Western PA Local News category, Page 1613
Police charge 19-year-old who shot himself in foot with unlawful carry
A Lower Burrell man was charged with carrying a gun without a license after police say he got drunk and shot himself in the foot while showing off the weapon to a friend. Logan Robert Farr, 19, of Violet Drive was charged by Lower Burrell police with a felony count...
Controller blasts Westmoreland commissioners over rejection of pay raise proposal
Westmoreland Controller Jeff Balzer called a vote by county commissioners Thursday to reject proposed raises for three of his office supervisors “incompetent or political.” For the second time this year, Commissioners Doug Chew and Gina Cerilli Thrasher voted down a request from the controller to increase the pay of three...
Gateway School District cancels Thursday meeting and activities, high school instruction remote Friday due to social media threat
Gateway School District officials have canceled a special school board meeting, all after school activities and are moving to remote learning as a result of a social media threat. Monroeville police Chief Doug Cole said the threat was discovered by the district Thursday. Cole declined to disclose details except that...
Police: Monroeville man was nearly 4 times the legal limit at time of fatal August crash
Police said a Monroeville man had a blood-alcohol level of nearly four times the legal limit when he struck and killed another man along a Monroeville road in August, according to charges filed this week. Cody Riggins, 27, is charged with drunken driving, involuntary manslaughter and homicide by vehicle in...
New York Times honors The Westmoreland with best art book choice
The catalogue for “Simple Pleasures: The Art of Doris Lee,” currently showing in The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, has made the list of The New York Times Best Art Books of 2021. The 240-page, fully illustrated, full-color hardback catalogue includes an essay by The Westmoreland’s chief curator...
Approved rate hikes for Duquesne Light, Columbia Gas lower than initially sought
Duquesne Light Co. and Columbia Gas Co. of Pennsylvania customers in the region will pay more for electricity and natural gas next year, but less than the utilities wanted under a settlement approved by state regulators Thursday. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission unanimously approved a settlement with Pittsburgh-based Duquesne Light...
Harrison man accused of shooting up house while people watched football game
A Harrison man was charged with felony criminal mischief and a dozen other counts accusing him of shooting up a house after getting into an argument with people there watching a Steelers game. In addition to the felony count, Zeya Dixon, 24, of Park Avenue, Sheldon Park, was charged with...
Penn-Trafford area: Truck stuffed with toys, tree recycling sites
P-T community fills truck with toys The Penn-Trafford community filled a classroom with hundreds of donated toys for the Penn Township police department’s recent “Stuff-A-Truck” event supporting school district families who need assistance this holiday season. More toys were collected this year than previous years, a high school spokeswoman said....
Pittsburgh City Council wants to tweak process for hiring assistant, deputy directors
Pittsburgh City Council is considering a new process for hiring the city’s assistant and deputy directors. This comes after City Council recently considered legislation that would have required council approval for assistant and associate city directors. Those roles currently do not require council approval at all. The new measure, something...
Proposal to stop Pittsburgh police from making minor traffic stops moves forward
Pittsburgh City Council advanced a proposal to stop city police from pulling over motorists for secondary traffic violations, despite concerns that it could make roads less safe and prevent police from uncovering more serious crimes during minor traffic stops. Proponents said the measure would address a disproportionate number of traffic...
Food Podcast: A look at Clearview Federal Credit Union’s mission to end food insecurityVideo
On this week’s episode of the Food Podcast presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union on the TribLIVE podcast network, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank highlights the ways Clearview Federal Credit Union is working to in the community to put an end to food insecurity. “We did a team-building exercise in...
Sewickley Heights’ Wilpen Hall preserved as historic estate
When the doors open to Wilpen Hall, guests walk into a different time and place. “Once inside, you are standing in a living piece of history,” said Martin Maines, Wilpen Hall estate manager. “It is a very special place. Wilpen Hall is a slice of Americana that once existed.” The...
