Western PA Local News category, Page 356
Fawn-Frazer Water Authority raises rates
Customers in the Fawn-Frazer Joint Water Authority will see a slight increase to their bills next year. “We are looking at a $2 increase,” said Ed Adams, authority chairman. The rate, effective Jan. 1, will increase from $31 to $33 monthly, Adams said. It was approved by the water authority...
Harp and Hound Jewelry brings Celtic-inspired designs to Blawnox
A professional metalsmith and jeweler with more than 22 years of custom jewelry experience has opened a studio in Blawnox. Dan Jacko of Verona opened Harp and Hound Jewelry on Dec. 7 at 238½ Freeport Road, the former site of Marlene Harris Collection. Jacko designs and creates artisan and handcrafted...
Teenager dies after shooting in Beaver Falls
A 16-year-old boy died Wednesday night after being shot in Beaver Falls. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim Thursday morning as Darell Love Jr. The shooting happened at about 9:45 p.m. on 13th Street. Emergency responders found Love unresponsive and transported him to Allegheny General Hospital in...
Fire displaces residents of Connellsville apartment building
Several people were left without a home Wednesday night after a fire destroyed an apartment building in Connellsville, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The building is near the intersection of North Pittsburgh and Peach streets. No injuries were reported, but at least one person was rescued by firefighters. “I...
Lefty’s could be leaving Strip District
A popular bar in Pittsburgh’s Strip District could be gone in a matter of weeks. Lefty’s lease along Penn Avenue will come to an end in late January, owner Rick Krist told TribLive news partner WTAE. The landlord has declined to renew the lease, he said, and other landlords in...
Students from Christ the Divine Teacher bring cheer to patients at UPMC St. Margaret
Students from the third and fourth grade classes of Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy visited UPMC St. Margaret on Dec. 4 to help spread holiday cheer. The students decorated the Christmas tree in the hospital’s lobby with handmade ornaments, sang carols and helped to light the tree. The St....
Light Up the Wall in Aspinwall draws huge holiday crowd
An illuminating holiday tradition drew hundreds of people tiny Aspinwall on Dec. 7. The annual Light Up the Wall is one of the largest events organized by the Aspinwall Chamber of Commerce and presented in partnership with the borough. Freezing temperatures did not stop dozens of families across the Fox...
The Stroller, Dec. 19, 2024: 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. Oakmont Elks to host...
Upper Burrell data center to be company’s ‘U.S. flagship,’ founder says
A new data center in Upper Burrell could hold 3 gigawatts of power — about three times more than the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant can generate — and employ hundreds if plans come to fruition at the vacant portion of the Alcoa Technical Center. TECfusions, a Florida-based data...
Pittsburgh interior designer to face judge in business fraud case out of Fox Chapel
An interior designer accused of swindling a Fox Chapel woman out of $170,000 is headed to court, the latest in a flurry of legal cases surrounding the embattled Pittsburgh business owner. Lauren Michelle Piasecki, 44, of Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood waived her preliminary hearing Wednesday in a Sharpsburg district court....
Berk’s Menswear store sees changing of the guard after 4 generations
After 30 years operating a family-owned fine men’s clothing store in North Huntingdon and several years working for others in the retail industry, Bruce Berk knew it was time to take a break this year — a decision that ended four generations of family ownership. Berk of Penn Township sold...
‘Nothing more than a traffic jam’: Penn Township residents dread interchange, loss of quiet community
Anita Lipinski has lived in her Four Seasons Lane home in Penn Township all 55 years of her life. Growing up, Lipinski remembers there was only one other home on the street — now a quiet sanctuary for a handful of homeowners. Woods that separate her narrow, gravel road from...
Blawnox cookie tour highlights community, business district
Amanda Shirk’s favorite part of the fourth annual Best of Blawnox cookie tour was visiting new borough businesses she didn’t otherwise know about. Complemented by cookies and camaraderie, it wasn’t too shabby of a Saturday afternoon. “I’ve enjoyed finding new business,” said Shirk of Cheswick, while visiting the newly opened...
