Southmoreland Middle School recognized by state for academic performance
Southmoreland Middle School was one of 13 Pennsylvania schools recognized by the state education department this week for academic performance. The initiative, Pennsylvania Blue Ribbon Schools, was launched by the state after President Donald Trump ended the 40-year-old federal version of the program in August. Schools are recognized for their...
Summer Lee rips move to cut 2 PRT bus stops at Waterfront
Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s bus stops within The Waterfront plaza in Homestead will be discontinued next month, though riders will still be able to catch the bus nearby. The transit authority in a news release said routing for the 53-Homestead Park, 53L-Homestead Park Limited, 57-Hazelwood, 59-MonValley, 61D-Murray Short and 64-Lawrence-Waterfront will...
PRT board passes ‘Band-Aid’ budget to avoid transit rate hikes, drastic service cuts
Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s board on Friday formally approved a budget that will stave off rate hikes and drastic service cuts. But officials reiterated the measure to use $100 million in state funds to plug holes in the transit authority’s operating budget is an imperfect fix. “This is not a win,”...
Prominent muralist sues over destruction of images in Wilkinsburg
A renowned muralist who has installed hundreds of works of art around the Pittsburgh area is suing a property owner in Wilkinsburg, alleging failure to properly notify him before painting over his images. Kyle Holbrook — known for, among others, painting the Roberto Clemente Museum mural — alleges the act...
‘A healthier place to be’: Lower Burrell fire companies to get new, updated equipment
Lower Burrell’s fire departments will be getting new equipment that, the chiefs say, will improve safety for its volunteers. Interior firefighters in Lower Burrell’s Kinloch fire department will soon have new air packs when they battle blazes, and Lower Burrell Co. 3 will get an exhaust system to eliminate hazardous...
Armstrong County announces furloughs, program cuts stemming from state budget delay
Armstrong County officials say the state’s budget fiasco is forcing furloughs and program cuts that could affect the county’s most vulnerable populations. Beginning Oct. 1, seven out of nine county senior centers will be closed, effectively furloughing eight center employees and eliminating about 500 senior meals. Only the Kittanning and...
Overnight traffic stops expected on Route 28
Overnight intermittent traffic stops will take place next week on Route 28 between the Harmar and Fox Chapel exits. PennDOT will be testing its wrong-way detection system at the off-ramps from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays. Vehicles could be stopped for up to 15 minutes at a time. The...
Penn-Trafford Hockey Club disbands junior varsity team, cites low participation
Three weeks into the season, Penn-Trafford’s junior varsity hockey team disbanded because of low participation. Following tryouts in April, about 10 players were placed on the junior varsity roster, according to parent Michael Broker of Penn Township. “Having that few of kids, it’s really not ideal, because there’s injury, people...
Lower Burrell Family Dollar property to have its real estate tax slashed by 40%
Real estate taxes on the Family Dollar Store in Lower Burrell apparently will be slashed for this year and next. The Burrell School Board approved a real estate assessment appeal settlement with Greensburg Road LLC, et. al., the owner of the property. The settlement would reduce its school taxes by...
Pitt to launch 1st-of-its-kind natural gas, renewables and oil engineering degree
University of Pittsburgh officials say a new undergraduate degree will prepare future engineers for the evolving, global energy market. The Natural Gas, Renewables and Oil Engineering (GRO) program is designed to prepare students as energy production evolves, whether it be traditional oil and natural gas to solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric...
A-K Valley High school class reunions, Sept. 26, 2025
• Arnold High School Class of 1964 will get together at 1 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Hunter’s and Fisherman’s Club, 2400 Constitution Blvd., New Kensington. There are no stairs to the back room at the club. Reservations required. Reservations: Glenn, 440-221-5988. • Har-Brack High School Class of 1966 will...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: Sept. 26
The following is a feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz: 1. “Jimmy Kimmel Live” returned to the airwaves this week after a suspension from ABC the previous week. Upon the show’s return, it enjoyed record viewership. According to data from Nielsen, how many viewers were accumulated on television? A/...
