Western PA Local News category, Page 2011
Oakmont, Verona named banner communities by Allegheny League of Municipalities
Oakmont and Verona have been named banner communities by the Allegheny League of Municipalities. The program recognizes communities that show a commitment to professional development, prudent fiscal management, transparency, accountability, and proactive communications to engage community stakeholders. The two were among 68 communities and five municipal authorities recognized this year,...
Depreciation Lands Museum in Allison Park to host volunteer orientation, preparing for new season
Depreciation Lands Museum, a Colonial era living history settlement in Allison Park, is gearing up for a new season and welcoming new volunteers. Volunteers, also called interpreters, dress in 18th century garb and demonstrate what life was like during that time period. There are some hands-on activities such as spinning...
Aspinwall, Fox Chapel, Indiana, O’Hara and Sharpsburg named Banner Communities
Several Fox Chapel Area municipalities were named this week as Banner Communities for their prudent finances, transparency and proactive communications. A total of 71 communities and five municipal authorities were lauded by the Allegheny League of Municipalities and Allegheny County, among them Aspinwall, Fox Chapel, Indiana Township, O’Hara and Sharpsburg....
Classes at Leechburg Area Junior/Senior High School to be taught online Thursday, Friday due to covid
Classes at Leechburg Area Junior/Senior High School will be taught online Thursday and Friday after several cases of covid-19 were reported. However, elementary school students will continue to be taught in school, as will students attending Lenape Technical School. School buses will follow their normal schedule. Classes for grades six...
Verona finance director Jerry Kenna resigns; council hires new bookkeeper, payroll service
Verona finance director Jerry Kenna has resigned from the borough, again. The former borough manager turned money manager submitted his resignation via email, which was read by council President Nancy Carpenter at at council’s March 9 meeting. “Due to the growth of my business and my family, it is time...
Buffalo Township man died hours after being rescued from deep ravine
A Buffalo Township man was alive Tuesday night when authorities found him at the bottom of a deep ravine about a quarter-mile from his home following a six-hour search. But any relief that came from finding Dennis Fester, 74, was fleeting. He was flown by emergency helicopter to Pittsburgh’s Allegheny...
New fed relief plan saves aid for 925,000 Pennsylvanians, state says
Congress extended a lifeline to about 925,000 Pennsylvanians who get federal unemployment benefits by giving final approval Wednesday to a $1.9 trillion covid relief package. The House on Wednesday passed the American Rescue Plan, after the Senate approved its own version of the controversial stimulus bill on March 6. President...
Allegheny officials ask residents to refrain from large St. Patrick’s Day gatheringsVideo
Allegheny County officials encouraged residents to forgo large gatherings this weekend — the time typically defined by St. Patrick’s Day celebrations throughout Pittsburgh and the county. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade was canceled for the second year to prevent covid-19 transmission. Still, last year, before tighter restrictions had been placed,...
Pittsburgh does not have to pay judgment for off-duty officer in assault, court rules
A Pennsylvania appellate court said that the city of Pittsburgh does not have to pay a $75,000 federal jury award to a man who had his nose broken by an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer more than eight years ago. Shane McGuire, who at the time was 16, had been smashing...
South Fayette High School teacher suspended after issuing ‘inappropriate’ assignment
A South Fayette High School social studies teacher has been suspended after issuing a controversial assignment about slavery. The assignment was titled “Is The Slave Trade Profitable?” It asked students to be a ship captain in the 1700s and budget the buying and selling of slaves, asking whether they would...
Monroeville Council approves list of roads to be worked on this year
Monroeville Council unanimously approved the municipality’s plan to work on just over 19 miles of roads. The municipality’s $35.7 million budget set aside $1 million for its Road Resurfacing Program. According to the plan council approved March 9, 34 roads are slated for work. Paul Hugus, the municipality’s director of...
McCandless considering Citizens Police Academy program
McCandless residents may soon be able to get an insider’s view of what it’s like to serve as a police officer in the town. Council has approved a request to begin developing a Citizens Police Academy program that takes participants through the daily routines and training that officers undergo. “We...