Pittsburgh City Council moves ahead with effort to create Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday advanced legislation that would create an office dedicated to supporting immigrants and refugees, despite concerns about creating a new city office only weeks before Mayor-elect Ed Gainey’s administration takes office. The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs would help connect immigrants and refugees with resources...
West Deer approves 2nd Dollar General, delays vote on Rose Ridge development
Supervisors approved a location for a second Dollar General store in West Deer but tabled a request for a planned 247-unit residential development at a former golf course. Supervisors felt that with at least two new members coming onto the board in January, the decision would be best left to...
Murrysville adopts 2022 budget, enacts 1st tax increase since 2007
It wasn’t a property tax increase, but Murrysville officials adopted a $9.5 million 2022 budget this week that includes the municipality’s first tax hike of any kind since 2007. The budget includes a projected $1.6 million in additional revenue by way of a bump in the municipality’s share of the...
North Huntingdon OKs 2022 budget, holds line on taxes
North Huntingdon property owners will not pay any additional township real estate taxes next year under a final budget adopted by commissioners this week. Commissioners approved a $14.62 million general fund budget, an increase of about $720,000 from the 2021 budget, while holding the line on taxes at 11.55 mills....
Steel City Con’s new layout made December’s show best of the year
A new layout, more space and quicker lines made attending Steel City Con’s December show at the Monroeville Convention Center enjoyable for most vendors and guests. The last pop culture and comic convention of the year at 209 Mall Plaza Blvd. featured more than 30 celebrities and 100 vendors. Parking...
Sewickley Township man accused of money laundering in insurance check scheme
A Sewickley Township man is accused by state police of taking a $5,200 insurance check belonging to a woman who was in jail after another man wrecked her vehicle, according to court papers. John R. Hyatt, 47, is charged with money laundering, forgery and theft. He was arraigned Wednesday and...
Police: Boy, 17, facing charges after assault at Ligonier Valley High School
A 17-year-old boy is being charged with simple assault and harassment through juvenile court after assaulting another student at Ligonier Valley High School this week, according to Police Chief John Berger. The boy punched and kicked a 16-year-old boy in the lobby around noon Tuesday at the Ligonier Township school,...
Former WTAE-TV reporter Kelly Brennan releases book about daughter’s medical conditionVideo
This is the story of a little girl in a yellow polka dot dress. Her name is Caroline. Through the powerful words and colorful pictures on the 33 pages of “Caroline’s Infusion Day,” the reader is taken through a day at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Infusion Center in Lawrenceville....
Future of ‘double-fronted Beetle’ on Route 66 up in the air
With the exception of a few years in the early 2010s, the double-fronted Volkswagen Beetle, painted Hawaiian blue, has been a constant landmark along Route 66 in Salem Township. Created by Excel Auto Body’s original owner, Ed Britz, in 1970, it has been repaired and replaced over the years, and...
Highlands school officials say threat to high school on social media not credible
Highlands School District officials say rumors of a threat against the high school that circulated on social media Thursday morning are not credible. In an email message sent to parents, high school co-principal Laura Burns said school police worked with members of the administration to conduct “a thorough investigation of...
Westmoreland happenings: Breakfast with Santa, bingo and Christmas open house
Fundraisers • A pancake Breakfast with Santa and the Grinch will be from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 19 at Hartford Heights Volunteer Fire Department, Route 30, North Huntingdon. Admission: $8; children 5 to 12, $6; 4 and younger, free. Tickets: 412-742-7020 and at the door. • Lincoln Heights Civic...
Murder conviction reinstated for Penn Township man
A federal appeals court this week reinstated the first-degree murder conviction of a former Penn Township man who has been serving a life prison sentence in connection with the fatal shooting of a romantic rival in 2006. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a...
Buffalo Township supervisors pass $2.8 million budget with 9% tax increase
Homeowners in Buffalo Township will be paying 9% more in property taxes next year. Township supervisors recently approved the tax hike as part of the township’s $2.8 million budget for 2022. The millage will increase from 5.5 to 6 mills. Township real estate taxes for an average home, assessed at...
