Western PA Local News category, Page 1156
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: March 3-5
Queen of bluegrass “Queen of Bluegrass” Rhonda Vincent will perform with her band, The Rage, at 8 p.m. Friday at The Lamp Theatre, 222 Main St., Irwin. A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Vincent won a 2017 Grammy Award for best bluegrass album and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry...
Hempfield house damaged by fire
A Hempfield house was damaged by fire early Friday, according to a Westmoreland Public Safety Department supervisor. The fire was reported about 12:45 a.m. in the 200 block of Wendel Road, about a mile north of Herminie. Adamsburg firefighters were on the scene for several hours, the supervisor said. Don...
Nearly 1,200 charges filed after dead, dying reptiles found in Murrysville home
A Murrysville woman is facing animal cruelty charges after 101 dead reptiles and 76 more that were barely alive were seized from her home in December, according to court papers. Nearly 1,200 charges were filed Wednesday against Susan McHale, 60, by humane agents from All But Furgotten rescue. They were...
Westmoreland inmate assault tied to Arnold fatal shooting, detectives say
A Wilkinsburg man was arraigned Wednesday after authorities said he beat an inmate at the Westmoreland County Prison for testifying against a man convicted of a 2020 Arnold fatal shooting, according to court papers. County detectives said Shawnti Shifflett, 27, attacked the fellow prisoner at the Hempfield lockup on Feb....
North Allegheny tech and engineering course under review
North Allegheny’s solicitor is reviewing an agreement for a technology and engineering course used by the district to determine whether the program’s outside operator is seeking too much personal data about students. NA School Board Director Marcie Crow said Project Lead The Way, offered by the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of...
The Stroller, March 3, 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. Ride for the Fallen Officers planned March 11 The Ride for...
Elliott Co. grant paves way for purchase of Westmoreland Park Police dog
The Westmoreland County Park Police Department will enlist its newest police dog this summer. Officials this week announced that the county received a $12,000 grant from Elliott Co. in Jeannette to purchase a second police dog that will be trained to detect narcotics and other drugs, according to park police...
MAX pulls application for new Yukon waste storage pit, vows to refile
Yukon-area residents opposed to a hazardous and industrial waste treatment company’s plans to create another dumpsite near Sewickley Creek received a temporary reprieve as the company withdrew its proposal. MAX Environmental Technologies Inc. of Upper St. Clair notified the Department of Environmental Protection last month that it was withdrawing its...
Arnold fire department accuses former chief of misusing funds
The former chief of Arnold’s No. 1 fire department is facing a civil claim against him by the department and is the subject of a criminal investigation. In a civil complaint filed with New Kensington District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr., the department says Brian Gouza owes $1,525 for advance...
Belle Vernon musical scrambles to replace costumes lost in fire
A second high school in the region has seen its performing arts program impacted by a devastating fire. In early February, the auditorium and its contents at Elizabeth Forward High School were destroyed in a blaze. Wednesday morning, a devastating fire at DC Theatricks in Buffalo, N.Y., that cost a...
Jeannette property owners protest plans to demolish dilapidated structures
Jeannette officials want two property owners to see it as a favor, or gift — their blighted houses will be demolished at no cost to them, leaving behind a clean slate and possibly lower taxes. But the property owners don’t seem to be interested. “Do you feel that the city...
Former chief deputy sheriff launches 2nd bid for Westmoreland commissioner
A former chief deputy sheriff announced she will run a second time for Westmoreland County commissioner in this spring’s primary election. Patricia Fritz, 68, a Republican from Mt. Pleasant, finished sixth in a seven-candidate GOP field in the 2019 primary. “I know I can make a difference,” Fritz said. “I...
St. Paddy’s Day baking class offered in Marshall
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a cake and cookie decorating class on March 16, at the Marshall Township Municipal Building on Pleasant Hill Road. Michelle Maseth of One Sweet Cookie Bakery in Baden, Beaver County, will host two events that day. Participants will decorate a leprechaun and pot-of-gold cookie, as...
