March 4, 2023 3:45 am
JOHNSTOWN – Fifty-seven defendants have been charged in two separate, but related Indictments, and by Criminal Complaint, with violating federal narcotics and firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations in the Western District of Pennsylvania initially began investigating a violent street gang operating in western Pennsylvania beginning in 2018. Agents received information from confidential sources, conducted more than 50 controlled buys from members of the organization, and used other investigative techniques over the course of this lengthy investigation. In May 2022, agents commenced court-authorized Title III interception of telephones used by members of the drug trafficking organization. The wiretaps revealed that the DTO was conducting drug trafficking operations in the following areas: Indiana, Westmoreland, and Armstrong counties in the Western District of Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio; Phoenix, Arizona; Seattle, Washington; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Wichita, Kansas; and in Mexico. These interceptions revealed that Arizona-sourced drugs, which consisted of fentanyl (in both pill and powdered form), heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine, were being distributed in our communities by the western Pennsylvania members of the DTO. Over the past ten months, investigators have seized more than 673 pounds of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills, over 400 pounds of methamphetamine, and more than 16 pounds each of fentanyl powder and cocaine, over $600,000 in cash, nine vehicles, and 47 firearms. (Photo: United States Attorney’s Office)
March 4, 2023 3:39 am
Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration is reminding Pennsylvanians about the multiple ways to access the life-saving opioid reversal medication, naloxone, as nearly 23,000 opioid overdose reversals have been made with naloxone purchased through one of the state’s programs since 2017. “Anyone can save a life by administering naloxone to a person who is experiencing an opioid overdose,” said Acting Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen. “I encourage Pennsylvanians to obtain naloxone from a pharmacy, community give away event, or other sources – and learn how to give it. You never know when you could save the life of a stranger neighbor, friend, or family member.” Naloxone is a medication approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose by quickly restoring breathing to a person if their breathing has slowed or stopped. While naloxone can be administered by individuals with or without medical training to help reduce opioid overdose deaths, individuals are strongly encouraged to take this free training to better prepare themselves to assist someone in need. Completing this training and printing a certificate of completion will protect individuals administering naloxone as Good Samaritans. The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) Naloxone for First Responders Program (NFRP) distributes free naloxone to organizations and individuals who may encounter someone experiencing an overdose. Through the NFRP since 2017, Centralized Coordinating Entities (CCEs) distributed 214,514 kits (429,028 doses) to organizations and individuals who may encounter someone experiencing an overdose and an additional 265,308 kits of naloxone directly to organizations serving high-need communities through its statewide portal. More than 22,815 overdose reversals have been reported using state-purchased NARCAN, a particular brand name of naloxone.
March 4, 2023 3:36 am
MCKEESPORT, Pa. (WPXI) — A man is dead after a shooting in McKeesport on Friday evening. According to our news partners at WPXI, Allegheny County police and emergency crews were called to the 1200 block of Park Street at 5:47 p.m. Once on scene, first responders found the victim suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The name of the victim and other investigation information has not been released yet. This is the fourth shooting death in that city this week. Also Friday, police released the name of the third man shot and killed Wednesday–he is 47-year-old Robert Joyner,. who was fatally shot shot early Wednesday afternoon in the same area as Friday’s shooting. Police had previously released the names of two other men shot and killed Wednesday in a separate shooting at the Crawford Village housing complex. 22-year-old Jerred Dunkin, of Turtle Creek, was pronounced dead at the scene, and 30-year-old Jordan Eubanks, of McKeesport, died later at UPMC Mercy, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said. An 18-year-old was hospitalized in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the leg. That man, Davon Flewellen-Belton, has been charged with two weapons violations after investigators found him with a loaded handgun, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.
March 4, 2023 3:31 am
Winds overnight Friday and into Saturday morning, some with gusts near 50 mph, brought down some trees and blew around debris, including onto roadways. As of 8am, West Penn Power was showing just about 2100 customers in Washington County were without power Saturday morning, but by 11am, that total was down to 65, with those expected to be restored by noon. The bulk of those outages were in the City of Washington, and Hanover, Somerset and North Franklin Townships. Fayette County, however, had over 20,000 without power, and Westmoreland County had over 9,000 in the dark Saturday morning. Both U.S. Routes 119 and 30 were closed in both directions at points because of downed trees and wires.
March 3, 2023 4:28 pm
WEXFORD, Pa. (AP) — The Lenten fish fry is a popular tradition in many Catholic communities. In Pittsburgh and the towns around it, people looking for fish fries between Ash Wednesday and Easter have a very modern tool to find their fish fix — an interactive map. It’s done by volunteer coders who want to foster community engagement, and it points the way to fish fries at churches, in fire halls and in restaurants. For western Pennsylvania, it represents a mashup of a tradition that many hold dear and the technological innovation that’s helping to push the region forward. As the founder of the interactive map says, fish fries are an adventure.
March 3, 2023 10:30 am
WALTERBORO, S.C. (AP) — A judge has sentenced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh to life in prison a day after he was convicted of murder in the shooting deaths of his wife and son. The sentence issued Friday carries no chance of parole or early release. The Colleton County jury deliberated for less than three hours Thursday before finding Murdaugh guilty of killing his 22-year-old son, Paul, with a shotgun and his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, with a rifle on June 7, 2021. Murdaugh soon will be taken to a state prison where he will be held in the highest security.A
March 3, 2023 9:49 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Josh Shapiro wants lawmakers to pass a three-year incentive of up to $2,500 a year for newly certified teachers, police officers and nurses in Pennsylvania. Administration officials say the Democrat will formally propose the idea to lawmakers when he unveils his budget plan Tuesday. The incentive is a tax credit to help address complaints from school boards, police departments and hospitals about the difficulty in filling critical positions. Much of Shapiro’s forthcoming budget proposal remains under wraps, and any new tax credit will require legislative approval. Under the proposal, the tax credit would apply to new certifications starting in 2023, and could be included on tax returns starting in 2024.
March 3, 2023 4:17 am
Residents are saying they’re still suffering from illnesses nearly a month after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in Ohio. They confronted the railroad’s operator Thursday at a town forum. Some demanded to know whether they’d be relocated from homes they’re afraid to live in. The railroad announced it was ready to begin moving more contaminated soil from underneath the tracks. But it says buying homes and moving people out of East Palestine hasn’t been discussed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it is ordering Norfolk Southern to begin testing for dioxins. The toxic chemical compounds can stay in the environment for long periods of time.
March 3, 2023 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says former President Donald Trump can be sued by injured Capitol Police officers and Democratic lawmakers over the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In court papers, the Justice Department told a federal appeals court in Washington on Thursday that it should reject Trump’s argument that he is absolutely immune from the claims and allow the lawsuits to move forward. A Trump spokesperson said that the president “repeatedly called for peace, patriotism, and respect for our men and women of law enforcement” on Jan. 6. The spokesperson said the courts “should rule in favor of President Trump in short order and dismiss these frivolous lawsuits.”
March 3, 2023 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting the White House on Friday for a private meeting with President Joe Biden. Both allies have become increasingly vocal about their concerns that China may step off the sidelines and supply weapons to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Such a step could dramatically change the war’s trajectory by allowing Moscow to replenish its depleted stockpiles. China is Germany’s top trading partner, and European nations have generally been more cautious than the United States in taking a hard line with Beijing. However, there are signs that may be shifting as global rivalries grow more tense.
