Western PA Local News category, Page 1101
4 firefighters honored for rescuing victims of Greensburg apartment fires
Four local volunteer firefighters have earned recognition for their efforts to rescue two men from recent apartment fires in Greensburg. Greensburg fire Chief Tom Bell and city Mayor Robb Bell honored the first responders at the April city council meeting. Tom Bell praised firefighters JP Maroney, of the Greensburg department,...
Lack of candidates marks primary for New Kensington-Arnold School Board
While voters in other communities have an overabundance of candidates from which to choose to fill school board seats, those in New Kensington and Arnold will find mostly blank ballots for the May primary. Examples of many include Plum, where 13 are vying for five seats; Highlands, where 11 are...
No ‘au revoir’ just yet: Penn-Trafford to keep French program, for now
French language courses at Penn-Trafford School District won’t be going away anytime soon. After previously announcing the program would be phased out because of a lack of enrollment and the retirement of the district’s longtime high school French teacher, the Penn-Trafford School Board decided last week to continue the program,...
Devoted firefighter, Greensburg business owner, family man escaped WWII captors in bold move
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series about Westmoreland County residents who have been honored as Hometown Heroes. The program honors local military and non- military heroes by displaying photos on decorative banners in area communities. Joseph S. Schworer Jr. Hempfield 1916-2002 Joseph Schworer considered himself lucky to be...
Out & About: Latrobe Art Center serves up ‘Taste of the Neighborhood’
Offer a group of people a dozen things to eat and everyone will have a different favorite. So it was at the annual Taste of the Neighborhood: Pizza, Brews & More, on April 14 at Latrobe Art Center. The overflow crowd spilled out of the center onto Ligonier Street with...
Hempfield seventh graders celebrate ‘Day of Service’
Students at Hempfield Area School District’s Wendover Middle School got to take a break from classwork to spend time helping those in need through a “Day of Service” event organized by seventh grade teachers. During their school day, 120 students across five homerooms replaced their usual classes with three service...
Greater Latrobe students participate St. Xavier conservation project
Greater Latrobe students exercised their green thumbs on the site of the former Saint Xavier Academy in Unity during a Capstone program project. Patrick Roberts teaches the Latrobe Capstone students and is on the board of directors for the Westmoreland Land Trust. The Trust recently purchased the St. Xavier property...
Warhol Bridge to close Monday through Thursday nights starting Monday
The Andy Warhol (Seventh Street) Bridge will close from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Monday-Thursday nights — except during inclement weather and nearby special events — beginning on Monday. The Public Works Department says the overnight closures are expected to last at least three months. The closures are necessary...
Liberty Tunnel set for overnight closures starting Sunday
Extensive inspections and survey work will close the Liberty Tunnel inbound (northbound) in Pittsburgh overnight starting Sunday night, weather permitting. Overnight tunnel closures on the inbound side will happen from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, according to PennDOT. Tunnel closures on the outbound (southbound) side...
Monroeville resident helps others through philanthropy, publishing company
In Kenya’s capital city is a school named after Monroeville resident John Stanko. “The African way is they do that to honor you,” he explained. “I don’t own it. I don’t have any say in it. But I’ve said, ‘If my name can help you, use it.’” Over the past...
David Leech Elementary Color Fun Run brings fun — and funds — to Leech Elementary School
The kids might not have known running could be as much fun as it was on a rainy Saturday morning at Gilpin- Leechburg Park. More than 100 Leechburg elementary school students and adults raised money and made history as they took part in the inaugural David Leech Elementary Color Fun Run....
Hempfield community members, students gather for Earth Day volunteering
Rainy weather and cool temperatures didn’t stop Hempfield residents on Earth Day from helping to keep their environment clean and refreshed. According to Marissa Haynes, Hempfield’s interim director of parks and recreation, residents arrived as early as 7:30 a.m. to drop off tires at the township’s Hands On Hempfield event...
