Madasyn Czebiniak stories, Page 5
Pair of crashes snarl morning commute on Route 28
Two crashes Tuesday along Route 28 slowed traffic in and out of Pittsburgh during the morning commute. Three vehicles crashed on Route 28 northbound in the area of the Highland Park Bridge about 8:45 a.m., according to officials. That crash caused some traffic delays. No one was injured, and the...
Police: Fight led to man getting shot in face in Munhall
An argument in Munhall early Tuesday left one man with a gunshot wound to the face, police said. The shooting happened at a home on East 11th Avenue about 2:30 a.m., according to Allegheny County police Sgt. Venerando Costa. Paramedics took a 45-year-old man to the hospital where he remained...
Man shot in head in Wilkinsburg
A man was shot in the head early Tuesday morning in Wilkinsburg, according to Allegheny County Police. The shooting was reported at 3:30 a.m. in the 1500 block of Laketon Road. When first responders arrived, they found the man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, police said. He...
Police: Tractor-trailer hauling paper catches fire at Pa. Turnpike service plaza
A tractor-trailer hauling paper caught fire at a fuel pump island along the Pennsylvania Turnpike early Tuesday morning, according to state police, shutting down a service plaza for several hours. The incident was reported shortly after 3 a.m. at the New Stanton plaza, located at milepost 77.6 westbound. According to...
Longtime cake decorator a lovable staple at Lower Burrell’s Community SupermarketVideo
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 reporter Madasyn Czebiniak at mczebiniak@tribweb.com. Brandy Tresco was studying to be a medical assistant...
$10K reward offered for information on several suspicious fires in Indiana County
A $10,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information about several suspicious fires that have occurred in Indiana County since last year. The most recent blaze happened March 28 at a barn on Barnard Road in Dayton. According to a news release from The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms...
At least 1 dead after train strikes vehicle in Lawrence CountyVideo
At least one person is dead after a Norfolk Southern mixed-freight train struck a vehicle late Sunday night in Lawrence County. Norfolk Southern spokeswoman Rachel McDonnell Bradshaw said the incident occurred shortly before midnight at Larchwood Drive in New Beaver. The driver of the vehicle was killed in the collision....
Man allegedly hits East Deer police officer in the face, runs away
A Tarentum man is accused of hitting an East Deer police officer in the face Thursday night when the officer tried to arrest him, according to court documents. Zeya Icquise Dixon, 21, faces charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and loitering and prowling at night in connection with...
Ohio man stopped at Pittsburgh airport with loaded gun, officials say
An Ohio man was stopped with a loaded .38-caliber gun in his carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport on Thursday, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Federal workers found the gun as the man passed through a TSA security checkpoint. Allegheny County Police confiscated the firearm and detained the East...
This isn’t Florida, man: Another alligator found in Pittsburgh
Welcome to the Pittsburgh Everglades. For the second time in a month, an alligator was spotted and captured in a city neighborhood. Pittsburgh public safety spokesman Chris Togneri said a man walking his dog around 10 p.m. Thursday in Beechview spotted a 5-foot-long alligator in front of a garage on...
Missing Pittsburgh woman, 86, found
Pittsburgh Police say an 86-year-old woman who had been missing Thursday afternoon has been found. Mary Savage was last seen near the East End Food Co-op around 1 p.m., police said. Police announced shortly after 6 p.m. that she has been found....
Beyoncé goes viral with wicked glare at Warriors’ owner’s wife
Don’t lean over Queen Bey. That seems to be the message everyone is spreading after a video showing a woman leaning over Beyoncé to talk to her husband Jay-Z went viral. Was it really that deep? The incident took place Wednesday as the couple sat beside Golden State Warriors owner...
Family of slain New Ken delivery driver frustrated with lack of answers
Jeanne Smith said her family is frustrated that New Kensington police have no updates in the shooting death of her brother-in-law, newspaper delivery driver Gregory Lee Smith. But they’re happy police haven’t given up on the case. “I just wish they would find out what happened,” Jeanne Smith told the...
Frazer woman sentenced to at least 6 years in prison for killing husband
A Frazer woman was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for fatally shooting her husband after a drunken argument involving money, sex and a burned tuna casserole more than two years ago. Teresa M. Drum, 40, was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the death of her husband,...
Ready to mingle: Pittsburgh Zoo’s clouded leopard cubs now accepting visitorsVideo
What’s new with two of the youngest pussycats at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium? They’re now accepting visitors. Clouded leopard cubs Rukai and Kansas can now be seen daily in the clouded leopard playroom at The Islands, the zoo said. They venture into the outdoor clouded leopard yard, too,...
Paid extras needed for ‘Manhunt: Lone Wolf’ filming in Pittsburgh
The Olympics are coming to Pittsburgh. The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, that is. The true crime series “Manhunt: Lone Wolf” is looking for paid extras to play Olympic guests, vendors, emergency responders, security guards and other characters for season two of the series. The second season will focus on the...
Police: Shots fired at men cutting grass in Armstrong County
An Armstrong County man accused of firing half a dozen rounds at two men cutting grass near his Plum Creek home on Monday was found to be growing marijuana there, according to state police. Police said they investigated a report of someone firing shots at two landscapers as they cut...
Fawn pet resort treats animals like familyVideo
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 reporter Madasyn Czebiniak at mczebiniak@tribweb.com. Years spent working in the pet food industry forced...
Police: Cuffed assault suspect launched himself down Frazer hillside
A New Kensington man who police say attacked his girlfriend and another man last week at a Frazer gas station is accused of trying to get away from officers by launching himself down a steep hillside while handcuffed. Frazer police Sgt. Aaron Scott said officers were called to the Sam’s...
Florida man brags about running from cops, eventually gets caught
A Florida man wanted on a warrant was arrested after he fled from a traffic stop and called 911 to brag about getting away. Nicholas Carlmann Jones, 19, allegedly said on the call “What do we pay you guys for? Like, I’ve driven past four cops,” according to Fox35. Jones...
Free produce provided to Allegheny County seniors through farmers market program
Senior citizens living in Allegheny County are eligible to receive free locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables through the annual Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. The program provides residents 60 years and older with $20 in checks to purchase produce grown in Pennsylvania at participating farmers markets. The checks will...
Grove City man sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for producing child porn
A Grove City man has been sentenced to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for producing child pornography. Matthew Switzer, 33, coerced a 4-year-old girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct several times to create at least 13 pornographic photos, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady. The...
New Kensington police: Gun, heroin seized from felon’s home
A convicted felon recently released from state prison was arrested Thursday after police said they found more than 700 stamp bags of heroin and a handgun in his New Kensington home. New Kensington police arrested Charles Jones, 40, after serving a search warrant around 6 a.m. at his residence in...
Power outage planned for parts of Alle-Kiski Valley for upgrades
Roughly 2,800 West Penn Power customers will lose power for four hours on Saturday because of a planned power outage. The planned outage will take place from 8 a.m. to noon, according to a post on the Upper Burrell Police Department’s Facebook page. It is needed to upgrade facilities. The...
Reward offered for information on missing Whitehall woman
A reward is being offered to anyone with information on the location of a Whitehall woman missing since April who is presumed dead. Elizabeth “Betsy” Wiesenfeld, 67, has been missing since April 30, when her daughter reported her missing after her mother failed to show up for work. Police have...
