Western PA Local News category, Page 1011
Grant funds tapped for Westmoreland human services reorganization
A $250,000 grant from the Hillman Foundation will pay for reorganization of Westmoreland County’s human services department. Commissioners accepted the grant that will pay for the hiring of three administrators and further an effort to integrate multiple programs into a consolidated department for social services, including the children’s bureau, behavioral...
Greensburg Salem parent calls for change after teacher caught reading racial slur aloud in classroom
A Greensburg Salem High School parent is calling for change after a substitute teacher voiced a racial slur while reading aloud to her classroom from the 1937 John Steinbeck novella “Of Mice and Men.” The incident happened March 24 in a 10th-grade language arts class. According to parents, the moment...
Deb Docherty, founder of Docherty Agency in Pittsburgh, dead at 63
It plays like the lore from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Deb Docherty began a career in the entertainment industry when she was discovered in the early 1980s while standing at a phone booth in Downtown Pittsburgh. An agent saw her from the street asked her if she was interested...
Thinning the herd: East Huntingdon farm family auctions Brown Swiss, Ayrshire cows
Susan Spadaro wasn’t expecting to get emotional about auctioning off 100 of her family’s Brown Swiss and 25 Ayrshire cows on Thursday. “We’ve just always had a passion and love for these animals and the dairy industry,” said Spadaro, the fifth generation of the Miller and Love families, which have...
Urban Redevelopment Authority’s affordable housing preservation program launches Friday
The Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority’s affordable housing preservation program launches Friday. The program, first presented to the URA board in January, aims to provide financial assistance to owners of affordable housing units. The URA hopes the help will dissuade the owners from shutting down the affordable units or converting them...
Hampton outlines 10-year plan for parks, trails, open space
Hampton Township is preparing to enact a 10-year plan to revitalize its parks, trails and open spaces. One of the most important parts of the plan is its goal of protecting natural resources, including healthy air, streams and green spaces, according to parks and recreation professional Heather Cuyler. To address...
Convicted Latrobe sex offender ordered to serve up to 20 years in prison
A Latrobe man will serve up to 20 years in prison for failing to register as a convicted sex offender. Douglas Arthur Truxal, 45, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury in December. He was sentenced Tuesday. According to court records, Truxal pleaded guilty in 2000 to charges connected to...
New Kensington contractor accused of fleecing residents in Penn Hills, O’Hara
The owner of a New Kensington brick pointing company who is awaiting trial on charges that he ripped off a family in O’Hara by taking money for work that wasn’t done was arrested on the same charges by Penn Hills police. Dennis M. Eror, 41, of the 300 block of...
Urban Redevelopment Authority to sell Hill District plaza to Salem’s Market and Grill
A local grocery store is set to buy a shopping plaza in Pittsburgh’s Hill District from the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority. The URA board on Thursday approved plans to sell the plaza on Centre Avenue that previously housed a Shop ‘n Save to Salem’s Market and Grill, which is expected...
St. Nicholas Serbian Tamburitzans celebrate 60th anniversary with show in McKeesport
A performance six decades in the making will soon take place at McKeesport Area High School. This month marks the 60th anniversary of the St. Nicholas Serbian Tamburitzans. Current members and alumni will take the stage at 1960 Eden Park Blvd. around 3 p.m. April 22. The show features songs...
Crisis Center North to host Bradford Woods fundraiser
Crisis Center North’s signature fundraiser, Cocktails & Cuisine will be May 12 at The Woodlands, 134 Shenot Rd. in Bradford Woods. The outdoor food tasting event marks its 16th year. It helps to raise money so CCN can provide essential services for the victims of domestic violence. Individual early-bird event...
Mt. Pleasant man receives 25-year prison sentence for girlfriend’s roadside assault
A Mt. Pleasant woman told a judge she remains haunted by memories of her assault nearly three years ago. The 42-year-old woman crawled two miles after being beaten and left to die in a roadside ditch. “I screamed for my mom and dad, and I screamed, ‘Please help me.’ It...
