Western PA Local News category, Page 2793
Pittsburgh man accused of DUI, impersonating police officer in Trafford
A Pittsburgh man is charged with driving while drunk, resisting arrest and impersonating a police officer during a traffic stop this week in Trafford. Christopher N. Lenkiewicz, 36, was spotted driving erratically in a Nissan sedan before 4:15 p.m. Wednesday along Forbes Road and later pulled alongside Trafford Patrolman Richard...
PUC: Improvements planned at Washington County railroad crossing after 2018 crash, acid spill
A series of flashing warning lights and a warning bell will be installed at a railroad crossing in Centerville, Washington County, where a freight train collided with a tractor-trailer carrying hydrochloric acid last year causing several injuries and an evacuation, according to the state Public Utility Commission. The commission voted...
2-way flow of Laurel Pipeline approved by state commission
A petition to start bi-directional service on the Laurel Pipeline between Pittsburgh and Altoona has received the necessary regulatory approval from the state. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted 5-0 to approve a joint settlement agreement between the Laurel Pipeline Co. and a group of complainants, including Giant Eagle and...
Gov. Wolf presents Lead Free PA at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
A new initiative championed by Gov. Tom Wolf urges the Legislature to take action after Pennsylvania ranked sixth in the number of lead-poisoned children in a recent study. Lead Free PA would establish universal lead testing for children, which would be done through a finger prick, and implement regional response...
Teen charged in Export shooting will be released from jail
A teenager charged with four adults in connection with a shooting last weekend in Export will be released from jail to await trial. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger set a $50,000 bond on Thursday for 16-year-old Connor J. Yakoweloff of New Alexandria and ordered that he remain...
Swissvale woman jailed on heroin charge in North Huntingdon traffic stop
A Swissvale woman is charged with intent to deliver 10 bricks of heroin following a traffic stop Wednesday in North Huntingdon. According to township police, 500 stamp bags of suspected heroin were discovered in a bag under the rear seat of a Dodge Avenger — where Radajah Lynn Muhammad, 22,...
Former skinhead warns of resurgent hatred in Westmoreland County visitVideo
More than five decades after the Civil Rights Act changed U.S. law, former skinhead Arno Michaelis says, racial hatred is translating into violence in America and around the globe. “White nationalist attacks have escalated all over the world, and the death toll is growing,” Michaelis said Thursday at Saint Vincent...
Mt. Washington billboard can legally remain, court says
The controversial billboard that sits atop Mt. Washington — previously, ads for Bayer and Sprint, and currently an American flag — is legal, according to a decision issued Thursday by a three-judge panel of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. In a lengthy legal battle, the City of Pittsburgh argued that...
Peduto wants mini police station in Downtown to quell Pittsburgh crimeVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said he wants to create a mini police station in the city’s Downtown in response to rising violent crime in the area. Peduto said he will look to put money into next year’s budget to build three mini police stations in the city, and one will...
Shaler-area real estate transactions for the week of Aug. 26, 2019
Etna Estate of Mary Sue Pasqua sold property at 172 High St. to Vincent Pasqua Jr. and Diane Pasqua for $30,000. Micah Tozer sold property at 15 Spring St. to Michael Gent and Natalie Onorato for $127,500. Shaler Justin Middleton sold property at 1035 Anderson Road to Graebel Relocation Services...
Monroeville woman charged with Gateway club thefts turns self in
A former president of two Gateway School District organizations turned herself in to Allegheny County District Attorney detectives Wednesday afternoon, a DA spokesman said. Jennifer Murawski, 38, of Monroeville was charged Wednesday with stealing nearly $11,000 from fundraisers and debit card purchases made for her personal use. Mike Manko, spokesman...
Avonmore family charged with hiding fugitive from police
Two men and their mother are facing charges of trying to hide a fugitive. Jessica Sue Thorpe, 39, Luke Robert Thorpe, 18, and Leroy William Thorpe, 22, all of Maple Terrace Lane, Avonmore, are accused of hindering the apprehension of Donald Thomas Phillips, 40, of Avonmore. A police affidavit states...
