Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 884
Pittsburgh poised to reallocate money meant for police training to Penn Circle project
Pittsburgh City Council seems to be poised to reallocate funds originally earmarked for a public safety training facility in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood to a project to convert Penn Circle into a two-way roadway. Council was initially expected to take a final vote on the measure Tuesday, but delayed to...
Man enters plea in 1995 fire that killed 3 Pittsburgh firefighters, maintains innocenceVideo
A man accused of setting a fire at his home on Bricelyn Street in 1995 that killed three Pittsburgh firefighters continues to claim his innocence. But on Wednesday, after fighting for 27 years, Greg Brown Jr. entered a guilty plea, finally bringing the case to conclusion. Brown, 44, entered what...
4 children injured in truck rollover crash in Fawn
Allegheny County Police detectives are investigating a pickup truck rollover crash in Fawn that resulted in four children being taken to the hospital. Fawn police Chief Timothy Mayberry said officers were dispatched at 9:40 p.m. Tuesday to a one-vehicle crash on Route 908 and Lardintown Road. He said six people...
Police: Peters man charged in infant’s death said he tripped on a grocery bag
A Peters man told police his infant son sustained fatal head injuries when he tripped on a grocery bag while carrying the child last month, according to the charges against him. Jordan Clarke, 36, is charged with homicide in connection with the death of the infant, referred to in the...
Tens of millions of Pennsylvania school dollars ‘unauditable’
Recent state audits have called attention to some Pennsylvania school districts’ lackadaisical controls that have made auditing how tens of millions of dollars were spent impossible. The audits do not suggest any illegal activity, but poor compliance measures can hide how taxpayer dollars are being wasted or improperly spent. A...
Delmont man to remain in jail as judge seeks answers to mental health questions
An 82-year-old Delmont man’s mental health struggle has left him behind bars for more than two years, and a Westmoreland County judge this week said he is at a loss as to what should happen next. “I think anything would be better than him spending his last years in jail...
Expert says Moderna booster targeting omicron could be superior to current boosters
As the covid-19 pandemic has changed with the emergence of new variants, Moderna is looking to update its vaccine offerings in response. The drug manufacturer is studying an updated booster vaccine that targets the omicron variant, which they say could offer better protection as the variant spreads. “The vaccine that’s...
Moderna says updated covid shot boosts omicron protection
Moderna’s experimental covid-19 vaccine that combines its original shot with protection against the omicron variant appears to work, the company announced Wednesday. covid-19 vaccine makers are studying updated boosters that might be offered in the fall to better protect people against future coronavirus surges. Moderna’s preliminary study results show people...
Resignations, retirement leave New Kensington police short-staffed
A pair of resignations and the retirement of a longtime officer have left New Kensington’s police force short-staffed. City Council on Monday approved the retirement of Detective Sgt. Dino DiGiacobbe and the resignations of patrol Officers Jose Pantoja and Christian Leonarski. A 1982 graduate of Freeport Area High School, DiGiacobbe,...
Police say Turtle Creek man sexually assaulted child; suspect arrested in Harrison
A Turtle Creek man faces charges that he sexually assaulted a child over a period of five years, according to the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office. Police arrested Jose Melendez Jr., 33, on Tuesday in the Sheldon Park public housing plan in Harrison. They had been looking for him since issuing...
Fire chief calls blaze at former Derry auto shop ‘suspicious’
A blaze that destroyed the defunct Ralph Smith & Son Inc. auto repair shop in Derry was called “suspicious” Wednesday by borough fire Chief Josh Campbell. “The state police fire marshal is still investigating the exact cause. … I was there within 5 to 10 minutes of the call (Tuesday),...
Pittsburgh man arrested after fatal Homewood shooting
Police have arrested 19-year-old Khatrell Haynes-Morgan in connection with a homicide in Homewood. On June 1, Glenn Davenport, 34, died after Haynes-Morgan, from Pittsburgh, allegedly fired 11 shots at around 1 a.m. in the 7700 block of Frankstown Avenue. A woman was injured in the shooting and taken to the...
