Western PA Local News category, Page 2119
Fire marshals to investigate cause of fire that destroyed West Deer metals firm
Fire marshals from Allegheny County and West Deer Township will attempt to determine the cause of a fire Saturday morning that destroyed a metal fabricating and recycling plant. West Deer Company 3 fire Chief Josh Wiegand said the fire destroyed the TNT Metals plant at 22 Frontier Drive. It was...
The Stroller, Dec. 26, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s fundraiser or community event in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. HOPE Center seeking gas card donations The Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center is seeking donations of gift cards in $10 increments from Sheetz or Get...
Week In Review: Manhunt for cop shooter, protesting shutdown orders, bomb maker charged, covid vaccines arriveVideo
Here are some of the top Tribune-Review news and feature stories from around the region for the week of Dec. 20-26, 2020. For more details on these and other stories, follow the links below or see Triblive.com. Injured McKeesport patrolman expected to be released soon, search continues for suspected gunman...
Scottdale man on covid battle: ‘I did not think I was going to make it’
Wayne Grabiak had encouragement coming from all angles. There were the FaceTime calls with his wife and text messages from family, friends and his cardiologist. Plus, the staff at AHN Jefferson Hospital loudly repeating a mantra through a glass window separating his room from the rest of the intensive care...
Champions of Learning awards honor local educators
Jennifer Neill has been a teacher long enough that she’ll soon be seeing her former students’ children coming through her classroom at Laurel Highlands Middle School, and her students know what to expect from her. “I’m like your school mom,” she said. “You’re not always going to like what I’m...
Five Star Trail leased for another 25 years
Westmoreland County’s Five Star Trail will be around for at least another quarter century. County commissioners, acting as members of the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp., last week approved the renewal of the 25-year lease with the Regional Trails Commission and the private freight railroad that operates along the tracks...
Excela remembrance tree event to be virtualVideo
Excela Health Hospice’s annual remembrance tree event will look a little different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The event, typically held at the now-shuttered Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center in Hempfield, will be a virtual ceremony featuring ornaments that memorialize a loved one previously under...
Top stories from across the Lower Valley for the week of Dec. 20Video
Here are some of the top stories of the week of Dec. 20: - Blawnox property taxes remain steady. Blawnox residents will pay the same real estate taxes to the borough in 2021 after council approved the borough’s budget. With the property tax rate at 9.85 mills, the owner of...
Fox Chapel area student news: Covid-19 cases reported; meeting schedule and more
Fox Chapel Area School District reported 36 confirmed and probable covid-19 cases in the schools as of Dec. 16. The district reports its cases in a rolling 14-day period and counts a case only if the person was physically in the building while infectious. In December, the high school saw...
Greensburg church prepares hundreds of meals for Christmas giveawayVideo
Holly Hallman and her family spend every Christmas at First Presbyterian Church in Greensburg, helping to prepare Christmas dinners for those in need. She’s helped organize the event for eight years, bringing along her husband, Craig, as well as her parents. This year, she brought a new addition — her...
Santa side gig spreads joy to Leechburg residentsVideo
Steve Kovalchik has a festive side gig. Kovalchik, 65, is a volunteer Santa. He suited up on Christmas Day, complete in his custom embroidered red velvet suit, spreading holiday cheer to residents in Leechburg. Originally from Allegheny Township, Kovalchik resides in Maryland but visits Leechburg annually. “I feel joyous and...
After 2 generations, new owner set to take over The Hoagie Shop in North ApolloVideo
The second-generation family owners of The Hoagie Shop in North Apollo might be retiring, but not their famous cold, 12-inch Italian hoagie that still sells for under $5. It’s been a 60-year run for two generations of the Toland family, which has been serving up its signature hoagies with fresh...
More than 1,000 pounds of food donated to Westmoreland food bank from new casino
As the facility sits dark in compliance with mitigation orders aimed at stopping a surge of covid-19 cases across the state, officials with Live! Casino Pittsburgh took time to donate food, along with volunteer hours, to the Westmoreland County Food Bank. “Just because we’re closed doesn’t mean we can’t help...
