Western PA Local News category, Page 1367
Police: Derry Township man accused of assaulting woman, 2 children
A Derry Township man is accused of assaulting a woman and repeatedly striking two children with a belt, according to court records. Iszac T. Dallar, 32, was arrested and arraigned Friday on charges of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, making terroristic threats and three counts each of harassment and...
CSX rail work will result in detours for South Huntingdon motorists
CSX crews are scheduled to perform maintenance on two railroad crossings in South Huntingdon, causing a pair of consecutive road closures. PennDOT said Jacobs Creek Road will be closed near Post Office Road from 7 a.m. Tuesday until 7 p.m. on June 25. The second closure is scheduled on Second...
HazMat Safety Train gives Western Pa. first responders training on dealing with dangerous derailments
The first emergency responders arriving on the scene where 17 cars of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in Harmar in late May had only their training to rely on when making split-second decisions amid the chaos. Nine of the cars, including tankers, landed in Guys Run, a tributary feeding...
Westmoreland Land Trust nature backpacks are ready to check out at county libraries
Some outdoor lovers like to watch birds, some go wild for flowers and others may enjoy exploring woods and waterways. Resources for any of the above interests now can be checked out, along with books and other media, at Westmoreland County’s public libraries. Westmoreland Nature Backpacks are available for library...
Firefighters quickly put out fire at abandoned house in New Kensington
New Kensington firefighters quickly put out a fire Friday afternoon at a what was reported to be an abandoned house. The fire in the 300 block of Industrial Boulevard was reported around 4:30 p.m. It took responding firefighters about 15 minutes to put out the fire, a Westmoreland County Department...
Brian Shaw scholarship winner named at Allegheny County Police Academy graduation
An Allegheny County Police Academy cadet from Green Tree was awarded the Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship on Friday. Shaw, of Lower Burrell, was a New Kensington police officer who was shot and killed after a traffic stop and foot chase in 2017. He was 25. Nicholas Rajakovich, 26, won...
Pennsylvania unemployment rate lowest in nearly 3 years
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point, down to 4.6% in May, according to figures provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. It’s the lowest unemployment rate in Pennsylvania since Oct. 2019, months before the pandemic began. In contrast, the U.S. unemployment rate was unchanged over...
New documentary looks at changing views on turning 40
There’s something about turning 40 that causes many people to reassess their lives in ways that might not occur to them when they reach other milestone birthdays. A new documentary looking at the extraordinary lives of four 40-something professionals is debuting this weekend at the Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival. “Hello...
Man pleads guilty to shooting ATF agent in Pittsburgh
A man who shot a federal agent as investigators arrived at his Uptown home to arrest him on drug charges pleaded guilty Friday. Dion Williams, 46, pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal agent with a dangerous weapon, as well as to trafficking cocaine. He will be sentenced by U.S. District...
Apollo man wins top prize in fishing tournament for paralyzed veterans
An Apollo man was the winner in the 18th annual Team Bass Tournament for disabled veterans that was held recently on the Monongahela River near West Brownsville in Washington County. Veteran Mark Rosensteel of Apollo, president of the Keystone Paralyzed Veterans of America chapter, won the June 12 tournament with...
3 charged as 61 animals removed from Monessen home
Sixty-one animals were removed from a Monessen home earlier this month that city police and rescuers said was in deplorable condition. Three people were charged with animal cruelty and related offenses Wednesday while rescue groups work to rehabilitate the dogs, birds, chickens, cats, kittens and a rabbit. All of the...
On the move: Woman’s club hosts fundraiser, PAWS for a Cause donation, moreVideo
Email accolades and accomplishments from the Murrysville Star’s coverage area to pvarine@triblive.com. • The Murrysville Woman’s Club held an April 30 event, “A Lil’ Bit Country,” to raise money for local nonprofit organizations. Following a breakfast buffet at the Lamplighter in Salem, many of the guests learned country line dancing...
