Former UPMC Children’s Hospital doctor sentenced on child porn charges
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s former chief radiologist was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison on child pornography charges. Ashok Panigrahy, 54, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty in March to charges of transporting and attempted transportation of materials depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of material depicting...
Father of New Kensington cop killer pleads guilty to open lewdness charge
The father of the man on death row for the murder of New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection to claims he propositioned two teenage girls in Latrobe. Gregory Baucum Jr., 54, was sentenced to serve six to 12 months in jail but was immediately paroled...
Crash closes Route 28 North between Millvale, Etna
Route 28 coming out of Pittsburgh is jammed because of a crash. The crash happened around 4 p.m., closing the northbound lanes between the Millvale and Etna interchanges, a PennDOT spokesman said. The crash was cleared and the road began reopening around 4:40 p.m., but traffic remained congested from the...
Blairsville woman sentenced to jail term for 2024 fatal Derry Twp. crash
John Higgins said he and his 10-year-old daughter continue to struggle with the death of his fiance, who was killed in a head-on crash last year in Derry Township. Ashley Kelley, 33, pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to serve nearly one year in jail for her role...
Services at national parks, support for Medicare and Medicaid would likely be reduced under federal shutdown
National Park Service officials are dusting off the contingency plan from the 2018 federal government shutdown, in anticipation of another closure starting Wednesday. In southwestern Pennsylvania, the two most-visible areas that could be affected are national parks such as the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County and Fort Necessity...
Bright orange newts spotted at Flight 93 National Memorial site
Bright orange newts were spotted at Pennsylvania’s Flight 93 National Memorial in the middle of their migration. According to a Facebook post on the Somerset County memorial’s page, they are red efts — the juvenile stage of Eastern newts. They have red spots on their bright orange skin. The newts...
Man on trial for killing his mom in Homestead acts as own lawyer
The accused stood nervously in front of an Allegheny County jury and pledged to prove he didn’t kill his mother and her friend in Homestead last year. Defendant John Malcolm Smith V, 26, of McKeesport was acting as his own lawyer Tuesday, the start of his double homicide trial. He’s...
Monroeville insurance agent charged for 3rd time with fraudulent business practices
A Monroeville insurance agent has been charged for the third time in less than two years with fraudulent business practices. Prosecutors in this most recent case with the Pennsylvania Attorney General say Chad G. Skena, 48, of Monroeville, talked a client into investing more than $75,000 in a phony business...
Sorcan appointed as Scott commissioner
A longtime volunteer in Scott Township has been chosen to fill an open seat on the board of commissioners. Jane Sorcan was appointed in September to fill the Ward 2 commissioner seat vacated by Brandon Edwards. “I have been active in Scott Township as a volunteer for a number of...
Man pleads guilty to wrong-way DUI crash on Parkway East that killed 2
A man whose blood-alcohol level was more than triple the legal limit when he drove the wrong way on the Parkway East earlier this year and killed two women will spend up to six years in state prison. Pedro Olan Morales, 57, of Charlotte, N.C., pleaded guilty on Tuesday to...
Shaler Area parents, residents pose questions, offer opinions on proposed reconfiguration
A proposed reconfiguration of the Shaler Area School District built around closing its elementary school has been met with a mixture of public support and opposition, along with questions and concerns. Superintendent Bryan O’Black took questions and comments from residents Monday at Shaler Area High School after giving a presentation...
Slide repairs, detours slated in North Huntingdon, Allegheny townships
PennDOT has unveiled online its plans for repairing slides along three roads in North Huntingdon and another in Allegheny Township. Work is expected to begin in December, with two of the slides in North Huntingdon — along Baker School and Leger roads — scheduled to receive attention first. PennDOT project...
Hegseth called for ‘no more beardos.’ What does that mean?
In a rare address to military commanders on Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stressed the importance of grooming standards, even using the sometimes derogatory term “beardos.” “The era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos,” Hegseth told the audience, which sat in silence, according to Reuters. What does...
Killer says he extinguished ‘light so bright’ in Blawnox love triangle murder
Last year, after Sean Black pointed a gun at his ex-girlfriend’s face, her grandmother called him. He assured her he wouldn’t have shot Courtney Smith and said he would give the guns to his mother. He didn’t. Instead, a month later, Black took his guns and walked into the Blawnox...
Pennsylvania drivers invited to share feedback on road projects
Sick of orange barrels and detours dictating your commute? PennDOT wants to hear about it. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation just opened an online survey for the public to submit feedback regarding its construction and maintenance services. Announced Tuesday, the survey will be open through Oct. 21. It’s titled the...
Pa. Senate Republicans look to forgive interest on state loans to help counties, Head Starts
Republican leaders in the state Senate said Tuesday they plan to introduce legislation to forgive the interest payments on Treasury loans designed to help county governments and Head Start providers weather Pennsylvania’s budget impasse. “They should not be penalized because of what is happening here in Harrisburg,” state Senate President...
West Deer officials weighing options for dog shelter expansion project
West Deer officials are narrowing expansion project options for the township’s dog shelter. The idea was born last year when operations moved from the township’s old building to its new location on Union Road. The shelter’s head volunteer, Barb Pasquale, 74, approached the township supervisors about expanding the shelter. It...
Police searching for driver of vehicle stolen in Ross, crashed in Shaler
Police were looking for a person who fled after crashing a stolen vehicle Tuesday morning in Shaler. According to Ross police, its officers followed a stolen vehicle out of Ross into Shaler and tried to stop it on Mt. Royal Boulevard near the Shaler North Hills Library. Shaler police deployed...
Pittsburgh bars landlords from discriminating based on homelessness
Pittsburgh landlords can no longer turn down potential tenants because they are or have been homeless. City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure that bars housing discrimination based on homelessness and a variety of other types of housing status, including lack of rental history and having previously lived in...
State lawmakers to host senior health fair in Oakmont
Pennsylvania Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, and state Rep. Joe McAndrew, D-Penn Hills, want to talk health. The two state lawmakers will host a free health and senior fair on Oct. 9 in Oakmont to discuss community services and resources with attendees. Starting at 10 a.m., seniors from any community...
Grocery wars heat up as Midwestern chain Meijer pushes into Western Pa.
Meijer, the Michigan-based grocery chain known for its sprawling supercenters, is coming to Western Pennsylvania. Fresh off its expansion in Northeast Ohio, Meijer is pushing across the state line and acquiring properties in Western Pennsylvania, spokeswoman Erin Cataldo confirmed Tuesday to TribLive. The stores do not have opening dates. “Our...
Bishops join to bless memorial to late Harrison restaurant owner
The garden at St. Joseph High School in Natrona Heights will forever honor one of the school’s graduates. On Monday, Bishops Mark Eckman of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and Larry Kulick of the Diocese of Greensburg joined to bless the garden in memory of Domenico Schiano di Cola, co-owner of...
Norwin library to host pet care program
Tips on taking care of your pets will be offered during a pet care program at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Norwin Public Library, Caruthers Lane, Irwin. Representatives from St. Francis Animal Hospital in North Huntingdon will provide pet lovers with information on what to do during an emergency,...
Judge pauses Pittsburgh’s plans for bike lane on Strip District’s Penn Avenue
A judge on Monday pushed pause on Pittsburgh’s plans to eliminate a lane of traffic on a bustling stretch of Penn Avenue through the Strip District. Judge Alan Hertzberg granted an injunction for the Strip District Business Association, a group that sued the city earlier this month over the proposed...
The Stroller, Sept. 30, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Pet food, supplies needed...
