Western PA Local News category, Page 1027
‘June Boötid’ meteor shower will peak in Pittsburgh area tonight
The annual June Boötid meteor shower will stick around until July 2, but its peak — and the best chance to catch a glimpse — will be tonight. In the Pittsburgh area, the shower will be visible from dusk well into the night. But what is it, and why is...
State teacher’s union blasts proposed school voucher scholarships
Pennsylvania’s teachers union is protesting a proposed program that would shift funding from public to private schools. The initiative would provide state-funded “lifeline scholarships” to eligible students at schools identified as “low-achieving.” The program could come to a vote in the Senate this week amid the state budget approval process....
Hempfield board adopts budget with 2.3 mill tax hike
Property owners in the Hempfield Area School District will be paying more in real estate taxes after board members adopted a 2023-24 budget by a 6-2 vote. The budget includes about $106.9 million in expenditures, which amounts to a 2.3 mill property tax increase. The increase will help close a...
Industrial development agencies finalize venture to redevelop New Kensington park
Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. and the Regional Industrial Development Corp. finalized a joint venture to redevelop the New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park. Westmoreland County commissioners and IDC directors Sean Kertes, Doug Chew and Gina Cerilli Thrasher approved the partnership with RIDC, which has agreed to the terms. “We’re extremely...
Breeze Airways adds low-cost flights from Pittsburgh to Tampa
One of the newest airlines operating out of Pittsburgh International Airport plans to add flights to Tampa early this fall. Breeze Airways, which launched service in Pittsburgh in July 2021, announced that it will begin offering nonstop flights between Pittsburgh and Tampa International on Oct. 5. Round-trip flights will be...
Morning Roundup: Penn Hills police seek 2 suspects who shot at Amazon driver
Here are some of the latest news items from Tuesday morning: Penn Hills police seek 2 suspects who shot at Amazon driver Penn Hills police are searching for two men who they say attacked an Amazon driver and fired a shot at him while the driver was making deliveries. Police...
Man fatally shot in Pittsburgh’s East Hills
A man was killed Monday night in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, according to police. Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert around 9 p.m. in the 2200 block of Wilner Drive and found with a man with a gunshot wound to his neck, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the...
The Stroller, June 27, 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. ‘Encanto’ to be featured Friday at Hartwood Acres The free Allegheny...
Westmoreland officials pledge to reopen juvenile detention center
Westmoreland officials on Monday pledged to reopen the county’s juvenile detention center upon the conclusion of state investigations launched this month when two youths were injured at the Hempfield facility. “As soon as the investigations are done, we hope to be up and running. As soon as we can get...
With increased interest in self-defense classes, instructors focus on situational awareness
Fourth-degree black belt Bob Makowski doesn’t mind scaring students in his self-defense classes. The harder he grabs their attention, he said, the better chance they learn tools that can thwart danger. “About 65% of assaults occur with someone you know and also happen indoors,” said Makowski, owner of a martial...
Hempfield to purchase former state prison site, demolish buildings
Hempfield will buy the former SCI Greensburg state prison and plans to work with the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation to demolish the complex. Supervisors on Monday approved spending $3.5 million to buy the 96-acre property on Route 119 between Youngwood and Greensburg. The medium-security prison was originally built to...
Activists call on Pittsburgh Public Schools to stop issuing citations against students, cut back on suspensions
A rally Monday outside the Pittsburgh Public Schools administration building in Oakland highlighted concerns about students being pushed out of schools because of summary citations and suspensions. Spearheaded by 412 Justice, an organization focused on economic, environmental and educational justice, the rally brought attention to what organizers described as school...
PennDOT plans daily, 10-hour closures of Campbell Road in West Deer
A West Deer road is scheduled to be closed 10 hours a day, each day, from Tuesday through Friday, PennDOT announced Monday. Weather-permitting, Campbell Road will be closed to traffic from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. between Saxonburg Boulevard and Route 910 while crews are leveling the road and paving....