Mutual Aid Ambulance CEO and operations manager depart, board tabs former coroner Ken Bacha interim CEO
Two years after changing administrators in charge of its day-to-day operations, Mutual Aid Ambulance Inc. confirmed its new chief executive officer and director of operations departed this week. The Greensburg-based nonprofit said Friday that CEO Douglas DeForrest and director of operations Lorenzo Garino are no longer employed with the ambulance...
Vice President Kamala Harris visits Pittsburgh, touts need for lead pipe removal
Vice President Kamala Harris, in a visit to Pittsburgh on Friday, discussed the administration’s efforts at the federal level to replace lead pipes — an issue familiar to many Pittsburgh residents. Harris, alongside EPA administrator Michael Regan and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, spoke at the Community Empowerment...
Kentucky psychiatrist sentenced in kickback scheme involving Hempfield testing lab
A Kentucky psychiatrist was sentenced this week to three years of probation and ordered to repay more than $24,000 to the Kentucky Medicaid program. Varanise C. Booker, 67, admitted that she was a licensed psychiatrist who operated a medical practice, Family and Children Behavioral Health Services, in Louisville, Ky., that...
Greensburg woman pleads guilty in 2018 child rape case
A Greensburg woman said “guilty” 35 times in court Friday when a judge asked how she was pleading in the 2018 rape of a 5-year-old boy. Corby Jo Kinzey, 28, entered a general plea to all of the charges against her and could face decades in prison when she is...
North Hills School District holding town hall to discuss Indian mascot future
Like other school districts that have used an Indian as their mascot, North Hills School District will host a town hall for residents to voice their thoughts regarding a possible change to its mascot. It will be held at the North Hills High School auditorium at 6 p.m. June 22....
Police: Man held woman hostage at gunpoint in New Kensington apartment
A man is accused of holding a woman hostage at gunpoint over two days this week in New Kensington. New Kensington police charged Drayvawn Lamont Smith, 24, described as homeless, with unlawful restraint, strangulation and simple assault. He was arraigned Thursday afternoon and is being held in the Westmoreland County...
Harmar bald eagles unflappable as 2 take their first flights
The Harmar bald eagles, now in their ninth year of breeding on the same hillside above Route 28, raised a family of two eaglets that took to the skies this week. “The first flight of one of the juveniles on Wednesday was smooth but when it came to land, she...
Police: Woman picked up on warrants charged with felony for handing crack pipe over to deputy
A woman wanted on warrants issued in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties was arrested when New Kensington police spotted her inside a McDonald’s restaurant. Police also charged her with felony possession of contraband after they said she handed a crack pipe over to a deputy sheriff who came to transport her...
Severe weather forecast results in rescheduling of Gathering on Grant festival in Vandergrift
Mother Nature forced a rescheduling Thursday of a new monthly food and music festival in Vandergrift. Gathering on Grant organizers decided to move the event from this past Thursday to next Thursday, June 23, in response to what was a rather ominous storm forecast. Vandergrift Council helped organizers by unanimously...
North Hills High School graduates 333
North Hills High School’s commencement ceremony took place on June 3. The weather was warm and there was not a cloud in the sky as 333 graduates received their diplomas. Class president Kevin Tann and chosen student speaker Luke Bender both took to the podium to speak to their fellow...
Man found shot dead in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville
A 31-year-old man was found shot to death in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood on Friday morning, according to Pittsburgh police. The victim, Alec Gary Wilbur, was pronounced dead around 7:20 a.m. Friday in the 200 block of McKinley Street, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said. Police said they found Wilbur...
Juneteenth in Western Pennsylvania has long roots, history
As the region celebrates Juneteenth, education about the holiday and its importance has been at the forefront of many festivals and events. The new federal holiday, celebrated annually on June 19, recognizes the day in 1865 that Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and spread the news that the Civil...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: June 17-19
Scandalous scoundrels Faire Wynds Entertainment will present a living history program entitled “Scoundrel’s Alley” from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Compass Inn Museum, along Route 30 in Laughlintown. A troupe of four historical re-enactors will portray rogues, paupers and other undesirable figures, bringing to life historical...
