Megan Guza stories, Page 22
Overdose deaths spike in Allegheny County amid pandemic’s isolation
Overdose deaths in Allegheny County rose 22% in 2020, an increase likely spurred by the stress and isolation wrought by the covid-19 pandemic, officials said. Across the county, 689 people were victims of fatal overdoses, a majority of which had some amount of fentanyl in their systems: 77%. Overdose deaths...
Investigators: Electrical system failure caused Gulf Tower fire last month
An electrical failure caused the fire last month at Pittsburgh’s Gulf Tower, fire investigators have determined. The May 19 fire was caused by “a failure of the secondary phase Gulf Tower’s electrical system,” authorities wrote on social media. They emphasized that the electrical system is not part of the Duquesne...
Allegheny County officials see brighter light at the end of the covid tunnel
Allegheny County officials remain pleased with and optimistic about the rates of covid-19 and vaccinations countywide, they said Wednesday. The county is now average fewer than 50 new cases per day, said health director Dr. Debra Bogen. “Just two months ago, we were stuck in a fourth surge and averaging...
Convicted killer serving life in Florida confesses to 6 Pa. slayings, including 3 in native Beaver County
A convicted killer serving life sentences in Florida has confessed to six slayings in four separate incidents across Pennsylvania in the late 1970s, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Edward A. Surratt, 71, has been serving two life sentences for a series of Florida crimes, and he has also been convicted...
South Side’s Boom Boom Room raided by state police, shut down by health department
State police raided a South Side club and seized gallons of alcohol over the weekend, while the county health department shut down the bar for operating without a license, records show. State troopers with the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement along with Pittsburgh police served a search warrant on the...
Lawrenceville’s retro Arsenal Bowl up for sale
Lawrenceville’s iconic Arsenal Bowl is up for sale. The bowling alley, in operation since 1938, survived the pandemic after a record-setting year in 2019, according to the Specialty Group, the real estate broker tasked with finding a buyer. Pennsylvania’s pandemic-related business restrictions have been slowly loosening for months, and all...
Police: Pittsburgh woman hit 100 mph in deadly DUI crash on Route 51
A North Side woman reached speeds of over 100 mph in the seconds before she lost control of her car on Route 51 in February, critically injuring herself and killing her cousin, according to newly filed homicide charges. Allison Matthew, 27, is charged with homicide by vehicle and homicide by...
Pennsylvania will lift mask mandate by June 28 at latest
Pennsylvania’s mask mandate will be lifted no later than June 28, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said Thursday. Gov. Tom Wolf earlier this month set a benchmark for the state: 70% of adults fully vaccinated. Beam said if the state reaches that threshold before June 28, the mask mandate...
Officials: 70% of Pa. adults have received at least 1 dose of covid vaccine
The next phase of the pandemic — one with no restrictions save for masks — could be the last phase if people continue to get vaccinated throughout the summer, officials said Wednesday. “Now with the impending lifting of mitigation orders — except the masking order — we are entering a...
Pittsburgh airport preps for summer travel surge as covid vaccinations continueVideo
Transportation Security Administration officials expect a surge in air travel this weekend, including at Pittsburgh International Airport, as the long holiday weekend combines with an increased number of vaccinated people itching to travel. In March, the number of passengers screened each day by TSA agents nationwide began regularly hitting 1...
Tarentum Dunkin’ shut down after health inspectors discover sewage leak
The Allegheny County Health Department shut down the Dunkin’ on East 10th Avenue in Tarentum after inspectors discovered what they said was sewage leaking from a grease trap and covering part of the floor. The May 21 inspection led inspectors to deem the coffee and doughnut shop an “imminent hazard,”...
2 men indicted on murder charges in slaying of Nashville nurse from Butler
A grand jury in Tennessee has indicted two men on charges of first-degree murder in connection with the December killing of a Nashville nurse, originally from Butler County, court records show. James Cowan, 28, and Devaunte Hill, 21, both face charges in the Dec. 3 shooting death of Caitlyn Kaufman,...
