Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, March 7:
Seasonal skiing at Boyce Park ending
Skiers, snowboarders and tubers: Time is running out to hit the Boyce Park slopes.
Allegheny County announced Thursday the roughly three-month regular season at the slopes in Plum will come to a close Sunday.
The slopes will reopen March 14 for the Spring Splash. The terrain park will be open from 3:30-9 p.m., with its annual pond skimming event from 7:30-9 p.m. The event is designed for intermediate-to-advanced skiers and snowboarders. Participants try their hand at gliding across an ice-covered pond for a chance to win prizes.
Tickets cost $20 for county residents and $25 for noncounty residents.
That same day, the county will host its Dog Snow Day from 3:30-7 p.m, an annual event where furry friends can traverse the slopes off-leash. Registration for the Dog Snow Day is $5 for resident, $6 for noncounty residents.
The lodge is at 901 Centerview Drive.
For more information on regular hours, rental rates and private lessons, visit the county website.
McKeesport bar closed after deadly shooting
A McKeesport bar where a man was shot and killed late last month has been closed “in the best interests of the community,” Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. announced Thursday.
In a statement, Zappala said officials from his office’s Nuisance Bar Task Force, the McKeesport Police Department and state police’s Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement recently met with the owners of Tube City Cafe on Fifth Avenue to discuss illegal activity at the bar.
The owner agreed to permanently shutter the bar. Its liquor license will be sold at a later date.
In the past two years, police have responded to calls at the bar for firearms violations, aggravated assault, wanted individuals and, just last month, a shooting that killed Darnell Ross Jr., 37, of McKeesport.
Floyd Noell, 39, of Glassport was charged in connection to the shooting. His preliminary hearing is set for March 14.
“I’m appreciative that we were able to reach an agreement that puts the safety of people and first responders in McKeesport first,” Zappala said. “Thankfully, the Nuisance Bar Task Force and our law enforcement partners remain diligent in protecting our community from these dangers.”
Man charged in Stowe shooting
Police have arrested a suspect in a Stowe Township shooting last month that left a woman in critical condition.
John Irwin, 47, of Stowe Township was charged Thursday with attempted homicide, illegal possession of a firearm, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.
Police said they responded to a call around 3 a.m. Feb. 18 on Lamont Street for a woman with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The woman was dating Irwin, who called 911 to report the shooting, according to police.
The alleged victim was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition. She is expected to make a full recovery.
Interviews with the woman, however, led police to believe it was Irwin who pulled the trigger.
According to a criminal complaint, the woman told police she was arguing with Irwin when he grabbed her by the hair and put the gun to her head. That’s the last thing she remembers before waking up in the hospital, the complaint states.
As of Friday morning, Irwin was awaiting arraignment.