Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh-area farmer and employee sentenced for using banned pesticide to kill migratory birds
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Beaver County farmer and his employee who were found guilty of using a banned pesticide to kill migratory birds were sentenced to probation, fines and community service.
A federal judge convicted 52-year-old Robert Yost of New Galilee and his employee 27-year-old Jacob Reese of Enon Valley in January after a bench trial in 2022. Both were sentenced to a year of probation. Yost received a $21,000 fine and 100 hours of community service while Reese was sentenced to a $5,500 fine and 50 hours of community service.
Prosecutors said evidence presented at trial showed Yost, who operates Yost Farms in Beaver County, told Reese to spread whole kernel corn coated in the pesticide carbofuran in a soybean field. The corn attracted protected migratory birds that were killed a short ways away from where they ate the pesticide-laced kernels, prosecutors said.
Carbofuran is a registered restricted-use pesticide after the Environmental Protection Agency concluded it generally caused unreasonable adverse effects on humans and the environment and that the risks of using it were unacceptable.
Authorities blame Yost and Reese for the deaths of approximately 17 Canada geese, 10 red-winged blackbirds and one mallard duck.
While handing down the sentences, prosecutors said the judge noted that Yost and Reese’s crimes were serious, created a risk to the environment and harmed the public’s trust in the source of their food. The community service is a way to “redeem the public’s trust in safe and ethical farming,” the court said.
Pittsburg, PA
Game Preview: 12.20.25 at Montreal Canadiens | Pittsburgh Penguins
Game Notes
Quick Hits
Bryan Rust (465) is one point shy of tying Jake Guentzel (466) for the 11th most points in franchise history.
The Penguins enter tomorrow’s game ranked third in the NHL in power-play percentage (30.4%).
Erik Karlsson has 43 points (11G-32A) in 53 career games versus the Canadiens. His 11 goals versus them are tied with his teammate Kris Letang (11) for the most among all active blueliners.
Sidney Crosby’s next even-strength goal will surpass Phil Esposito (448) for sole possession of the ninth-most even-strength goals in NHL history.
Anthony Mantha, a Longueuil, Quebec native, has 19 points (11G-8A) in 24 career games against the Canadiens. He has four game-winning goals against Montreal, the most against any one opponent in his career.
Pittsburg, PA
2 killed in Carrick shooting on Linnview Avenue, Pittsburgh authorities say
Two men were killed in a shooting along Linnview Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood on Thursday, authorities said.
The shooting happened around 5:15 p.m. on the 1200 block of Linnview Avenue, according to a Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they found two men with multiple gunshot wounds on the sidewalk about 10 feet apart. Both men were taken to local hospitals in grave condition, but they were pronounced dead when they arrived, Pittsburgh Public Safety’s spokesperson said. The victims were 23 and 27 years old. However, the victims have not been identified as of Thursday night.
Officials said the suspect fled on foot down Nobles Lane. No other information was released about the suspect. No arrests have been made as of Thursday night.
Neighbors told KDKA they heard at least six gunshots. Investigators at the scene recovered two firearms, the spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety said. Police are investigating.
“At one point, I heard what sounded like fireworks,” one neighbor said.
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh natives Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor move to Mt. Lebanon
Pittsburgh-area natives Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor are returning to their roots.
Manganiello, from Mt. Lebanon, and O’Connor, from Uniontown, have bought a home in the South Hills after getting engaged this summer.
On Pittsburgh Today Live on Thursday, O’Connor talked about the couple’s move from Hollywood to Mt. Lebanon.
“It’s so nice to be home,” she said.
While Manganiello and O’Connor are happy to be back in southwestern Pennsylvania, O’Connor said it’ll be a bigger adjustment for the beloved chihuahua Bubbles. From the Pittsburgh Steelers fashion show to the gala celebrating the new airport terminal, the tiny dog is seemingly always in Manganiello’s arms.
“Bubbles is a California girl. She really doesn’t like the cold. We wrap her in a blanket and she has many, many puffy coats. I bought her a Steelers puffy to put in her stocking, so we’re going to see how she does over the next few months. But it’s not that long. It’s not forever. Winter will come and go,” O’Connor said.
And they all got quite the Pittsburgh welcome. O’Connor said it snowed when they were moving in, and Manganiello was outside shoveling for over two hours. She said she’s getting him a snowblower for Christmas.
The couple won’t be braving the Pittsburgh winter for too long. O’Connor said they’ll soon be off to South Africa, where Manganiello will film “One Piece” for Netflix. He’ll star as the villain Crocodile in the popular Japanese manga series.
“Bubbles will be in a better state,” O’Connor joked, saying it’s currently summer in South Africa. “I just bring Bubbles to set and hang out. It’s really the best job.”
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