News Of Western Pennsylvania And The World
The wildfire in the mountainous area east of Mililani Mauka is now 90% contained and has blackened 1,681 acres, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in its final daily update on the blaze.
Source: Mililani Mauka fire burns 1,681 acres, remains 90% contained
Authorities say the first incident happened at the Whole Foods parking gargae on Penn Avenue in East Liberty.
Police say the Chipotle on Freeport Road was robbed a short time later.
Source: Pittsburgh Police respond to carjacking at East Liberty grocery, robbery at Waterworks restaurant
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers had some extracurricular activity at the end of their game after a game-winning interception led to a fight.
Source: Steelers’ Damontae Kazee’s game-sealing interception leads to fight with Packers players
PITTSBURGH — Channel 11 Chief Investigator Rick Earle has learned that a City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works employee went missing back in June.
His city truck was found abandoned.
It’s a case you’ve never heard about, until now.
It happened in the early morning hours of June 9 in Pittsburgh’s East End neighborhood of Lincoln-Lemington, Pittsburgh police found a city of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works truck abandoned on Manning Street around 1:30 am but there was no sign of the city worker anywhere.
Earle spoke with Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto about the case.
Earle: Is it your understanding that the city worker was abducted from his truck?
Scirotto: The manner in which he goes missing is still rather unclear.
Earle: But he was in a city vehicle?
Scirotto: That’s correct.
According to police, the worker’s wife filed a missing person’s report with police at 12:30 a.m. on June 9.
She said the last time she saw him was 19 hours early around 5:30 a.m. on June 8, as he was leaving for his work shift at DPW.
Earle discovered what happened during those 19 hours is a mystery, mainly because the worker isn’t cooperating with police.
But the city administration won’t release any details either.
So, there are a lot of questions.
Did anyone here notice that he didn’t return to the division by quitting time and that his truck was still out?
And why didn’t anyone report him missing?
Earle: Why was there no information put out by the department about this missing city worker?
Scirotto: At the time, I don’t believe the city knew exactly his whereabouts.
Police do know he returned home two hours after his wife reported him missing.
She called police and canceled the missing person report.
Police said the city worker had been severely beaten and later that morning somehow managed to drive himself to the hospital.
“There’s no doubt from the hospital records and testimony that the victim was sexually assaulted. So, from that point, we don’t believe there’s a public safety concern so we wouldn’t release any further information organizationally. That’s how we remedy, that’s how we handle all sexual assaults,” said Scirotto.
Today, five months later, the city worker still won’t tell police what happened to him. He said he doesn’t want to pursue any criminal charges and wants to put it all behind him.
Earle: Here’s a city employee, on city time, in a city vehicle, does he have that option? Doesn’t he have an obligation to let you investigate this case?
Scirotto: I don’t know what the city’s demand of the victim would be.
The chief couldn’t answer that question, so we went straight to the mayor.
Earle: There was a worker abducted from his truck in Lincoln-Lemington. He was in a city truck on city time, concerned about that?
Gainey: No, I’m not going to discuss personnel issues.
The Mayor refused to discuss the case.
And Earle has learned the city employee, who spent several weeks in the hospital, was allowed to return to work with the city, even though he won’t talk to police.
Earle pressed Gainey again for more information.
Gainey: That’s personnel issue.
Earle: But it involved a city truck and it was city worker on city time and it was tax dollars involved. Do you have an obligation to say what happened to this guy? He disappeared?
Gainey: I’m not going to discuss personnel issues. You know that. I’m not going to do it.
Earle: You can’t talk about any of that situation.
Gainey: No, personnel issues, I’m not.
Earle: Even though it involves city truck, city tax dollars, a city worker?
Earle said it’s unclear if the city’s Office of Municipal Investigations conducted an inquiry into all of this.
Sources told Earle the worker was reportedly up for a promotion before his disappearance.
Sources said he did not get the promotion and was transferred to another public works division.
Police said they will reopen the investigation if the city worker decides to pursue the case.
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Police said the driver who hit the man was traveling north on Braddock Avenue when the car went off the road and struck him.. 75 year old dead at the scene.
Source: North Braddock: Deadly car vs. pedestrian crash
After decades in business, a Westmoreland County restaurant is set to close its doors for the final time this holiday season.
Source: The Wagon Wheel closing its doors after decades in business
Some areas will see pockets of heavy rain
Source: Pittsburghers face rainy and breezy morning commute on Thursday
A $2 bill with a red seal can sell for $300 to $2,500. Those with brown or blue seals can sell for hundreds.
