Renatta Signorini stories, Page 16

A man accused in a double homicide in Homestead was arrested Wednesday, according to Allegheny County Police. John Malcolm Smith V, 25, of McKeesport is charged with fatally shooting Antoinette Porterfield, 45, and John West, 54. Porterfield is his mother, police said. They were killed Tuesday around 4 p.m. in...

Five houses that could be in place this fall in Monessen may be a harbinger of how Westmoreland County communities can move forward after clearing out abandoned homes. Westmoreland Community Action is embarking on the project that executive director Mandy Welty Zalich hopes will grow. Both county Commissioner Sean Kertes...

A sex offender who served a lengthy prison sentence for rape is back behind bars after Penn Township police charged him with attacking a woman he solicited for sex. Paul Daniel Zagwoski, 56, of Trafford is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $100,000 bail on misdemeanor counts of...

Police departments say they can be more creative in their approach to law enforcement when there is a dog on their squad. They also need to be creative when figuring out how to pay for it. Donations are often sought to help cover the purchase and ongoing costs of a...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Aug. 13: Police say Butler County man assaulted toddler at Butler Farm Show A Butler County man is accused of slapping a 3-year-old boy in the face at the Butler Farm Show over the weekend, according to state...

Several charges against a Pennsylvania state trooper related to a Connellsville incident were dismissed Monday during a preliminary hearing. Charges of aggravated assault, harassment and criminal mischief against Trooper James T. Stevenson Jr., 29, of Connellsville were dismissed in Monday’s hearing. Investigators said Stevenson was off-duty from work at the...

A husband and wife are accused of smuggling drugs into the Westmoreland County Prison by concealing them in a suit jacket needed for a court appearance, according to police. Westmoreland County detectives detailed in court papers numerous conversations John Joseph Kukonik, 35, had with Olivia A. Weber, 46, while he...

If there are no objections filed this week, the former Jeannette EMS station will be removed from the organization’s bankruptcy estate, according to court filings. Because of liens on the property, the South Sixth Street station and its contents have no value to the estate, attorneys said in a notice...

While investigating a fatal dirt bike crash in North Huntingdon, police said they learned that a township woman had regularly been hosting drinking parties for teenagers in the community, according to court papers. On Friday, they arrested Kimberly Strashensky, 53, on charges of child endangerment, corruption of minors and providing...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Aug. 12: Burning ban issued in North Franklin A temporary ban on burning has been enacted in a Washington County township as dry weather is expected to continue this week. Trib news partner WTAE reported that North Franklin...

A groundhog is looking to make a name for itself after being rescued from a claw machine at a Blair County frozen custard shop. The Meadows is taking suggestions for a name for the animal that is in line to become the third-most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania. A $25 gift...

Jeannette residents pleaded with council members Thursday to rethink a decision to end the city’s police dog program, while criticizing the move that has put two canines out of work. “We just cut eight feet out of that police unit,” resident Kathie Tanyer said. “Those dogs are invaluable.” A police...

A Fayette County man is behind bars after state police said he solicited partially-clothed pictures from a 12-year-old girl for $200. Neal A. Snyder Jr., 39, claimed to have been high on drugs when he contacted the girl, according to court papers. He was arrested Wednesday on charges of corruption...

A tax break program for certain residential areas in Jeannette is in the works as officials hope to promote redevelopment of lots that have been cleared of deteriorating homes. Under the current proposal, anyone who buys a vacant lot and builds a house on it can benefit from three years...

A Derry Borough man is facing animal cruelty charges after police said he failed to get his dogs veterinary care, according to court papers. One dog died and two others had severe flea infestations and Lyme disease, borough police said in court papers. Authorities spent about five weeks trying to...

Fourteen graphic videos depicting the abuse of a dog were played by prosecutors Wednesday in district court in support of criminal charges against a man accused in the incidents. District Judge Charles Moore stood behind the attorneys and watched as the clips, most a few seconds long, were played on...

The future of an out-of-work police dog is up in the air. For now, Diesel, a 4-year-old Belgian malinois on Jeannette’s police force, is staying at a kennel until decisions can be made after the department’s police dog program was disbanded last month, according to city officials and handler Sgt....

A former Latrobe man was acquitted of felony rape charges Wednesday but found guilty of less serious misdemeanor offenses stemming from incidents in 2020 involving two teenage girls. Glenn D. Jones Jr., 25, now of Hostetter, was found guilty by a jury of possession of marijuana and two counts each...

Jurors are expected to begin deliberations Wednesday morning in a 2020 rape case against a former Latrobe man. Attorneys delivered closing arguments to the jury Tuesday afternoon following testimony from a woman who claimed Glenn D. Jones Jr., 25, now of Hostetter, raped her when she was 15. A second...

Two men were arrested Friday in connection with what state police said was a card-marking scheme that netted them $12,175 from Live Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall. The two suspects turned over the cash to troopers after being confronted while playing Mississippi Stud, according to court papers. The security manager...

A Greensburg woman who police said was driving a stolen vehicle Sunday evening gave troopers six different names before they identified her through fingerprints, according to court papers. Leah L. White, 50, was pulled over on Route 22 east in Salem around 7:15 p.m. after a trooper on patrol learned...

Advances in blood tests aimed at screening for ailments like Alzheimer’s disease and colon cancer can mean faster diagnosis and treatment for patients, said two Allegheny Health Network doctors. Problems can be found earlier in a way that’s easier on the patient than more invasive cancer screenings, such as a...

A 13-year-old boy was charged as an adult Thursday in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 10-year-old boy in Donegal Township. James C. Campbell is accused of stabbing Hunter Meyers in the head multiple times, according to state police and the Westmoreland County coroner. Campbell wore blue scrubs and...

A Philadelphia man is accused of stalking in connection with sexual messages sent to a Unity woman, one of which was a picture of her face superimposed on a nude woman, according to court papers. Shane P. Cassidy, 24, is accused of using images from the Unity woman’s social media...

The Jeannette Public Library was closed Tuesday after a bomb threat was called into city hall, according to library board members. The threat was called in on Monday and indicated a bomb would be present at the library Tuesday, said board president Joann Billheimer and board member Chad Krawtz. Police...