Western PA Local News category, Page 1063
Latrobe Municipal Authority offers to take lead on slippery subject
Latrobe Municipal Authority officials are aiming to reduce the amount of cooking fats and oils that, when disposed of improperly, clog sewerlines and pollute local waterways. “We have to do something,” authority board member Carl “Skip” Bollinger recently told city council members. “Our main problem is the Nine Mile Run...
Morning Roundup: More demolition needed in wake of Elizabeth Forward fire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023: Virtual learning continues at Elizabeth Forward after fire Fire damage to the Elizabeth Forward High School auditorium is more extensive than originally believed, district officials announced. Superintendent Keith Konyk sent a letter to families saying...
Kosko joins GOP field for Westmoreland commissioner
Paul Kosko of Hempfield has joined a field of at least four candidates who are seeking two Republican nominations for Westmoreland County commissioner. Kosko, 62, joins incumbents Sean Kertes and Doug Chew, along with retired executive John Ventre, as candidates in the May primary as Republicans attempt to hold their...
Leechburg officials seek meeting to discuss possible park transfer
Leechburg officials want more information before they decide on taking partial ownership of another park. Council members want an in-person meeting with officials from Gilpin, the Gilpin- Leechburg Joint Recreation Authority and Armstrong County Commissioners to talk about transferring the ownership of Gilpin/Leechburg Park from the county to the two communities....
The Stroller, Feb. 24, 2023: 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. St. Patrick’s Day event to benefit local college scholarship fund The...
Allegheny County voter turnout rises with a boost from mail-in voting
Allegheny County cast more votes in the November election than any other Pennsylvania county — surpassing even Philadelphia, which has about 350,000 more residents and 100,000 more registered voters. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said the county’s robust efforts to help people vote by mail were a key factor. Fitzgerald...
Teacher-student ratio, staffing expected to hold steady during Hempfield Area transition
Now that Hempfield Area’s school board has approved middle school consolidation, the district has a hefty task at hand. Upcoming months will be spent reassigning Harrold students to one of the two remaining middle schools and moving faculty assignments as the district simultaneously prepares to embark on the $128 million...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust seeks controller, sees rebound from pandemic
Westmoreland Cultural Trust is in the market for a new fiscal manager as it looks to rebound from a pandemic-related drop in revenue and in events at its two Greensburg venues. Longtime controller John Bolha retired in 2021 after 19 years on the job. An interim controller filled in, and...
Fox Chapel Area student wins Colonial Dames essay
Fox Chapel Area High School freshman Joanna Li was among the winners of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America National Congressional Essay Contest. Joanna is one of 48 winners in the U.S. and one of two from Pennsylvania. The essay topic was “Examine the U.S. Constitution as...
Former inmate claims mistreatment in Westmoreland jail
A former Westmoreland County Prison inmate claims his mistreatment while he was at the jail led to health issues that have left him confined to a nursing home, according to lawsuit filed this week. James Robert Frantz, formerly of Hempfield, contends he sustained injuries in a fight with another inmate...
Bradford Woods Women’s Club sponsors ‘Afternoon Tea’
The nonprofit Bradford Woods Women’s Club is hosting “An Afternoon Tea” on April 15 at 1 p.m. at the Bradford Woods Community Church on Wexford Run Road. Tickets cost $32 and go on sale on March 1 at the Berry Vine Gift Shop at 185 Bradford Road. Space is limited....
Sharpsburg hires local grad as its latest police officer, considers raising parking fines
Sharpsburg officials welcomed a new full-time patrolman to the borough police force. Council unanimously voted to hire Zachary Smith, 25, of Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh on Feb. 23. “My entire life I’ve been helping people,” he said after the vote. “That’s just my goal, to continue to do that as a police...
Pittsburgh man charged in connection with shooting at Monroeville hotel
A Pittsburgh man has been charged with assault and various gun violations in connection with a shooting Thursday at a Monroeville hotel. Jamar Reese, 36, remained detained in the Allegheny County Jail on Thursday night after being denied bail. He is charged with aggravated assault, person not to possess guns...
