Here are a few morning news items from across the region for Thursday, April 3, 2025:
Strong storms slam Western Pa. region
Strong storms swept through the region early Thursday, moving at 55 to 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.
Tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings in several areas expired as heavy winds pushed down a few trees and utility lines in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
Meteorologist Ashley Dougherty from Trib news partner WTAE said warm weather in the 60s was adding to the instability in the atmosphere.
“The good thing is it is moving quickly, she said.
Storms could develop later Thursday afternoon or evening, according to the National Weather Service. Excessive rain is predicted to continue through Saturday.
Bethel Park standoff ends with charges
A Bethel Park man surrendered to authorities at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday after a four-hour standoff with police who were responding to a reported domestic disturbance.
Bethel Park police said they were called to Stoltz Road around 5 p.m. and learned that the man assaulted a woman and was inside with a 2-year-old child. He was refusing to come out.
Negotiators communicated with the man as police from surrounding agencies arrived to help. The man released the child and was taken into custody on an arrest warrant, according to police. His name was not released by police.
Trib news partner WTAE said Daniel Lipford, 38, was charged with strangulation, terroristic threats and simple assault. He was being held at the Allegheny County Jail on $1,000 bail.
Scammer targets Hempfield woman
An elderly Hempfield woman was scammed out of $70,000 after state police said she was led to believe she was under investigation by the Social Security Administration for money laundering and drug sales.
Troopers said she bought numerous gold bars and Visa pre-paid cards and met with a man in Greensburg where she handed over some of the gold. Other items were mailed across the country.
“This was part of an elaborate scheme to defraud our elders and is likely not the only case,” Trooper Ryan Ilich said in a news release issued Thursday.
Anyone who has experienced a similar scam is asked to contact state police at 724-832-3288.
Kennedy Hospital set to close
Heritage Valley Kennedy Hospital will close June 30, according to an announcement Wednesday reported by Trib news partner WTAE.
The closure of the Kennedy hospital is necessitated by an ongoing decline in patient activity as well as a reduction in provider reimbursements, the news outlet reported. Patients will be redirected to Heritage Valley hospitals in Sewickley and Beaver County.
The health system has already noticed patients have migrated to the Sewickley hospital, which is 8 miles away from the Kennedy location, after reductions in services. A medical office building near the Kennedy hospital will operate out-patient services such as X-ray, physical rehabilitation and doctor offices.
Employees will be offered positions at other Heritage Valley facilities.
Thefts reported in Shaler
Police in Shaler said officers took multiple reports of thefts from vehicles late Wednesday into early Thursday in the Sutter Road and Elmwood Drive area. One of the thefts involved a handgun.
Authorities Thursday morning released surveillance video of two suspects and a vehicle they may have been using.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Shaler police.
Police say McKees Rocks man hid guns in teddy bear
A McKees Rocks man is awaiting arraignment on new gun and drug charges after Allegheny County Sheriff’s Deputies said they found two handguns hidden inside an oversized teddy bear at his home, officials announced Wednesday.
Deputies were looking for Terry Purdue, 27, for several days in connection with bench warrants for his arrest. They caught up with him Tuesday at a home on Grove Street.
During his arrest, police moved the teddy bear and felt a hard object inside of it, according to spokesperson Mike Manko. One of two guns found inside the stuffed animal had been reported stolen out of Uniontown.
Purdue was taken to the Allegheny County Jail to be processed on the bench warrants in addition to the new case. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records.
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No injuries reported in East Liberty shooting
No one was hurt after shots were fired Wednesday afternoon on Baum Boulevard in East Liberty, according to Pittsburgh police.
Investigators found shell casings and a building was damaged by gunfire. Surveillance video showed a man shooting at a moving vehicle around 1:30 a.m. before running away. Police said no one showed up at a hospital for treatment related to the shooting.
$2 million lottery ticket sold in Beaver County
Someone who bought a Mega Millions ticket at a beer distributor in Beaver County is a millionaire, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery.
The ticket worth $2 million was sold at Midland Beer Distributor, which will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling it. The ticket matched all five balls drawn Tuesday.
The winner has one year to claim the prize.