Jeannette, New Kensington among towns that could benefit from new $20M investment fund
A new partnership between the Richard K. Mellon Foundation and Arctaris Impact Investors, a Boston-based impact investment group, is launching a $20 million investment fund to underwrite economic development projects in distressed communities in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. The fund, unveiled Wednesday, will target projects that support economic development, workforce...
Names of jurors in case against former Westmoreland Sheriff Held to remain under seal
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will not hear an appeal filed by the Tribune-Review seeking to make public the names of jurors who failed to reach a verdict in the 2018 public corruption trial of former Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held. In a one-sentence order, the state’s high court denied the...
Three-quarters of Allegheny Township’s police force yet to be vaccinated
The covid-19 vaccination rate for Allegheny Township’s police force remains low despite officers having priority access to the free Pfizer vaccine, officials said. Police Chief Duane Fisher told township supervisors this week that he knows of three officers — including him — who have received the vaccine so far. The...
Peduto: Federal relief package will avoid city layoffs, replenish reserve fundVideo
Pittsburgh will be able to avoid layoffs of more than 600 employees and should be able to rebuild a $120 million financial cushion it lost because of the coronavirus pandemic when President Joe Biden signs covid-19 relief legislation, which cleared its final congressional hurdle Wednesday afternoon. “I’ll be reassured when...
Pa. health official: Focus should be on covid vaccinations, not allocations
The state Department of Health continues to try and meet the demand for covid-19 vaccines, particularly first doses, an ongoing struggle when requests from providers outnumber the state’s total allocation by nearly 200,000, a health official said Wednesday. The federal government sent 254,150 dedicated first-shot doses to Pennsylvania’s health department...
North Hills School District launches Community Service Award
When the coronavirus pandemic hit last spring and left countless people out of work and struggling, residents in North Hills School District quietly out to help others their neighbors in need. To honor those unsung heroes, the district has launched a Community Service Award program. “Whether it was delivering meals,...
Penn Hills charter school earns national recognition
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship in January became the only school in the state to be recognized as one of America’s healthiest schools that also stands tall among others when it comes to engaging families. The recognition was awarded by Kohl’s and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a...
Rita’s Italian Ice won’t be giving away free treats on 1st day of spring … again
Rita’s Italian Ice usually celebrates the first day of spring with free frozen treats. But for the second year in a row, the coronavirus pandemic has iced those plans. “With covid-19 still a part of communities, we’ve chosen to cancel free Italian Ice day on (March 20) to keep everyone...
Little Free Pantry at Sharpsburg library to offer around-the-clock help with foodVideo
The Sharpsburg Community Library is no longer just a place where people can nourishment their minds. People in need of food can now pick up a variety of nonperishable items from a new Little Free Pantry unveiled March 10 outside the entrance to the library on Main Street. “We know...
Westmoreland County added to Spotted Lanternfly quarantine zone
Westmoreland is among eight counties added to Pennsylvania’s Spotted Lanternfly quarantine zone. It’s part of an effort by state officials to slow the spread of this invasive pest. The insect can crop up in backyards, becoming a nuisance for those looking to enjoy outdoor activities. It also is a threat...
Allegheny County joins Pittsburgh in passing law mandating paid sick leave
Allegheny County businesses with more than 25 employees will be required to provide paid sick leave under legislation county council approved Tuesday. “I believe this is the right thing to do,” council President Pat Catena said before the measure passed by a 10-4 vote. The bill was sent to county...
McKeesport City Council, citizens reach agreement on public meetings
McKeesport City Council and a group of citizens advocating there reached an agreement Wednesday to make sure future public meetings are accessible. Council’s monthly meeting was rescheduled last week after four community members sought an injunction alleging that McKeesport officials were violating the state Sunshine Act by denying the public...
Lower Burrell man faces assault, escape charges after hospital brawl
A Lower Burrell man arrested last month on assault charges faces more charges this week stemming from a brawl at Allegheny Valley Hospital. Matthew D. Hoessler, 23, was charged with aggravated assault and attempted escape after police said he fought with Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies and hospital police when he...