Source: Have a $2 bill lying around? It could be worth thousands
First lady Jill Biden visited Pittsburgh on Wednesday and praised the region’s efforts in expanding workforce development programs and other career training initiatives. Pittsburgh was designated a “workforce hub” in May. That provided federal funding and other assistance to existing workforce training programs in the region.
Source: First lady Jill Biden highlights Western Pa. workforce development efforts during Pittsburgh stop
Two students at Brashear High School in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood were hospitalized Wednesday after they ingested “am unknown edible candy,” a school spokeswoman said. Four students were involved in the incident. Two fell ill after eating the candy, Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said. School officials are investigating
Source: 2 Pittsburgh students hospitalized after eating ‘unknown edible candy’
Traffic was going slow on the outbound side approaching Green Tree
PITTSBURGH —
Pittsburgh’s Action Traffic’s Elena LaQuatra was tracking three accidents on major roadways in Pittsburgh on Tuesday morning.
All three happened around 6:30 a.m.
Two of the crashes were on the Parkway West.
One on the outbound side approaching Greentree Road was slowing down traffic though it was clearing shortly before 7 a.m.
A crash on the inbound side at the Carnegie Busway was moved to the side of the road.
LaQuatra also said there was a crash on Route 28 inbound at the 40th Street Bridge.
Source: Three accidents on major Pittsburgh roadways, including two on the Parkway West
Michelle Robinson, 57, is charged with aggravated assault
According to a criminal complaint for Michelle Robinson, 57, of Pittsburgh, the victim told police Robinson was keeping the remote control from him in her purse, and he asked for it multiple times.
According to the court paperwork, the third time the victim asked, Robinson pulled a knife out and stabbed him in the hand.
The court paperwork said that Robinson initially told police the victim stabbed himself and then later said the victim had assaulted her.
Source: Man stabbed after repeatedly asking Pittsburgh woman for TV remote
Stephen Zappala was reelected as Allegheny County district attorney, beating challenger Matt Dugan for the seat. Zappala has served in the role since 1998.
Source: Stephen Zappala wins Allegheny County district attorney race
If you’re voting in person on Election Day, find your polling place and its hours. See what ID you need to vote. Find out where to get a sample ballot.
Voting on Election Day
Find out when and where to vote and what form of ID to bring with you on Election Day.
Voter ID requirements
Each state sets its own voter ID rules. And most require voters to bring identification to vote in person. Know the voter ID laws in your state before going to the polls.
Find your polling place
Your polling place is where you go to vote in local, state, and federal elections. Find out where yours is located, its hours, and if you can change your polling place.
Can you vote online?
No. In federal elections in the U.S., you cannot vote online.
Use voter guides and sample ballots to learn about candidates
Voter guides and sample ballots include the candidates and the state or local issues up for a vote. Reviewing them before you go to the polls can help you decide who to vote for.
Source: Voting on Election Day | USAGov
The new store at a Pittsburgh mall is slated to open next year.
BETHEL PARK, PA — Construction has begun at South Hills Village on a project that will transform the long-vacant Sears space into an Iowa department store chain’s first Pennsylvania location. Iowa-based Von Maur plans to open the two-story, 118,000-square-foot store next fall.
Source: Department Store Chain To Open First PA Location In Pittsburgh
Dino nuggets from Tyson foods may have metal pieces in the chicken, according to a recall alert.
Source: Tyson recalls nearly 30,000 pounds of dino chicken nuggets
A water main break has caused a boil water warning in Ligonier Borough, Laurel Mountain Borough and parts of Ligonier and Fairfield townships.
Source: Nearly 1,600 customers in Westmoreland County under boil water advisory
Members of Westmoreland County’s largest labor union on Thursday continued to pressure county commissioners to return to the bargaining table. Members of the Service Employees International Union and HealthCare Pennsylvania conducted informational picketing in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse as well as other county facilities including Area Agency on Aging.
Source: Labor union members picket outside several Westmoreland County facilities, call for bargainings
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — Fox Chapel police are working with different agencies after several mansions in the area were targeted and burglarized over the weekend.
Police are warning families to be extra vigilant, and some neighbors are on edge after the burglaries.
Source: Several Allegheny County mansions targeted in weekend burglaries
Fourth quarter Kenny did it again!
Pickett hit wide receiver Diontae Johnson for a 3-yard touchdown with 4:06 to play to give the Steelers the lead for good in a 20-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Source: More late heroics lift Steelers over Titans, 20-16
Allegheny County Police said one person was found shot to death in Homestead early Wednesday morning.