Pittsburgh man facing multiple court cases arrested in Uniontown
A Pittsburgh man facing charges in cases out of McKeesport, Pittsburgh and Mercer County was arrested Thursday in Uniontown. Officers took Samuel Kirkland, 22, into custody without incident at an address in Greenpoint Circle in Uniontown. According to a release from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Kirkland was sought for...
Pa. Senate committee hears 5 hours of testimony on East Palestine derailment
Lives were at stake and timing was crucial when Pennsylvania officials deferred decision-making authority to Norfolk Southern in the aftermath of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, according to testimony Thursday at a state Senate committee hearing in Beaver County. About 50 Norfolk Southern cars, including 10 with hazardous materials,...
Pa. Senate committee hears 5 hours of testimony on East Palestine derailment
Lives were at stake and timing was crucial when Pennsylvania officials deferred decision-making authority to Norfolk Southern in the aftermath of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, according to testimony Thursday at a state Senate committee hearing in Beaver County. About 50 Norfolk Southern cars, including 10 with hazardous materials,...
Tarentum considers bringing junior member on board
For the first time, Tarentum Council might have a junior member. Council in March will consider the idea of seeking a teen to participate in local government. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, the junior councilperson program gives teens a chance to engage in local government and develop...
70s temps set weather record in February
February isn’t over yet, but it’s already made weather history for Southwestern Pennsylvania. The high temperature reached a record-tying 70 degrees at Pittsburgh International Airport in Moon Township on Thursday, National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Frazier said. It was the third time this month that the high has reached 70...
Hempfield safety officer, volunteer firefighter running for township supervisor
Michael Wolford is a candidate for Hempfield Township supervisor. The 54-year-old township resident said he’s running to be the “voice of the community.” In a statement, Wolford said he wants to hone in on issues like public safety, volunteer firefighter support, tax dollar transparency, job creation to retain Hempfield’s younger...
Students at Aquinas Academy in Hampton earn awards at regional science competition
Eighth-graders at Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh in Hampton earned awards at the Region 7 Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science Competition at Baldwin High School on Feb. 4. Under the guidance of science teachers Ellen Kaffenes and Dorina Manolache, the 20 participating students from Aquinas Academy earned 16 first-place awards and...
Hampton Community Library offers variety of programs
Hampton Community Library congratulates its “Soup”er Bowl contest winners: Champion Costakis Copeland for his chicken and corn chowder; runner-up John Parrish III, Nana’s Italian wedding soup; and fan favorite Max Hardman, Garlic Express. The library announces programs to help welcome spring: • It’s A Wonderful World: Drop-in Storytime, 10: 30...
Route 65 study to focus on reconnecting Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhoods
Pittsburgh was awarded $1.4 million on Wednesday to study whether it should alter a section of Route 65 in the city’s North Side to reconnect the Chateau and Manchester neighborhoods. In the 1970s, officials raised a portion of Route 65, also known as Ohio River Boulevard, onto a viaduct to...
Pittsburgh investigators uncover new evidence in 1994 unsolved slaying of woman
Pittsburgh police have a new suspect in an unsolved 1994 killing. Florence Simon was 68 years old when she was “brutally strangled” inside her home at the 700 block of North St. Clair St. in East Liberty. She lived alone at the time. George Satler, a Pittsburgh detective assigned to...
Monroeville woman will present Nancy Drew ‘mystery history’ in Delmont
Tara Rotuna has been solving mysteries alongside Nancy Drew since she was 8 years old. Along the way, she solved some other mysteries, like the truth behind Nancy Drew author Carolyn Keene, and she started collecting Drew books and began attending themed conventions across the country. Rotuna, 52, of Monroeville...
Erratic temperatures pose pneumonia risk for livestock
For some farmers, fluctuations between cold and warm temperatures can pose issues for livestock. “Going from 70 degrees to 30 degrees or below freezing is very hard for an animal to try to adjust,” said Rick Ebert of Ebert Family Farms in Derry. “You have to make sure there is...