Fayette state representative could face DUI charges after car crash, seeks alcohol treatment
State Rep. Matthew Dowling, R-Fayette/Somerset, could face DUI charges after he was involved in a car crash Saturday, and is seeking “professional treatment to address any possible alcohol issues.” State police responded to the incident at about 1:40 p.m. Dowling, 37, had rear-ended a car twice in the area of...
Dismissal of Unity man’s criminal cases upheld by state appeals court
The dismissal of three criminal cases against a Unity man named as a suspect in his former girlfriend’s disappearance has been upheld by a state appeals court. A three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the ruling issued last year by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger,...
Pittsburgh man gets at least 4 years in prison for killing girlfriend’s unborn baby
A Perry South man will serve four to 10 years in state prison after pleading guilty to shooting his girlfriend and killing her unborn child on Tuesday. Andrai Russell, 20, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter of an unborn child and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Russell was already charged...
FDA advisers back Novavax covid shots as new U.S. option
American adults who haven’t yet gotten vaccinated against covid-19 may soon get another choice, as advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday backed a more traditional type of shot. Next, the FDA must decide whether to authorize the vaccine made by latecomer Novavax, a protein vaccine that’s made...
Pittsburgh council grants Tito House historic designation
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday voted to grant historic designation to the Tito House in the city’s Uptown neighborhood. “We are extremely excited,” said Sabreena Miller, real estate and development manager with Uptown Partners. “We’ve worked very hard to see that this property be cared for, protected and an asset...
Police: Pittsburgh woman trespassing at SpaceX facility ‘wanted to speak to Elon Musk’
A Pittsburgh woman told police she worked for SpaceX and needed to speak with Elon Musk when she was accused of trespassing at the Texas facility last week, authorities said. Nivea Parker, 20, is charged with criminal trespass, evading arrest and assault of a public servant in connection with the...
Parkway East closure to impact traffic, Oakland commuters for 2 weeks
One lane of the inbound section of the Parkway East, entrance and exit ramps, and sections of Bates Street in Oakland will be closed for up to 15 days starting Friday evening, PennDOT said. Department officials say the closures will impact traffic for motorists using the Parkway East, especially those...
Homestead man wanted in Greenfield bar shooting turns himself in
A Homestead man wanted charged in connection with a shooting at a Greenfield bar in April turned himself in to police Tuesday, authorities said. Jeremy Banks, 40, faces 21 charges, including 12 counts of aggravated assault in the April 30 shooting at Zeno’s on Acorn Street. Police allege Banks shot...
Pittsburgh council considers amendments to stop-and-frisk legislation
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday recommitted legislation outlining new regulations for stop-and-frisk incidents, meaning the measure will be discussed further and possibly amended before a final vote. The measure requires police to document why they are stopping and searching a pedestrian before they do so. Officers will have to use...
TSA officers catch 2 guns in 3 days at Pittsburgh International
Security officers at Pittsburgh International Airport on Tuesday stopped the second person in three days from bringing a loaded gun past the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint, according to a spokeswoman. Both men — one stopped Sunday and the other on Tuesday morning — claimed they’d forgotten they had the loaded...
Pittsburgh woman facing felony charges after Arnold police say she punched woman, scuffled with officers
Arnold police accused a woman of spitting at officers and kicking one of them in the groin when they tried to arrest her for allegedly assaulting another woman. Korrina Jolynn Booker, 35, of the 6800 block of Frankstown Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, was charged with two felony counts of...
Greensburg man escapes handcuffs, walks out of city police station
A Greensburg man is being held without bail after police said he slipped out of handcuffs Saturday at the city station and walked out of the building, according to court papers. Gerald V. Leonard, 59, is charged with escape. He had been taken into custody on an unrelated bench warrant...
Bedford County toddler’s death ruled homicide, stepmother charged in death
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office has ruled the death of a 3-year-old Bedford County toddler who died May 29 as a homicide due to asphyxiation. The examiner’s office said Travis W. Young died at 4 p.m. at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh about 18 hours after he was taken...
