Megan Tomasic stories, Page 43
Wolf calls on General Assembly to raise minimum wage in Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday called on lawmakers to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania, which has not been increased in 11 years. The state’s minimum wage was set at $7.25 on July 24, 2009, the last time the federal government raised wages. Prior to that, the minimum wage was...
Clear skies expected this weekend following bouts of rain
The Pittsburgh region can expect to see clear skies and high temperatures over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The sunny forecast comes days after bouts of rain moved through the area this week. Yesterday’s showers brought close to an inch of rain at Pittsburgh International Airport, Meteorologist...
Hempfield looking to implement solar farm feeVideo
Hempfield officials are looking to implement a solar farm fee. The fee would make the township more attractive to solar farm projects by putting permit costs in line with other municipalities, said Patrick Karnash, director of planning and zoning. As it stands now, those wanting to build a solar farm...
Hempfield hosting special meeting, town hall session before vote on reopening plans
The Hempfield Area School Board is hosting a number of meetings to discuss reopening plans prior to an August vote. A vote on the plans, originally scheduled for this month, was delayed when new guidance was released by the state Department of Education. Officials are taking time to tweak plans...
Hempfield cancels summer concert series, movies in the park
Hempfield’s new amphitheater will sit empty this summer after township officials canceled their annual concert and movie series. “We do not feel we could adequately meet the social distancing requirements and large group gatherings that are currently in play and we do not want any additional expenses on us at...
Fire officials: Garage at West Point VFD vandalized
Members of the West Point Volunteer Fire Department in Hempfield are searching for three boys who allegedly vandalized a detached garage housing an antique fire truck. According to a post on the department’s Facebook page, the boys on Saturday broke a glass block window with bricks, entered the building and...
Hempfield delays vote on school reopening plans
Hempfield school officials postponed a vote on plans for reopening the district this fall. Superintendent Tammy Wolicki during Monday’s board meeting attributed the delay to new guidance released by the state Department of Education which give further details on how to safely reopen with specific recommendations on lunch, recess, busing...
Wyano church hoping Elvis impersonator, sweets will help raise the roof
Elvis may have left the building, but he’ll be on the lawn of the Wyano “Coal Patch Town” Fellowship Church come Sunday. Almost a year after the church reopened to public services, work is underway to upgrade the more than 100-year-old building. Church members will host a cake walk fundraiser,...
Giant Eagle defends mask policy in answer to lawsuit
Giant Eagle is defending itself after a lawsuit filed by more than 30 people claims the grocery chain’s face mask policy is discriminatory toward disabled shoppers. In a response to a consolidated federal lawsuit that names 35 plaintiffs but specifically cites plaintiff Josiah Kostek, lawyers for Giant Eagle called for...
Vandergrift pool to reopen Friday after possible covid-19 exposure
Days after closing due to a possible covid-19 exposure, Vandergrift’s Joseph A. Petrarca Pool is reopening Friday. The reopening was announced Thursday on the Vandergrift Pool Facebook page. Officials closed the pool July 11 after an employee was possibly exposed to the coronavirus. “To be clear, this is not a...
Live! Casino Pittsburgh gears up for hiring more than 500 positions in Hempfield
Officials with Live! Casino Pittsburgh at the Westmoreland Mall are starting to fill more than 500 positions needed to open the $150 million facility. Under construction in the former Bon-Ton store, the casino will include 750 slot machines and 30 table games. It is expected to open before Thanksgiving. Job...
Drive-in theaters touted as ideal entertainment amid pandemic, but attendance flaggingVideo
Drive-in theaters are being touted as “masters of social distancing entertainment” even as attendance rates continue to taper off at many local theaters. Visit Pennsylvania, the state’s tourism website, released a list of the state’s 27 drive-in theaters describing them as “ready for their closeup” in the era of covid-19....
WCCC seeks students to become dealers for soon-to-be Hempfield casino
Blackjack games, roulette wheels and a craps table soon will fill an empty space inside Westmoreland Mall, though not as part of the casino being built in the former Bon-Ton store. Instead, the first-floor space vacated by Barbara Ann’s Country Home Furnishings, which moved upstairs, will become a mock casino...
