was seen entering the store and heading to the cafe area.
Video footage showed the man, later identified as Weleski, enter the booth farthest from the camera. An orange flash appears on the footage, the criminal omplaint said, before Weleski walks away from the booth with a black grill lighter in his hand. He then walks to the front door.
Weleski was arrested Thursday morning at a nearby McDonald’s. He was taken to the county jail without incident.
Weleski is facing charges of arson, criminal mischief and causing or risking catastrophe. He was denied bail, according to online court records.
Woman hit by car days ago in South Side dies from injuries
A woman who was hit by a car in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood Tuesday died, public safety officials said.
The victim — identified as a woman in her late 70s — was struck while crossing the road at Sidney and South 28 streets. She was taken to the hospital with serious head trauma and died Wednesday, public safety officials said.
The driver stayed on the scene and cooperated with the investigation.
The city’s crash response team, including the Pittsburgh Police Collision Investigation Unit, will evaluate potential crash factors at the site in the coming weeks, officials said.
Traffic-calming efforts underway in Mt. Washington
Pittsburgh officials on Thursday said crews were working to install traffic-calming measures in the Mt. Washington neighborhood in an effort to get drivers to obey the speed limit and improve safety.
Five new speed tables will be added along Southern Avenue, along with pavement markings and signs to alert drivers.
A traffic study showed 63% of drivers there exceeded the 25 mile-per-hour speed limit on the road, with drivers reaching a maximum speed of 72 miles per hour on the stretch.
Construction started Thursday and is expected to last two days.
