Teen black belt hopes for big break, seeks votes in national contest for Youth Athlete of the Year
David Cobbey, a Taekwon-do black belt student from McCandless, can be one step closer to becoming the Youth Athlete of the Year if he gets the most online votes by Sept. 18. Winners will be featured in a 3Brand advertisement in Sports Illustrated and receive $25,000. Now a quarter-finalist, anyone...
Unity firefighters received honors for their response to Marguerite mine sinkhole
When firefighters serving with a Westmoreland County trench rescue team arrived near a Unity restaurant in early December to help search for a woman who had fallen into an abandoned mine sinkhole, it didn’t take long for them to realize that this incident would challenge them in new ways. Until...
Western Pa. college campuses grapple with fear and security after Charlie Kirk’s killing
Seton Hill student Romilleigh Donovan disagreed with viewpoints of late conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed while speaking at a college in Utah. Still, Donovan, a sophomore studying criminal justice, was deeply troubled by Kirk’s death on Wednesday. “I was appalled, but I was not surprised...
Western Pa. college students grapple with fear and security after Charlie Kirk’s killing
Seton Hill University student Romilleigh Donovan disagreed with viewpoints of late conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed while speaking at a college in Utah. Still the sophomore studying criminal justice was deeply troubled by Kirk’s death on Wednesday. “I was appalled, but I was not surprised...
PRT asks Shapiro to shift $107M in funds to stave off cuts, fare hikes
Pittsburgh Regional Transit wants to use $107 million set aside for critical maintenance and repairs to stave off service cuts and fare hikes. The agency on Thursday asked Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation if it can pull from a pot of money dedicated to transit infrastructure...
Westmoreland commissioners decline to consider ballot curing for November election
The Westmoreland County commissioners Thursday again rejected calls to allow mail-in voters an opportunity to fix errors that could lead to the disqualification of their ballots in November. During the public comment period of the commissioners’ meeting at the courthouse, a handful of voters — most of them registered Democrats...
Murrysville area: Art show, band community night and more
Email news briefs and email listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Rotary Oktoberfest The Murrysville-Export Rotary Club will host its annual Oktoberfest German festival from 3-8 p.m. Sept. 20 at White Valley Park. The afternoon will include German food, beer and wine, pizza, barbecue and refreshments, live music by The Kosmix, therapy horses...
‘Senseless’ killing of Bloomfield bicyclist leads to guilty but mentally ill plea
The portraits of the two young men presented to the judge were so very different. Alexander Yerkey graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2020 and was working in transportation planning. He had a longtime girlfriend and a rescue cat — despite being allergic. He loved his mom so much...
Hundreds of Pennsylvania educators call for cyber charter funding reform in state budget
Hundreds of Pennsylvania school district administrators are calling for cyber charter funding reform to be included in the state’s 2025-26 budget. A letter featuring signatures from administrators at 215 schools was sent to state legislators Thursday — calling for a cyber charter funding formula that reflects the true cost of...
Design phase on 3 North Allegheny elementary schools, senior high Phase 1 to start in Dec.
A detailed presentation on renovations at Hosack, Ingomar and Peebles elementary schools, as well as Phase One of North Allegheny Senior High School, was presented to the school board at its working meeting Sept. 10. The design phase is proposed for December. The estimated costs of the four projects, which...
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. preps for 3rd Oktoberfest celebration
The tents are set up, the chairs are out and the stage is in place. The only thing left to do is put on some dancing shoes. Pittsburgh Brewing Co., known for regional classics such as Iron City and IC Light, is bringing back its Oktoberfest celebration for the third...
New grant, same goal: Monroeville officials to expand Saunders Station trailhead area
Monroeville officials will pivot from planning a new Valley Park bridge to expanding the Saunders Station access area for the Westmoreland Heritage Trail. “We accepted a grant to build a new bridge over Turtle Creek, and the feasibility of that is beyond the original scope of the project,” Graziani said...
A timeline of events on Sept. 11, 2001
How Sept. 11, 2001, unfolded: 8:00: The first of four planes bound for California, American Airlines Flight 11, leaves Logan International Airport in Boston with 92 people aboard. 8:14: United Airlines Flight 175 leaves Boston with 65 people. 8:21: American Airlines Flight 77 leaves Dulles International Airport in Reston, Va.,...
