Western PA Local News category, Page 956
Libraries aim to curb summer slide, keep kids engaged in literacy
Area libraries are turning the page on another year of free summer reading programs for children. The 2023 Collaborative Summer Library Program’s national slogan is “All Together Now.” Summer reading programs date back to the late 1800s, as a way to coax school-age children to utilize libraries and foster reading...
Monessen man who possessed child pornography sentenced to 8 years in prison
A Monessen man was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in a federal prison for having child pornography. Robert Haggerty, 63, was ordered to spend five years on supervised release after the prison term, according to federal prosecutors. Investigators said Haggerty had 92 images and eight videos of child pornography. He...
Morning Roundup: 4 homes destroyed in Cecil fire
4 homes destroyed in Cecil fire A townhouse in the Lawrence section of Cecil Township, Washington County, erupted in flames just before 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. The fire started in the garage and spread to homes on either side, Cecil Township Fire Chief Noel McMullen said in a statement. Four...
‘Cool Cars, Cool Dads’ offers Father’s Day fellowship at Fox Chapel church
The parking lot at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church is bound to turn a few heads on Father’ Day. Vintage vehicles will fill the lot during the annual “Cool Cars, Cool Dads” event from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. “I originated the idea as a fellowship event following worship, though now...
The Stroller, June 1, 2023: 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. Touch-a-truck event planned Saturday in Fawn Autism support group Powered By...
What to know about the implosions of the Cheswick Generating Station smokestacks
Springdale’s biggest attraction — literally — is being imploded Friday, and officials are preparing for its demise. At 8 a.m. or soon after, the two Cheswick Generating Station smokestacks in Springdale will be imploded. Local law enforcement will coordinate with the Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group, the property owner; Grant...
Poppin’ Tags Free Store in West Deer stocked with Point Park students’ discards
Dorm room trash at Point Park University has turned into treasure for the Poppin’ Tags Free Store in West Deer. College police, tasked with clearing rooms after students leave for the summer, had a choice whether to toss leftover food, bedding and clothes into dumpsters or put the items to...
Some look back wistfully at Springdale’s towering smokestacks, others welcome implosions
Mark Mattone of Springdale still recalls when he scaled the “stacks” on a crisp fall day in October 1973. Mattone, 73, a retired electrician, worked at what was then the Duquesne Light Power Station during the 1970s. “I was asked if I was afraid of heights, and before you know...
Pollution, weather, climate change all affect start, severity of allergy season
April showers bring May flowers, but those blooms can bring sneezes and sniffles along with itchy, watery eyes. As the region heads into the summer months, tree and grass pollen coupled with other irritants are ushering in suffering for those affected by allergies, according to local experts. Tree and grass...
Penn Hills senior citizens to get 3% real estate tax break in 2024-25 school year, but tax hike expected then, too
Penn Hills School District officials want to give low-income senior citizens a slight break on their real estate taxes in 2024. The board unanimously voted May 31 to approve a 3% tax rebate program effective the 2024-25 school year. District chief financial officer John Zahorchak said 1,092 Penn Hills seniors...
Penn Hills School District to petition the state to lift financial recovery status
The Penn Hills School District may be on its way out of its “financial recovery” status. A petition to the state Department of Education is in the works, state-appointed chief recovery officer Dan Matsook announced at a board meeting Wednesday, May 31. He said there will be a lot of...
Part of Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell reopens after water main break is fixed
A portion of Leechburg Road was closed and several Lower Burrell residents went without water Wednesday as a result of a water main break the night before. The Lower Burrell Emergency Management Agency reported via Facebook the break occurred around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Officials said there was damage to the...
Teen charged in New Kensington fatal shooting to be prosecuted as a juvenile
A 15-year-old boy who is one of seven people charged in connection with a fatal shooting last summer in New Kensington will be prosecuted as a juvenile. After what was described in court records as an emergency hearing, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani on Tuesday transferred the...
