The following message was posted to Kenneth Aquiline’s Facebook page.

“I serve in the Marines give all I have for six years. Deployed every chance I got.and gave all I have. I come back and am homeless ask for help and nobody [expletive] cares. They just keep taking and [expletive] me over. I bet if I bet if I put some bullets in some cops that deserve it everybody will care. It will make the news I bet. Well just have to see. Then when everybody asks why im just gonna say well you didnt care then.”

Stay with KDKA for the latest developments.

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The judge in the case said today that the claims made against Commander RaShall Brackney had no validity to them. After making that statement, the judge promptly dismissed the case.

“We are just so thankful for my attorney, Tina Miller and they will update you on all further media releases and further communications,” said Brackney.

That is all Brackney had to say after the PFA against her was dismissed in court.

“During the whole course of the case, we maintained that there was no personal relationship, there’s been no sexual relationship, and even on the record a few times, Mr. Lee testified that there was absolutely no sexual relationship,” said Warner Macklin III. “So, just based on that, he can’t even go further with his allegations because he had no standing to even file the PFA.”

The PFA was granted to Andrew Lee, the owner of a cigar store on the North Side. Last week, he claimed to be afraid after his romantic relationship with Brackney ended.

“At this point, I felt physically in danger for my life,” said Lee on back on May 9. “This woman carries a gun.”

Yet, after a hearing – that lasted nearly two hours – Judge Kelly Bigley needed less than five minutes to consider the testimony and dismiss the case.

“It has been established in the court on record that there has never been a scintilla of evidence that there was ever any type of personal relationship, no evidence whatsoever,” said Macklin.

“I am very, very pleased with the judge,” said Darlene Harris, the Pittsburgh City Council president. “I think the judge could see straight through this gentleman. This gentleman has given an awful lot of harm to our neighborhoods on the North Side.”

Brackey’s attorney has already filed a motion claiming Lee’s PFA was “in bad faith.” That could clear the way for her to seek monetary damages against Lee in civil court.

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Cigar Store Owner Testifies, Commander Brackney Sequestered (5/10/12)
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Ken Konias, 22, is back in Pittsburgh following his capture last month in Florida.

Konias is facing charges in the death of Michael Haines and the theft of $2.3 million from the armored truck in February. He was found back on April 24 in a home in Pompano Beach, Fla.

He was being held in a facility in Oklahoma City prior to his return to Pittsburgh.

KDKA’s Harold Hayes reports from court that during today’s proceedings, Konias was advised that he could face up to 20 years on the Hobbs Act robbery charge if convicted.

He could also face up to life on the firearms charge, and could face the death penalty if the use of the firearm resulted in death.

The judge set May 21 at 10 a.m. for his detention hearing and preliminary hearing.

No family members for either defendant or victim were present. Konias was represented at the hearing by a public defender.

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He likes the possibilities the Steelers’ reshuffled offensive line can bring. He breaks down what the new faces might be able to do in their new roles, and shares the concerns he still has about the line.

Bouchette also previews next week’s first round of Steeler OTAs, tells if he thinks Mike Wallace will be at the Steelers’ facility before training camp begins, and looks into whether Mike Tomlin’s contract extension is coming this summer.

Click the link below to listen to the full interview:

Ryann Tillman, 15, came into the hospital around 1 a.m. with her mother.

Tillman had been missing for 10 days and officials are not commenting on where she might have been. But family members say they are just happy to have her home.

“I think I’m just [going to] give her a hug,” said Jonathan Tillman, Ryann’s father. “I don’t think I need to say anything really.”

The teenager has been missing since May 7.

She arrived at the hospital with her mother early this morning. Police and the rest of Ryann’s family came soon after.

“Of course I’m [going to] tell her I love her, but just to hug her and see her will be enough,” her father added.

Family told KDKA that Ryann’s condition was considered high trauma when she first arrived at the hospital, but she was released hours later.

It’s still unknown what she had been doing for the 10 days she was missing.

Police were called when her father went to wake her up for school and she was gone. Initially, it was believed that she ran away, but family feared she was being held against her will.

“Sleepless nights, appetite gone,” Bill Pratt, Ryann’s stepfather, said of the family’s concern and worry for the teen. “All you could think about night and day, every second of it is, where is she? Is she okay?”

Her father, stepfather and grandfather spent countless hours with other family posting pictures and searching neighborhoods looking for the teen.

“Happy, relieved. I can’t thank people enough,” Tillman said. “So many people reached out to help – community, social media – so many people offered their resources to me; I mean there was tons of people out looking for my daughter, you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing her face.”

The Shaler Township police chief says he’s thankful that Ryann is now safe and at home. He also says that the investigation on their part is now closed.

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Family Worried For Missing Shaler Teen’s Safety (5/15/12)
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He also says that Notre Dame holds the cards to the future of all of college football.

