Monroeville charter school celebrates service, achievements of 6 graduates
More than 100 people attended Spectrum Charter School’s graduation ceremony in Monroeville on May 23, when six seniors received their high school diplomas. Spectrum students, families, board of trustees, faculty and staff gathered for the ceremony and luncheon to recognize graduates J. Balf, Jackson Carney, Aiden Ferguson, Mira Shank-Koster, Jupiter...
Burrell schools to pay $999K to settle sex abuse lawsuit
Burrell School District will pay almost $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a former student who alleged the district failed to protect her from sexual abuse by a former swim coach. The lawsuit claimed the district also failed to supervise former assistant swim coach Raymond Novak, whom she...
Fencing considered for Tarentum Bridge after New Kensington man jumped to his death
PennDOT officials said Friday they will assess the potential of installing fencing on the downriver side of the Tarentum Bridge following the death of a New Kensington man who apparently jumped to his death from the span Tuesday. The victim was identified as Thomas Peter Link, 68, by the Allegheny...
No fare hikes in $17.9M Westmoreland transit budget
Westmoreland County bus fares will stay the same in the next year, officials said this week. Westmoreland County Transit Authority will maintain its fees for the fiscal year that begins July 1 under a $17.9 million budget, Alan Blahovec, executive director, told the authority board Thursday. The board unanimously approved...
Allegheny Valley approves $1.2M bids for lobby amid price concerns
Allegheny Valley School Board members unanimously awarded $1.2 million in higher-than-expected bids for lobby renovations at Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School. Between the four bids, the price was about $180,000 more than the board had initially anticipated, board President Nino Pollino said. Terry Thompson, vice president of Foreman Architects Engineers, said...
Forecast for Westmoreland air show: Bright skies, heavy traffic
Thousands of people are expected to travel to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport this weekend to view the air show hosted annually at the Unity site. That means motorists should expect traffic to be heavier than usual on routes 30 and 981 in the vicinity of the airport. Traffic tends to...
Hempfield poised to renew garbage collection contract with County Hauling
Hempfield supervisors this week gave the OK for the manager and solicitor to seek out a one-year extension to a contract with County Hauling for garbage collection. The extension seemed to be the best route after surveying prices in a number of municipalities around the region, said manager Aaron Siko....
No parking at Point State Park
Point State Park’s parking lot is officially closed for repairs — until early fall, the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources announced Thursday. Caliber Contracting Services, Inc. began the scheduled repairs to the lot at 624 Commonwealth Place, operated by Boulos Parking Inc. The work is denoted in the park’s...
Morning Roundup: Police retrieve dogs left alone in Verona after owner is jailed
Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Friday, June 20: Dogs retrieved from Verona house after being left alone Two dogs were retrieved Thursday from a Verona home on Penn Street after they were left unattended. Verona Police Chief Tom Dessell said the dogs have been...
From pool to rock wall? Ligonier Beach plan consultant proposes ideas for site
Area residents who recall swimming at the former Ligonier Beach resort shouldn’t expect to return to take a dip in the now-shuttered Ligonier Township pool, but township consultants have suggested visitors might someday descend into the drained basin of the expansive pool to engage in activities such as climbing a...
The Stroller, June 20, 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. Easy Star All-Stars to...
Canadian Snowbirds jet team set to headline annual show at Arnold Palmer airport
Dave Bulebosh gets a front-row seat to the Shop ’n Save Westmoreland International Airshow just by stepping into his yard. With his home being within a mile of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, he has had people flock to his neighborhood in past years to get a closer look...
Delusions from supplement overdose may have caused man to stab mom, attorney said
A Mt. Pleasant Township man accused of stabbing his mother multiple times was delusional when the incident took place at their residence in 2023, his attorney said Thursday. Psychiatrists examining Kort Eckman, 47, found that Eckman’s delusions on Oct. 3, 2023, may be linked to his taking numerous over-the-counter supplements...
