Identification of WWII airman Sidney Burke’s remains was ‘82 years in the making,’ nephew says
For almost all of Paul Hankin’s life, the circumstances surrounding the death of his uncle, Sidney Burke, who was killed while serving in World War II, were a mystery. “We thought we would never find out what had happened,” said Hankin, 83, of Bethel Park. “I had his picture hanging...
Police search for suspects accused of trying to steal ATM machine from the Cheswick Sheetz
Allegheny Valley Regional Police are searching for several people accused of trying to steal an ATM on Monday evening from the Sheetz in Cheswick. Four people, who police believe are juveniles, used a dolly to wheel the PNC bank machine from the gas station to a waiting pickup truck outside,...
After boiler fails, Central Presbyterian’s free holiday concert moves to Brackenridge
An annual holiday concert hosted by Central Presbyterian Church in Tarentum has been moved because the building is without heat. Church administrator Dave Rankin said the steam boiler at the church along Allegheny Street is awaiting repairs. Instead, “Ave Maria,” featuring soprano Katy Williams, will be performed Sunday, Dec. 14,...
Heinz History Center asks local artists to envision ‘My America’
As 2026 draws closer, more and more signs of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday are popping up throughout Western Pennsylvania. In Westmoreland County, two replicas of Pennsylvania’s iconic Liberty Bell were unveiled in Greensburg and Murrysville, decorated by local artists to mark the country’s semiquincentennial. In Allegheny County, the...
Point Park unveils new performing arts program to enhance students’ versatility
A new program at Point Park University aims to better prepare its performing arts students with transferable skills while also making its conservatory more elite. The Downtown Pittsburgh university will launch an accelerated bachelor of fine arts degree in performance and creative industries next fall, said Keisha Lalama, interim dean...
Gateway School Board welcomes new directors; president, vice president maintain positions
During the Gateway School Board’s reorganization meeting Dec. 1, Janette Beighel, Rick McIntyre and Anthony Mock officially stepped into their posts. The new directors, along with inductee Leslie McBride, will each serve a four-year term. McBride was the only board member up for reelection. Judge Jeffrey Herbst read the Certificates...
Morning Roundup: 1 injured in Penn Hills house fire; police continue search for 2022 Swissvale shooter
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Dec. 2: 1 injured in Penn Hills house fire One person was taken to the hospital Monday evening following a duplex fire in Penn Hills. TribLive news partner WTAE said the fire was reported shortly before 11:30 p.m....
Rotary donates solar-powered picnic table to South Fayette
South Fayette Township’s Morgan Park is the latest beneficiary of the Bridgeville-South Fayette Rotary Club. The club donated a $6,900 picnic table with a solar-powered charging station at Morgan Park, Sherman Street. The table was funded by the club and the Rotary International Foundation. It has benches, a space for...
Snow blankets Western Pa. in 1st major event of the season
A group of parents got a winter weather alert Tuesday around 6 a.m. saying school was closed for a snow day. They quickly organized a text chain, swapping questions like: Who needed boots, who could borrow a sled, and who would take the first shift watching the kids in the...
The Stroller, Dec. 2, 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. Gift program benefits victims...
West View mourning death of council vice president
West View Councilwoman M. Kimberly Steele died on Wednesday, Nov. 26, following a 10-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 72. During her tenure on borough council, Steele had been president and was most recently vice president. She also had served on the West View Water Authority’s board of directors....
Kenneth Pollard speaks of initial shock, lasting regret over wife’s death in sinkhole fall
Lifelong Marguerite resident Kenneth Pollard has had a year to learn how to live without his wife, Elizabeth, who fell to her death in a sinkhole on the outskirts of the Unity village. Though one of his children, Axel, moved in with the 75-year-old and good neighbors have pitched in...
1 year after sinkhole death, Unity residents live in fear of mine subsidence
One year after a deadly sinkhole swallowed a woman searching for her cat near Marguerite Road, fear remains palpable for residents in a small Unity neighborhood. They worry abandoned coal mines beneath their homes could collapse at any time. That anxiety is real on Libby Lane, a few hundred feet...