The shooting happened around 1:10 a.m. on the 300 block of East 12th Avenue.
Shots were fired outside a home near the intersection of Ann Street, according to Allegheny County Police.
Detectives said one man was found shot to death outside the home and the other was taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds.
The man killed was identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office as Eric Stephens, 38, of McKees Rocks.
Source: One dead, one injured in Homestead shooting
A scratch-off ticket revealed a $1 million prize for a lucky customer at a GetGo store in Western Pennsylvania.
Source: Lottery ticket worth $1 million sold at GetGo in Allegheny County
Nathan Eovaldi pitched six gutsy innings, Mitch Garver broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the seventh and the Texas Rangers won their first World Series championship by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game 5.
Source: Texas Rangers win first World Series title with 5-0 victory over Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and the Welcome Home Shelter and Union Mission in Westmoreland County have opened cold weather shelters.
The shelters, which are opening for their ninth season, provide emergency lodging to residents who are homeless or without heat on nights when it’s below 25 degrees.
“On cold winter nights, the shelters will provide a safe place for community members to stay warm,” said Director of Regional Impact Initiatives at the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania Jesse Sprajcar. “Providing basic necessities such as food, shelter and transportation, can truly transform lives, aiding individuals and families on their path to stability.”
Source: Cold weather shelters open in Westmoreland County
Two Catherine Street residents were treated for smoke inhalation early Saturday morning, Oct. 28, after a fire broke out in a bedroom.
According to John Brasile, chief of the Latrobe Volunteer Fire Department, emergency responders were dispatched at 5:01 a.m. Saturday for a report of a house fire at 1632 Catherine St., Latrobe.
Brasile was the first firefighter to arrive at the scene, followed by Engine No. 2.
Source: Latrobe house damaged in early-morning fire
The Trump Organization’s $250 million fraud trial becomes a family affair Wednesday when Donald Trump Jr. becomes the first of Donald Trump’s children to take the stand.
Source: Donald Trump Jr. to testify in Trump Organization’s $250 million fraud trial
WILKINSBURG, Pa. —
Allegheny County homicide detectives said they have made an arrest in connection with a fatal shooting that happened in May.
Police said Michael Tomlin, 32, of Verona, was pronounced dead at the scene on Franklin Avenue in Wilkinsburg on May 27.
“Through witness interviews, cell phone records and surveillance video, detectives were able to determine 34-year-old Isaiah Thornton of North Braddock was responsible for the shooting,” police said in a statement Tuesday.Thornton was being held in the county jail, pending preliminary arraignment on charges of criminal homicide and firearms violations, police said.
Source: Arrest made in shooting death of local music artist, producer
As countries including the United States, Canada and Cuba prepare to set clocks back an hour on Nov. 5 as daylight saving time ends, debate is once again emerging in the U.S. over whether and how to end this practice.
Oct 31 (Reuters) – As countries including the United States, Canada and Cuba prepare to set clocks back an hour on Nov. 5 as daylight saving time ends, debate is once again emerging in the U.S. over whether and how to end this practice.
Here is everything you need to know about daylight saving time and the arguments to end it.
WHAT IS DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME?
Daylight saving time is the practice of moving clocks forward by one hour during summer months so daylight lasts longer into the evening. Most of North America and Europe follows the custom, while the majority of countries elsewhere, especially those close to the equator, do not.
Source: US daylight saving time: When do clocks change and why was it created?
A man was arrested Monday for allegedly assaulting a local teacher as she left the elementary school where she works.
The assault took place outside Barrett Elementary School in Homestead around 3:20 p.m., when a man, later identified as Ibrahim Hamisu, 28, assaulted a teacher who said she had never seen him before, according to the complaint.
The teacher said Hamisu lunged at her, grabbing her arm. He wouldn’t let go, then grabbed her keys and threw them on the ground, according to the complaint. She was eventually able to get away and run back to the school. She said Hamisu just walked away on the sidewalk as though nothing happened.
Source: Man arrested for allegedly assaulting teacher outside Allegheny County elementary school
Drivers traveling northbound on PA Turnpike 43, also known as the Mon/Fayette Expressway, may run into delays this week as workers erect bridge beams over Jefferson Boulevard in the borough of Jefferson Hills. On Wednesday and Thursday, Turnpike Commission maintenance vehicles plan to pace traffic between 10 a.m. and 6
Source: Traffic disruptions planned for Mon/Fayette Expressway
