Police in Neshannock Township have arrested a man in connection with a fatal hit-and-run accident from December of last year. According to a press release, 32 year old Zachary Patrick was charged with with vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, driving while under suspension, along with a number of other charges. Patrick allegedly struck David Chiafullo in the parking lot of Preston Motors on December 23rd of last year. Chiafullo was taken to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.
A New Castle man was sentenced to 10 years in prison in U.S .District Court in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. 26 year old Michael Schmidt was convicted of violating federal narcotics and firearm laws. Authorities said in October of 2017 Schmidt possessed with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possessed a pistol and ammunition as a convicted felon. New Castle City Police and the Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation.
Five men who belong to Jehovah’s Witness congregations in Pennsylvania are accused of sexually assaulting and exploiting children. The men are from Allegheny, Beaver, Lancaster and Butler counties, and their ages range from 42 to 74. Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the charges Tuesday. She says the men were all members of their congregations when the assaults took place. An investigation is ongoing.
Democrats are declaring victory in all three Allegheny County special elections. Unofficial results show the candidates taking the open state representative seats with support from more than 70 percent of participating voters. Once confirmed, the Democrat officials will give the party a majority in the Pennsylvania House for the first time since 2010. The party breakdown in the General Assembly chamber will be one-hundred-two Democrats to one-hundred-one Republicans.
The Pennsylvania Treasury is hoping to return more than four-billion-dollars in unclaimed property. Many items are forgotten contents of safe deposit boxes, but state officials say the property also includes uncashed paychecks, stocks or dormant bank accounts. The state Treasury returned more than 211-million dollars’ worth of unclaimed property last year as well as 90 military decorations and memorabilia to veterans or their families. To see if you have any property, you can search the treasury’s database at p-a treasury dot gov slash unclaimed-property.
A Commonwealth Court judge has ruled that all schools in the state must be supported equally. The decision in the landmark case came Tuesday, nearly a year after its trial finished and close to ten years after the lawsuit was first filed by advocacy groups, parents and six school districts. The ruling mandates that lawmakers and the governor’s office give schools the resources to provide all students with an education that meets constitutional standards. The ruling also determined that the state’s education system discriminates against students in poorer districts.
Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey is among a bipartisan group of lawmakers who want the U.S. Department of Agriculture to take swift action on the bird flu outbreak. The Democrat from Scranton is among eight senators who sent a letter to the USDA last week. They want more information about the avian flu, which has killed millions of birds and has a direct impact on the spike of egg prices. The group says the USDA has enough money to help lessen the effects of the flu in the nation’s flocks.
The owner of a Beaver County bakery says her business is looking a little nicer after being featured in the recent Tom Hanks movie. Lorianne Burgess says production designers spruced up Stangl’s Bakery in Ambridge before shooting scenes for “A Man Called Otto”. Crews installed new flooring and lighting, and refinished the exterior of the property. Burgess says she also developed her own recipe of a Swedish pastry called a Semlor to be included in the film.