Allegheny category, Page 251
Public hearing on proposed Amazon site in Churchill ends after 50-plus hours of testimony
A public hearing that spanned 14 days and included more than 55 hours of testimony regarding a proposed Amazon distribution center in Churchill has concluded, meaning local officials will render a decision on the project’s future within 45 days. A vocal group of residents has strongly opposed the project, which...
North Hills students will learn online Wednesday so bus drivers can attend colleague’s funeral
North Hills School District students will learn online Wednesday so that district bus drivers can attend a funeral for longtime colleague Nancy Von Vreckin. A notice posted to the district’s website said Von Vreckin drove for the district more than 40 years. “Many of her closest friends were also her...
Person killed when train hits truck in Jefferson Hills
One person was killed when a dump truck collided with a train in Jefferson Hills, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. The victim has not been identified. The incident happened at about 10:30 p.m. Monday. A Wheeling and Lake Erie train had been crossing Route 51 near Worthington Drive when...
Police file charges in 2020 Penn Hills killing
Allegheny County police have charged a Pittsburgh teen with homicide and other crimes for the December 2020 killing of a Churchill teen. Jafar Brooks, 16, was pronounced dead Dec. 15 at the scene of the Leechburg Garden Apartments along the 1900 lock of Garden Drive in Penn Hills on Dec....
Former animal control officer files lawsuit alleging false arrest after abuse charges against him dismissed
A former Pittsburgh animal control officer who had a felony charge of animal abuse against him dismissed last month on Monday filed a federal lawsuit against the police officer who charged him, as well as other witnesses in the case alleging that they conspired against him. James A. Genco III...
Man pleads guilty to 2020 shooting death in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood
A man from Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood pleaded guilty Monday to voluntary manslaughter in the 2020 shooting death of another man. Daejon Brentley, 21, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Anthony M. Mariani on Jan. 19. He also pleaded guilty to a firearms count. A criminal complaint filed...
Woodland Hills High School students to return to class after fights led to building closure
Woodland Hills students will return to classrooms Monday after a series of fights led to a two-day closure of the building. In a letter to parents Sunday night, Principal Shelly Manns said a student assembly to address the incidents will take place Monday. “Over the next couple of weeks, we...
Man critically injured in Swissvale shooting
The Allegheny County Police are asking the public’s help in connection with a shooting that critically injured a man early Sunday in Swissvale. Police reported that dispatchers were notified at 2:12 a.m. of a shooting on the 7500 block of Washington Avenue. First responders found a man suffering from a...
Alligator heads, a BMW, jewelry: Auction spans items left at Pittsburgh International Airport
From preserved alligator heads to brand-new Christian Louboutin shoes, two years of personal items left by travelers at Pittsburgh International Airport went up for auction Saturday. Hundreds of auctiongoers showed up at a heavy equipment garage at the airport to bid on lost, unclaimed and abandoned items from the airport’s...
Clairton man pleads guilty to assault in McDonald’s in Bethel Park
A Clairton man was sentenced to four-to-10 years in prison Friday for sexually assaulting a young girl at a McDonald’s restaurant in Bethel Park, according to authorities. Allegheny County Judge Jill E. Rangos sentenced Walter A. Garner, 41, to prison on his plea of guilty to charges of statutory sexual...
Murrysville couple charged with bilking CARES Act of $220K via rental relief money-laundering scheme
A Murrysville couple arrested Friday morning is accused of bilking the federal government of more than $220,000 in coronavirus-related relief money by filing false claims for rental assistance — including for units that were unoccupied and uninhabitable in the name of fake renters in need, police said. Devon Lane, 29,...
Ross police seek help identifying man they say robbed a Chick-Fil-A
Ross police are searching for a man who they said robbed a Chick-Fil-A on Thursday afternoon. Police said the crime occurred around 2:30 p.m. at the restaurant along McKnight Road. A black man believed to be in his late teens or early 20s approached the drive-through area and demanded cash...