Man accused of killing Jennah Seibert ordered to stand trialVideo
Moments after District Judge Wayne Vlasic on Thursday ordered Dorian Jeri-Greene to stand trial on homicide charges related to the shooting death of Jennah M. Seibert, her fiance walked to the front of the courtroom and turned to face the defendant. Bryan Murray of Rostraver stood there, apparently looking in...
Police: 2-year-old’s drowning death in East Pittsburgh appears accidental
A 2-year-old girl died Thursday afternoon after drowning in an East Pittsburgh pool, police said. Police and first responders were dispatched to a pool in the 500 block of Howard Street shortly after 1 p.m. Kehlani Russell was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital where she later died at 2:22 p.m.,...
Attorney weighs self-defense vs. accident in Penn Twp. shooting trial
The attorney for a woman accused of shooting her then-boyfriend in 2022 in Penn Township said Thursday he has not decided whether he will argue in her trial next month that the shotgun accidentally discharged or that his client acted in self-defense. Attorney Brian Aston told Westmoreland County Judge Scott...
Sheriff’s deputies arrest parole, probation violators in Bell Acres
Sheriff’s deputies Thursday arrested a man and a woman, both wanted for violating probation, at a Bell Acres home. Eric Bosh, 43, of Ambridge, was named a fugitive a month ago after he violated his probation for a guilty plea of fleeing a police officer, a sheriff’s spokesman said. Moon...
3 plead guilty in 2022 fatal North Side shooting
Two men and one woman pleaded guilty Thursday in connection with a 2022 shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side, where a barrage of dozens of gunshots killed Stephone Drayton and injured three others. Hezekiah Nixon, 19, of Pittsburgh; Andrew Johnson, 29, of Coraopolis; and Tylajae Allen, 24, of Pittsburgh, stood separately...
Rachel Carson Trail Challenge pushes hikers to the limit
While 99% of participants finish the Pittsburgh Marathon, the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge has an average finish rate of 75%. The Rachel Carson Trail will put more than 1,000 hikers’ physical and mental endurance to the test Saturday for the 28th annual challenge featuring three separate courses. The full challenge...
Monroeville native goes from Glamour Shots to glamorous clients
If you grew up in the 1980s, the brand name Glamour Shots probably conjures a very specific — and colorful — image in the mind. For Monroeville native Brett Freedman, the overly rouged cheeks and popping lipstick in classic Glamour Shots photos were part of the inspiration that led him...
From gardening to lifeguarding, Highlands Camp Creativity helps stop ‘summer slide’
When Lincoln Sims chomped into a handful of kale at the Greg Blythe Friendship Garden in Tarentum, the 6-year-old gave it a thumbs up. Classmate Teigen Capozzoli followed suit — and promptly spit the bitter greens to the ground. “I didn’t care for it,” she said. “I liked the strawberries...
Oakmont wastewater treatment plant to enter construction phase
Progress is sweet, or as sweet as it can be when it comes to Oakmont’s wastewater treatment plant on Ann Street. Since 2021, borough officials have been overseeing a project to improve and modernize the plant for the first time since 2008. The project is being managed by consulting agency...
Allegheny Valley approves budget with small tax increase
Opting for a slight tax bump, Allegheny Valley School Board members passed the district’s 2025-26 budget Tuesday. Revenue generated from the 1.48% increase will go toward a projected $3.2 million budget deficit, though the majority of that deficit will be made up using the district’s fund balance. The new budget...
Pittsburgh singer Lou Christie dies at age 82
Native Pittsburgh singer Lou Christie, who scored No. 1 Billboard hit with “Lightnin’ Strikes” in 1966, has died. He was 82 years old. His wife, Francesca, told the Hollywood Reporter that Christie died at home in Pittsburgh after an undisclosed illness. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the Sacco family...
The Stroller, June 19, 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. Annual Strawberry Festival on...