Click the link below to listen to the full interview:

Easler was nicknamed the “Hit Man” because he could hit.

He has now turned that into a job as a hitting coach with the Buffalo Bisons.

His heart still belongs to Pittsburgh, so he keeps up with the team.

Click the link below to listen to the full interview:

Bowa thinks the Pirates will be able to stay in the race because of their starting rotation.

He doesn’t see it falling apart like last year.

Listen to the full interview here:

But what gadgets are must-haves? What’s new and cool? 

KDKA AM’s Larry Richert and John Shumway talk to Jim Barry, tech expert and Digital Answer Man for the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), about the hottest and coolest tech gifts out there.

Jim talks a about the new Ultrabooks, as well as the hottest tablets and lots more.

Click the link below to listen to the full interview:

Neighbors who could smell the chemicals say they are upset that they were not evacuated.

“I wake up, I look out the front window, I see the Green Tree Fire Department right up the road here; and they’re telling people not to come down this way,” said Jim Vincenti, a resident of Green Tree.

It was a very rude awaking for homeowners on Kenmore Drive as they found themselves in the middle of a Hazmat situation.

“We had a minor leak in a rail car operating on the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad,” said David Montz, the Green Tree Emergency Management coordinator. “It carries a propane-butane mix, petroleum mix from Marcellus Shale operations.”

A massive tanker car had a valve malfunction allowing the highly flammable gas to escape.

The entire neighborhood, where at times it smelled like gas, was cut off as firefighters and Hazmat teams tried to fix the leak.

“The leak from the valve area has been stopped and no issues remain with the car,” said Alvin Henderson, of Allegheny County EMS.

By 8 a.m., it was all clear but that did little to relieve worry.

“We had an incident approximately one year ago similar to this where there was a release of product in similar fashion,” Assistant Chief Matt Serakowski, of the Green Tree Fire Department, said.

This isn’t the first time firefighters have visited the neighborhood. The rail yard’s been busy and loaded with toxic or explosive tankers.

“There’s always an anxiety with the trains, especially now with the fracking going on,” said one Green Tree resident. “It’s getting closer and closer to home. All of our lives are at stake here. It’s frightening.”

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How do we teach these kids responsibility?

KDKA AM’s Larry Richert and John Shumway talk to Jim Clair, of the Ultimate Defensive Driving School, and Kathy Tress, head of the DUI Taskforce, about how they go into schools to change the thought process of teen drivers, thus changing behavior behind the wheel. 

Click the link below to listen to the full interview:

During the presentation, they show stats and high impact videos – one on texting and driving and the other on high risk behavior and the outcomes of that behavior.

If you would like this kind of training in your school, visit Jim Clair’s website at http://www.ultimatedefensivedriving.us.

The Celtics captain put in 24 points in Boston’s 101-91 Game 3 victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia, putting his knee injury behind him and getting aggressive when it came to pretty much every aspect of the game.

“Whether I shot the ball well or not, everything I was going to do was being with aggression,” Pierce said.

Aggressive might be an understatement. Pierce was in attack mode early on, even if his shots weren’t falling. Early in the first quarter, he missed four shots from close range, but it was the fact he fought for the three put-backs in the paint that showed he was determined to make a difference after scoring just seven points in Boston’s Game 2 loss.

He continued to go strong to the basket, following up his early misses with two ferocious dunks. Pierce finishing with nine points in the first 12 minutes of the game. He ended up hitting six of his 17 attempts from the floor, but did most of his damage at — and getting to — the free throw line. After just two trips to the charity stripe on Monday, Pierce found his way to the line 14 times in Game 3, scoring 11 of his points at the line.

Special Coverage: NBA Playoffs

He made it known to all of Philly when he was making his way to the line, following each drive to the hoop with an aggressive scream that would make Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” jealous.

“Everything I was going to do was going to be aggressive because they were really collapsing on me on the down-screens, on my jumpers,” said Pierce. “I just tried to get to the hole and I was able to get to the line; able to get to the rim a number of times. It’s something I have to continue to do.”

“Paul is just a grinder,” head coach Doc Rivers said following the win. “He really is. You look at him at times and you wonder, ‘How is this guy getting open?’ He just has great fundamentals. He never does it with speed. He just knows how to play basketball. He’s a throwback guy, that he knows how to play basketball. We jokingly call him our ‘professional scorer’ and that’s what he is in a lot of ways.”

“[Pierce] played great for us tonight,” said point guard Rajon Rondo, who scored 23 points of his own while dishing out 14 assists. “Paul has been struggling scoring, but he has been doing the intangibles. On those [first-quarter] drives, he didn’t get some calls early in the game and thought they were fouls, so he went out and was aggressive and finished strong.”

