Duquesne University has received a $150,000 federal grant for a project to help small and medium-sized businesses avoid being victims of computer-related crimes.
The school will study the best cyber-security practices among small and medium-sized businesses across Pennsylvania and then try to determine their weaknesses. The project will try to devise solutions and then provide training for small to medium-sized businesses through comprehensive outreach, including online training.
Allegheny County
VA offering flu shot clinics
The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System is operating walk-in flu shot clinics for eligible veterans at three centers in Allegheny County.
The clinics are located at the hospital on University Drive in Oakland, the H. John Heinz III Progressive Care Center in O'Hara and the hospital on Highland Drive in East Liberty.
People who are older than 50 or have chronic medical problems should receive a flu shot. More information is available through the VA's Flu Shot Phone Line at 1-866-482-7488.
City
Oakland
Mr. Yuk is a familiar face
A federally funded survey has found that more than three out of four people recognize Mr. Yuk's scowling green face.
Mr. Yuk has been the symbol for poison prevention since being created in 1971 at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Since then, the symbol has become the universal icon for poison control and is placed on posters, educational materials, stickers and wrist bands. The survey was sponsored by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.
City
Oakland
Pitt sponsors wireless network
The University of Pittsburgh is scheduled to start its campus-wide wireless service on Friday at five buildings on the Oakland campus.
Over the next 18 months, wireless network service will be installed in academic, administrative, research and resident buildings in Oakland and the four regional campuses.
The first five buildings to be "turned on" are Allen Hall, Thaw Hall, Old Engineering Hall, Space Research Coordination Center and Nuclear Physics Laboratory. The wireless service is restricted to members of the university community and dedicated to supporting the teaching, learning and research needs of the university.
City
Downtown
Toys for Tots drive to be held in T station
The Port Authority of Allegheny County and Lite Rock 92.9 FM, WLTJ, in cooperation with the U.S. Marine Corps, are sponsoring a Toys for Tots toy drive from 5 to 9 a.m. Friday at the Steel Plaza T station, Downtown.
New, unwrapped toys and cash donations are being sought.
Gary Love and Beth Bershok, of the Lite Rock 92.9 FM morning team, will broadcast live from the station's mezzanine. People who donate will be offered free coffee and pastries and a chance to enter a raffle.
Region
Erie County
College starts program to assist sophomores
Mercyhurst College in Erie has a new program to ensure sophomores don't get lost in the shuffle after their freshman year.
The program is designed to boost student retention rates by helping students deal with issues they typically face in the second year of study. Issues include career planning and the transition from dorm to apartment living with responsibilities such as cooking and budgeting.
The school has a program for freshmen, called Fresh Start, to make sure that they are prepared for the rigors of college life. The program for sophomores includes help with writing a resume and an apartment-warming kit that includes recipes for students who are doing their own cooking.
Officials appeal ruling on dispatchers
Erie officials have appealed an arbitrator's ruling that ordered six laid-off fire dispatchers back to work.
The dispatchers were laid off amid plans to merge police and fire dispatch services to save money. The firefighters' union said the city violated its contract by not negotiating the layoffs.
"Given its impact on the city's budget, we felt at least the court should take a look at it," said Gerald Villella, a city attorney. The appeal was filed last week.
To win a reversal, city officials must prove the arbitrator made a legal error or exceeded his authority.
For now, the dispatchers are back to work, and city officials say they are owed $280,000 in back pay. Their return will add $342,000 to next year's budget.
City
Downtown
Woman indicted for counterfeit checks
A Butler County woman was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday on charges of writing counterfeit checks to accounts at four different banks.
Donna Hall, 49, of Butler, opened accounts between January and June under her own and other names. She faces a five-count indictment, U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced last week
The maximum sentence would be 122 years in prison, a fine of $4.25 million, or both, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan T. Conway.
Downtown
Guilty plea given for bank robbery
A Lincoln-Lemington man pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday to charges of bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced last week.
Douglas Tyler Green, Jr., 38, pleaded guilty to robbing the S&T Bank in Vandergrift, Westmoreland County, in June 2000 and July 2002. The total amount taken was about $15,803, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Tina O. Miller.
Greene faces 40 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 28.
Downtown
Man indicted for embezzlement
A Fayette County man was indicted on Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of embezzlement.
Stephan A. Kostelac, 51, of Fayette City, faces a 16-count indictment charging that -- while secretary treasurer of the Boilermakers local Lodge 906, in Donora, Washington County -- he embezzled dues payments, according to U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan.
The maximum sentence would be five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both, according to the attorney's office.
Downtown
Man gets 46 months in firearms case
A Lincoln-Lemington man was sentenced in federal court in Pittsburgh on Thursday to 46 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release for violating federal firearms laws, announced U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan.
Brett Wells, 23, was convicted for illegally possessing a Kel-Tec .380 caliber pistol.
He was convicted in 2000 of robbery and criminal conspiracy in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year. Federal law prohibits anyone convicted of a crime punishable by a prison term of more than one year from possessing a firearm.
North
Ross
Teen dies in crash on Peoples Road
A Pittsburgh teen died Saturday afternoon after losing control of the car she was driving in Ross, the Allegheny County medical examiners office said.
Amy Anderson, 17, of Washington Street, died at 1:36 p.m. at the scene of the crash in the 4500 block of Peoples Road in Ross.
Anderson was driving a Dodge Neon southbound when her car struck a guide rail, spun around and was struck on the passenger side by another car.
The driver of the other car, who was traveling alone, was not identified, but the medical examiner's office said she was treated and released from Allegheny General Hospital on the North Side.
