Western PA Local News category, Page 1597
UPMC receives limited supply of preventative antibody treatment for the most immunocompromised
George Spine Jr. thought it was a scam when he first got a call from UPMC around 7:45 a.m. Thursday offering a new antibody treatment meant to protect the most immunocompromised before they’re exposed to covid-19. “I thought it was a scam, so I gave the girl a hard time,”...
Police seek information on purse theft at Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino
State police gaming enforcement officers are asking for the public’s help as they try to identify a man accused of taking an 85-year-old woman’s purse at Rivers Casino early Sunday. The victim forgot her purse — which contained her cellphone, an unspecified amount of cash and credit cards — at...
University of Pittsburgh issues shelter-in-place request, required covid testing for students
The University of Pittsburgh’s Covid-19 Medical Response Office has released a plan for the spring semester that includes a phased move-in beginning Jan. 8 along with a shelter-in-place request and testing for students. Pitt will make available one covid-19 test through Quest Diagnostics for all of the approximately 34,000 students...
Notable deaths in Westmoreland County in 2021
Here are a few of the notable people who lived, served and loved Westmoreland County who died in 2021. State Rep. Mike Reese State Rep. Mike Reese, 42, of Mt. Pleasant Township, was a 12-year House veteran representing Westmoreland and Somerset county residents in the 59th Legislative District....
State police: Man accused of dealing drugs after car stopped for speeding in North Buffalo
State police accused a man of dealing drugs after, police say, they found nearly 9 ounces of marijuana in his car during a traffic stop in North Buffalo Township. Bradly Alan Wiles, 35, of Oliver Road in Boggs Township, Armstrong County, was charged with one felony count of possession of...
Charges dismissed against Pitt basketball player Ithiel Horton, could be refiled
Criminal charges accusing Pitt basketball player Ithiel Horton of punching a city police officer were dismissed Thursday but are likely to be refiled, officials said. Magisterial District Randy Martini dismissed the charges after the prosecution attempted to postpone the case for a second time when witnesses failed to appear. Mike...
Allegheny County covid cases skyrocket as omicron spreads
The number of new covid-19 cases in Allegheny County has grown exponentially this week, with nearly 2,000 new cases reported Thursday — a sign health director Dr. Debra Bogen said is a likely due to the quick-spreading omicron variant. From Monday to Tuesday, the county recorded 654 new cases, followed...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust unveils 50-foot rabbit installation for First Night
Easter is months away. But that didn’t prevent this bunny family from hopping into town on Thursday. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust inflated a large 50-foot animal with floppy ears and three smaller similar creatures as part of its Highmark First Night Pittsburgh event, which is happening from 6 p.m. to...
Pittsburgh public safety leader will not be part of new mayor’s administration
Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said he’s been informed that he will not be retained under Mayor-elect Ed Gainey’s incoming administration. “We’ve seen lots of change, and even trying times together, and hopefully we were able to make a positive difference over these past six years,” Hissrich said Thursday...
More Peduto staffers announce departures
Three more senior administration officials on Thursday announced they would be leaving Pittsburgh government jobs ahead of Mayor-elect Ed Gainey taking office next week. Lindsay Powell, who serves as Mayor Bill Peduto’s assistant chief of staff and policy director, began working for the city in 2017 as a policy analyst....
Longtime Shanksville fire chief, who responded on 9/11, in need of heart transplant
The Somerset County area is digging deep to help longtime area firefighter Terry Shaffer, who was Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department’s chief when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on 9/11. Shaffer, 66, was admitted last week to UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment of congestive heart failure, according to his...
Scottdale man accused of ramming another vehicle in Hempfield
A Scottdale man is behind bars after state police said he rammed another vehicle in Hempfield on Wednesday, according to court papers. Jeffery E. Stafford, 35, is charged with aggravated assault by vehicle, reckless endangerment, accidents involving damage to an attended vehicle and several summary traffic violations, including driving with...
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County stories of the year in 2021
The covid-19 pandemic continued to dominate daily news cycles this year in Western Pennsylvania and beyond. But many other news events occurred in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County in 2021 — including the election of Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor and the arrests of dozens of Western Pennsylvanians after the riot at...
Jeannette man sentenced to state prison in sex assault of teen girl
A Jeannette man was sentenced Tuesday to six to 12 years in a state prison in connection with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. Steven Alan Deluke, 43, was ordered to spend three years on probation after the prison term. He pleaded guilty in June to involuntary deviate sexual...
Get the Led Out brings ‘whole lotta’ Led Zeppelin to GreensburgVideo
“The Song Remains the Same” is a 1976 concert film documenting Led Zeppelin’s 1973 three-night stand at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. You could say it’s also the motto of Philadelphia-based tribute band, Get the Led Out, which plays note-for-note versions of the classic British rock band’s recordings. Long...
Washington Township man jailed after standoff with police
A 45-year-old Washington Township man accused of assaulting a teenage girl and threatening her with a rifle surrendered to police after a four-hour standoff early Wednesday, according to court documents. Township police arrested Calvin C. Creighton Jr. at his home on the 100 block of Turack Road just after 4...
State lawmakers vow to better protect care home residents from convicted sex offenders
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No central registry in Pennsylvania tracks convicted sex offenders placed in nursing care facilitiesVideo
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Brighton Rehab no stranger to federal, state scrutiny for resident care
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Follow-ups by journalists to an earlier covid-related story uncovered a horrid reality in Pennsylvania’s long-term care facilities
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When there’s no room at nursing facilities, convicted sex offenders often land in unregulated boarding homes
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Hidden danger: Registered sex offenders often go undetected in care homesVideo
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Powerball jackpot will climb to $483 million on New Year’s Day
Looks like 2022 is going to be a great year for someone. The Powerball lottery jackpot will climb to $483 million on New Year’s Day after no one matched the five numbers and Powerball in Wednesday’s drawing, according to state lottery officials. The numbers drawn were 2-6-9-33-39 and the Powerball...
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In Pa., no central registry tracks convicted sex offenders placed in nursing care facilities
When the Tribune-Review began investigating the placement of sex offenders in nursing, personal care and assisted-living homes, it seemed logical to ask some basic questions. • How many sex offenders are living in these facilities in Pennsylvania? • In what facilities are they living? • How many assaults on patients...
When there’s no room at nursing facilities, convicted sex offenders often land in unregulated boarding homes
Christopher Farkas said he’s not one to judge the 23 convicted sex offenders living at his boarding house in a rundown, troubled section of McKeesport. Without Farkas’ Hospitality House, he said those offenders, most needing help with basic daily tasks such as cooking, laundry and complying with the rules for...