Recap: Thunder Go Up 2-0 On Lakers

Pierce had been just 5-for-20 in the series in the first two games, but helped the Celtics send a message as they took a 2-1 series lead. While he only added four assists, he credited the team’s ball movement for getting the offense going.

“Our offense finally came alive,” Pierce said. “We moved the ball. We knew that’s what we were going to have to do to score 100 points.”

“We just wanted to come out and establish who we are as a team,” Pierce said.

They certainly did that. Now they just need to keep it going on Friday night.

Authorities say 48-year-old Ronald Bachner was taken into custody Wednesday on charges of bribery in official and political matters and official oppression.

Bachner, who was the code enforcement officer in East McKeesport Borough, was later arraigned on those charges.

According to investigators, Bachner charged a resident with an East McKeesport ordinance code violation and is accused of later offering “to withdraw the charge for cash payment,” identifying it as a “borough donation.”

Authorities say the resident then called state police and that’s when the investigation began.

Investigators say Bachner is accused of withdrawing the charge two days after receiving payment from the resident, who agreed to wear a recorder during the encounter.

State police and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation-Organized Crime Unit conducted the investigation.

Stay with KDKA for more on this developing story.

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Box Score | Playoffs Schedule

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant scored 22 points and rattled in the go-ahead basket on a baseline runner with 18 seconds left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder scored the final nine points to rally for a 77-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.

Oklahoma City trailed by seven with 2 minutes left before surging back with a series of defensive stops by its stars to take a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 is Friday night in Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum scored 20 points apiece for the Lakers, who came up empty on their last six possessions after Bynum’s hook shot made it 75-68 with 2:09 remaining.

Game 2 Photo Gallery (Photo:Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

After struggling throughout the second half, the Thunder suddenly came alive after Scott Brooks called timeout following Bynum’s basket that gave Los Angeles its largest lead of the game.

James Harden drove for a layup before Durant used his height advantage to reach up and tip away a pass from Bryant, who he was guarding. Durant ran out for a right-handed dunk at the other end before Russell Westbrook forced another turnover by aggressively challenging an outlet pass to Bryant along the sideline.

Harden made the next stop, blocking Bryant’s jumper on the next Lakers possession and getting a layup in transition off it to cut the deficit to one in the final minute.

Bryant couldn’t connect again, this time on a 3-pointer, to give the Thunder the ball back with the chance to take the lead and Durant was able to make it happen.

Steve Blake missed a 3-pointer from the right side with about 5 seconds left after Metta World Peace couldn’t get the ball to Bryant on the inbounds play. Durant was then fouled with 0.3 seconds left and made his first try before missing the second on purpose – failing to hit the backboard or rim for a violation.

The Lakers got a desperation try but World Peace’s long pass for Bynum was intercepted by Harden.

Westbrook added 15 points for Oklahoma City, which matched its lowest scoring total of the season but still gutted out the win.

Historically, the loss makes a huge difference. Los Angeles is 29-12 when splitting the first two games of a seven-game series and has lost 17 of 19 when falling into a 2-0 hole. The Lakers’ last comeback was in the 2004 West semifinals against San Antonio.

The Thunder have won all nine of their series after leading 2-0, dating back to the franchise’s days in Seattle.

In a game that was nip-and-tuck throughout, the Lakers started inching away early in the fourth quarter while Westbrook was on the bench.

Bryant drilled a jumper from the left wing and Blake followed with a 3-pointer before World Peace hit one of two free throws for a 69-63 advantage with 7:27 remaining – the Lakers’ largest lead to that point.

Westbrook returned then but only provided the briefest of sparks for the struggling Oklahoma City offense, and Bynum’s second straight basket – on a left-handed hook shot at the left block – made it 75-68 with 2:09 to play.

Until that point, Oklahoma City had made only 7 of 27 shots in the second half while committing eight turnovers.

After getting ripped apart by the Thunder’s pick-and-roll attack and giving up 119 points in Game 1, the Lakers made it an emphasis to put up more resistance in the rematch and it showed. Matt Barnes shuffled back and forth around three Nick Collison screens to contest Harden’s jumper and preserve the Lakers’ 22-21 lead after one quarter.

The Lakers’ defense was at its best just after halftime as they got out of a 48-45 deficit by holding Oklahoma City scoreless for the first 4 minutes and allowing just two baskets in the first 8 minutes. But Los Angeles still couldn’t create any sort of a cushion and Westbrook’s wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner – after World Peace airballed a similar shot on the opposite end – had the Thunder back within 57-56 with 3:31 left in the third.

