Western PA Local News category, Page 2617
Inclusive theater to hold January auditions in Murrysville
Acting Up, an inclusive theater group for actors of all ability levels, will host auditions for two upcoming productions. • Auditions for “Once On This Island Jr.,” for actors ages 5 to 18, will be Jan. 22 from 7-9 p.m. at Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church, 4600 Old William Penn Highway, and...
Contractor reports $4,800 theft at Hempfield job site
An electrical contractor working at a Hempfield plant reported that $4,800 worth of tools and copper wire were stolen from its job site, state police from Greensburg said. J.W. Peters Co. of Bethel Park reported the tools and wire were stolen from the General Carbide Corp. plant on Garden Drive...
Historical society receives $10K gift to help relocate military monumentVideo
The Export Historical Society has a good jump on relocating Export’s veteran monument, thanks to a $10,000 gift from former borough resident Gary Wuslich. “He noticed that the memorial was a little bit hard to see or recognize unless you knew where it was,” said borough councilwoman and historical society...
Harmar to build $84,000 dek hockey rink in Acme Park
Harmar Township has secured a $42,000 state grant which it will match to install a dek hockey rink and renovate the basketball court at Acme Park along Herron Avenue. The project was prompted by the lack of use of the park’s tennis courts, according to township officials. For more than...
Tarentum stays with Waste Management for at least 1 more year; rates unchanged
Tarentum is sticking with Waste Management as its garbage hauler for 2020 but will keep looking for a new one, borough Manager Michael Nestico said. The one-year contract council accepted with Waste Management keeps the borough’s cost unchanged at about $165 per ton. Tarentum opted not to increase residents’ $22...
Tarentum Council keeps Snyder to fill vacant seat, changes officers, meetings
A Tarentum business owner first appointed to Tarentum Council nearly a year ago has been appointed again. Council chose Brian Snyder to again fill a vacant council seat representing the borough’s 3rd Ward. He replaces Carrie Fox, who resigned the ward seat after winning both it and the one at-large...
Personal approach cements longtime Arnold Furniture store
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Lee at mlee@tribweb.com. Arnold Furniture may have a large selection of furniture...
Norwin to cap tax hike at 3.4%
Property owners in the Norwin School District will not see their school taxes increase more than 3.4% — the maximum allowed without state or voter approval. The Norwin School Board unanimously voted at its meeting this week to limit any tax hike to the state maximum, which is about 2.8...
‘It feels like a movie.’ Turnpike crash survivor recounts ordeal
Quwanjay Ellis was drifting off to sleep on a bus traveling from New York to Ohio about 3:30 Sunday morning when he heard a voice in his head: “Open your eyes.” He had only moments to brace for what came next. Sitting in the aisle seat directly behind the driver,...
Stowe police wound suspect in shooting near Sto-Rox High School
A Stowe Township police officer fired his gun at a man who had been driving a car that may have been involved in a shooting near Sto-Rox High School Monday afternoon, Allegheny County Police said. Police said the man was grazed by the bullet and taken into custody. After being...
Police investigating death of man hit by a train in Swissvale
Authorities have released the identity of a man who died after being hit by a train in Swissvale on Monday evening. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Walter Gunter, 45, of Rankin died as a result of injuries he suffered after being struck by the train at around 5...
Unity OKs 3% wage hike, seeks emergency coordinator
Unity Township supervisors approved a 3% wage hike for most township workers and are searching for a new emergency management coordinator. At their reorganization meeting this week, the supervisors approved the pay increase for two non-union employees. That hike matches the raise recently approved for 23 union members who work...
Oil prices rise on risk of Iranian retaliation for U.S. airstrike that killed general
There is a “distinct possibility” that escalating tensions between the United States and Iran may impact gasoline prices, a market analyst said. Whether that happens depends on if Iran retaliates for the airstrike that killed a top Iranian general, and if that retaliation targets oil infrastructure, said Patrick DeHaan, head...
