Western PA Local News category, Page 2654
Penn Hills marks 10 years since death of Officer Michael J. Crawshaw
Michael J. Crawshaw, end of watch: Dec. 6, 2009. The words and numbers tell a story many cannot understand, but they are why many gathered at the Penn Hills Municipal Complex exactly 10 years later. To remember. “Although this is just a very emotional, very painful day for us, I...
Greater Latrobe chooses DMJ Transportation to bus students
Greater Latrobe students who take the bus next school year will be transported by a new carrier, one that will save the district about $1 million. The Greater Latrobe School Board voted 7-0 Thursday to switch to DMJ Transportation Inc. of Mt. Pleasant Township, beginning July 1. Over the life...
Ex-Leechburg police chief back in jail, attorney says
Former Leechburg police Chief Mike Diebold is back in jail on a suspected probation violation, his attorney said Friday night. Diebold, 42, was booked into the Westmoreland County Prison on a 72-hour hold Friday, according to his attorney, Duke George. George, who plans to visit Diebold at the Hempfield lockup...
Free rides on historic 96A-Golden Triangle route mark end of Neoplan USA buses
People will have one last chance to ride decades-old Port Authority buses as the transit agency honors their retirement by restoring a long-gone Pittsburgh route this weekend. The final two Neoplan USA buses left in Port Authority’s fleet will go out of service after this weekend. Neoplan USA buses have...
River City Brass slated for holiday concert at Greater Latrobe
River City Brass will join forces with student musicians for a holiday concert Dec. 13 at Greater Latrobe Senior High School. Greater Latrobe band and choral students will perform along with members of the Pittsburgh brass band at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium for the Home for the...
Pitt’s Nationality Rooms to host annual open house
The historic Nationality Rooms at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning will be open to the public this Sunday. The rooms, which have been prepped and ready for this year’s 28th annual Holiday Open House, will be open from noon to 4 p.m. The community is invited to travel...
Banksville Road turning lane closure set for Pittsburgh
One of the main connections to the Banksville neighborhood is closing beginning Saturday. The northbound left-hand turn lane from Banksville Road (Route 19) to Carnahan Road will be closed to traffic for the first phase of the City of Pittsburgh’s Wenzell Avenue improvement project, said a PennDOT release. Crews will...
Henry of ‘Superpower Dogs 3D’ documentary visits Carnegie Science CenterVideo
Ian Bunbury was suspended 4,000 feet in the air via a harness with his dog Henry for four hours while shooting a movie scene at Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort in British Columbia, Canada. Bunbury looked at his dog as the pair traveled in various positions up and down the hill....
Police chief: Nevada authorities in town investigating Bethel Park woman’s death
Authorities from Nevada were in Allegheny County on Friday investigating the case of a Bethel Park woman who was found dead more than two months ago in the desert north of Las Vegas. Bethel Park police Chief Tim O’Connor said his department was cooperating with the Nevada authorities but would...
Officials at Beaver County home for disabled shocked by abuse allegations
Officials at McGuire Memorial Home said they were shocked to learn of allegations that two employees abused disabled residents of the Beaver County facility and immediately notified families of the alleged victims as soon as authorities permitted them to do so. Christopher Shay, president and CEO of McGuire, offered his...
Westmoreland County cashier resigns after being charged with bringing drugs into courthouseVideo
Westmoreland County’s Park Police typically arrest a person or two every month for bringing illegal drugs in to the downtown Greensburg courthouse. A recent arrest was the first time in recent memory that a county employee was the person who was charged, Chief Henry Fontana said Friday. “Everybody is subject...
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre sets stage for ‘The Nutcracker’
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre put the final touches on their production of “The Nutcracker” during a dress rehersal Thursday at the Benedum Center. There will be 26 performances of “The Nutcracker” from Dec. 6-29, at the Benedum Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. Tickets start at $28, and are available at www.pbt.org, 412-456-6666...
Former North Braddock cop files whistleblower suit against borough, police
A former North Braddock police officer is suing the borough, council members, the mayor, its police department and acting police chief in federal court over his June 18 firing. The officer, Ryan Johnston, is alleging civil rights, whistleblower and wiretap violations. Johnston claims he was cooperating with federal and Allegheny...