Notes: The NBA on Wednesday fined Devin Ebanks $25,000 for actions related to his Game 1 ejection and Bynum $15,000 for failing to speak to reporters Tuesday. Bynum, who has had recent disciplinary issues within the team, talked at the Lakers’ morning shootaround Wednesday and called it a make up for skipping the previous day. “I think he’s learning. Is he going to be a perfect citizen the rest of his career? I don’t know,” coach Mike Brown said. “He’s bound to make mistakes. I think everybody makes mistakes.” … World Peace has said he supported Scott Brooks to become Sacramento’s coach back in 2007, when Brooks had been an assistant under Eric Musselman. “Little does he know, if I would have got the job, I was going to ask for him to be traded,” Brooks joked. He then called World Peace, or Ron Artest at the time, the third-best two-way player at the time behind Bryant and Kevin Garnett. … Harden caught World Peace with an inadvertent elbow to the face in the first quarter.

It worked twice, and the Eastern Conference finals are all even, as a result.

David Clarkson scored a tip-in goal off Adam Henrique’s shot 2:31 into the third period to break a tie and lift the Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Rangers that squared the series at one game apiece on Wednesday night.

“It’s a very hard building to play in, and 1-1 sounds much better than down 2-0,” Devils captain Zach Parise said. “We’re happy. We would have liked to have snuck out of here with two wins, but it didn’t happen.

“We’ll take 1-1.”

For the third straight series, the Rangers are wondering what went wrong in Game 2 after they took the opener. They stressed how important it would be to grab a 2-0 lead, which would have been their first two-game edge in this postseason, but didn’t provide the necessary effort to get it done.

New York was riding high after its 3-0 series-opening win on Monday night, but now has relinquished home-ice advantage again.

“You need to improve as a hockey team every game,” said succinct and disappointed coach John Tortorella, who declined to say what areas were deficient.

Game 3 will be Saturday in New Jersey.

Clarkson built off the momentum created by Ryan Carter’s deflected goal late in the second that tied the game, 2-2. Ilya Kovalchuk had given the Devils a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first. Defenseman Bryce Salvador added two assists, and Martin Brodeur stopped 23 saves for his 108th playoff win.

Clarkson has three goals in this postseason, and every one has been a winner, including the clincher against Philadelphia in Game 5 of the second round.

“Mr. Clutch? I don’t know about that,” Clarkson said. “I’m going to skate up and down and finish the checks and just bounce off people. It’s just a great feeling to be able to contribute. To get a tip on that felt pretty good.”

New Jersey had 26 attempted shots blocked in Game 1, five more than they got through to goalie Henrik Lundqvist. The Devils cut the blocks to 16 on Wednesday and managed to get 27 on goal — two more than New York.

“That team blocks so many shots,” Clarkson said. “It’s unbelievable how many. I think we found a way to shoot it and get sticks on it, and definitely that was big for us.”

Marc Staal and Chris Kreider scored power-play goals in the second for the top-seeded Rangers, who received 24 saves by Lundqvist.

New Jersey got even at 2 when Salvador wound up for a shot at the blue line and fired a drive that Carter — with his back to the net — brilliantly deflected past Lundqvist with 1:51 left in the second. Marian Gaborik stood up straight in front of Salvador, but didn’t drop down as many of his teammates have to try to block the shot. For that, he was pinned to the bench by Tortorella, even through New York’s power play in the third.

Gaborik returned to the ice with 8:40 remaining as the Rangers pressed to tie.

The Devils kept the pressure on the Rangers at the start of the third and wiped out the good work the Rangers displayed in the second.

“It was a much different reaction when we went down by a goal than it was in the first game,” Parise said. “We didn’t change the way we played, and I think that was a big difference. We were comfortable with how we were playing.

“All I think they got was really on their power play.”

After spending much of the first trapped in their own end, the Rangers rebounded to erase their early deficit and briefly take the lead thanks to the previously inept power play.

With Alexei Ponikarovsky off for interference, Staal fired a shot that sailed wide of the net and struck the back boards before popping back in front and pinballing into the net off Salvador and Brodeur at 2:23. The goal was originally credited to Derek Stepan, who was in front, but the puck managed to miss him both on the way toward the net and on the bounce back.

“I saw most of the pucks, but the Rangers came out hard,” Brodeur said. “They were around me a lot, and there were some bad bounces. It’s such a tough place to play sometimes here. There are bad bounces, and the boards are terrible.”

Staal nearly netted another moments later when he ripped a drive that Brodeur had to lunge fully to his left to snare with his glove.

Kreider, the rookie from Boston College, scored for the second straight game to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 12:19. Anton Stralman let go a shot from above the right circle that ticked Kreider’s stick and fluttered past Brodeur for the rookie’s fourth goal. He had to wait to get it because it was first given to Stralman before being changed during a commercial break.

