Western PA Local News category, Page 1297
Historic walking tours return to Aspinwall
Take a walk on the historic side with guided tours through Aspinwall offered by a local historian. Explore the historic architecture of a bygone era and learn about the families who first settled in the borough, founded in 1892. “Many people come here to shop, dine or visit one of...
McKenna Senior Center features cardio exercise — with a beat
Seniors moved to the music during a session of cardio drumming on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022 at the McKenna Senior Center for Active Adults in Greensburg. The unique cardio class is hosted by Penn Township-based Allstar Therapies and involves drumming on large exercise balls to the rhythm of music. The...
Turnpike drug suspect sentenced to 9 years in prison for transporting 400 ‘bricks’ of heroin
A former Philadelphia man was sentenced Wednesday to nine years in federal prison for transporting about 20,000 packets of heroin three years ago when state police stopped him along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Mt. Pleasant Township. Cristobal Rosa-Robles, 51, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh by a federal...
Slickville Community Days shines spotlight on former mining town
About 400 people live in the small Salem Township community of Slickville, but visitors will swell that number this weekend, for the town’s annual Community Days. Set for Friday and Saturday, the festival had its start as a remembrance of the town’s founding as a coal mining community a little...
Pittsburgh man sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking
A Pittsburgh man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison after being convicted of federal drug crimes, authorities announced Wednesday. Lamont Goodwine, Jr., 34, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to deliver at least 100 grams of heroin. U.S. District Judge William...
Police seek ID of Swissvale sex assault suspect
Allegheny County and Swissvale police are seeking assistance with identifying on man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman on a Swissvale sidewalk in broad daylight, county police said. The suspect is accused of assaulting the woman at about 6:10 p.m. Aug. 4, near the intersection of Monongahela and Duquesne avenues,...
Allegheny County election officials debate future of ballot drop boxes, satellite voting centers
Allegheny County took several steps to address high voter turnout anticipated in the 2020 election, launching mail-in ballot information campaigns, satellite voting offices and ballot drop boxes, but those methods haven’t been brought back. At Wednesday’s Allegheny County Election Board meeting in Downtown Pittsburgh, Department of Administrative Services Director Jessica...
Westmoreland municipal authority moves forward with water, sewer upgrades
More than $2 million in upgrades, including water line replacements in Murrysville, were approved Wednesday by the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. The authority will spend more than $1.3 million to replace a water line on Murry Highlands Circle and McWilliams Road that serves about 50 customers. Officials said the...
Tarentum spray park closed for repairs
There won’t be any splashing at the popular spray pad in Tarentum this week. The section of Riverview Memorial Park remains closed while officials work to repair an electrical problem. “Hopefully, we can have it up and running by the weekend,” Council President Scott Dadowski said. The water park was...
Delivery of 7 remaining Fern Hollow Bridge beams begins Thursday
Delivery of the last of the beams needed to rebuild the Fern Hollow Bridge will begin Thursday, shutting down a Parkway East ramp and several Regent Square side streets during delivery times. Fourteen beams have already been delivered to the Squirrel Hill side of the bridge. The bridge, part of...
Scottdale man found in North Huntingdon motel after removing ankle bracelet
A Scottdale man who was free on bail on drug and gun charges is accused of cutting off his electronic monitoring bracelet and hiding out in a North Huntingdon motel, according to court papers. Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies tracked Donald M. Young, 46, over several days before apprehending him Friday....
Western Pa. animal shelters take in beagles rescued from Virginia mass-breeding facilityVideo
More than two dozen beagles removed from a Virginia breeding facility last month will wait for their forever homes at six Western Pennsylvania rescue facilities, according to the rescue groups. Twenty-one of the dogs were brought to the area through a joint effort involving Pittsburgh’s Humane Animal Rescue, Animal Friends,...
