Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Thursday, Jan. 22:
Police investigate graffiti with racial slur at Homewood South auto body shop
Pittsburgh police are investigating after graffiti containing a racial slur was found at an auto body shop in Pittsburgh’s Homewood South neighborhood.
The owner of the shop on the 7600 block of Finance Street told police he found the message in black spray paint on the building and door when he arrived to work Wednesday morning.
Police said in addition to the slur, the graffiti read, “JUX WAS HERE, BBT D4C.” Additional graffiti on the building’s door was illegible.
Anyone with information is asked to call Zone 5 detectives at 412-665-3605.
2 teens shot in Aliquippa
Two teenagers were shot in Aliquippa Wednesday evening, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Aliquippa police responded to a call of multiple shots fired near 400 Superior Avenue around 6 p.m.
They discovered Kenneth Evans Jr., 19, suffering from a gunshot wound. State police said he was taken to a trauma center in Pittsburgh and is expected to recover.
Police also found a 16-year-old — who officials did not immediately identify — who was struck with a bullet and suffering a superficial wound.
An investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Pennsylvania State Police at 724-773-7400.
Another closure expected for Parkway due to beam deliveries
Drivers on the Parkway can expect to see closures Thursday as beam deliveries for the Commercial Street Bridge project spur traffic stoppages.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said bridge beam deliveries are expected to arrive on site between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday.
Large trucks will travel on southbound I-79, eastbound on the Parkway West and eastbound on the Parkway East. They will pull into the plaza outside the suburban side of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.
Westbound I-376 will see multiple intermittent traffic stops of about 15 minutes or less near the tunnel entrance, allowing trucks to cross the lanes into the work area.
PennDOT warned drivers to expect delays.
Additional beam deliveries are forthcoming, officials said. This is the latest in a series of similar closures linked to the Commercial Street Bridge project.
The $95 million bridge replacement will use accelerated bridge construction techniques to slide the new bridge into the existing Parkway East alignment. PennDOT said it would be one of the largest lateral slide projects performed in the commonwealth.
Work started in June of 2024 and is expected to wrap up in the summer of 2027. Officials said drivers this year will see a 25-day full closure and detour of I-376 in the area.
Beechview man nabbed at construction job
A Beechview man with multiple warrants was arrested at his construction job Wednesday, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office announced.
Stev’Ray Norman, 28, pleaded guilty in 2024 to two firearms charges. He was sentenced to 11.5 to 23 months in jail, plus probation for two years. A warrant was issued for probation violations on Jan. 1.
The sheriff’s office said Norman also was facing warrants for two protection from abuse violations violations and for fleeing Pittsburgh police when they tried to arrest him for those warrants.
Detectives with the sheriff’s office discovered Norman was doing construction work along Lynda Lane in North Versailles Township. They arrested him at there Wednesday morning around 11 a.m. and took him to the Allegheny County Jail, officials said.
Car plows through Denny’s restaurant
Only minor injuries were reported after a car crashed into a Denny’s restaurant in Scott Township Wednesday morning.
Photos Scott’s police department shared on social media show a blue SUV had slammed into the building, shattering a window and plowing into a booth at the Greentree Road restaurant.
TribLive news partner WTAE reported the restaurant closed and will need a structural engineer to examine the damage.
Environmental Charter School names assistant principal
The Environmental Charter School on Wednesday announced Jessica Keele was named assistant principal at its Intermediate School.
She formally assumed the role earlier this month, school officials said in a news release.
Keele began her career as a music teacher and later served as an administrator in Germany in the U.S. Department of Defense Education Agency. She was both a teacher and an administrator at North Pole Elementary in Fairbanks, Alaska.
“Jessica has already brought so much to this work,” Superintendent Amanda Cribbs said in a written statement. “She has contributed to our house system and an even more positive environment in our Intermediate School.”
Keele is tasked with creating systems to monitor and reward academic development and overseeing character, discipline and school culture initiatives.
“This opportunity is aligned with all of my skills and I am thrilled to support our amazing students and teachers,” she said.