But that was hardly the longest delay of the night. Before Kreider’s power-play goal, the action was stopped for about eight minutes as arena workers struggled to get the door to the Devils’ penalty box opened. Travis Zajac stood patiently as he waited to have a seat in the box. He even managed to laugh as did New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer and the usually stoic and agitated Tortorella.

Zajac, who first was sent to the Rangers’ box, stayed in New Jersey’s sin bin for only 1:47 before Kreider scored the Rangers’ second power-play goal of the night.

New York registered the first six shots of the period before New Jersey had its first about eight minutes in, but the teams were even at 17 through 40 minutes.

Lundqvist had a bit of glove magic of his own midway through the second when a shot by Anton Volchenkov was deflected by Kovalchuk but tracked and grabbed by Lundqvist.

The Devils got their elusive first goal of the series, and the all-important lead in the game, when Kovalchuk connected on the power play late in the first period.

After Brian Boyle was sent off for slashing Parise, the Devils continued their puck-possession prowess in the Rangers’ end. New Jersey moved the puck all around the zone in search of a clean shot that could get past the diving New York defense and perhaps challenge Lundqvist, who made 21 saves in the series-opening win.

Marek Zidlicky curled with the puck to the center of the blue line and slid a pass down to the left circle to Kovalchuk, who calmly and patiently drifted in and snapped a shot up and under the crossbar in the upper corner of the net for his sixth goal of the playoffs and fourth on the power play.

“We had to keep going to the net, and I think we were doing some good things,” Clarkson said. “We’ve been playing some good hockey and we’ve got to continue to do it. That is a big win for us.”

The Devils didn’t record a shot on goal until 6:01 in when Patrik Elias put a wrist shot in on Lundqvist, but New Jersey finished the first period with an 8-5 edge in shots — despite having six more blocked by the Rangers.

Whether Brodeur was kidding or not about wanting Rangers to be injured by blocking shots, the home team wasn’t deterred from getting in front of drives. New York forward Brandon Prust was doing a bit of a dance in front of the dangerous Kovalchuk, trying to deny any potential drive, even though he was defending without a stick.

“We have to try to get in lanes,” Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said. “Try to limit their time with the puck. If we do that, they are not going to have time to shoot.”

When Kovalchuk finally scored later in the period, he let out a big yell — part celebration and an exclamation of relief — as he skated in front of the glass behind the net.

“We have built some momentum,” Brodeur said. “And now, we have to try to take that into our building, and make our building a tough place to play.”

NOTES: The Rangers were 10 for 61 (16.4 percent) on the power play in the postseason before Wednesday. This marked the second time they netted a man-advantage goal in consecutive games, but the fourth time they scored two in a game. … The Devils returned defenseman Peter Harrold to the lineup and sat rookie Adam Larsson. Harrold replaced Larsson in the lineup late in the season and started the first nine postseason games. Larsson played in the previous five games.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

According to investigators, 36-year-old Stephen Hozier of Duquesne was taken into custody Wednesday night at a home in the 100-block of East Marigold Street in Munhall.

Authorities say Hozier was wanted on two separate warrants, one for not living at the address he gave as a requirement of Megan’s Law and the other for probation violations.

Sheriff’s deputies had been searching for him since last week.

Sheriff’s Office officials say authorities found Hozier in the basement of the home and he was apprehended without incident.

He was arraigned in night court and is being held without bond.

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Not only are adults taking steps to save the environment, but young students are being proactive as well. For the second year, fifty schools in seven counties in the Pittsburgh area took part in a contest called “Let’s Clear the Air” to celebrate Earth Day. The Southwest Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership (SPAQP) paired with the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) to create the contest for students in elementary school through high school. The students were invited to design a poster that raises awareness and educates viewers of going green by using clean air and alternative transportation.

The three first place winners were awarded a $100 gift certificate for school supplies and a bicycle, courtesy of TREK of Pittsburgh, to help promote alternative transportation.

Congratulations to the contest winners and thank you to all who participated in “Let’s Clear the Air”.

To view the winners, click here. 

Information on the SPAQP can be found here.

According to the Avalon police chief, the bus’ transmission or brakes may have given out causing it to drift down a hill and into a yard.

The accident happened at the intersection of Union Avenue and Shade Avenue.

Officials say no children were on the bus at the time of the crash.

The driver was not hurt.

Stay with KDKA for the latest details.

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• Doug Oster’s Blog
• Evey True Value Hardware
• “Finding Love Again”
• “Pop!” at City Theatre
• Trust Arts: Blue Man Group & Distinctively Dutch Festival
• Post-Gazette Food & Flavor

The fire broke out just after 9 p.m. Wednesday in the 300-block of Derrick Avenue in South Union Township.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

Several crews were called in to get the flames knocked down.

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The fire started around 1 a.m. in the 700-block of Washington Avenue in Charleroi.

No injuries were reported.

There’s no word on what started the blaze, but the cause remains under investigation.