Lower Burrell man accused of intentionally crashing into vehicle during road rage incident
Lower Burrell police arrested a man after a motorist accused him of purposely crashing into his vehicle during a road rage incident and then fleeing, according to authorities. Gregory Thomas Costanzo, 60, of the 100 block of Caribou Circle in Lower Burrell was charged with a felony count of aggravated...
$6M wetlands initiative will improve habitats on 61 state game land sites
The state Game Commission and Ducks Unlimited have partnered to form the Pennsylvania Wetland Habitat Initiative that would improve 1,600 acres of wetland habitats on 61 state game lands. Outdated pipes, damaged dikes and dilapidated infrastructure limit site managers’ ability to the wetlands and leave the species in these habitats...
NA Foundation awards more than $22,000 to NA staff
A mountain bike skills park, a fly-tying club, and a library program for deaf and hard of hearing students are among the projects funded by eight grants awarded by the North Allegheny Foundation. The foundation, which raises funds to benefit the school district, will provide $22,935 worth of grants, which...
Murrysville Council will look into updating zoning map after ‘litany of rezoning requests’
Murrysville Council’s discussion about its latest rezoning request Wednesday night grew into a larger conversation about taking a closer look at — and potentially updating — the municipality’s zoning map. “I would like to propose a subcommittee to look at zoning in our community,” Councilwoman Jamie Lee Korns said. “I...
Rebranding of North Hills School District moves forward
The rebranding of North Hills School District — complete with a new advertising design — took another step forward on March 2 as the school board got their first look. The next step is voting to approve the branding. High school seniors from the A.W. Beattie Career Center, which draws...
Angry East Palestine residents confront Norfolk Southern over health fears
Residents who say they’re still suffering from illnesses nearly a month after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in Ohio confronted the railroad’s operator Thursday at a town forum, demanding to know whether they’d be relocated from homes they’re afraid to live in. “It’s not safe here,” said one man,...
Police say Jeannette man used gun to rob teenager
A Jeannette man was denied bail Tuesday after city police said he pointed a gun at a teenager and robbed him of THC oil cartridges. Devin J. Dapra, 19, is charged with robbery, receiving stolen property, reckless endangerment and related offenses. Jeannette police were notified by Penn-Trafford High School resource...
Police seek McKees Rocks man in connection with shooting
Allegheny County Police are seeking a man known to frequent the McKees Rocks and Stowe areas in connection with a shooting early Thursday morning in McKees Rocks. McKees Rocks police and paramedics were called to the 100 block of Irwin Street just after 6 a.m. Thursday for a woman who...
Hundreds of Pa. residents turn to Beaver County resource center near train derailment site for help
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health opened a resource center in Beaver County for state residents concerned about the impact of last month’s train derailment in nearby East Palestine, Ohio. In the two days after it opened Tuesday, officials said about 200 residents of Beaver County and neighboring Lawrence County went to...
Baldwin man gets 18 to 36 years in drug overdose death of infant son
Allegheny County Police Detective Greg Renko remains haunted by the scene he found inside a home on Baldwin’s Oakleaf Road 2-1/2 years ago. Renko went to the red-brick Cape Cod home on Sept. 13, 2020, to investigate the death of a 12-month-old boy. The boy, as it turned out, had...
Pittsburgh’s Prime Stage heads to Narnia with ‘Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe’
Rehearsals for Prime Stage Theatre’s production of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” are about to enter what stage manager Britt Kolek said is the best but also the most difficult phase. “We’re starting the really heavily technical rehearsals,” said Kolek, 24, of Freeport, who has been working at...
North Hills Art Center director earns AAUW Equity Award
On March 11, the American Association of University Women North Hills Branch will present its 2023 Gateway to Equity Award to Kim Freithaler, North Hills Art Center executive director. According to the AAUW, she embodies the association’s commitment to achieving equity for women and girls by promoting healing through creativity...
