Western PA Local News category, Page 1176
Man who recorded child in Monroeville school bathroom gets probation
A man who lied his way into a Monroeville elementary school and positioned his phone to record a 10-year-old girl in the restroom earlier this year pleaded guilty Tuesday to multiple charges. Brian Mintmier, 26, was admitted into the intensive, Allegheny County Common Pleas Mental Health Court program and will...
Leechburg appoints Doreen Smeal as new councilwoman after resignation of Ruth Bender
A Leechburg native is the newest face serving on Leechburg Council. Doreen Smeal was unanimously appointed to council Oct. 18 after the resignation of former Councilwoman Ruth Bender. Bender of Leechburg served almost three years and cited a hectic schedule for the reason for her departure from council. “Personally and...
Demand for Murphy Building in Tarentum shows renewed interest in business district
Demand for office suites at the near-century-old Murphy Building in Tarentum is outpacing available space. The large corner building that sat vacant for eight years is breathing new life into the borough’s business district, with offices on the first floor rented at capacity. Owner Dave Rankin has kicked off a...
Handgun among items stolen from vehicles in Harrison; police seek help to identify suspect
Harrison police are seeking information on a person caught on camera entering and stealing from unlocked vehicles in the township. A handgun was among the items stolen, according to police. The suspect was captured by residential security cameras early Sunday ransacking cars along Saxonburg Road, High Street and Jefferson Avenue....
Building the Valley: Vandergrift native’s jewelry business success set in stone
Vandergrift native Bobbie Morda opened her dream jewelry store 34 years ago with a handful of necklaces and six engagement rings. Her store, Bobbie’s Jewelers, occupies a former barbershop at 173 Columbia Ave. in Vandergrift’s historic business district. “This comes from blood, sweat and tears. This was not turnkey,” Morda...
New Spinvasion ride coming to Kennywood next spring
Kennywood is getting a new ride next year, and it promises to be out of this world. The amusement park announced Tuesday an intergalactic multi-action spin ride called Spinvasion will become the centerpiece of the park’s new alien-inspired Area 412 section. According to a press release, Spinvasion will provide an...
Construction moving along on R.A. Lutz Elementary
R.A. Lutz Elementary School, which will replace W.R. Paynter Elementary, is still on track for completion by summer 2023. “We are looking to take occupancy by the end of July or beginning of August, just in time for the start of the 2023-2024 school year,” Baldwin Whitehall School District superintendent...
Man arrested after police use megaphone, flash bangs outside Latrobe home
Police used a megaphone and flash bangs Tuesday morning at a Latrobe home where they believed an armed man was holed up with a gun, blocking off the neighborhood for about an hour. Peter A. Letso, 49, came out of the Oak Street home after a police dog handler told...
Delayed $16 million senior housing project resumes in East Vandergrift
After a nine-month setback, development plans for a new senior citizen residential complex have resumed in East Vandergrift, Westmoreland County. The Morning Sun Senior Lofts project was awarded a $1.2 million grant this month from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) and $1.3 million in low-income tax credits. The low-income...
Merchants, motorists frustrated as Route 119 redo in Youngwood approaches its final year
Merchants and motorists in Youngwood are frustrated with the street closures and traffic interruptions that have been associated with reconstruction of the Route 119 corridor through town. They’ll have to bear with some disruptions for about another year, as the $24.1 million project isn’t scheduled to be completed until fall...
Nonstop flights from Pittsburgh to New Orleans return
After more than a year without direct service, Pittsburgh International Airport is receiving new, nonstop flights to New Orleans thanks to Utah-based Breeze Airways. On Tuesday, Breeze announced it will be starting service between PIT and Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans in 2023, according to the Allegheny County...
Cold-weather shelters open in Allegheny, Westmoreland
With frigid temperatures creeping in this week, cold-weather shelters in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are open. The United Way is working with the Welcome Home Shelter in Greensburg and Union Mission, just outside of Latrobe, to provide emergency housing and transportation. Both will be open when nighttime temperatures drop below...
