Leechburg Council looking for new auditor after 1 was elected to borough council
Leechburg is in the market for an auditor. Usually operating with three auditors, the Nov. 4 election left the borough one short after Dina Blake was elected to council. Borough leadership is accepting letters of interest until Jan. 2. They are hoping to appoint someone to a two-year term at...
Vote scheduled on paid ambulance authority for Harrison, Tarentum and Brackenridge
The proposal to create a paid ambulance authority for Harrison, Tarentum and Brackenridge could be formalized as soon as January. A special public hearing and joint meeting of the three municipalities is scheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 14 at Highlands High School. “This represents an important step in enabling a...
Multiple crews battle Fox Chapel house fire
Multiple rescue crews were called early Thursday to battle a fire at a $1.25 million Fox Chapel home that was recently sold to new owners. Emergency crews responded just before 5 a.m. to the 600 block of West Waldheim Road, which sits off Delafield Road above Aspinwall. No injuries were...
Pittsburgh Public Schools to ban cellphone use during school day
Cellphones will soon be banned during the school day at all Pittsburgh Public Schools. The Pittsburgh Board of Public Education voted Wednesday night to update the district’s Electronic Devices Policy — prohibiting the use and possession of electronic devices by students during the school day on district property. This includes...
Spring opening planned for Lower Burrell Tractor Supply
A Tractor Supply store in the Kinloch section of Lower Burrell is set to open in the spring. A company spokeswoman said the store, located at a currently vacant lot next to a Family Dollar store along Greensburg Road, plans a soft opening in late March. The grand opening is...
10th annual Light Up the Night in Monroeville a success despite cold, tragedy in Australia
Even with frigid temperatures, the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroeville celebrated its 10th annual Light Up the Night on Dec. 15 in Community Park West. The evening marked the second night of Hanukkah, which starts on the 25th day of Kislev, the ninth month of the Jewish calendar. Because of...
Westmoreland jury donation program raises over $100K for local nonprofits
Westmoreland County jurors have donated more than $100,000 to local charities over the past decade. It’s a program first implemented in 2016 that allows jurors to forgo their daily pay, which in turn is donated to local charities. Jurors are paid $9 a day for their first three days of...
Morning Roundup: Nativity theft in Jeannette
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Dec. 18: Trio steal Baby Jesus from Nativity in Jeannette Jeannette police are trying to identify three people who they said took a Baby Jesus figure from a Nativity display at the amphitheater on Clay Avenue. Investigators on...
Derry man dies after crash
Pennsylvania State Police reported Thursday that a Derry man died after a crash earlier this month. James R. Hunt, 75, was driving on Industrial Boulevard in Derry Township at 4:45 a.m. on Dec. 10 when the Lexus car he was driving left the road. Troopers said the car collided with...
Springdale data center gets initial OK, but several more public hearings to come
Though Springdale Council offered its approval for a conditional-use application from developers seeking to build a massive data center in the borough, the vote is only the beginning of the process. The project now enters the land development stage, which likely will last months and involve several more public meetings...
Residents near proposed Springdale data center left frustrated by council’s approval
Rex Cramer has lived on Porter Street in Springdale for more than 30 years. When he arrived in the borough, he moved in directly across the street from a towering coal-fired power plant — the former Cheswick Generating Station. The plant’s frequently fraught demolition concluded earlier this year. But on...
Downtown Pittsburgh ice rink ranks No. 1 in North America
Pittsburgh’s iconic ice rink is considered the most beautiful ice rink in North America — beating out the famed Rink at Rockefeller Center, according to a hotel chain. The ranking was released by Premier Inn, a United Kingdom hotel chain, which compiled a list of 56 ice rinks from around...
The Stroller, Dec. 18, 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. LB Christmas parade rescheduled...
2 Westmoreland water authority workers awarded Carnegie Medal for lifesaving rescue
Pete Dunegan was repairing an underground water tank in Mt. Pleasant Borough last year when a pipe inside the tank broke loose. It dislodged from a support and pinned him, nearly severing his leg and at the same time releasing water into the enclosed vault. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County...
Trafford historian seeks federal approval for naming Brush Creek tributary
A Trafford historian is seeking federal approval to name a North Huntingdon stream after the German immigrant family that settled along its banks in the 1870s. Andrew Capets, president of the Trafford Historical Society, is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to formally designate the Brush...
Westmoreland County Prison prayer groups dispersed, raising religious freedom concerns
Tim Williamson was praying with a group of nine men at Westmoreland County Prison when a guard ordered them to stop — an encounter he says is part of a pattern of officials blocking religious expression at the Hempfield jail. Since his release this month, the Jeannette resident has been...
Westmoreland happenings: Bingo fundraiser, meeting, pancake breakfast, more
Church news Harrold Zion Lutheran Church will host a Longest Night Blue Christmas service for anyone who finds the holidays a difficult time at 5 p.m. Dec. 21 at the church, 671 Baltzer Meyer Pike, Hempfield. The service will include prayer, reflection and hope for those mourning the death of...
Murrysville area: Pancake fundraiser, holiday library closures, Christmas brunch, more
Franklin Regional band fundraiser The Franklin Regional Marching Band is hosting a “A Royal Pancake Feast” to raise money for its March 2026 trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. It will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 3 at First Presbyterian Church, 3202 North Hills Road in...
Norwin area: Irwin appointments, book sale, auditions planned, more
Irwin resignations, appointments Irwin Borough is expected to vote next month to replace a borough representative on the Western Westmoreland Municipal Authority board. John Slivka submitted his resignation from the municipal authority board at the end of the year. Slivka was elected to a four-year term on Irwin Council last...
North Huntingdon passes 2026 budget with 30% property tax hike
North Huntingdon officials unanimously approved a $15.8 million budget for 2026 that will raise the township’s property taxes by 30%. The 3.5-mill tax hike is split into two parts: 1.5 mills for the general fund and 2 mills for the capital reserve fund for roads and stormwater management projects. For...
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials approve 2026 budget with 2% tax hike
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board Wednesday evening passed a 2026 budget that includes a 2% tax hike. The $731.3 million budget passed unanimously. However, the board voted 6-3 on the tax rate, with School Directors Dwayne Barker, Tawana Cook Purnell and board Vice President Tracey Reed dissenting. The district’s tax...
North Braddock faces large property tax loss from U.S. Steel
North Braddock is set to lose a big chunk of its real estate tax revenue. That’s because Allegheny County ruled that the value of U.S. Steel’s land has dropped by 53%. On Tuesday, North Braddock officials were notified by the county that it will not be receiving anticipated real estate...
Hampton couple settles suit against Reserve, others over house damaged by landslide
A Hampton couple has settled a court case in which they claimed that a property they own in Reserve was damaged and devalued by a massive sewer line leak or break more than five years ago. Justin and Theresa Richter filed a civil complaint against Reserve, the Pittsburgh Water and...
ICE involved as feds violently detain Latino man in Mt. Washington
Neighbors living on Norton Street in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood woke Wednesday morning to sounds of screaming. Witnesses told TribLive they watched federal agents hit, tackle, pepper spray and arrest a Latino man between 8 and 8:30 a.m. “This is a new level of violence than we’ve seen in the...
Shaler Area sophomore invited to White House to mark executive order to boost childhood cancer research
Editor’s note: The following story was submitted for the Shaler Area Student Section, a collaboration between TribLive and The Oracle, the student newspaper of Shaler Area High School. Usually a visit or tour of the White House must be requested through a member of Congress — a U.S. representative or...