Hampton High School musical captures 6 Gene Kelly Awards
Hampton High School’s “Something Rotten!” won a school record-tying six awards at the 32nd annual Pittsburgh CLO Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater. The event, featuring group performances by the students from the participating schools, and medleys from the nominees for Best Actor and Actress, was...
Medical examiner IDs man killed in Wilkinsburg shooting
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified a man who was shot to death Saturday night in Wilkinsburg. Michael Anthony Tomlin, 32, of Verona, was found with a gunshot wound around midnight Saturday in the 1300 block of Franklin Avenue, according to Allegheny County Police. Authorities pronounced Tomlin dead...
Young Monroeville author discusses book
Fourteen-year-old Kasia Cunningham, a local author and Gateway student, led a discussion on her book, “Growing Up Divided,” at Monroeville Public Library on May 25. The book chronicles her early life, raised in two conflicting households and educated in two distinct school districts. Despite experiences with bullying and discrimination, she...
Allegheny Health Network trims losses as patient volume climbs
Allegheny Health Network shrank its losses during the first three months of the year, citing higher patient numbers and increased membership in its insurance units. The 14-hospital system on Wednesday reported an operating loss of $36.2 million for the first quarter compared to a loss of $105.5 million during the...
40 Pittsburgh schools to shift to remote learning Thursday due to heat
Pittsburgh Public Schools plans to temporarily close 40 district schools in favor of remote learning Thursday because of anticipated high temperatures. For a list of the affected schools, which officials said do not have sufficient air-conditioning, click here: www.pghschools.org/Page/6250. Students from those schools will receive virtual instruction on Thursday and...
Carnegie Mellon looks to create new commons area
Carnegie Mellon University is looking to create a new commons space on its Oakland campus. In a presentation Tuesday to the city’s Planning Commission, officials said the proposed Margaret Morrison Street Neighborhood Commons would be built under the existing Hamerschlag House dormitory. People would be able to access it through...
Antisemitic stickers found in Squirrel Hill park on 1st day of synagogue shooting trial
Antisemitic stickers were found in a Squirrel Hill park Tuesday, as the much-anticipated Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial got underway. About 15 stickers were removed from utility poles and other public surfaces at Wightman Park, and the stickers also have been found in Schenley Park, along Beechwood Boulevard, and in Oakland,...
Field fills in but remains incomplete for 6 New Kensington-Arnold School Board seats
The May primary has filled in some, but not all, of the empty ballot spots for the New Kensington-Arnold School Board. Six of the nine board seats are up for election this year — two in each of the district’s three voting regions. But only three people were on the...
Officials seek beds for people displaced from Smithfield Shelter in Pittsburgh
Allegheny County officials on Wednesday said they are working to provide additional resources and alternate shelter spaces for the people who have been using the Smithfield United Church of Christ temporary overnight shelter, which will close by the end of June. The shelter typically is open only during the winter...
Lower Burrell man accused of dragging 11-year-old down steps ordered to stand trial on assault charge
A Lower Burrell man accused of injuring his 11-year-old son by dragging him down a staircase and across a parking lot to his car has been ordered to stand trial. Richard John Acierno, 41, of the 2800 block of Edgecliff Road faces a June 15 arraignment in Westmoreland County Court...
Author dedicates book to former instructor at Forbes Road Career and Technology Center in Monroeville
Forbes Road Career and Technology Center alumna Dorothy Andreas dedicated her third book, “Build a Million Dollar Beauty Business: Proven Strategies to Streamline Your Success,” to a former Forbes teacher. Val Zola, a retired instructor and former head teacher for the cosmetology department at Forbes the Monroeville trade school, is...
‘We moved toward the gunfire’: Pittsburgh synagogue shooting survivors testify
Dan Leger thought he was dying. Moments earlier on the morning of Oct. 27, 2018, Leger had been shot in the abdomen during services for the Dor Hadash congregation inside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill. The long-time palliative care nurse recognized his symptoms — mounting internal...