Blawnox officials celebrate their police officers’ next chapters
Blawnox police Chief Patrick Goodman sat at the main desk of the police station talking with his fellow officers on the first floor of the borough building. Some wearing fully-equipped uniforms and a part-timer in plain clothes. It was a familiar scene since 2019 when Goodman took over the small...
Moviemaking magic: Students relish opportunity to craft animated film
Four seventh graders eat their lunch with their eyes focused on a computer screen. Their teacher sits nearby. They are captivated by an animated character named Sam who is in virtual view as Jason Richards, director of information technology for Wonder Media LLC, an animation production company that helps young...
Gateway students distribute groceries for ‘Do Good December’
Every December, members of Gateway High School’s Chick-fil-A Leader Academy decide on a service project where they can positively impact the community. This year, for “Do Good December,” the group of 25 students collected nonperishable foods for the school’s backpack program and monthly food pantry. “The students decorated and dropped...
East End Kids celebrates 35 years of showcasing teen talent
Larry Cervi began East End Kids, a nonprofit professional teen song and dance ensemble, to showcase student talent several times a year while giving back to the community. “I found it ridiculous that the dance students (from other organizations) were only performing one show at the end of the season,”...
Residents of Mt. Pleasant personal care homes to start returning hours after gas leak
Residents of two personal care homes in Mt. Pleasant were evacuated because of a gas leak Wednesday evening and were starting to return to the facility shortly before 10 p.m. Westmoreland County Public Safety reported people in the Harmon House and Amber House along South Church Street had to leave...
Former Pitt trustee sues board, alleges retaliation
A longtime member of the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees is suing his former board and its chair, claiming that he has been shut out because of concerns he raised about budget and other management issues, including the fall termination of former athletic director Heather Lyke. John H. Pelusi...
Youngwood man to serve probation, house arrest for drug sales in two fatal overdoses
A Youngwood man was ordered Wednesday to serve 10-years on probation for his role in two overdose deaths. Frank Bogley, 72, pleaded guilty in April to felony counts that included two charges of drug delivery resulting in death and related offenses in connection with Feb. 1, 2020, death of 39-year-old...
MAWC opens talks to buy, run Gilpin water and sewer systems
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials will open negotiations to take over operations of a small water system in Gilpin, Armstrong County. Gilpin supervisors this week solicited an offer from the county authority to purchase or operate the township’s water and sewer systems service. On Wednesday, the authority said it...
West Deer foots bill for $203,000 ambulance
While ambulance services across the state struggle to stay afloat, West Deer EMS just got a life-saving lift. The township is footing the bill for the group’s $203,000 ambulance, delivered to the East Union Road station on Tuesday. Chief Bill Humes knows how significant it is. “There’s only so much...
Reconfigured Bon Air Elementary layout finalized for next school year
Burrell School District has a plan to accommodate fourth graders at Bon Air Elementary School next school year. A task force of about 20 staff members and parents reviewed Superintendent Shannon Wagner’s proposed building layout to have the elementary school on Leechburg Road house kindergarten through fourth grades next school...
Lawsuit accuses Washington County officials of holding infant’s decomposing body for months in death penalty case
A death penalty case against a Washington County man charged with killing his baby took a grisly turn last week when the father sued top county officials for not releasing his son’s body for seven months, delaying funeral arrangements even as the infant’s body decomposed. Jordan Clarke, the father, accused...
Springdale property owners to see 18% increase in borough real estate taxes, trash collection up, too
Property owners in Springdale will pay 18% more in real estate taxes. The 2025 spending plan increases the borough’s millage rate by 1.5 mills, to 9.75 mills. Officials have said that assessment appeals on industrial properties led to an $11 million loss in expected revenues, leaving borough property owners to...