An autopsy is to be performed today.
Teen struck crossing Route 30 near mall
A 15-year-old Jeannette girl was struck by a car as she tried to walk across Route 30 near Westmoreland Mall at 9 p.m. Friday.
The unidentified teen was transported to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, where her condition was unavailable Saturday. Police said she received leg and head injuries.
Police said the driver of the car, Donald Linderman, 71, of Greensburg, tried to stop his vehicle.
According to police, the teen was wearing dark pants and jacket as she crossed the highway.
Sewer repairs planned for Center Avenue
A single-lane restriction on Center Avenue in New Stanton, between Interstate 70 and Arona Road, will begin Monday and continue through 3 p.m. Friday to allow road crews to relocate the sewer line and manhole on Arona Road. Flaggers will control traffic.
Police officer to join Penn Township force
Penn Township will have a new police officer on the force in 2007.
Commissioners unanimously approved the hiring of Ross Piraino, 29, of Delmont.
Police Chief Mike Mastroianni said Piraino was originally from Penn Township. Piraino currently works full-time for the Springdale Township Police Department in Allegheny County and is a part-time officer in Delmont.
Mastroianni said Piraino will begin Jan. 2 and undertake field training, which should last anywhere from six to 12 weeks. Piraino's hiring will increase the staff to 21 members, but three officers remain off with injuries.
Gingerbread house contest, auction planned
Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring its second annual Gingerbread House Contest and Silent Auction at the Ramada Ligonier, West Loyalhanna Street, todaythrough Dec. 10.
The gingerbread houses were donated and will be sold at a silent auction now in progress. Bids on the houses may be placed in the lobby of the Ramada Ligonier.
All proceeds benefit the local food pantry and the local Salvation Army.
Compost pile available for yard waste
Unity Township supervisors remind residents that a compost pile is available behind the Unity Township Municipal Building for leaves and yard waste that includes garden debris, flower bed debris and shrub clippings.
No grass clippings will be accepted. A separate area for tree limbs is also available.
Commercial tree trimmers and landscapers are not permitted to dispose of debris at the compost pile.
Composting hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.
'Skating for Miracles' to be held tonight
Latrobe Skating Center will hold Skating for Miracles at the center from 6 to 8:30 p.m. today.
For a $5 fee (includes skates), children may skate with Santa Claus while enjoying games, prizes and treats, compliments of Latrobe Wal-Mart.
Proceeds from Skating for Miracles benefit the Children's Miracle Network, a year-round fundraising and awareness campaign established nationally in 1983 to help children by supporting improved health care for millions of young people around the world. CMN's mission is to generate funds and awareness programs for the benefit of children served by its associated hospitals, now numbering more than 170 nationwide.
Steel heritage group plans meeting
Steel Industry Heritage Corporation will hold a meeting for residents, elected officials, community leaders and history and culture advocates from Washington, Westmoreland, Fayette and Greene counties from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at Fort Necessity Visitor Center, Route 40 east of Uniontown, in Farmington.
The purpose of the meeting is to review the results of a yearlong effort to develop action plans for conserving and promoting heritage resources in two of the five Journey Areas within the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area.
Steel Industry Heritage Corporation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, interpreting and managing the historic, cultural and natural resources related to steel and its sister industries.
The purpose of the action plan effort is to help Rivers of Steel communities build on their industrial and cultural heritage as a catalyst for community revitalization.
Brass ensemble performance set for Wednesday
California University of Pennsylvania's department of music will present a brass ensemble performance followed by the University Choir's annual Christmas Concert on Wednesday in the Chapel of Old Main, second floor of Old Main Hall on the Cal U campus.
The brass ensemble performance will begin at 7:30 p.m., followed by the choir Christmas concert at 8 p.m.
For more information, contact Cal U's department of music at 724-938-4242.
Park Service issues hunting reminder
The National Park Service reminds hunters in Blair, Cambria, Somerset, Fayette and surrounding counties that hunting, or possessing, carrying or using a weapon of any type is prohibited in national parks in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Unloaded weapons may be possessed within a vehicle only when they are rendered temporarily inoperable or are packed, cased or stored in a manner that will prevent their ready use, a spokesman said.
The five National Park Service sites in southwest Pennsylvania are Johnstown Flood National Memorial, near St. Michael; Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Farmington; Friendship Hill National Historic Site, near New Geneva; Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, atop Cresson Mountain; and Flight 93 National Memorial, north of Shanksville, Somerset County.
Park rangers will be patrolling the park boundaries this fall and winter, especially in the local National Park Service areas adjacent to Pennsylvania State Game Lands. Federal law provides for a fine of up to $5,000 and six months in jail for hunting or weapons violations within National Park Service areas.
Anti-tobacco groups forming new chapter
Teens Against Tobacco Use and BUSTED! is forming a New Kensington chapter.
Youths between the ages of 13 and 18 may attend an organizational meeting at 5 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Eden Center, 1040 Kenneth Ave., New Kensington.
The statewide organization of students, adults and teachers is devoted to helping teens live tobacco-free lives.
The Westmoreland County sheriff's department will train eligible youth who are interested in working to prevent the sale of tobacco products to minors through the retail compliance program. Attending will be members of the Westmoreland Tobacco Free Coalition, Penn State Cooperative Extension and Community Prevention Services, who will provide information about how youth can develop programs to help create a tobacco-free Pennsylvania.
For more information, contact Anne Lail at 724-837-1402. This program is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health through the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission, Inc.
Grant allows new building for library
A $500,000 state grant has been approved for the construction of a new building to house the Scottdale Library. The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund grant will be administered by the state Department of Education.
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