Western PA Local News category, Page 1993
Plum dog washing event raises money for Monroeville Animal Shelter
A Plum pet grooming business recently raised nearly $400 for the Monroeville Animal Shelter. The Barker Shop along Saltsburg Road hosted a dog washing event March 21. Monroeville animal control officer and shelter coordinator Corye Ramsey and his family assisted volunteer Lisa Wisiloaky with bringing the 21 dogs in and...
Rally for Solidarity held in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section
A “Pittsburgh Rally for Solidarity” was held Wednesday in Oakland to protest racism and violence toward the Asian community. A few hundred people participated in the event, which started out at Flagstaff Hill and ended at Schenley Plaza. The event featured several speakers and eight minutes of silence for the...
A first: U.S. Senate confirms transgender doctor, Rachel Levine, for key postVideo
Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation’s assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. The final vote was 52-48. Levine had been serving as Pennsylvania’s top health...
Allegheny County to launch new vaccine registration system next weekVideo
Allegheny County will launch a new vaccine registration system next week, officials announced Wednesday. The system will allow residents to register for a covid-19 vaccine, receive notifications when they become eligible and prevent those who are ineligible from making appointments in the meantime. The system will reduce the number of...
Suspect in McKeesport shooting arrested 1 year later
Allegheny County authorities on Wednesday arrested a man wanted for more than a year in connection with a shooting in McKeesport, investigators said. Kiesean Brown, 20, was identified by the victim in the aftermath of the March 1, 2020, shooting on Irwin Street, according to the charges against him. The...
Covid vaccine recipients celebrate getting 2nd doses in New KensingtonVideo
Marian Cowan of New Kensington had one word for how getting her second covid vaccination shot feels: “Awesome.” “I don’t have to worry anymore,” said Cowan, 74. “I can see my great-granddaughter, who is coming for Easter.” Cowan and her father, Daniel Hawkins, 97, also of New Kensington, both got...
Pagan woman sues Pleasant Hills Panera over religious discrimination
A Clairton woman who worked as a baker at the Pleasant Hills Panera claims that she was discriminated against and ultimately fired because she is Pagan. Tammy McCoy said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court that she was hired at the Panera on Clairton Boulevard in October 2019....
2 Pittsburgh eaglets hatch same day; 3rd eaglet a possibilityVideo
The Pittsburgh Hays bald eagle family might be unusually large this season as two eggs hatched successfully Tuesday and a third hatch is possible, said an Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania spokeswoman. Now in their ninth year together, the Hays bald eagle couple has only once before raised three young....
Kiya Tomlin creates fashion collection for Macy’s Ross Park Mall
Kiya Tomlin shopped at Macy’s growing up in Morristown, N.J. “I am a mall shopper, a department store shopper,” Tomlin, a Pittsburgh-based fashion designer, said Wednesday. “When you wanted something nice you went to Macy’s. Being able to design for the Macy’s customer … I am honored.” Tomlin collaborated with...
Food Podcast: Clearview executive knows what it means to experience food insecurity
For Lisa Florian, being involved with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is personal. “Growing up, my family was no stranger to standing in line at the food bank. I personally am grateful to be able to give back where I once had to receive,” said Florian, the senior vice...
Fourth of July Parade in Monroeville canceled but fireworks still set to blast off over Monroeville Mall
The annual Fourth of July Parade in Monroeville has been canceled but the holiday will still end with a bang, as the committee plans to ramp up the fireworks show. “After much thought and consideration in weighing the unknown restrictions for such a well-attended event, it was determined that it...
Lawsuit alleges defamation by mother of Wilkinsburg mayor
A data analyst working for Wilkinsburg is suing the mayor’s mother, alleging her Facebook posts railing against the position amount to defamation and libel, according to the lawsuit. Kate Luxemburg filed the lawsuit against Beverly Garrett in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday. Beverly Garrett is the mother of...