Stay with KDKA for the latest details.

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A Fayette County man was just arrested for shooting the driver who cut him off. What causes these extreme reactions? You can listen to the interview here.

Listen to Robet Mangino weeknights from 6 to 10 p.m. on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA.

Fisher says she’s not surprised. You can listen to the interview here to find out why.

Listen to Robert Mangino weeknights from 6 to 10 p.m. on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA.

You can listen to the interview here.

Listen to Robert Mangino weeknights from 6 to 10 p.m. on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA.

The robbery took place at the K-2 Store in the 4900-block of Penn Avenue.

Pittsburgh Police Lt. Kevin Kraus said the armed robber entered the store with a semi-automatic handgun.

The clerk handed over the money from the cash register, but then the robber said he wanted a cell phone hanging on a rack near the register.

The clerk on duty the night of holdup, 21-year-old Abbas Khattak, briefly struggled with the suspect over his gun.

“I was trying to grab his gun, because I thought the gun was fake, but then somebody told me the weapon was not fake,” he said.

Khattak said when the gun was pointed away from him, he reached for it.

Lt. Kraus said no shots were fired during the incident.

The suspect is around about 5-feet 8-inches tall, and had a thin build.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 412-255-8477.

You can remain anonymous and information leading to an arrest and conviction could be worth up to $1,000.

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And that’s exactly what Peters Township Police Chief Harry Freucht says was inside a black bag found at the Giant Eagle.

A customer found the bag and turned it over the folks at the store. The store called police.

And police say 31-year-old Joseph Moody called the store to see if anyone had found a black bag. When he was told to go to police, he did and was taken into custody.

“I’d say he’s pretty stupid,” said one shopper. “I think he’s pretty stupid.”

“That’s pretty unbelievable that he would do that,” added another shopper.

“He’s probably pretty desperate,” a woman said.

He’s being held on a parole violation. Charges have yet to be filed over the bag of drugs.

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Rather, he has been practicing and preparing to start next season at left guard.

“They moved me to left guard now. I am learning that,” Colon said, according to a report on the Steelers official website. “That is a challenge for me. As a tackle you are used to just being an athlete, left on an island. But as a guard I am between the tackle and (Maurkice) Pouncey, the verbiage and how to work with those guys I am learning. When you are in the middle things happen faster. When I am at tackle I have the whole side of the sideline to work with. At guard I am in a box where I have to work faster and react faster. I have to be more aware of calls. On the flip side I get to get after people.”

Colon has missed the last two years to injuries, but his natural position is right tackle. With the move, Marcus Gilbert will likely remain at right tackle, which is where he played last season in Colon’s absence.

Pouncey will remain the starting center.

First-round draft pick David Decastro is expected by many to be the team’ starting right guard. Second-round draft pick Mike Adams could then start at left tackle if he’s ready.

“Before the draft it was never heard of, I was staying at tackle,” Colon said. “We drafted DeCastro and I get a call the next day that we are moving you to guard. I was never against it. It wasn’t something I frowned upon. For me to still be here, still be a Steeler and still have the chance to crack that starting lineup, I am blessed. I just want to compete and be the best that I can be.”

Steelers OTAs begin May 22.

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Bedard gave up three solo homers and Evan Meek, just called up from the minors, allowed three runs in one inning of relief as the Nationals beat the Pirates, 7-4.

Bedard was rather efficient in the early going, allowing two runs in the game’s first five innings. And when he seemed to be at his best — he retired 11 straight batters as he worked through the sixth — things took a severe turn.

Adam LaRoche and Xavier Nady, both former Pirates, hit back-to-back solo home runs with two outs to put the Nationals (23-14) up, 4-1, through six innings.

It was Bedard’s first start after leaving a game against the Nationals May 9 with back spasms. He missed one start.

Meek came on in relief in the seventh and was wild, hitting a batter and walking two more to load the bases for LaRoche. He came up big again, doubling down the right field line to score three more and put Washington ahead, 7-3.

It was LaRoche’s 1,000th career hit. He finished the game 3 for 4 from the plate with a home run, double and four RBIs.

Third baseman Josh Harrison provided most of the Pirates (17-20) offense on the night. He was 2 for 4 from the plate with a home run and three RBIs.

First baseman Casey McGehee added a fourth Pittsburgh run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly.

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Wikert, on a motorcycle, did a header after he slammed into an HOV lane safety gate.

“You can see different spots where it hit as it came up the windshield,” he said. “And then it came off the windshield and smacked me in the face.”

For Wikert, it was simple. Turn the corner along Mario Lemieux Way, jump on the HOV lane and head home.

“The main gate that says, ‘Do not enter’ is up in the air,” he said.

It’s the second gate Wikert runs into.