Penn Hills rescinds plan to remove board members
Penn Hills council held a special meeting Thursday to remove seven appointed officials for not submitting to criminal background checks, but changed course when a council member suggested those people be given another chance. Deputy Mayor Catherine Sapp, who was not present at the meeting but called in by telephone,...
Report: 21% of Pennsylvania’s boating fatalities linked to alcohol or drugs
A new Coast Guard report shows that drugs or alcohol played a role in more than 100 of the 633 boating fatalities across the country last year. The statistics were similar in Pennsylvania, with three of the 14 boating-related fatalities in 2018 attributed to alcohol or drug impairment. The Pennsylvania...
2 accused of selling drugs near children in Vandergrift house
An early morning raid in Vandergrift resulted in the arrest of two men on drug and child endangerment charges. Lonnell Alexander Moore, 29, and Carlos Cordoba, 22, both of Sherman Avenue, were arrested Wednesday. Police said they found four grams of cocaine and about a half-pound of marijuana inside the...
Baldwin community invited to library volunteer day
The Baldwin Borough Public Library is inviting people to leave their mark outside the community hub. Through a partnership with The Mission Continues, roughly 100 volunteers will gather on Sept. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to transform the library’s outdoor space into a gathering place for the community....
Bell Acres councilman accused of driving through Antwon Rose protesters gets probation
A Bell Acres councilman accused of driving his car through crowds protesting the death of Antwon Rose II must complete 25 hours of community service and a year of probation. The trial scheduled for Thursday for Gregory Wagner, 59, was canceled in light of a deal earlier struck this month....
Archaeologists probe oldest, deepest part of Meadowcroft Rockshelter
Archaeologists are looking for new clues at one of the oldest known sites of human habitation in North America. Devlin Gandy, an archaeologist from St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge, and James M. Adovasio, the director of archaeology at Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, are conducting research at...
Brentwood hopes pool renovations will be finished in time for 2020 opening
Brentwood leaders are keeping their fingers crossed for a mild winter in hopes that the borough pool can open for the 2020 season. Phase II of a nearly $3.3 million pool renovation project that includes a zero-depth entry, large slide, tropical-themed spray features, lighting, a new bathhouse with restrooms and changing...
Dry August puts brakes on Pittsburgh’s record rainfall pace
One of the wettest three-month stretches of weather in Pittsburgh gave way to one of the driest summer months it’s seen in years. The National Weather Service in Moon has recorded 2.45 inches of rain in August, more than an inch short of the 30-year August average of 3.48 inches....
Under new McCandless dog law, owners face steep fines for pet’s bark, scratch, odor
McCandless residents who can’t keep their dogs from barking constantly or running free through the neighborhood will face steep fines if they are convicted of creating a nuisance. Council narrowly passed revisions to its animal control ordinance Aug. 23 that eliminate the $25 fine for each incident in which a...
Feds looking for man they say robbed PNC Bank in Cranberry
Federal and local authorities are asking for help in identifying a man they say robbed a bank Wednesday in Cranberry. The man went to the PNC Bank at 20940 Route 19 in Cranberry shortly after 4:45 p.m. and displayed a note to the teller indicating he had a weapon, according...
Alle-Kiski Valley host families sought for 8 exchange students
Host families are needed for foreign exchange students for this school year. According to Kathy Harenski, the AFS liaison coordinator for Western Pennsylvania, the eight students needing families to stay with come from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Japan and China. They are between 15 and 17 years old. They can...
Route 28 north wreck cleared after snarling traffic for 2 hoursVideo
It took almost two hours to clear a three-vehicle crash on Route 28 northbound just before the Highland Park bridge, according to PennDOT. The wreck was reported at about 8:20 a.m. during morning rush hour. The lanes were reopened at about 10:20 a.m., PennDOT’s Steve Cowan said. The wreck involved...
3 injured in collision on Route 30 in Hempfield
Three people were injured and at least one motorist was taken to Excela Westmoreland Hospital after a two-vehicle wreck Thursday morning on Route 30 in Hempfield. The crash happened in the eastbound lanes just before 7:15 a.m. near DeLallo Italian Marketplace, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. One lane...