PLCB opens lotteries to purchase more than 1,500 rare whiskeys
Whiskey connoisseurs in Pennsylvania can enter lotteries this week to purchase rare bottles that have skyrocketed in demand in recent years. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board on Monday announced its Limited-Release Lotteries for the highly sought-after products. Of 1,590 bottles up for grabs, 1,440 are made by Kentucky-based Old Rip...
Police: Maryland trio use stolen cards at Hempfield, North Huntingdon Walmart stores
Three Maryland residents arrested after using a stolen credit card at stores in Hempfield and North Huntingdon told state police they were involved in a global identity theft crime ring, according to court papers. The three suspects used the stolen credit card Nov. 9 to purchase nearly $2,000 in gift...
5th lawsuit claims Mammoth Park’s Giant Slide is unsafe
A fifth lawsuit claims the rebuilt Giant Slide in Mt. Pleasant Township’s Mammoth Park is unsafe. The attraction at the 408-acre park owned by Westmoreland County includes two 100-foot steel racing slides along with a smaller 50-foot slide for children. The current $1.1 million configuration, which opened in July 2020...
Can collections help fund Thanksgiving meal in Jeannette
A group’s efforts to collect aluminum cans in the West Newton-Yukon-Collinsburg areas will pay off in a big way this week as they provide a free Thanksgiving dinner in Jeannette. “I look at it as a way of helping people in need,” said Joseph Muscenti, 67, of Wyano, a retired...
Westmoreland County begins provisional ballot count
Nine bipartisan two-person teams spent Monday sifting through more than 600 provisional ballots cast last week at Westmoreland County’s 307 voting precincts. Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said the counting of provisional ballots is expected to be completed Tuesday, leaving just a small number of overseas and military votes to...
Overturned tractor-trailer crash closes lane on I-279
A tractor-trailer crashed early Tuesday morning on southbound Interstate 279, closing down one lane of traffic and causing backups as crews work to clear the scene. According to Tribune-News news partner WPXI, the trailer turned over on its side on the Mt. Nebo Road overpass and the cab separated from...
Pine-Richland student news for the week of Nov. 15, 2022
The following students graduated from Ohio University in summer 2022: Cayla Donahue with a bachelor of science in nursing; Stephanie Martin with a master of science in nursing; Nicholas Caretta with a bachelor of science in business administration; Ava Guarnieri with a master of science in education. Zoe Schneider was...
The Stroller, Nov. 15, 2022: 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. Basket bingo event to benefit Penn State THON Students at Penn...
Falling gas prices in Great Lakes states, oil prices drive decline in national average
After increasing the prior week, the national average price of gasoline posted a modest decline last week, with prices dropping in a majority of states, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. The national average fell 2.6 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.76 on Monday, GasBuddy reported. That’s 14.3...
Westmoreland Conservation District adds 5 staff members
Four residents from Western Pennsylvania and another from the eastern end of the state have joined the Westmoreland Conservation District staff. Brandon Basinger of West Newton, Allie Shreffler of Mt. Pleasant, Kelly Linsenbigler of Apollo, Kylie Schultz of Pittsburgh and Ryan Peckheiser of Pottstown are the most recent additions to...
Colleges helping students get leg up with professional attire for job interviews
Ryan Cameron of Scottdale was checking out some clothes recently at the Pitt-Greensburg campus in Hempfield, where he is a sophomore. “This will help a lot,” said Cameron, 19, a Southmoreland High School graduate, said of the Career Closet carved out of an office on the second floor of Chambers...
Vehicle overturns in North Huntingdon crash
Two people were reported trapped in vehicles late Monday night in a two-vehicle crash along Morris Avenue in North Huntingdon, according to emergency dispatchers. One vehicle went into a yard and a pick-up truck overturned along Morris Avenue at Barnes Avenue, near the entrance to Oak Hollow Park, at about...
Single-lane traffic to begin on I-70 near Yukon
Traffic will be restricted to a single lane in each direction during daylight hours beginning Tuesday on Interstate 70 near the Yukon and Madison interchanges in South Huntingdon and Sewickley townships. The lane restriction will be in place, as needed, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., through Friday, according to...