Alle-Kiski Valley remembers sacrifices, unity on 24th anniversary of 9/11 attacks
It’s hard to believe 24 years have passed since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, said Ted Hereda, Kinloch fire chief in Lower Burrell. “For some, it feels like yesterday. For others, it is history that they only know through stories. But for all of us, it’s a reminder of...
Plum hires new buildings and grounds supervisor
Alexa Verrico has been tapped as Plum’s new buildings and grounds supervisor. A Plum resident, she’ll be responsible for managing the borough’s public works crews; taking care of area parks; and upkeeping borough-owned facilities, such as the Plum Community Library and Plum Community Center. She’ll report to the borough’s director...
Harrison Moving Flag Tribute honors sacrifices of 9/11, builds community
Lindsey Merzlak of Harrison remembers sitting in a Highlands Middle School science class when news broke that terrorists hijacked planes and struck the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. “My teacher put it on TV and nobody knew what was happening,” Merzlak said. “I remember...
Jeannette looks to crack down on ‘garbage signs’ attached to utility poles
Jeannette’s code enforcement officer is going to start targeting signs attached to utility poles through the city’s zoning ordinance. Bill Whetzel said he has a letter drafted that can be sent to violators, if he can figure out who is responsible for the signs. “Some don’t have any kind of...
UPMC-GoHealth Urgent Care will operate in Harrison and Tarentum despite close proximity
Urgent care facilities in Harrison and Tarentum, less than 2 miles apart, will remain open despite each being rebranded to UPMC-GoHealth. The former UPMC Urgent Care in Harrison and MedExpress in Tarentum are not expected to consolidate, according to UPMC Senior Director of Public Relations Allison Hydzik. The facilities offer...
Allegheny Valley looks to replace old faucets after tests show unacceptable lead levels
After water from more than a dozen fixtures was found to have unacceptably high lead levels in Allegheny Valley schools, the district says it’s looking to replace parts to avoid future contamination. District Superintendent Patrick Graczyk said 15 sinks and older drinking fountains in Acmetonia Elementary School and one faucet...
Morning Roundup: Beam delivery to delay Parkway East traffic; $4M lottery win in Allegheny County
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Sept. 11: Bridge beam delivery to delay Parkway East traffic Traffic on the Parkway East will be shut down for around 15 minutes westbound Thursday morning for a bridge beam delivery, according to the PennDOT. Two large trucks...
Greensburg art exhibit features 101-year-old Penn Township artist
Nina Whitfield Stahlberg meandered among chairs, desks and bookcases at the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library last week, directing her son, Kevin, on where to hang 35 paintings featured in her latest art exhibit. Those stopping in to check out books would hardly suspect that the Penn Township resident will celebrate...
Auditorium renovation to begin at Valley High; drama club’s fall show canceled
A revamped auditorium will be in place at Valley High School in New Kensington by next spring, but that means there won’t be a fall show from the school’s drama club this year. The New Kensington-Arnold School Board approved a roughly $940,000 contract with The Efficiency Network for the auditorium...
Shapiro joins families to mark 24th anniversary of crash of United Flight 93
Gov. Josh Shapiro joined family members at the private wreath-laying ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial Thursday on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Shapiro did not speak at the opening ceremony in the memorial plaza that held a standing-room-only crowd. The ceremony included a ringing of the...
Friendly pizza wager feeds Plum football after victory over Gateway
Plum earned more than just a win against longtime football rival Gateway last Friday night. The Mustangs ended a streak of 13 consecutive losses at the hands of the Gators. With the win, the team also secured a free batch of pizza courtesy of a friendly wager between local pizza...
Shaler Area School District hires business manager from Fox Chapel Area
The Shaler Area School District has a new business manager. During a special voting meeting Wednesday, Sept. 10, the school board approved hiring Kimberly Pawlishak as director of finance and operations for a three-year term beginning on or about Dec. 10. Her salary was set at $140,000. Pawlishak is coming...