Western PA Local News category, Page 2579
Cook Township property protected by conservation easement
For 16 years, Michael Blehar and Beth Evans have had their very own cabin in the woods in Cook Township. The vacation cabin is on property — part woodland, part open field — that fronts Fourmile Run and has been a haven for the family for years. “When the opportunity...
Former Jeannette hemp plant employees receive inaccurate tax documents
About three months after employees at a Jeannette hemp processing facility found out they wouldn’t receive paychecks they were owed, they still haven’t been paid — and several say they have received inaccurate tax documents that further muddle an already confusing situation. Tammy McCann of Greensburg said she received her...
Pittsburgh jobless rate rises in December, highest since April 2018
The Pittsburgh region’s economy showed signs of slowing in December as the unemployment rate in the seven-county region rose 0.2 of a percentage point to 4.5%, the highest rate since April 2018, the state reported Tuesday. The unemployment rate, as adjusted for seasonal hiring factors, was 0.3 of a percentage...
New lingerie store coming to Westmoreland Mall
After myriad closures at Westmoreland Mall, a new store is set to open. Aerie, a lingerie and intimate apparel store, will open this spring in the former PacSun location, according to a sign posted outside the store. PacSun, an Anaheim, Calif.-based clothing store catering to teens and young adults, closed...
Wilkinsburg shooting suspect Robert Thomas released from jail after having charges dismissed
Robert Thomas went from facing a capital murder case to walking out of the Allegheny County Jail in the span of about 24 hours. Thomas, 31, was charged with six counts of homicide as a co-defendant in the 2016 mass shooting in Wilkinsburg that killed five adults and an unborn...
Not in my nest: Pittsburgh bald eagle dad pummels intruding eagleVideo
Don’t mess with dad. Footage captured by a webcam in Pittsburgh’s Hays neighborhood on Tuesday morning showed a male bald eagle pummeling a young eagle that had entered and stomped around the elder eagle’s nest. “Adult eagles are very territorial at their nest, which is to only be used for...
Alleged target of Wilkinsburg mass shooting testifies on Day 2 of trialVideo
The alleged target of the 2016 mass shooting in Wilkinsburg, Lamont Powell, testified Tuesday, acknowledging that he didn’t want to be in court and was cooperating only because he had been arrested for ignoring a subpoena. The second day of testimony in the case against Cheron Shelton, 33, revolved around...
Police: 1-year-old was in Rostraver motel room when mother overdosed
A Monongahela woman is accused of child endangerment after police said she overdosed in a Rostraver motel with her 1-year-old son in the room. Emily Ann Stout, 24, was found unresponsive at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the Relax Inn on Finley Road, according to court papers. Township police said Stout’s...
Winghart’s Burger & Whiskey Bar on South Side to become new restaurant: Oddballs
The last remaining Winghart’s Burger & Whiskey Bar is under new ownership and undergoing a concept overhaul and rebrand. On Saturday, Winghart’s South Side location changed hands from the Bandhu Brothers Inc. — who retain rights to the Winghart’s name — to first-time restaurateur and Pittsburgh native Matthew Miklos, 35,...
Rita’s Italian Ice in Hempfield will not reopen, owners looking for new location
When Brian Meador closed the doors of his Rita’s Italian Ice restaurant in Hempfield at the end of last season, he didn’t know it was permanent. “It was very sudden,” said Meador, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Susan. “It was something we didn’t anticipate.” The Hempfield Rita’s location...
Police arrest man accused of fatally shooting 25-year-old man outside Clairton house
Police arrested a man accused of shooting and killing another man Tuesday morning outside a Clairton house, officials said. Gerald Johnson, 28, is behind bars at Allegheny County Jail awaiting arraignment, Allegheny County Police Inspector Andrew Schurman said shortly before 5 p.m. Johnson faces a homicide charge in the shooting...
Pittsburgh woman found dead after fire in Beechview
A Pittsburgh woman was found dead after a fire Tuesday morning in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the woman as Suzanne Green, 45. The fire was reported at about 7:40 a.m. in the 1600 block of Dagmar...