Jeannette woman gets 15 to 30 years in prison for boyfriend’s death
A Jeannette woman convicted last year in the fatal bludgeoning of her teen-aged boyfriend insisted in court on Monday she did not intend for him to die. Crystal Belle, 40, said during her sentencing hearing she cared deeply for her 19-year-old boyfriend, Khalil Parker, even as she used the wooden...
New Westmoreland County commissioners say they’ll reopen the county’s budgetVideo
Westmoreland County commissioners Monday afternoon elected Republican Sean Kertes to serve as the new board chairman. Kertes, 33, of Greensburg, and Commissioner Doug Chew formed a new Republican majority on the board, which for the previous four years had been controlled by Democrats. The board’s lone returning member, Commissioner Gina...
$1 million New Year’s Millionaire Raffle ticket sold in Salem
Someone who shopped at a Salem convenience store wanted to be a millionaire, apparently. Now they are, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. A winning $1 million New Year’s Millionaire Raffle ticket was sold at the GetGo store on State Route 22. The ticket matched one of four numbers picked in...
2 Pennsylvanians among the 5 people killed in Pennsylvania Turnpike crash
Two of the five people killed in Sunday’s deadly Pennsylvania Turnpike crash in Westmoreland County were from Pennsylvania. Dennis Kehler, 48, of Lebanon, a driver for UPS for 28 years, leaves behind his wife, Kathleen, a daughter and two stepchildren. “He was one of the most generous men I’ve ever...
Rostraver West Newton paramedic killed on I-70 remembered as dedicated, compassionateVideo
A 14-year-old Matthew Smelser showed up three decades ago for a youth emergency medical explorer program in Connellsville. Greg Cominsky, a longtime area paramedic, knew right away that he was destined for a career helping people. “Oh, Matt took an immediate interest in it. He was so eager, so dedicated...
Pittsburgh City Council elects new president, newest North Side rep takes officeVideo
As she continues her third term on Pittsburgh City Council, Theresa Kail-Smith had been content in a non-leadership role. “I was comfortable being led,” Kail-Smith said. That ended Monday, when Kail-Smith, 60, of the Westwood neighborhood in the city’s West End, was unanimously elected the new council president. “It was...
New Westmoreland County sheriff finds offices trashed
Newly installed Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert found a surprise when he arrived at work Monday morning. Stacks of boxes filled with old arrest warrants blocked the door to his administrative suite of offices, trash was strewn on floors and desks, and the former sheriff’s dirty uniforms were piled beneath...
Borings for bridge project slated on Route 906 in Rostraver
Motorists may encounter changing traffic patterns in the Rostraver community of Webster beginning this week, while boring is under way on a section of Route 906. According to PennDOT, workers will be completing geotechnical borings between Mechanics and Kline streets to prepare for a bridge replacement. The work is expected...
Hulton Road fully reopens after months of landslide repair in Penn Hills
A section of Hulton Road along the border of Plum and Penn Hills that had been closed since July reopened Monday, PennDOT spokeswoman Yasmeen Manyisha said. Hulton Road had been closed for slide repair between Iowa Street and Michael Drive since July 1. A landslide in that area occurred in...
PennDOT to close I-70 West Newton ramp for 8 months
Motorists using the westbound on and off ramps of the West Newton/Mt. Pleasant exit on Interstate 70 will have to detour several miles and for several months beginning Jan. 15, PennDOT said. The westbound ramps will be closed starting at 8 a.m. Jan. 15 until about August for ramp reconstruction...
Freeport man involved in Brackenridge crash dies
A man involved in a two-vehicle crash in Brackenridge on Dec. 20 has died. Shane Conklin, 31, of Freeport died Jan. 1 in UPMC Presbyterian hospital, Pittsburgh, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. The car he was driving collided with a van carrying a driver and two passengers...
The Stroller, Jan. 7, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Library announces annual Quilt Show Community Library of Allegheny Valley-Harrison will host its annual Quilt Show Feb. 1 to March 7. Entries will be accepted through Jan. 20 through Jan. 31 at the Harrison library, 1522 Broadview Blvd., Natrona Heights. Quits must be handmade, but the person submitting the quilt...