“If I wouldn’t have had the windshield and the gate would have come up and either hit me in the chest or bounced off my mirror and come up and hit me in the throat, I could very well be either paralyzed or killed.”

According to the accident investigators, “The main gate at the entrance of the HOV lane was up. The secondary gates were down.”

Police also noted, “The secondary gate was not lifted like it always is at that time of day.”

In the same report, a PennDOT employee states he did in fact open the outbound lane for commuters at 2:47 – five minutes before that gate in that lane came down.

The PennDOT employee telling investigators there “may be malfunctioning due to a recent storm that had occurred.”

The report also indicates the PennDOT employee “has seen it happen maybe one other time.”

“We’ve been using these fast acting gates for several years now and we haven’t had that many incidents,” PennDOT District 11 Spokesman Jim Struzzi said.

Regardless of the police reports, PennDOT says there was no malfunction in this case and that Fred Wikert messed up.

“We believe the stop signs were flashing to indicate the HOV was closed, that he should not have been entering the HOV at that point,” Struzzi said.

Wikert will now sue to defend his actions, to expose what he believes to be a gate malfunction, to pay his medical bills.

“Fix the damn thing before somebody actually gets seriously hurt worse than I did,” he said.

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Zappala’s remarks came as County Councilman Bill Robinson asked for a closer look into how the District Attorney’s Office is handling claims of police misconduct.

Zappala addressed the media Wednesday morning to make the announcement.

“The use of force does not lend itself to a criminal prosecution,” he said.

Miles claims in January of 2010, he was walking to his grandmother’s house on Tioga Street when three plain clothes officers, Officers Richard Ewing, Michael Saldutte, and David Sisak confronted him.

Miles claims they beat him during an arrest attempt. The officers have said that Miles ran from them and appeared to be armed.

There was harsh reaction from Jordan Miles and his family.

“After all this time if he didn’t do anything, you can assume that nothing was gonna be done,” he said. “I mean, this doesn’t do anything but fuel me to continue to push forward, motivate me and seek change.”

“He chose not to pursue this and to me, that’s just a blight on his reputation,” Terez Miles, Jordan’s mother, said.

The FBI and experts on police force concluded the officers were justified.

Retired State Police Trainer Cliff Job said the officers had reason to use force because they were in a high crime area, had reasonable suspicion and believed Miles was armed with what later turned out to be a bottle of Mountain Dew.

The expert also concludes Jordan Miles concealed his presence, declined to cooperate and kicked one of the officers.

Miles denies it.

“That is false,” he said. “I never fought back. I struggled to get off the ground, but I never physically hit any of the police officers.”

But Zappala is relying on the report’s conclusions and says he won’t be pressured by the community.

“This is not a political forum,” he said. “We follow the law. We follow the evidence, we follow the law.”

In March, City Council passed a bill which will pay Miles $75,000, to cover legal fees and other costs.

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There’s a lot of useful information coming out of them, so go to the blog’s main page if you want some updates. The biggest storyline has revolved around Florida State, as some speculate the Seminoles are looking to leave the ACC for the Big 12.

I’ll get to that in a second. First, let’s talk about some big news that broke Wednesday.

ACC commissioner John Swofford announced how scheduling will take place in the conference once Pitt and Syracuse join (that will likely be in 2013).

In the new 14-team ACC there will be a nine-game conference schedule. With that comes a bit of an unbalanced schedule, as teams will have five home games one year and four home games the next in conference play.

As announced, the Atlantic Division teams will have five home games in odd-numbered years and Coastal Division teams will have five home games in even-numbered years.

As a refresher, Pitt is in the Coastal Division, so it looks like they’ll start out in 2013 with four conference home games and five away games.

This all could change, though, if something happens with Florida State.

The Seminoles are heavily rumored to be considering leaving the ACC for the Big 12. As it is, representatives from both FSU and the ACC are hesitant to speak on the subject.

Florida State is reportedly unhappy with the ACC’s new 15-year deal with ESPN, which is confusing to me.

Conference members are set to make $17.1 million annually with the new deal, which allows five-year look-ins to potentially restructure the deal for more money. There’s also the chance of setting up an ACC television network.

To me, it seems like the league is positioned as well as any, being affiliated with the worldwide leader. Big 12 Conference members will make approximately $3 million more annually.

Time will tell, but the silence by both sides only leaves us all to speculate. And the more we speculate, the more rumors, reports and “sources” run wild.

–

Chris Gates | Area 4-1-Zoo Blog
Twitter.com/Chris_Gates
Chris.Gates@cbsradio.com

Collier Township Police say a 15-year-old girl sent a nude picture from her phone to her boyfriend’s phone.

They’re now trying to determine who else may have received the photo.

“We’re still conducting our investigation to make a determination as to how widespread or who had access to or viewed any of the pictures involved,” Collier Police Sgt. Eric Davis said.

