Morning Roundup: 2 women shot in Pittsburgh's Allentown neighborhood

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Sept. 25:

2 women shot in Allentown

Two women were wounded in a shooting Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood.

One of the women was shot in the arm, the other was shot in the abdomen, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. They were taken to area hospitals in stable condition.

City police responded shortly after 3 a.m. to ShotSpotter alerts indicating three rounds of gunfire at East Warrington Avenue and Allen Street.

Authorities said the shooting is considered an isolated incident.

Detectives with the city’s Violent Crime Unit are investigating. A firearm and shell casings were recovered at the scene.

Suspect in fatal Maryland shooting arrested in Pittsburgh

A man suspected in the shooting death of a Maryland woman was apprehended Tuesday afternoon in Pittsburgh.

Nikolas Patrick James, 46, of Sioux Falls, S.D., was arrested without incident shortly after 3 p.m. in the 1100 block of Banksville Road after the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland issued an alert to be on the lookout for the man.

Pittsburgh Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit, Computer Crimes and Robbery detectives were involved in the arrest.

Garrett County officials have charged James with first degree murder and arson. Earlier Tuesday, the sheriff’s office reported, firefighters responding to a residence in Kitzmiller, Md., found 70-year-old Juanita Katherine James in the rear of the dwelling dead of a gunshot wound.

Authorities allege James set the woman’s house on fire.

He is being held in Pittsburgh awaiting extradition to Maryland.

Cathedral of Learning closed for electrical repairs

University of Pittsburgh officials announced the Cathedral of Learning will be closed Wednesday while maintenance staff repair a “significant electrical issue.”

The university said it hoped repairs would be completed by the end of the day.

Access to the building will be “extremely restricted” until normal electrical service is restored, according to officials.

Anyone with an urgent business need to access the building was directed to check with the security desk at the Fifth Avenue entrance.

Pa. Turnpike sets Somerset realignment meeting

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will have a meeting Thursday in Somerset County to brief the public on its planned Allegheny Mountain Realignment Project.

The project, which has drawn opposition from some local groups, would create a new road alignment in Allegheny and Stonycreek Townships to replace the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel in Somerset County.

Turnpike officials say the project would increase safety, reduce congestion and improve access and mobility in the region.

The project is in the preliminary design phase, which is expected to last about four years.

The meeting is set for 6 to 8 p.m. at Somerset Church of the Brethren, 606 Berlin Plank Road, Somerset. It will include a question-and-answer session.

Those planning to speak at the meeting were asked to RSVP at alleghenymountain@paturnpike.com.