Regional category, Page 347
Michigan man faces 10 years to life in prison for heroin ring targeting Western Pa.
A Michigan man caught with nearly three pounds of heroin pleaded guilty for scheming to sell the illegal street drug to addicts in Western Pennsylvania, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Victor Burnett Jr., 38, of Oak Park, Mich. faces a sentence of at least 10 years in prison, U.S. Attorney Scott...
Storm brings Pittsburgh region closer to average for seasonal snowfall totals
From snow to rain and back again, it’s been an unusually wet winter in Western Pennsylvania. Wednesday morning’s snowstorm brought 4 inches of snow to the region, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. That brought total snowfall for the season to 28.7 inches, just below average for this...
Fayette County woman indicted for illegally cashing $40K in Social Security checks
A Fayette County woman was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh this week on a charge of theft of government property for allegedly cashing more than $40,500 in Social Security survivor’s disability benefit checks she was not entitled to receive. The one-count indictment alleges Mika Lint, 40, also...
State awards $1.2M for regional stream, storm water projects
The state Department of Environmental Protection has awarded $1.2 million in Growing Greener grants to help with storm water management and stream improvement projects across Westmoreland, Armstrong and Allegheny counties. Westmoreland County • Saint Vincent College, $213,295 — To fund repairs to the college’s acid mine drainage treatment ponds and...
13 Pittsburgh-area Payless stores among those closing nationwide
About a dozen Payless ShoeSource stores in the Pittsburgh region are among the 2,300 closing nationwide. Payless officials announced the closures last week and locations — including Westmoreland, Ross Park, Robinson and Monroeville malls — have started liquidation sales, according to a notice on the company’s website. Merchandise is between...
Duquesne man wanted in Uniontown shooting, cops say
Uniontown police obtained an arrest warrant this week for a 20-year-old Allegheny County man wanted for attempted homicide for allegedly firing a 9mm handgun at a carload of people outside a gas station Feb. 5. Police also are seeking Xavier “Buckets” Cash of Duquesne on five counts each of aggravated...
Red Cross Chestnut Ridge Chapter gets new executive director
A woman with 16 years’ experience with the American Red Cross and a background in education has been named the new executive director of the Chestnut Ridge Chapter. Tessie Dunmire-Amaranto, of Apollo, succeeds Dana Bauer, who resigned in October 2018 after four years as executive director. The Chestnut Ridge Chapter,...
Morning snow turns to rain across Pittsburgh region, prompting flood watchVideo
Snow has turned to rain across much of the region, leading the National Weather Service to change its morning winter weather advisory to a flood watch until midnight. Rain will continue through the night and is expected to taper off by Thursday morning, with temperatures staying above freezing, said meteorologist...
Irish genealogy workshop slated in Pittsburgh
With St. Patrick’s Day less than a month away, Irish genealogy experts will discuss genealogical research at the annual Irish Genealogy Workshop on March 18 at the Heinz History Center, Smallman Street, Pittsburgh. Irish genealogy experts Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt from the Ulster Historical Foundation in Belfast will participate...
Trying to tie the knot for cheap? Ollie’s Bargain Outlet has you covered
“Good stuff cheap” and … weddings? Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is getting into the marriage business, selling wedding dresses and bridesmaid gowns over the course of five days. The discount store is taking regularly priced wedding gowns and slashing prices, dropping the regular price of thousands of dollars to the lower...
Somerset County’s Laurel Hill wins ‘park of the year’ award
The 4,062-acre Laurel Hill State Park Complex near Trent in Somerset County has been named the recipient of the 2019 Park of the Year Award. The non-profit Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation announced the award on Tuesday. Laurel Hill is surrounded by thousands of acres of state park and state...
Butler woman suspected in Florida murder allegedly asked cellmate about hiding bodies
A Butler County woman missing for more than a decade who turned up in Florida as a homicide suspect last year might have been stalking a childhood friend in Pennsylvania via Facebook, according to a report from First Coast News. The details of Kimberly Kessler’s life include nearly 20 aliases...
