Western PA Local News category, Page 3086
Pitt law professor David Harris on what to look for during Michael Rosfeld trial
The trial for former East Pittsburgh police Officer Michael Rosfeld is set to begin Tuesday. University of Pittsburgh law professor David Harris, who hosts the “Criminal Injustice” podcast, spoke with the Trib about whether Rosfeld will testify, how important the cellphone video from the night of the shooting will be...
Highlands makes superintendent’s job permanent
The Highlands School District will have a full-time, permanent superintendent as of April 1. The school board Monday unanimously approved a five-year contract for Monique Mawhinney that will pay her $150,000 in the first year. She will be eligible for 3 percent raises each year, based on her performance review....
Highlands taps Texas firm for security
After rescinding a contract with a security firm over what Highlands School District officials called “disturbing” social media posts, the school board Monday approved a two-year agreement for guard services with a Texas firm. The agreement with Champion National Security started Monday. The company, based in Richardson, Texas, will provide...
Pittsburgh man sentenced to 15 years in prison for federal gun crime
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possession a firearm after several prior felony convictions. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Steven White, 29, federal authorities announced Monday. White also was sentenced to serve four years of supervised release following...
Man killed in Larimer shooting identified
A man injured in a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood Sunday afternoon has died. Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office officials identified the deceased Monday night as Daniel Carpenter, 42, of Pittsburgh. He was transported to UPMC Presbyterian with multiple gunshot wounds to his neck following a shooting along the 6400...
Body found near Rankin Bridge identified as Mississippi man
A man found dead in the Monongahela River near the Rankin Bridge Sunday morning has been identified. The body of Arsenio Ahmad House, 28, of Greenwood, Miss., was recovered from the water, Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office officials reported Monday night. Authorities said a tugboat operator spotted the body around...
Workshops to inform parents about student vaping ‘epidemic’
Use of e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, has exploded among teens, so the Greater Latrobe School District is partnering with Breathe Pennsylvania to bring parents up to speed on the phenomenon officials say is putting students’ health at risk. The Cranberry-based nonprofit that focuses on lung health awareness will present...
Norwin could have new superintendent next month
Norwin School Board may be in a position to hire a new superintendent next month, according to a school board official. More than 20 candidates applied for the position, board President Barbara Viola said. Interviews have already started. Viola declined to say if any candidates were employees of the district....
UPMC alleges AG Shapiro is promoting the interests of Highmark, not the public
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is promoting the private interests of Highmark Health over the public good in his attempt to force UPMC to contract with its rival, UPMC told a state court Monday. UPMC made the argument in Commonwealth Court as part of its opposition to Shapiro’s petition to...
Penn Township boy who inspired Rocco’s Warriors loses battle with leukemia
A Penn Township boy who received the love and support of the community in his battle against acute Myeloid leukemia has died. Rocco Joseph Monteleone, 2, the son of Brandon and Michelle Monteleone, died Sunday, according to an obituary released by the family. He had been diagnosed with leukemia Dec....
Police say Frazer murder scene, photo didn’t match
One of the first police officers to arrive at the scene of a 2017 fatal shooting in Frazer testified in an Allegheny County court Monday that he found the dead man clutching a loaded pistol in his right hand. The testimony came during the first day of the non- jury...
Former sheriff’s clerk sentenced for helping targets of drug investigation
A former Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office clerk was sentenced in federal court Monday for helping two people being investigated for their alleged involvement in a drug trafficking operation. Erika Romanowski, 41, of Pittsburgh, will serve one day in prison, six months of home detention, three years of supervised release and...
DUI, gun cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court
Penn Hills District Judge Anthony L. DeLuca handled the following cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Charges were filed by Penn Hills police unless otherwise noted. Held for courtTiffany Leekins, 47, of Pittsburgh on charges of retail theft. Charges were filed Nov....
Verona man accused of hiding heroin in green tea container
A Verona man was charged Saturday after state police said they found 150 bags of suspected heroin hidden in a green tea container during a traffic stop. James W. Reid, 27, was pulled over Friday along Allegheny River Boulevard for having windows that were too darkly tinted, according to a...
Glen Campbell man dies at Lawrence County gas/oil well site
A 60-year-old man died after a large steel pipe fell from a truck and hit him at a gas/oil well site Monday morning in Lawrence County, state police said. According to state police, the accident happened shortly after 11 a.m. at the well site on Mt. Jackson Road in North...
Alle-Kiski fire, ambulance companies get grants from state gaming proceeds
Several Alle-Kiski Valley Area fire departments and ambulance companies are getting money from the Pennsylvania Fire Company and Ambulance Service grant program. The money comes from state gaming proceeds. It can be used to build, repair or renovate a fire company or ambulance service’s primary structure; buy or fix firefighting,...
New Freeport senior elective could set up students for $40K-plus job at Oberg
Freeport Area High School students will have an opportunity to take an advanced manufacturing elective with Oberg Industries, where graduates could snag a job starting in the low $40,000 range after graduation, according to company officials. The Freeport Area School Board approved an apprenticeship and career exploration program earlier this...
Pennsylvania lawmaker Brian Ellis facing sex assault claim quits House
HARRISBURG — A Western Pennsylvania state lawmaker resigned Monday, two months after being stripped of a chairmanship over allegations he had sex with a woman against her will while she was blacked out. Republican state Rep. Brian Ellis, who has not been charged with any crime, wrote in a letter...
Loyalhanna man gets 1 year probation on animal cruelty charge
A Loyalhanna man will serve one year probation for shooting his brother’s dog. Walter Buchinsky’s mixed-breed pet Fluffy was shot in the left leg June 10. The dog survived. Buchinsky’s brother and neighbor, Robert Buchinsky, 60, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty in court Monday. Prosecutors dismissed...
Arnold woman a no-show for hearing related to killing of New Kensington cop
An Arnold woman awaiting trial on charges she helped the man accused of shooting New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw during a traffic stop in late 2017 is on the run. Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Lisa Harrington on Monday after she failed to appear in court for a...
Pittsburgh woman pleads guilty to role in crack ring tied to West End gang
A Pittsburgh woman pleaded guilty for her role in a crack cocaine ring with ties to the “Greenway Boy Killas” street gang, federal prosecutors said Monday. Mardeja Chapple, 24, was among 28 suspects nabbed last summer in a wiretap probe targeting the gang also known as “the GBK” and the...
Westmoreland inmates reach record detox level in February
More than 80 percent of new inmates lodged at Westmoreland County Prison in February were addicted to drugs or alcohol. Warden John Walton on Monday told members of the county’s prison board that inmates who needed detoxification services hit an all-time high, raising concerns the drug epidemic that has plagued...
Plum officials obtain new AEDs for the police department, public facilities
Plum officials have acquired new lifesaving devices for their police, public buildings and parks. The borough recently purchased 16 Cardiac Science Powerheart G5 automated external defibrillators at around $1,300 each. Borough officials did not say if any particular incident sparked the need to get the devices. Mayor Harry Schlegel said...
Bouquet Park Pool raising money to open this summer
Bouquet Park Pool in Springdale could remain closed for the summer if its board of directors can’t raise another $3,000 to cover mounting expenses. “We’re trying to raise a total of $20,000 to open up the pool,” said Richard Kern, pool board member. “We’re up to $17,000 now.” The membership-based,...
Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania celebrates 100th birthday
It all began in 1919 as an organization headquartered in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, helping those in society considered unemployable, including thousands of soldiers returning from World War I. In the years to come, the organization expanded its role by focusing on helping people with disabilities through job training. This year,...