Pittsburgh better prepared for massive snow storms than during 2010 Snowmageddon
Western Pennsylvania was a disaster zone 10 years ago. An epic storm dubbed “Snowmageddon” dumped more than a foot of heavy wet snow across the region overnight, and it kept coming. Before it was over on Feb. 6, 2010, Snowmageddon had become the second largest snowstorm in Pittsburgh history with...
State grants will help Alle-Kiski fire companies pay debts, buy equipment
More than 60 Alle-Kiski Valley fire and ambulance companies were recently awarded more than $775,000 through the annual state Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service Grant Program. Some of the companies plan to use the money to pay down what they owe on new fire trucks. Others will buy protective...
The Stroller, Feb. 4, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Shamrock Shuffle 5K and Walk set for March 21 The 2020 Shamrock Shuffle 5K and one-mile Family Fun Walk will begin at 10 a.m. March 21 at West Leechburg Fire Hall, 1116 Gosser St. The course will run through the streets of West Leechburg and return to the fire hall....
Verizon outage hits Western Pennsylvania
Cellphone outages and spotty service were being reported by many Verizon Wireless customers Tuesday morning, with problems popping up across the Pittsburgh region and beyond. Customers from Ross to Moon to McKeesport have posted on social media about cell service being down — and then up and down again. Verizon...
Police: Pittsburgh woman transferred drugs during kiss with state prison inmate
State police accused a Pittsburgh woman of transferring drugs during a kiss with a prison inmate in Somerset County. Jasmine Lanell Livingston, 21, was visiting her boyfriend Anthony Jackson, 26, also of Pittsburgh, on Jan. 23 at the state prison in Somerset Township, according to troopers. Police said the pair...
Former Jeannette man loved family, city history
Edward Slonecki would often joke that he was “the man,” but that’s exactly what he was to his sons. “We never really had a need for anything because my father and my mother were both there to love us and support us,” Chad Slonecki said. “If he wasn’t there to...
Unity nurse anesthetist begins new legislative advocacy role with state association
Unity resident Jessica Poole is among more than 3,700 nationally board-certified registered nurse anesthetists in the state represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA). If she’s successful in her new role of government relations director for PANA, Pennsylvania will no longer be one of two states that don’t...
New Kensington approves leasing 2 new police SUVs
The New Kensington Police Department will soon have two new vehicles on the road. City Council on Monday approved leasing two vehicles for four years for about $67,500. The city received a $50,000 state grant to help cover the cost. The vehicles will be 2020 Ford Explorer SUVs, police Chief...
Florida man who stole $116K from customers in multi-state mail theft ring gets 21 months in prison
A Florida man convicted in a multi-state mail theft ring was sentenced to 21 months in prison, federal prosecutors said Monday. Cassio Orville Donald Slowden, 28, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., pleaded guilty in federal court in Downtown Pittsburgh, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said. Slowden bilked Citizens Bank, Bank of...
Unity Township doctor charged with accepting kickbacks for opiate prescriptions
A Unity Township doctor was charged in federal court with taking kickbacks to prescribe fentanyl, according to the United States Attorney’s Office Western District of Pennsylvania. Dr. Thomas Whitten, of Westmoreland Pain Management, allegedly prescribed the fentanyl-based drug Subsys to people without a “legitimate medical purpose,” according to an indictment...
Victim of fatal Derry Township overdose was warned of drug’s potency
Westmoreland County prosecutors said Monday that a Christmas Eve decision to sell drugs to a Derry woman two years ago was both fatal and tragic. Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar told a Westmoreland County jury that Michelle Spillar, 38, died Dec. 26, 2017, from drugs sold to her by an...
Water at Hempfield nursing home to be treated with chlorine to kill suspected Legionella bacteria
Additional efforts at Westmoreland Manor to remove the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease will begin this week. The thermal eradication process started at the end of last week to kill suspected Legionella bacteria found in water at the Hempfield nursing home was unsuccessful, Westmoreland County officials said in a statement...
Uncle Dave’s Books brings art to Alle-Kiski Valley children
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact Senior News Editor Tom Fontaine at tfontaine@tribweb.com. An award-winning author of children’s books is...