Body found in river at Point State Park ID’d as Munhall man
The body found Wednesday morning floating in the Ohio River near Point State Park was identified Friday by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Brian Foster Greenhow, 27, of Munhall, was found at 8:30 a.m. just off the point. The cause of death was drowning, the medical examiner said. Greenhow...
Humane officers investigating sick pit bull found abandoned in Wilkinsburg
Two young dogs found sick and abandoned in separate parts of Allegheny County this week are on the upswing, according to officials at Humane Animal Rescue. Authorities are investigating both cases. A passerby found a dog near Turner Elementary School in Wilkinsburg on Tuesday evening and alerted the shelter, said...
Demolition of abandoned Tarentum houses underwayVideo
Three empty houses that have blighted Tarentum’s isolated Davidson Street for years were reduced to rubble Thursday. “I think it’s long overdue,” said Davidson Street resident Miriam Kengor. The three empty houses that sit in a row along Davidson Street were among the first of 23 to be torn down...
Barebones Productions steps up with ‘Dance Nation’ in Braddock theater
The Barebones Black Box Theatre in Braddock has built a reputation for bringing edgy, entertaining and thought-provoking plays to the stage. Its current production, “Dance Nation,” is no exception. “Dance Nation” is a comedy/drama by Clare Barron that played to off-Broadway audiences in New York last year. But while it...
Police: Incident with van outside Huston Middle School not an attempted abduction
An incident in which a man told a young girl to get into his van was not an attempted abduction, Lower Burrell police said Friday. The department said it was notified Friday of the incident that happened around 8:10 p.m. Thursday. An officer said the entire matter may have been...
Former Palace Theatre owner still loves Greensburg’s grand dameVideo
Judy Marinelli couldn’t help getting a little emotional at Thursday night’s show at The Palace Theatre in downtown Greensburg. Nostalgia was already in the air, as Cornell Gunter’s Coasters, the Drifters and the Platters performed favorites from the 1950s and ’60s. Marinelli’s thoughts invariably turned to her late husband, Carl....
Official: Pittsburgh pension funds on the rise
Pittsburgh’s employee pension funds are growing again after a loss of about $20 million in 2018, a pension official said. The invested portfolio increased by about 2.6% from September 2018 through this September for an increase of about $33.7 million, according to the Comprehensive Municipal Trust Fund board of directors....
East Liberty man acquitted of homicide and robbery charges in 2017 Pitcairn case
An Allegheny County jury Friday acquitted a 31-year-old East Liberty man of most of the charges he faced for his suspected role in a 2017 Pitcairn robbery-turned-homicide. “We are obviously pleased with the jury’s verdict,” said defense attorney Randall McKinney. McKinney represented Jamal Darnell Pamplin in the case that was...
Southbound Route 28 ramp to Veterans Bridge to close overnight
The ramp connecting southbound Route 28 to the I-579 Veterans Bridge will close to receive concrete deck repairs, according to PennDOT. The closure will take place from 8 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday. All traffic will be detoured, said Steve Cowan, PennDOT spokesperson. Motorists traveling to the Boulevard of...
Highlands mother angry bus driver left autistic son alone outside school
Rachael O’Connor said that her 9-year-old son sat and cried when he was unable to find an open door to his elementary school Thursday morning after a bus driver dropped him off late and left him alone. O’Connor said her son, who has autism, pulled at the door he would...
Ambulance service closing worries rural Westmoreland County communitiesVideo
A rural ambulance company abruptly closed this week, catching many residents in northeastern Westmoreland County by surprise and leaving some on edge. Connellsville-based Fayette EMS operated the Laurel Valley Ambulance Service station in New Florence since 2007. It closed Monday, with the door now padlocked and posted with “No Trespassing”...
Kids can skate with Santa this month at Allegheny County ice rinks
Good boys and girls can skate with Santa on Sunday at the South Park Ice Rink during an annual holiday event hosted by the Allegheny County Parks Department. Santa Claus will skate at the outdoor rink and pose for pictures with kids from noon to 4 p.m. Parents and guardians...