‘Archiving history’: Aural-style jam sessions of NA Fiddlers offer unique experience for student musicians
Sporting their signature look of a simple red polo shirt and a fiddle in hand, the North Allegheny Fiddlers took to the Maywood Recording studio in McCandless recently to lay down some new, and old, tracks. This is the third time that Dennis Morton, who started the NA Fiddlers in...
No tax increase for property owners in Leechburg; skills game tax climbs for operators
Leechburg’s 2026 budget calls for no real estate tax increase. The budget includes more than $1.46 million in expenditures with just over $1.34 million in revenue. The gap will be filled by using a portion of a $145,000 surplus from this year’s budget. Councilman and finance chair D.J. Zelczak said...
Westmoreland and Allegheny men among 1,000-plus killed in WWII ‘Little Pearl Harbor’
Five Western Pennsylvania men were among the more than 1,000 killed in a surprise World War II German attack on an Allied port in Italy that has become known as “The Little Pearl Harbor.” The Dec. 2, 1943, air raid on the Adriatic Sea port of Bari, Italy, came nearly...
Washington police arrest 1 of 3 teen suspects in robbery, shooting at convenience store
Police in the city of Washington on Monday charged a 17-year-old as an adult in connection with a Sunday night robbery and shooting at a convenience store. Police allege that Julian Asbury, of Washington, was one of three armed teens who tried to rob the Washington Food Mart in the...
Majority of easements signed for Greensburg’s Northmont flood control project
The majority of easements needed for Greensburg’s proposed Northmont flood control project have been signed, said Alec Italiano, the City of Greensburg director of planning and development. Signatures of four property owners are still needed for the city to move forward with the work. Italiano said he’s continuing to negotiate...
Decline in alcohol consumption leads to rare sales drop at Pa. liquor stores
Pennsylvania’s wine and spirits sales dipped last fiscal year for only the second time in the past three decades. According to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, sales for the 2024-25 fiscal year totaled nearly $3.2 billion. That was down almost $21 million, or 0.6%, compared to the previous year. Net...
Man fatally shot by police on Parkway North was suspect in shooting of teen in Butler
A man who died after being shot by police on the Parkway North Saturday night was a suspect in a shooting in Butler Friday, according to Butler police Chief Bob O’Neill. In a statement released Monday, O’Neill identified the man as Devin Russell, 20, of Butler. According to O’Neill’s statement,...
Westmoreland hospital, former nurses sued over patient photos
A Greensburg hospital and two fired nurses have been named as defendants in a negligence lawsuit filed by the daughter of one of up to 10 former patients whose images were recorded and distributed without consent last year. The three-count lawsuit filed last month contends Independence Health System Westmoreland Hospital...
Shapiro calls $740M Esplanade a ‘game changer’ as Pittsburgh project breaks ground
One of the most expensive development projects in modern Pittsburgh history, the $740 million Esplanade on the North Side, took a definitive step forward Monday with a groundbreaking ceremony that drew Pennsylvania’s governor and generated accolades for its intent to revitalize a long-stagnant brownfield. Gov. Josh Shapiro called the ambitious...
In brief: Happenings across the Penn Hills area
River City Brass to present Christmas concert River City Brass will perform its Christmas Brasstacular concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at Linton Middle School, 250 Aster St. This year, the holiday tradition will feature new arrangements from “Home Alone,” “A Christmas Carol” and Duke Ellington’s “Nutcracker.” There might even...
Westmoreland preps for 1st snowfall with reduced staff amid limited furlough savings
Furloughs will leave Westmoreland County with just half of its staff available Tuesday morning to maintain 52 miles of roads during the season’s first significant snowfall. Public Works Director Dante DeCario said all four remaining employees will begin salting and clearing county roads as early as 3 a.m. and will...
Ross budget cuts fail to make dent in projected 8% property tax increase
Ross officials have continued to work on the township’s 2026 budget but have not found enough cuts to make a dent in a proposed 8% property tax increase. At a commissioners meeting Nov. 17, finance director Dan Berty told commissioners that while they found spending that could be cut, they...