Wilkinsburg man pleads to manslaughter after friend is killed in drug deal gone bad
A Wilkinsburg man with ties to two high-profile cases pleaded guilty Wednesday to involuntary manslaughter in an unrelated shooting. Demetres Beck, 26, admitted to Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski that he and a friend, Kierre Simmons, participated in a robbery on Dec. 29, 2014. According to Deputy...
Pittsburgh man charged after Rostraver homeowner stopped break-in
A Pittsburgh man is accused of trying to break into a Rostraver home after police said he claimed to have used a “bad dose of laced marijuana,” according to court papers. A homeowner held LeBarron J. McCoy, 36, at gunpoint Friday until township police arrived. McCoy is charged with burglary,...
Section of Clay Avenue sidewalks set for replacement in Jeannette
The replacement of curbs and sidewalks on a section of Clay Avenue should be completed in June, said Ed Antonacci, Jeannette’s city engineer. But the price could rise because some property owners between Sixth and Seventh streets didn’t respond to requests from city officials seeking information about openings below the...
Coast Guard training center annex named for Arnold Palmer
In honor of his time as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard, Arnold Palmer’s name will live on at a California training center. Palmer, who died in 2016, was a Latrobe native and professional golfer who served as a yeoman in the Coast Guard from 1951-53. Now, yeoman trainees...
Unity zoning hearing board OKs group home on Primrose Drive
Neighbors on Unity’s Primrose Drive are concerned about a new group home for three men with autism, its effect on parking and the people who may be staffing or visiting the residence. A local official in charge of the facility, owned by nonprofit Community Options, told the township zoning board...
Allegheny County adds 498 covid cases, highest total since mid-January
Allegheny County on Wednesday added its most coronavirus cases since mid-January. The Allegheny County Health Department reported 498 additional cases, the highest since 516 were reported Jan. 17. It was also only the third time since the beginning of February that the county has surpassed 400 cases. Allegheny County had...
Westmoreland news includes palm distribution, Swiss steak dinner
Church services • Derry First United Methodist Church will distribute palms from 10 a.m. to noon March 27 in the church parking lot, 311 N. Ligonier St., and at the 11 a.m. March 28 in-person Palm Sunday service. Alternate arrangements: 724-694-8333 Employment help • Westmoreland County YWCA, Greensburg, is offering...
Murrysville, Export, Delmont trash contracts all set to expire this year
Murrysville officials are developing bid documents for the town’s next trash and recycling contract and are looking to keep costs down while still maintaining a similar level of service. “We’ll be meeting with Export (officials) and Republic (Services) this week to discuss any issues they’ve had during the term of...
Former Pitt employee charged with stealing over 13,000 masks at start of pandemic
The former director of emergency management at the University of Pittsburgh was indicted Tuesday in federal court on charges that he stole thousands of masks from campus at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic and sold them on his eBay page. Christopher Casamento, 42, of Ross had access to N95...
The Sewickley Barbershop set to open in May
The craft of cutting hair is in Justin David’s blood and it’s one he hopes to extend to Sewickley’s Beaver Street in May. “My mom was a cosmetologist and owned multiple salons in Virginia Beach,” David said. “One of my first memories was sitting in salon chairs.” David, 36, of...
Covid variant identified on Pitt’s Oakland campus as cases spike
University of Pittsburgh officials confirmed at least one case of the U.K. covid-19 variant has cropped up on campus, something they believe will lead to an uptick in cases that have already spiked in recent days. “We confirmed that the U.K. variant … is present on the Pittsburgh campus,” the...
Comcast investing $1 billion to close ‘digital divide’ over next 10 years
Comcast announced Wednesday that it plans to invest $1 billion over the next decade to connect more low-income Americans to broadband internet. Comcast said the $1 billion commitment will include investments in its ongoing “Lift Zone” initiative providing Wi-Fi-connected community centers with free internet to help low-income students take part...
Westmoreland jail inmate accused of sending explicit letters to woman
A Westmoreland County Prison inmate was arraigned Wednesday on charges he sent explicit letters to a worker at the Sutersville post office, according to court papers. Rickie Linn Case, 59, is charged with two counts of harassment. Investigators said Case lived near the post office before he was arrested in...