As soon as the administration at Chartiers Valley High School heard about the picture, the Collier Township police were called.

“Possession of picture, video, something that would depict an obscene act, something lewd, but the person depicted in that picture or video is under the age of 18 would be considered violation or child pornography,” Davis said.

Depending on the severity of the distribution of the photo, they’ll work with the district attorney’s office on whether or not charges will be filed.

Police are telling Chartiers Valley students that if they delete the picture now, they can avoid a possession charge.

Police say don’t forward the picture because it’s a distribution charge for pornography.

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Konias, 22, is scheduled to appear in federal court downtown Thursday afternoon. A judge will read the charges against Konias and set a date for a formal preliminary hearing.

Konias is accused in the February 28th shooting death of his partner, Michael Haines, and the theft of $2.3 million from the armored truck.

Investigators captured Konias in Pompano Beach, Fla., on April 24th.

The attorney for Konias’ parents, Charles LoPresti, tells KDKA Konias has asked him to be his defense attorney.

He says he will not make a decision on whether to represent him until he can sit down with him in person and discuss the facts of the case.

Stay with KDKA for the latest details.

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The $3 million renovation project on the Latrobe parking garage began back in February.

That work was interrupted Wednesday morning after the floor of the structurally deficient garage collapsed, sending a worker on a skid loader crashing into the basement.

“He was on the first floor removing the concrete decking and with like a jackhammer attachment on a skid loader and the concrete gave way and the skid loader [went] nose down thru the hole,” Latrobe Fire Department Assistant Chief Bob Heintzelman said.

Latrobe police detective John Sleasman was first on the scene. He says he first summoned others to help stabilize the skid loader.

“And also the platform around us was very unstable, so we had to wait for the work crew to use pole jacks underneath of us to stabilize the floors so we could get to him,” John Sleasman said.

Sleasman and others moved debris from the worker and were eventually able to pull him out the front of the loader.

He was talking when rescuers arrived, but later went into shock. The worker was taken to Latrobe Hospital and then flown to Pittsburgh.

This is the third mishap at the parking garage since renovations began. In February, a concrete slab fell during demolition.

In March, another skid loader broke through the floor, but was caught by rebar.

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Presley is mired in a 3-for-34 slump at the plate and is hitless in his last 14 at-bats in the majors. He got off to a hot start to start the season but is now hitting just .220 with seven RBIs.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said the demotion is in an effort for Presley to work out his hitting issues in the minors. He said Presley just doesn’t have it right now, but he also said that Presley is part of the team’s long-term plans in the outfield.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Presley back in the majors within a couple weeks if all goes well. He’s clearly a better player than Yamaico Navarro and Nate McLouth — both will fill Presley’s spot — and he has more potential.

If Presley can get a good string of games and at-bats together in Indy he should find his way back to Pittsburgh soon.

–

Chris Gates | Bucs Blog
Twitter.com/Chris_Gates
Chris.Gates@cbsradio.com

Army Specialist Leslie Sabo, Jr., was killed while protecting his fellow soldiers from an ambush in Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

Paperwork for the award was completed at that time, but it was lost and did not resurface until decades later.

Led by the President and First Lady, the East Room of the White House was filled with guests, military brass, members of Congress and Vietnam Veterans – all to salute a fallen hero from Ellwood City.

“The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration that America can bestow,” Obama said.

Leslie’s widow, Rose Sabo Brown, and family members joined the President to recognize a man whose valor nearly went unnoticed.

“Today, four decades after Leslie’s sacrifice, we can set the record straight,” Obama said.

Sabo was just 22 years old when he died saving the lives of comrades in Cambodia.

His Bravo Company was ambushed by North Vietnamese on Mother’s Day of 1970, prompting Sabo to charge the enemy, killing several and drawing fire away from his comrades.

When an unexploded grenade was tossed at them, he threw it back then jumped on a wounded comrade to shield him from the blast.

Wounded himself, he charged the enemy bunker, taking several hits, but continuing to crawl towards the bunker.

“He grabbed a grenade and he pulled the pin,” Obama said. “It said he held that grenade and didn’t throw it until the last possible moment, knowing it would take his own life but knowing he could silence that bunker and he did.”

“He saved his comrades who meant more to him than life,” he continued.

The surviving comrades were recognized at the White House as well. Then with arms around Rose Sabo Brown, Obama presented the Medal of Honor posthumously to Leslie Sabo.

Holding back tears, she accepted the medal and spoke briefly on the White House lawn.

“I know a piece of cloth and a medal won’t bring him back, but my heart beams with pride for Leslie because he is finally receiving tribute for his sacrifices and bravery,” she said.

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Ellwood City Soldier Posthumously Awarded Medal Of Honor