CMU’s Fence painted with message of tribute to Charlie Kirk
On Thursday morning, The Fence on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus was painted in tribute to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed Wednesday during a free-speech debate on a Utah college campus. The CMU College Republicans group painted the Fence overnight. In white letters on a black background, “Rest in...
The Stroller, Sept. 11, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Buffalo Township festival to...
Pa. Supreme Court to hear challenge to 1968 law barring judicial review of cop firings
In 2020, Philadelphia fired a police lieutenant who sent sexual text messages and a pornographic video to two subordinates, then asked one to lie to investigators. Whether that termination stands was the subject of a state Supreme Court argument Thursday in Philadelphia that could have statewide implications — including in...
Westmoreland happenings: Trolley lecture, Glass City Heritage Festival, ’80s dance party, more
Children’s event • YWCA Westmoreland County will sponsor a free children’s literacy fair 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 13 at the center, 424 N. Main St. Children can enjoy craft stations, face painting, free food, button making, games and a story time. Children who are registered in advance will receive...
AI Horizons Summit brings tech leaders, ‘legacy industrial titans’ together
For the second time in just three months the city of Pittsburgh is acting as a home base for the conversation on artificial intelligence. Back in July, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick hosted the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University. Now, the AI spotlight returns as Pittsburgh’s AI...
Intergenerational exchange of Adopt a Grandparent Storytime brings joy to seniors
At least one Thursday every month, any resident can be a grandparent at Ridgecrest of McCandless. And it’s all thanks to the Adopt a Grandparent Storytime, where people living at the personal care and memory care facility meet up with community members for singing, dancing and laughing. “This program is...
Divine Mercy Academy students back in class with some new faces
Divine Mercy Academy students in Monroeville saw some big changes when classes at the Catholic school started last month. Kindergarteners will no longer receive report cards. Part of a Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese-wide change, kindergarten and preschool teachers will now use badge books to track milestones and skills such as early...
Greensburg Salem creates girls wrestling club
The girls competing on Greensburg Salem’s boys wrestling team will be able to compete on a roster of their own this year following a vote by the school board Wednesday. The school board voted unanimously to create a girls wrestling club, with the hope that the program will grow into...
Noise, traffic top of mind for Cheswick residents as data center project looms next door
In the end, Cheswick officials won’t have any say over the data center proposed next door in Springdale. But that didn’t stop more than two dozen borough residents from quizzing developers about the potential effects the project could have on their community. Concerns about noise pollution and traffic congestion took...
Fort Pitt Tunnel reopens in both directions after vehicle fire had closed both sides
Fort Pitt Tunnels have reopened to traffic in both directions, PennDOT announced shortly before 8 p.m. Both inbound and outbound tunnels where shutdown after a vehicle caught fire in one of the tunnels. The initial alert was reported at 6:15 p.m. PennDOT announced at 7:48 p.m. that the inbound (eastbound)...
Lincoln Avenue resurfacing to begin in Latrobe, Derry Township; $104K fall paving OK’d in city
Crews are slated on Thursday to begin milling a lengthy stretch of Lincoln Avenue in Latrobe and neighboring Derry Township in preparation for a joint paving project. The work will extend between Route 982 in Derry Township and Main Street in Latrobe. Latrobe public works director Scott Wajdic said the...
Rob Haus officially becomes Arnold police chief, ending tumultuous 12 months
Arnold Mayor Shannon Santucci has appointed Rob Haus as the city’s new police chief. Santucci announced the appointment at Tuesday’s council meeting, ending a year of uncertainty as to who would lead the department on a permanent basis. Haus has been leading the department on an interim basis as former...
CMU Fence tribute to Charlie Kirk planned
The Carnegie Mellon University College Republicans plan to use The Fence as a way to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, following his slaying Wednesday. CMU College Republican President Anthony Cacciato said he was “shaken up by the...
Jury convicts East Huntingdon man wounded in shootout with state police
A Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday rejected defense claims that an East Huntingdon man’s shootout with state police last year was covered up by investigators to shield authorities from allegations of improper use of force. Jurors deliberated nearly five hours before returning 18 guilty verdicts against James R. Miller Jr.,...
Darrin Kelly, fiery union leader, to step down from Western Pa. labor post
An electric passion for organized labor and a constant coffee drip have fueled Darrin Kelly in his seven years as boss of the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council. But the job has worn on him, Kelly told TribLive at his office in Pittsburgh’s Duquesne Heights neighborhood, the nerve center of a...
Pa. politicians denounce political violence in wake of Charlie Kirk killing
Politicians throughout Pennsylvania reacted with shock and horror to the shooting death Wednesday of Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. Kirk was killed while speaking at a college in Utah, almost a year after his visit to the University of Pittsburgh. After...
Pittsburgh Land Bank pitches way to cut costs, red tape through sheriff’s sales
The Pittsburgh Land Bank wants to strike an agreement that would make it easier to buy tax-delinquent properties for conversion to other uses including affordable housing and community gardens. The land bank is looking for the city, school district and county to sign off on a deal that would let...
Westmoreland halts spending; threatens service cuts, layoffs amid state budget impasse
Westmoreland County leaders said a looming financial crisis could result in layoffs, service cuts and facility closures without a quick resolution to the ongoing state budget impasse in Harrisburg. The county commissioners this week instructed department heads to limit spending as part of an initial phase of mandatory cost-containment measures....
Tenants displaced by Squirrel Hill apartment fire take it ‘one day at a time’
Matthew Stock has his keys, wallet and phone but little else. He suspects the rest of his possessions were lost Tuesday in a fire that gutted a nearly century-old apartment building on Forward Avenue in Squirrel Hill. The 35-year-old is unemployed and was looking for a new job before the...
High school seniors’ math, reading scores declining, national report says
High school seniors’ math and reading comprehension are on the decline, according to a national report. The National Center for Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education, administered the National Assessment of Educational Progress to a sample of students from 1,500 schools throughout the country from January to...
Audits flag longer response times for Pittsburgh police, EMS; urge better 911 center staffing
A pair of audits from the Pittsburgh and Allegheny County controllers on Wednesday recommended increased staffing for the county’s 911 call center, more focus on tracking emergency response times and improvements to programs that ensure first responders’ well-being. “While funding and operational challenges exist in each of our respective governments,...
‘Kissing bug’ disease on the rise in U.S.
A deadly malady known as “kissing bug” disease is now an endemic illness in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nation is seeing a rise in the illness, which is officially known as Chagas disease. It can be life-threatening and is transmitted through...
Jewish woman who vandalized Pittsburgh synagogue gets probation
A Jewish woman accused of conspiring with an alleged Hamas sympathizer to vandalize two Jewish organizations in Pittsburgh last summer was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to five years probation. Talya A. Lubit, 25, pleaded guilty in May to misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit a crime against the United...
2nd public trial added for Pittsburgh airport’s new terminal
The Allegheny County Airport Authority said Wednesday it has added a second public trial of Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal to test systems and processes ahead of the official opening later this year. The airport’s first public trial is scheduled for Sept. 20. Over 2,000 members of the public are...
Judge accepts plea deal in East Hills double homicide over objections of victims’ family
The two women pleaded with the judge not to accept the deal. They had just listened to the prosecutor describe the injuries the killer inflicted on their loved ones. Valorie Crumpton, who was 72, sustained nine fractures to her skull, multiple broken ribs, a laceration to her abdomen and a...