Exact change? Western Pa. businesses impacted by national coin shortage
Businesses are facing yet another hurdle from the coronavirus pandemic — a shortage of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. The national coin shortage, which is impacting businesses across the nation, is the result of disruption in the supply chain when stay-at-home orders were put in place and businesses were forced...
North Huntingdon boy battles cancer, community rallies behind him
When Casey Watson took her then-13-year-old son to Forbes Hospital’s emergency room in October, she never imagined some of her worst fears would be coming true. On Oct. 28, Tristan Watson, a Norwin student, was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a cancer that occurs in and around bones. Doctors found a...
Veterans left out of census count
On the morning of July 29, 1967, Preston Gardner, a Navy senior chief petty officer, had just finished an overnight shift aboard the USS Forrestal, an aircraft carrier operating in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War. A stray electrical signal ignited a rocket on board. It shot across...
Crash closes eastbound lanes on I-70 in Washington County
Eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 in Washington County were closed early Friday to a tractor-trailer crash, Tribune-Review news partners WPXI-TV reported. The crash was near the Interstate 79 southbound junction. According to the news channel, hazmat teams were dispatched because of a diesel fuel leak. Eastbound Lanes of I-70 at...
Northbound lanes on Route 8 in Shaler reopened after water main break
Northbound lanes along Route 8 in Shaler have reopened after a water main break, Shaler police said. The break was reported in the 1300 block of Route 8, also called William Flinn Highway. The road is closed between Spencer Lane and Fall Run Road. Southbound lanes were closed early Friday...
Police: 1 person in stable condition following shooting in Northview Heights
A man was hospitalized in stable condition after he was shot early Friday morning in Northview Heights, Pittsburgh police said. The man was found in the 500 block of Mount Pleasant Road around 12 a.m. after officers received a report of a gunshot victim. He had a graze wound to...
Two teenagers accused of arson in blaze that destroyed facilities at Buena Vista pool in Elizabeth
Two 13-year-old teenagers were arrested Thursday by Elizabeth Township police for allegedly setting an early morning fire that severely damaged facilities at a township swimming pool. The fire started around 3:30 a.m. at the Buena Vista pool, which is owned and operated by the fire department. It destroyed a building...
Man identified who was killed in early-morning shooting in North Versailles
A 29-year-old man found dead after a shooting at a North Versailles apartment complex early Wednesday morning has been identified. Jamey Green of West Mifflin died around 2 a.m. after being shot along the 500 block of East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard, Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office reported. Officers with the county...
Police: Leechburg man arrested for selling cocaine in North Apollo
A Leechburg man was arrested early Tuesday morning after police said he was selling cocaine in North Apollo. Jonathan Rearick, 28, was arrested around 12:50 a.m. by the Kiski Township Police Department after they said he was selling cocaine at the R Bar, located at 418 16th Street. Officers said...
Newborn baby, child and 2 adults hurt in crash involving Amish buggy in Crawford County
A newborn baby, 1-year-old child and two adults are in serious condition following a hit-and-run crash involving an Amish buggy in Sparta Township, Crawford County, state police said. The crash occurred around 7:30 p.m. Sunday along Canadohta Lake Road near Route 89. According to police, a black 2018 Chevrolet Traverse...
Water main break closed part of Mifflin Road in Lincoln Place Tuesday
Part of Mifflin Road in Lincoln Place was closed “well into early morning” Tuesday due to a water main break, according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. The break occurred in the 6,000 block of Mifflin Road. The road was closed between Buttermilk Hollow Road to the 5,700 block of...
West Mifflin police searching for missing woman
West Mifflin police are searching for a woman last seen in California. Don “Dawn” Leo Dawayne Manson was last seen in San Francisco, but officers believe she may be in the Pittsburgh area. She drives a red four-door Kia Rio with a Florida license plate. The license plate number is...