New airline Breeze Airways brings 4 routes to Pittsburgh airport
Pittsburgh International Airport will introduce four new nonstop flights to cities along the East Coast as Breeze Airways, a new airline started by JetBlue’s founder, sets up shop in Western Pennsylvania. The airline will offer nonstop flights to Hartford, Conn.; Providence, R.I.; Norfolk, Va.; and Charleston, S.C. They will be...
West Mifflin man charged in connection with kidnapping, rape case
A woman spent hours held captive in her ex-boyfriend’s West Mifflin home Wednesday, forced into the basement when police responded to her texts seeking help, according to charges filed Thursday. Demetrius Pirl, 51, faces a slew of charges, including kidnapping, rape, false imprisonment and sexual assault. The ordeal left a...
Guard charged in connection with Allegheny County Jail drug sale operation
A guard at the Allegheny County Jail is accused of working with an incarcerated man to sell drugs to others within the jail, allowing him to go from cell to cell to make the sales and provide payment information, according to Allegheny County Police. Lewis Bagnato, 32, of Kennedy, faces...
Visitation resumes at 5 Pa. state prison facilities
The state Department of Corrections will slowly start phasing in-person visitation back in at five facilities, including SCI-Laurel Highlands, officials said this week. The decision to allow in-person visits at any particular facility is based upon vaccination rates, the percentage of cases among those incarcerated, and the amount of the...
Sparse voter turnout for Pennsylvania primary election; votes start being countedVideo
Voter turnout for Pennsylvania’s primary Tuesday was sparse compared to November’s election, but officials say it was bolstered by mail-in voting and statewide ballot questions drawing out third-party voters. Results are slowing coming in for Allegheny County and Westmoreland County races. In Allegheny County, voters requested 124,813 mail-in ballots —...
Capacity restrictions on Port Authority buses, trains will end next month
The Port Authority of Allegheny County will begin a two-step process for lifting bus and train capacity limits starting May 31, officials said Monday. Masks will still be required, as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week. The new mask guidance declared that those who are...
Police: New Castle man killed mother, neighbor
A Lawrence County man is charged in connection with the slayings of his mother and a neighbor in their homes. New Castle Police said 59-year-old Louis Esposito also shot and wounded another neighbor near his home on Dewey Street. Investigators wrote in a release that he later confessed to the...
Pittsburgh officials showboat new River Rescue vesselVideo
Pittsburgh city and public safety officials unveiled a new River Rescue boat Wednesday, one equipped with advanced lifesaving equipment and a sonar system for searching underwater. The advanced capabilities mean that River Rescue personnel — trained dive paramedics and police — will be more equipped not only to get people...
In Pittsburgh appearance, Wolf urges residents not to limit his office’s emergency powers
Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday urged voters in Allegheny County to vote against two ballot questions that would limit the governor’s authority in a declared emergency. One ballot question asks voters to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to require the governor to seek lawmakers’ approval to continue an emergency declaration past...
Police: Wilkinsburg man shot pregnant girlfriend
A Wilkinsburg man shot his pregnant girlfriend Tuesday night, leaving the woman in critical condition, according to Allegheny County Police. Dorian McIntosh, 28, is charged with attempted homicide, accused of shooting his 23-year-old girlfriend who is seven weeks pregnant. The shooting happened just after 10 p.m. at a home on...
4 former Pittsburgh PetSmart employees face charges in death of toy poodle
Four employees from the PetSmart in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood face felony animal cruelty charges in connection with the November death of a toy poodle named Kobe, court records show. Julie Miller, Shaphan Stonge, Elizabeth Doty and Heather Rowe face various animal cruelty and neglect charges for their alleged roles...
15-year-old charged as an adult in connection with Hill District homicide
One teen is charged with killing another as a group of friends were hanging out last month in Pittsburgh’s Bedford Dwellings, according to court paperwork. Deron Darby, 15, is charged as an adult in connection with the April 24 death of 17-year-old Isaiah Freeman. Witnesses told police a group of...
Wendy Bell out of WJAS lineup
Wendy Bell is no longer in the weekday lineup on talk radio station WJAS. “All I can tell you is it’s a personnel matter and it’s currently being handled by the company,” said Michele Bradac, a spokeswoman for St. Barnabas, which owns the radio station. The radio station posted a...