Pittsburgh region enjoys snowiest Christmas ever
Southwestern Pennsylvania woke up Friday to the whitest Christmas it has ever seen. “This is very Bing Crosby-ish, I guess you could say,” said Shannon Hefferan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Moon. Between midnight and 1 p.m., 3.9 inches of snow had fallen at the NWS office,...
The Stroller, Dec. 25, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s fundraiser or community event in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Merry Christmas to our loyal readers This year has surely been one that none of us will ever forget. Thank you to the wonderful...
Merry (covid) Christmas: Western Pa. families share how they plan to spend the holiday
Christmas this year, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, will be different for most, if not all, families. As the virus continues to spread, Gov. Tom Wolf curtailed some businesses and shut others through the holiday season. Health officials have urged people not to travel and to celebrate Christmas...
Greensburg infant’s brief life honored with random acts of kindness
In January, the brief life of a Greensburg infant led to an outpouring of love and support to his bereaved parents. This year on the date of his birth and death, Jan. 6, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region is honoring his memory with Willie’s Random Acts of...
Jason Mraz to headline Rock, Reggae & Relief benefit concertVideo
There is hope that live music is coming back in 2021. Rock, Reggae & Relief, a festival benefiting hospitality workers and food insecurity, has announced a lineup of artists. It’s scheduled for Aug. 28. “We feel safe that, by then, most people will have taken the (covid) vaccine, and it’s...
Dog training, day care continue after Bruce Ringer, ‘dog whisperer of Tarentum,’ dies
Bruce D. Ringer’s love of dogs and his wife were manifest, and not surprisingly intertwined. The longtime, legendary dog trainer, Ringer, 63, of Tarentum, died of colon cancer on Dec. 20. He was a dog trainer for more than 35 years and opened the first doggie day care in Allegheny...
Derry group gives away 170 Christmas meals
A group of Derry residents on Thursday gave out more than 170 Christmas dinners to families in need at Taps N’ At restaurant. The giveaway was organized by Derry Area School Board member Sean M. Kemmerer and Taps N’ At owners Larry and Jessica Gray, who recently founded the Derry...
Greensburg plans to help businesses, individuals with covid relief money
Greensburg plans to use nearly $194,000 in federal CARES Act money to aid small businesses, provide rent assistance and help feed those in need. Municipalities received coronavirus relief funds through the existing Community Development Block Grant program. Greensburg submitted its application about three months ago, and recently learned it had...
Immaculate Heart of Mary, the venerable Polish Hill church, adorned in Christmas finest for public viewVideo
The Christmas scene inside the massive dome contains 400 feet of garland, 100 bright red poinsettias and over 100 illuminated trees of various sizes. Red bows, wreaths and candles adorn the pews. Music fills the church as volunteers finish decorating for Christmas Masses at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish...
Monessen woman sentenced to 2-4 years for stabbing
A Monessen woman was sentenced this week to two to four years in a state prison on an aggravated assault charge in connection with the stabbing of her neighbor. Prosecutors dismissed attempted homicide and related charges against Tiffany Grogan-Howard, 38, on Wednesday, according to a court order. The stabbing was...
Early to bed, early to make the bread rise for Leechburg baker
It’s a sweet job any way you slice it. Kelly Petrella, 36, of Vandergrift, heads the bakery team of five at Sprankle’s Market in Leechburg. The Alle-Kiski Valley native and Kiski Area High School alumnus is typically the first employee to arrive, beginning her shift at 5 a.m. “Customers comment...
Greensburg Salvation Army receives gold coin worth $1,700
Greensburg Salvation Army Capt. Ashley Luzader was sorting through the usual pile of change that had been dropped into bell ringers’ red kettles Tuesday when she found something strange — an unusually heavy coin wrapped in white paper. “I was pulling out all the dollars, and I was thinking ‘this...
