RESIDENTS RALLY—Led by Ronell Guy, center, North Side residents and stakeholders rally and march to protest expansion of the Mexican War Streets Historic District into their neighborhood. (Photo by J.L. Martello.)

Living in a historic district can be beautiful, but maintaining a home in such a district—matching as closely as possible exterior finishes and materials—can be very expensive. And residents on Pittsburgh’s North Side, who could face such expenses, say city plans to expand the Mexican War Streets Historic District is moving forward without them having a chance to object.

Bikinis and Martinis
JUNE 19—Racheallee Lacek and My Backyard Productions will host the “Bikinis and Martinis” Leukemia and Lymphomia Society Benefit from 6-9:30 p.m. at Skybar, 1601 E. Carson St. South Side. There will be complimentary drinks, appetizers, a bikini fashion show by Chelsea’s New York and more. Proceeds raised will be used by LLS to fund life-saving research. For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

PITTSBURGH JUSTICE COLLABORATIVE—Local residents march to end the War on Drugs.

For Kayla Bowyer, a public ally at Amachi Pittsburgh, a nonprofit organization for children whose parents are incarcerated, the War on Drugs is personal. Like many others in the Black community who attended a recent rally in Washington D.C., she has seen family members’ lives torn apart by drug abuse and the resulting consequences.

ME IDENTIFIES 'SHOOTER' IN PA. MURDER-SUICIDE

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Allegheny County medical examiner has released the name of a Pittsburgh man who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot hours after his ex-girlfriend was found fatally shot in her own shower.

The man police believe shot himself and 25-year-old Alisha Virtue has been identified as 24-year-old Nicholas Starr.

County detectives say Virtue's body was found about 5 p.m. Tuesday when her mother, sister and 2-year-old son returned home. They heard the shower running and assumed she was getting ready for work, only to find her dead. The relatives then found Starr on the bathroom floor.

Starr had a gunshot wound to the head and died early Wednesday at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Police say Virtue and her ex were both at the home when Virtue's relatives left about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

JUDGE RULES GENEVA COLLEGE CAN EXCLUDE MORNING-AFTER PILL COVERAGE

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A federal judge says a Christian college in western Pennsylvania can exclude coverage for birth control like the morning-after pill and the week-after pill when it offers a health insurance plan to its students.

The injunction issued in favor of Geneva College will remain in effect until the federal judge in Pittsburgh rules on the school's lawsuit challenging looming federal health care reforms, or until a higher appeals court rules on the underlying legal issue.

The school in Beaver Falls is affiliated with the Reformed Presbyterian Church and argues certain types of birth control violate its religious beliefs against abortion.

U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti issued the ruling Tuesday because the school had until Thursday to pick a health plan to cover students next academic year.

PA. POLICE HOPE TO CATCH 'GREEN THUMB' BANDIT

MAMMOTH, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania State Police are hoping to catch a bandit with a green thumb red-handed.

Troopers from the Greensburg barracks say the man robbed the Amenity Farm and Greenhouse in Mount Pleasant Township on Tuesday about 6 p.m. They say he flashed a gun and demanded money before also taking some plants.

Police say the man ran away and they hadn't identified, charged or arrested the suspect by Wednesday.

The greenhouse is located about 35 miles east of Pittsburgh.

FEDS: PITTSBURGH BROTHERS RAN CRAIGLIST TIXX SCAM

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A federal grand jury has charged two Pittsburgh brothers with scamming more than 250 people out of more than $70,000 by offering to sell event tickets over the online want-ad site, Craigslist.

Online court records don't list attorneys for 29-year-old Daniel Isabella Jr. and 22-year-old David Isabella, neither of whom has a listed telephone.

An indictment on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud says the brothers advertised tickets they didn't have to concerts and other events, and instructed people to send or wire them money.

The alleged scam ran from January through September of 2012.

The FBI investigated the case.

PA. GUARDSMAN SUES TARGET OVER 'NO SHOW' FIRING

by Joe Mandak

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard has sued Target Corp., saying he was wrongly fired from one of the chain's Pittsburgh-area stores for violating its "no call, no-show" policy while he was on a two-week training assignment in Virginia.

Andrew Lanier claims in his federal lawsuit that he told his supervisors about the training duty in late October 2011.

But Lanier says he was told he had been fired for not calling off each and every day he was gone.

Lanier and his attorneys say that violates the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, which is meant to safeguard the civilian jobs of military personnel who are called away for mandatory duties.

Target hasn't commented on the lawsuit, in which Lanier seeks at least $75,000 in damages, including back pay and reinstatement.