Allegheny County Police taking part in DEA’s prescription drug take-back day
It’s become an important part of the fall calendar and taken on even greater meaning in the midst of the drug overdose epidemic. The Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Take-Back Day is set for Saturday and once again the Allegheny County Police Department is participating. The event is taking place at...
South Hills pair charged with cheating federal housing program by flipping foreclosed homes
A pair of South Hills residents are accused of cheating the federal government by posing as the would-be owner-occupant of a foreclosed home, only to attempt to flip the property for profit. A federal grand jury accused J. Reed Pirain, 45, and Renee Vasilko, 48, both of Upper St. Clair,...
Hung jury declared in sexual assault case against former Regent Square restaurateur
For the second time, a jury deliberating the case of a former Regent Square restaurant owner accused of sexual assault could not reach a verdict. After four days of deliberation, the panel of five women and seven men was dismissed by a judge after advising the court it was unable...
West View boy, 15, tried twice to poison parents, police say
A West View teen faces attempted homicide charges after police said he tried to poison his parents by pouring furniture polish into their spaghetti sauce on one occasion and using pesticide on another, police records show. Police filed charges against Jeff Miller, 15, on Friday morning — a day after...
Man charged in fatal Club Erotica shooting guilty of third-degree murder
A Carnegie man accused of killing another man at a McKees Rocks strip club earlier this year was found guilty Friday of third-degree murder. Charles Becher, 24, faces a possible prison term of six years in the standard guideline range when he is sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge...
Woman stabbed in Stowe, 1 arrested
A person was arrested Friday after a stabbing in Stowe that seriously injured a woman, according to Allegheny County Police. Investigators said township police were patrolling Broadway Avenue around 12:30 a.m. when they found a 29-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds. She was hospitalized in critical condition, police said. Police...
3 tornadoes confirmed in region, power being restored
Radar confirmed that three tornadoes touched down in the region Thursday evening and National Weather Service surveyors will spend the next couple days gathering information about them and other potential twisters, according to meteorologist Jason Frazier. Those tornadoes were near Mt. Nebo and Hampton in Allegheny County and Buffalo Township...
Federal lawsuit accuses Pittsburgh police of using excessive force during George Floyd protest arrest
A McKees Rocks man filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against three unnamed Pittsburgh police officers, as well as the city of Pittsburgh, claiming he was falsely arrested following his participation in a protest over the death of George Floyd last year. John Connors alleges in the lawsuit filed by Pittsburgh...
Pa. Supreme Court: Pittsburgh didn’t have authority to pass housing voucher anti-discrimination ordinance
The state Supreme Court on Thursday agreed with a lower court that the city of Pittsburgh didn’t have the authority in 2015 to pass an ordinance barring landlords from discriminating against tenants who used federally subsidized housing vouchers. City Council passed the ordinance to protect those with “Section 8” housing...
Lawsuit alleges UPMC is refusing to provide medical exemptions for school mask mandate
A group of parents and guardians from across Western Pennsylvania filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the acting secretaries of the state health and education departments, as well as UPMC, alleging that their children are being illegally denied medical exemptions from the school mask mandate. Ten plaintiffs from Kittanning, New...
Ballot misprint affects some Allegheny County voters
An “isolated calibration issue” led to barcodes being printed on the wrong mail-in ballot envelope for some Allegheny County voters, officials said Thursday. The printing issue resulted in a barcode that was supposed to be on the declaration envelope instead being printed on the secrecy envelope, said county spokeswoman Amie...
Injunction halts separation agreement with Penn Hills police chief, voting on his successor
A court injunction has been granted to postpone Penn Hills Council votes on a separation agreement with the municipality’s police chief and the naming of his successor. A special meeting to vote on the matters had been scheduled for Oct. 18, but was canceled because three council members said they...
Turtle Creek woman sentenced to federal prison for role in drug trafficking
A Turtle Creek woman was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in federal prison for working with two siblings to distribute fentanyl in the area. Marleka Robinson, 26, was ordered to spend two years on supervised release after the prison term. She pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in June. A grand...