Home destroyed by fire, 3 injured in Hempfield
A house in Hempfield burned down and three people living there were burned early Saturday morning, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. Three residents of the single-family home were taken to UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh with burns suffered in the fire, which started at 12:45 a.m., the dispatcher...
Outbound Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel closures still on for Saturday, Sunday nights
PennDOT has confirmed that overnight closures of the outbound (westbound) Fort Pitt Bridge are taking place as scheduled Saturday and Sunday night in Pittsburgh, weather permitting. Work scheduled for Friday night was postponed to the weekend . PennDOT says road crews will be working to remove pavement markings and installing...
Wilkinsburg man wanted on parole violation taken into custody
A Wilkinsburg man accused of violence against women has been taken into custody. Laron Robinson, 33, was wanted on a probation violation involving a 2022 case where he pleaded guilty to strangulation and making terroristic threats, Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus said Saturday. Robinson also is facing an active warrant from...
‘Living history’ unfolds during reenactors’ training session on the Kiski RiverVideo
Nine years ago, IT consultant John Stevenson brought some antique firearms into a Pittsburgh-area gun shop, where a man invited him to a Civil War reenactment. The rest, as they say, is history. Stevenson — who’s been taking part ever since in historically accurate reenactments that organizers call “living history”...
Penn Hills man killed in motorcycle accident
A Penn Hills man was killed in a motorcycle accident Friday afternoon in the 100 block of Castle Drive. Leslie Bennett, 76, was pronounced dead at the scene at around 4:49 p.m. by Penn Hills police. Bennett was the only person involved in the accident, according to Allegheny County 911...
The Stroller, April 22, 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. Floral photography and art show hosted by NK Camera Club The...
Westmoreland Cleanways accepting many types of plastics for those lacking curbside recycling
Westmoreland Cleanways has diverted about 4,000 pounds of plastics from landfills in the couple months since it started collecting them. Executive director Mike Skapura said the new program has been well received by members of the public who are now permitted to drop off plastics marked with a recycling symbol...
Arnold couple opening The Feisty Goblin Gamehouse, a tabletop gaming store, in New Kensington
Jim and Christine Radeshak are hoping to roll a natural crit when they open their tabletop gaming store in downtown New Kensington. The Arnold couple will take advantage of the crowds drawn to the city’s popular Fridays on Fifth to launch The Feisty Goblin Gamehouse. They are planning a soft...
2 vying for Tarentum at-large council seat; incumbent plans write-in campaign for 3rd Ward post; other races uncontested
Voters in Tarentum might need a manual to follow candidates and which council offices they are seeking in the May primary. Residents will have their choice of two residents to represent the borough at-large. Democrat Scott Dadowski, current council president, will face newcomer Margaret “Maggie” Smith, a Republican, for the...
Leechburg church kicks off fundraiser in hopes of reviving silent bell tower
The Rev. James Arter climbed a narrow ladder several stories Wednesday to reach the bell tower at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Leechburg. As he manually rang one of the 28 bells, the melodic tone produced by the nearly 3,500-pound bell brought a smile to his face — and sent...
‘Yukon Sourdough’ added to Westmoreland Airshow 2023 attractions
The Air North DC-3 “Yukon Sourdough” will be added as an attraction in the Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow in June 2023. Produced by the Douglas Aircraft Corp. in 1942, the transport aircraft flew mostly in Canada, merging into instruction and training use until it was sold in 1963. During...
Pittsburgh to begin work on Swindell Bridge, 30th Street Bridge next week
Pittsburgh officials on Friday announced that construction projects at the Swindell Bridge and 30th Street Bridge are slated to begin next week. The city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure will lead the projects. The Swindell Bridge, which connects Perry South and Northview Heights over I-279, is set to see a...
Swissvale artist recognized at international juried painting competition
East Suburban Artists League member Cindy Berceli received an award for her pastel piece in the Faces 2023 International Juried Painting Awards. Berceli, of Swissvale, earned a Silver Award for her pieces, “Professor Molly,” a pastel portrait of a dog wearing reading glasses. Hosted by the Camelback Gallery in Scottsdale,...