‘He was scared’: Mother of Carrick High stabbing suspect says son received threats
The mother of a teen charged with stabbing three classmates at Carrick High School said her son was shaken by threats he received on social media and did not want to attend school Wednesday. She hadn’t realized his fear prompted him to carry a knife for protection. “I hugged him...
Morning Roundup: Officials seek whoever dumped trash on Pa. game lands; shooting in Lawrenceville
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Sept. 26: Officials search for game lands trash maker The Pennsylvania Game Commission is trying to figure out who dumped garbage in Westmoreland County game lands earlier this week. Operation Game Thief reported that drywall and building materials...
Budget impasse leaves school districts in limbo over $4 billion in funding
The state’s nearly three-month budget impasse has cost Pennsylvania school districts almost $4 billion. That’s how much districts, technical schools and intermediate units should have received in state funding since July 1 — the day a new budget was supposed to take effect. Without a budget, the state isn’t making...
West Leechburg Council considers fire tax; tax bill would increase by $60 a year for most homeowners
West Leechburg officials are exploring a new revenue stream to prop up the borough’s volunteer fire department. A new ordinance establishing a 3-mill fire tax to assist with equipment purchases is being considered. According to a statement on the borough’s social media, the millage rate is the maximum allowed under...
The Stroller, Sept. 26, 2025: 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. Oktoberfest to feature German...
Irwin council members debate electronic sign
A proposal to replace the 4-foot-by-8-foot message board on the “Irwin Inc. 1864” welcome sign with a new electronic version sparked a heated debate among Irwin Council members, with one member calling the proposed sign a “total eyesore.” At a recent council meeting, Councilman Tyler Baum was the sole dissenter...
‘A part of you dies’: Pittsburgh vigil recalls homicide victims, 1 mother’s loss
The organizers of a “stop the violence” rally and prayer vigil held Thursday night at a church in Pittsburgh’s St. Clair neighborhood got all the details right. They lined the maroon-carpeted altar steps of The Lighthouse Cathedral with a row of 39 white votive candles, their flaming wicks replaced with...
$100M recycling facility to replace ‘primitive’ slag pits at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson plant
U.S. Steel’s notoriously outdated Edgar Thomson Works handles the molten substance left behind by smelting iron ore the same way it did 150 years ago: by dumping it into slag pits. They’re as low-tech as they sound. First, molten iron comes flowing from the blast furnaces. The slag, which rides...
Feds sue Pa. over failure to release voter information
The Department of Justice on Thursday sued Pennsylvania and five other states accusing them of failing to turn over voter information. The complaint, filed in federal court in Pittsburgh, alleges Attorney General Pam Bondi has requested voter information unsuccessfully from Pennsylvania three times since June. “Clean voter rolls are the...
New Kensington man charged, accused of providing fentanyl that killed 2 people
A New Kensington man was charged Thursday with providing fatal doses of drugs investigators said killed two people two days apart: his girlfriend and a man who was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. Davi J. Roman, 29, was denied bail. The case was investigated by a grand jury...
O’Connor far outpaces Moreno in fundraising ahead of Pittsburgh mayoral election
With Pittsburgh’s mayoral race less than six weeks out, new reports show Democratic candidate Corey O’Connor holding a tremendous fundraising advantage over Republican nominee Tony Moreno. O’Connor has about $270,000 to spend ahead of the November 4 election — more than 60 times what Moreno has. Campaign finance reports filed...
TV shoot delayed to Friday in Vandergrift
Filming has been set back a day in Vandergrift for a new Apple TV+ series, tentatively titled “Parallax.” Crews were originally set to film throughout the borough’s downtown Thursday, but series publicist Shelly Williams said cameras will likely now roll Friday. Williams did not give a reason for the delay,...
Murrysville area: Apple’n Arts, homecoming bonfire and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Apple’n Arts Festival The 2025 Apple’n Arts Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 4 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 5 at Shields Farm in Delmont. It is at Contact Place. Parking is $10 per car....