Jury finds man guilty of 1st-degree murder in killing of off-duty Pittsburgh police officer
An Allegheny County jury on Thursday found a Wilkinsburg man guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer in Homewood nearly four years ago. The trial of Christian Bey, 34, began on March 21. The jury of six men and six women deliberated less than...
Point Park to host evening with renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp
Renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp will discuss her six-decade career during an audience participation talk on April 23 at Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse. “An Evening With Twyla Tharp” will begin at 7 p.m. with the Point Park University Conservatory Dance Co.’s spring concert, a presentation of Tharp’s “Sweet Fields.” Made...
Public weighs in on Pittsburgh’s Spin electric scooter ride-share service
Pittsburgh City Council heard mixed opinions about Spin’s electric scooter ride-sharing service during a public hearing Wednesday. The Spin service was authorized in July 2021 after the state government approved a pilot program that made Pittsburgh the first city in Pennsylvania to allow e-scooters. That pilot program ends in July...
Norwin briefs: Medicine take-back program; trails meeting; Fight the Blight fundraiser
Area police to participate in medication take back program North Huntingdon police will join departments in Murrysville and Penn Township in participating in the national Prescription Medication Take Back Day Program from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 22. North Huntingdon police will accept the unneeded and outdated medications —...
VisitPittsburgh disputes Allegheny County audit questioning its fiscal practices
An audit released Thursday by Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor says the Pittsburgh region’s tourism agency has failed to follow proper financial management practices and should improve its transparency and reporting standards. VisitPittsburgh receives more than 90% of its funding from public tax dollars, O’Connor said in a release. The...
10 candidates vying for primary nominations to run for 5 open seats on Pine-Richland School Board
Editor’s note: The Pine Creek Journal is publishing election previews with candidate interviews for contested municipal and school board races only. The preview for the Pine supervisors race will run in the April 27 issue. Democrat and Republican voters in the Pine-Richland School District will be asked to nominate candidates...
Murrysville area: Craft fair, author talk, garden-club scholarships and more
Email news briefs an event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Craft fair at Murrysville library The Murrysville Community Library will host a May 6 craft fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will include handmade jewelry, home decor, candles, wreaths, knitted and crocheted items, wood crafts, coffee, chocolates and more. Some...
Verona Chamber of Commerce sponsors egg hunt
Don’t tell the youngsters, but the guy in the Easter bunny costume actually was Dan Showalter The Verona Planning Commission member continued to be an active participant in community events by portraying the kids’ seasonal favorite during the Verona Chamber of Commerce Easter Egg Hunt on April 8 at Railroad...
Riverview students travel to Rome for Model UN conference
A team of five Riverview High School seniors participated in the 16th annual Rome International Model United Nations from March 25-29. Traveling to the conference were Naomi Girson, Declan Hawk, Joey Inzinga, Kylie Longstreth and Olivia Wilton. The conference provided an opportunity for students to visit many historical sites in...
Police seeking truck that hit Hempfield toll booth
State police are looking for a vehicle towing an oversized load that damaged a toll booth Tuesday on Toll Route 66 in Hempfield. Troopers said the white truck tractor was headed south at 3:15 p.m. when the blade of the bulldozer it was towing on a semi trailer hit several...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: April 14-16
Music for a new day The Pitt-Greensburg Chorale and Chamber Singers will present a spring concert, “One Day, A New Day,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Campana Chapel at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, 150 Finoli Drive, Hempfield. The Chorale will sing music by various composers, including Elton...
Generations House of Worship in Brackenridge extending its reach to Lower Burrell
Brackenridge Pastor Nick Chybrzynski became a Christian at 15, well before he had a driver’s license or access to a car. “I didn’t have a way to get to church in Springdale from my house in Natrona Heights so I walked, rode my bike or took a PAT bus,” said...
Amera Gilchrist nominated to be Pittsburgh’s next EMS chief
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is nominating Amera Gilchrist to be the city’s next EMS chief. Pending approval from City Council, Gilchrist would become the first Black woman to serve in the role. “I may be the first, but since that barrier (is poised to be) broken, I most certainly won’t...