South Connellsville sex offender accused of sexual interaction with boys, 14 and 17
A registered sex offender from South Connellsville is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old boy and sending a 14-year-old boy nude photographs, according to police. Crystal Shannon Shroyer, 36, is being held in the Fayette County Prison on $25,000 bail. She was arrested Friday on charges of statutory sexual...
Philadelphia man ID’ed in fatal fall near Vegas High Roller
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas police have identified a man who fell to his death after entering an unauthorized area near an observation wheel on the Strip. The Clark County Coroner’s office confirmed Tuesday that 23-year-old Stefan Quinton Jones-Green, of Philadelphia, suffered fatal injuries when he fell Friday. The cause...
Public hearing set on Conneaut Lake Park’s proposed Camperland expansion
SUMMIT TOWNSHIP — A proposed expansion of Conneaut Lake Park’s Camperland campground is set for a public hearing later this month. Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park, the nonprofit corporation that oversees the amusement park’s operations, proposes to expand the campground by adding 57 recreational vehicle full hookup campsites amenities. Currently,...
State police investigating dog shot in Butler County
State police in Butler are investigating after a dog was shot in the stomach Sunday in Concord Township. The dog, a German Shepherd Husky mix, later died, troopers said. The incident occurred between 3 and 7 p.m. in the area of 927 Hooker Road. Troopers said the dog’s owner found...
Former NFL player to speak at Catholic men’s conference
Mike McCoy, an all-pro defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers in the 1970s and the product of a Catholic education in Erie, will be the featured speaker for the first-ever Diocese of Greensburg Catholic men’s conference on March 30. “The Well: Come and Be Renewed” men’s conference will explore...
Forecast: Storm could blanket Western Pa. with 4 inches of snow by Wednesday
A storm expected to strike Tuesday night could blanket parts of Western Pennsylvania and neighboring states with more than 4 inches of snow by Wednesday, forecasters said. Snow and ice accumulation could cause dangerous travel conditions from Oklahoma to the Northeast — including Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland —...
Washington’s birthday marked at Fort Ligonier, part of his journeys in region
The “father of our country” will turn 287 on Friday , and the staff at Fort Ligonier will celebrate the occasion with a Winter History Happy Hour. Guests can take part in a happy birthday toast to George Washington from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at the fort’s Center for...
Somerset County gets CodeRED emergency notice system
Somerset County is adopting a new emergency notification system that will allow residents and businesses to receive telephone calls, texts or emails about disasters and emergencies. The county Department of Emergency Services launched the use of CodeRED over the weekend and will test it at 3 p.m. March 19 to...
Analyst: Gas prices rise to highest level in 2 months on higher oil prices
Gas prices have risen to their highest level in nearly two months, mainly following higher oil prices, said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “Gasoline demand remains seasonally weak, but last week’s report from the Energy Information Administration showed refinery utilization plunging, meaning less gasoline is flowing out...
Clarion University adds pet-friendly dorm
Animal lovers at Clarion University should be forgiven if they’re celebrating today. The state-owned university announced it will open a pet-friendly dorm for upperclassmen this fall. The aptly named Brooke Trout Hall will become a respite for pet lovers under the new policy. Pet lovers who are accepted at Brooke...
14 young professionals get Boy Scouts’ Trailblazer Award
The Westmoreland-Fayette Council of the Boy Scouts of America honored 14 Westmoreland County professionals with the 2019 Trailblazer Award. The annual award is given to professionals under the age of 40 who exemplify the 12 points of the Scout Law — a Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind,...
Women’s club: Westmoreland County Prison has become home to more female inmates
Editor’s note: Renatta Signorini participated as a 2018 jails and justice reporting fellow through a program by the John Jay Center on Media, Crime and Justice in New York City. The fellowship program supported journalists in examining issues related to jails in small towns and rural communities. Signorini’s work will...
Coroner: Cambria Co. woman, 97, found dead in home died of hypothermia
PORTAGE, Pa. — A coroner says a woman found dead inside her western Pennsylvania home earlier in the week died of hypothermia. Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees says 97-year-old Mary Sopata was found by a neighbor Tuesday in her Portage Township home. The (Johnstown) Tribune-Democrat reports that the home apparently...