Man who paralyzed Latrobe woman in Parkway East crash sentenced to 2 to 4 years
A Wilkinsburg man who was in the throes of mental illness last year when he went on a 75-minute crime spree, including stealing two cars, striking pedestrians and causing a crash that led to a Latrobe woman’s paralysis, will serve two to four years’ incarceration. Derek Deleon Brown, 30, pleaded...
Western Pa. colleges readying for Round 3 with covid-19 mitigation plans
Leaders at local universities and colleges are planning for a mostly traditional school year, complete with in-person learning and open activities — all while keeping an eye on covid-19. As students prepare to return to campus, schools are gearing up for the third academic year of monitoring the coronavirus on...
Pine-Richland School District looks forward to a new school year
Students in the Pine-Richland School District will be returning to classrooms next week. The first day of school for students is Thursday, Aug. 25. The district’s enrollment is expected to be about 4,550 students. Safety will be an area of focus across all six district schools, district spokeswoman Erin Hasinger...
Sex abuse case against retired priest dropped by Allegheny County DA’s office
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday withdrew charges against a Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy in 2001. The paperwork dismissing the case against the Rev. Hugh Lang, 92, said it was being done in the best interest of the alleged victim. Lang was a...
Leet names Brian Jameson as new interim police chief
Leet officials have appointed a new interim police chief as the township continues its legal battles with the township’s former top cop. Commissioners unanimously voted Aug. 8 to hire Brian Jameson as the police department’s temporary leader. Jameson, 50, of Ambridge, has more than 26 years of law enforcement experience,...
Export dance studio earns Star Dance Alliance World Championship title
When DeStella Dance Centre owner Alexis DeSabatine is watching her students perform from backstage, she is a bundle of nerves. “I literally hold my breath and tense up,” she said. “I’m so nervous but also so excited.” On July 27, she had plenty to be excited about, watching from backstage...
Berklee welcomes Hampton graduate to staff
As far as prestige goes, consider that alumni of Boston’s Berklee College of Music have rung up a total of 320 Grammy Awards. When Caroline Collins was a senior at Hampton High School, she learned that Berklee had accepted her. But because of tuition considerations, she opted to attend Penn...
New Kensington planners support proposed downtown art project
New Kensington planners recommend approving a proposed project that would decorate a downtown alley and two intersections with artwork. The city’s planning commission voted 3-0 Tuesday in favor of the “Art in the Alley” project for Ivy Alley and the painting of crosswalks on Fifth Avenue at Eighth and 10th...
Pittsburgh Playwrights staging August Wilson’s ‘Jitney’ at his childhood home
Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company will join in celebrating the revitalization of the August Wilson House by staging Wilson’s “Jitney” at the historic property in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill. The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright’s childhood home has been renovated as a community art center. Grand opening activities will be held Saturday, with Friday’s...
Penn Township Fall Festival planning committee aims to ‘bring the community together’
For Michael Ginsburg, the annual fall festival is the one time a year every corner of Penn Township comes together. Ginsburg, a 43-year resident of Level Green, was a township commissioner when the idea for a fall festival was born in 2005. Following the success of the township’s 150th birthday...
Marshall Township to hold community day Aug. 27
School may have started in North Allegheny, but summer fun will still be going strong at Marshall Township’s Community Day to be held Aug. 27 at Knob Hill Community Park, located off Knob Road. The event will run from 4 p.m. to approximately 9:30 p.m., closing with a fireworks display...
Frazer man charged with sexual assault of young girl
Allegheny County Police detectives arrested a Frazer man after, they said, a pre-teen girl told investigators he forced her to have sexual contact with him. Zachary Chicko, 37, of New Orchard Road was charged with felony counts of corruption of a minor and unlawful contact with a minor along with...
Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor plans Roaring 20s anniversary gala
Lincoln Highway enthusiasts can celebrate the country’s first coast-to-coast highway — and those who promote it — during a Roaring 20s Anniversary Celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 20 at Latrobe Country Club. Hosted by the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor, the night will include cocktails, buffet dinner, music by...