Playground equipment returns to Lions Park in Bethel Park
Playgrounds have come a long way since the days of bolting together iron bars and sheet metal atop a sea of asphalt. “There are federal and state guidelines on what you have to do with playground equipment. It’s pretty extensive,” Bethel Park council member John Oakes said. “There’s even a...
Pittsburgh woman guilty of involuntary manslaughter in stabbing death of husband
An Allegheny County Common Pleas judge found a Brighton Heights woman guilty but mentally ill on Monday for fatally stabbing her husband in December 2020 and wrapping his corpse in garbage bags and duct tape. Janet L. Winbush, 53, a North Side resident who grew up in Grove City, Mercer...
Former Highmark Health employee accused of draining thousands from health savings accounts
Authorities are seeking a former Highmark Health employee in South Carolina who they say used her job with the health care giant to withdraw or attempt to withdraw nearly $90,000 from eight victims’ health savings accounts. Zakayah A. Scott, 23, of Columbia, S.C., has been charged with nine counts of...
Derry Township man charged after incident at courthouse
Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies charged a man last week after they said he lunged at a conference officer during a domestic relations hearing, according to court papers. William A. Friedline, 44, of Derry Township, was at the Greensburg courthouse June 20 around 3 p.m. for the hearing when deputies were...
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial enters death-penalty eligibility phase
Brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal couldn’t read or write. They couldn’t process complicated situations. Loud noises scared them. Dan Stein, at age 71, was soon to get hearing aids, and getting up and down was so difficult that he was never able to play with his 7-month-old grandson on the...
Registered sex offender accused of sexually assaulting woman in restroom at Apollo park
An Apollo man who is a registered sex offender is charged with sexually assaulting a woman in a portable restroom at Owen’s Grove Community Park. Joshua Allen Gibbon, 22, of 400 block of Woodward Avenue was charged with felony counts of aggravated indecent assault, sexual assault and criminal use of...
Vandergrift’s 1st female mayor remembered for her dedication, kindness and work ethic
A former Vandergrift mayor and longtime Leechburg Area School District educator is being remembered as a dedicated servant in two neighboring communities. Barbara Jo (Sendry) Turiak died on June 20, 2023 at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. She was 70. Turiak lived in Vandergrift for more than 19 years, often...
Greensburg Y youth sports camps emphasize fitness, fun
Kids ranging from preschoolers to middle school students can have fun and learn skills playing a variety of sports in a series of new camps offered in July by the Greensburg YMCA. The evening camps, each with four-day sessions, include: • Tots Variety Sports (ages 2-4) — 5:30 to 6...
Girlfriend of Greensburg-area dentist convicted of killing his wife on safari sentenced to 17 years
The girlfriend of a former Greensburg-area dentist convicted of murdering his wife on an African safari was sentenced Friday to 17 years in prison for being an accessory to the crime. Ana Rudolph, daughter of 57-year-old victim Bianca Rudolph, said that Lori Milliron had “plotted to eliminate” her mother. “Lori,...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust parts ways with CEO April Kopas
The Westmoreland Cultural Trust has parted ways with CEO April Kopas, who has led the regional cultural and arts organization since June 2019. The Trust issued a statement this weekend that Kopas left the Greensburg-based organization on June 20, but offered no explanation for her abrupt departure. “On behalf of...
Diamond Antiques building gets makeover ahead of 100th anniversary
It’s hard to miss the new and improved Diamond Antiques building in Tarentum. Painted bright white, the formerly drab brown building sticks out along the Sixth Avenue business district. The storefront is appointed with a stark black-and-white striped awning “There’s been so many comments, and everyone seems to love it,”...
In brief: Monroeville area happenings, posted week of June 26, 2023
Library showcases Monroeville artist Monroeville resident Jay Winter’s exhibition “Aphelion” will be showcased at Monroeville Public Library during July. The public is invited to a complimentary opening reception for the artist from 6 to 8 p.m. July 8 in the library’s Elaine Biondi Gallery Space. “Aphelion” refers to the farthest...
