Carnegie Mellon study exposes gaps in AI’s self-awareness
For the average person, artificial intelligence chatbots are a quick and easy way to find a trivia fact, homemade cookie recipe or even sample emails to send to your boss. But as this technology becomes widespread — infiltrating jobs and government offices — people do not realize the faults in...
Pittsburgh police reveal location, timing of North Side sexual assaults
Pittsburgh police on Friday said the string of sexual assaults they’re investigating on the North Side occurred overnight this summer around the East Ohio Street business district. Police previously had not publicly narrowed down the location or divulged the timing of the assaults. The attacks occurred “roughly between 1 and...
Pittsburgh man accused of stealing nearly $400k from his ailing grandma
A Pittsburgh man stole nearly $400,000 from his incapacitated grandmother while neglecting to pay the Monroeville nursing home where she lived, according to prosecutors. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office claims William Mason, 45, leveraged his power of attorney from 2020 to 2024 to cover bills, buy booze, rent hotels...
Solar panels at Highlands greenhouse could save district $70K
Highlands School District will all but eliminate an electric bill for its greenhouse with the installation of solar panels. The move could mean savings of up to $70,000 over the next 25 years, according to experts at PA Solar Center, a Pittsburgh-based advisory group that facilitated the initiative. “Electricity rates...
Police probe vehicle thefts in multiple Allegheny County communities
Police on Friday arrested three Pittsburgh teens in connection with the theft of a pickup truck in Franklin Park, the latest episode in what appears to be a recent rash of auto thefts and car break-ins throughout Allegheny County. Shaler police said they arrested Jameea Matthews, 18, of South Side...
Nearly 700 without power in Harrison after car crash
Portions of Harrison are without power after two utility poles were hit in a single-vehicle crash Friday morning. Harrison police posted to its social media, saying a large truck knocked over two poles and several wires on Saxonburg Road between Olive Avenue and Village Green apartments. Saxonburg Road is temporarily...
Jim Bonner to retire as head of Audubon Society of Western Pa.
When Jim Bonner retires next month as executive director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, he plans to steal away to the massive woodshop in the basement of his 1885 Victorian home in Tarentum. “That’s probably where you’ll find me,” said Bonner, who is stepping down after 21 years....
New Kensington-Arnold appoints associate special education director
New Kensington-Arnold School District’s superintendent says a new special education position will assist efforts to strengthen that department. Lisa Bozzo was appointed as associate director of special education, a new role, earlier this month. Her salary is $88,500. “It’s to build the program,” said Superintendent Chris Sefcheck. “We’d like to...
Late night fire in Harmar destroys garage, SUV
A fire tore through a Harmar garage Thursday night, leading a half-dozen local departments to fight the blaze. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Allegheny Valley Fire Chief Jay Zangrille. Crews from Allegheny Valley, Blawnox, Oakmont, Rural Ridge, Frazer #2...
Paving project planned in Kiski Township
PennDOT announced that paving work with lane restrictions will be done Monday through Thursday on Ridge Road, Seven Sisters Road and Garretts Run Road in Kiski Township. Work will occur during daylight hours and there will be single-lane restrictions controlled by flaggers. Derry Construction Company Inc. of Latrobe is completing...
A-K Valley High school class reunions, Aug. 22, 2025
Publicize your high school’s class reunion for free in The Stroller. Send information as soon as possible 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. • Freeport High School Class of 1955 will have...
2 hurt as PRT bus, car collide in Strip District
Two people were taken to the hospital Friday morning with minor injuries after a crash involving a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus and a sedan in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Authorities say the collision happened at the intersection of 26th Street and Liberty Avenue around 8:55 a.m. The bus, an 87-Friendship, was...
115-year-old home in Lawrenceville on the market for $800K
Historic charm meets modern luxury is how Racheallee Lacek describes a home built in 1910 in the heart of Lawrenceville. The single-family residence at 4232 Sherrod Street is on the market for $799,000. The two-story brick Colonial is located near UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and not far from major...
Here’s the scoop: Flora Park Creamery serves Penn State ice cream
Randy Stetor drives a 16-foot refrigerated truck to Penn State’s main campus in State College every two weeks and returns with 6,000 pounds of ice cream. And not just any ice cream — he brings back three-gallon tubs of flavors from the famous Penn State Berkey Creamery. “The cows are...
Yough-N-Roll bicycle ride benefits Mon/Yough Trail Council
The pre-registration deadline for the annual Yough-N-Roll bicycle ride is Sept. 2 with the event taking place Sept. 13 on the Great Allegheny Passage. The ride will be followed by a free Party on the Trail at the Boston access 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Both events are fundraisers for the Mon/Yough...
Pair of kids stole more than $1,700 in vapes from Derry Township convenience store, police say
Pennsylvania State Police say a pair of masked children smashed their way into a Sunoco convenience store in Derry Township and stole more than $1,700 worth of vapes. A 12-year-old and 14-year-old are facing burglary and theft related charges. Authorities have not released their names. Surveillance footage from the early...
Leechburg man flown to hospital after motorcycle crash in Allegheny Township
A Leechburg man was thrown from his motorcycle and seriously injured Thursday night in Allegheny Township. A Volkswagen struck Raymond Robinson, 30, around 6:20 p.m. at the intersection of Route 56 and Welty Drive, according to Allegheny Township police Chief Dan Uncapher. The driver was traveling eastbound on the highway...
Authorities ID pedestrian fatally struck by tractor-trailer in Coraopolis
A 70-year-old man was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer Thursday afternoon in Coraopolis, marking the second pedestrian death in the borough this month. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday identified the victim as John Joseph Volante of Moon. Authorities said that shortly after 3 p.m. the tractor-trailer...
Springdale boiler demolition lawsuit heads to Pa. Supreme Court
Though the power plant boiler that towered over Springdale for decades was toppled months ago, the legal battle over its demolition continues, this time in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In September 2023, several Springdale residents got an emergency injunction to halt the planned implosion of the power plant’s boiler building,...
The Stroller, Aug. 22, 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. Band Blast concert to...
‘A celebration of who they are’: Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games readies for 4th year
Brian Novak says forming meaningful relationships and getting excited about things can be difficult for his 16-year-old daughter, Sydney, who is moderately autistic. But the Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games in Lower Burrell is something Sydney gets excited about days before and after the event. “Those are memories I have I never...
Though questions remain, local officials back proposed Springdale data center
After a planning commission meeting earlier this month offered the first glimpse of a massive proposed data center in Springdale, many local officials say they like what they see. Preliminary plans presented by Brian Regli, a consultant for developer Allegheny DC Property Co., include two large structures — a 565,000-square-foot...
Family that lost home in Penn Township fire grateful for help, daughter’s return from hospital
A couple of agonizing hours passed between the time Laurie Kiss learned that her family’s Penn Township home was on fire until she learned her 11-year-old daughter was rescued. Kiss was on an out-of-state work trip Aug. 4 when a neighbor phoned to alert her to the fire that soon...
Penn Township to draft ‘no parking’ ordinance; Rowe Road residents vie to keep street parking
The Penn Township Commissioners gave the go-ahead to start drafting a “no parking” ordinance for some roads throughout the municipality. Commissioners discussed expanding the parking ordinance to select roads about a year and a half ago but revisited the topic after township staff noticed potential parking complications on Rowe Road....
Star party in McCandless offers peek at Perseid meteor shower
“Oh! I just saw one!” Stargazers sporadically interrupted their quiet chatter with excited cheering and clapping as they spotted the occasional meteor, also known as a shooting star, flashing briefly across the night sky during a recent star party. Local families and members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh...
