Western PA Local News category, Page 1222
Competency evaluation ordered for Penn Township man accused of killing father, aunt
A Penn Township man accused of stabbing his father and aunt to death will undergo another competency evaluation to determine if he is able to stand trial next month for their slayings. Neal Hubish, 42, is accused of killing his father, Arthur Hubish, 71, and aunt Maria Puskarich, 76, inside...
Brackenridge Chief Justin McIntire recalled as ‘humble, hard-working hometown son’
Friends of Justin McIntire say that if there’s a heaven, the slain Brackenridge police chief is up there either hunting or playing euchre. “I knew him since he was a little kid, playing in his grandfather’s yard,” said Butch Magnetta, a family friend. “He loved this community, and he always...
Experts: Next 24 hours critical in Damar Hamlin’s recovery
Experts say the next 24 hours will be critical in the recovery of Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety and McKees Rocks native who suffered cardiac arrest during a “Monday Night Football” game at Cincinnati. “It’s hard to say exactly what’s going on. But at this point, they are maintaining...
Pittsburgh Art Commission reorganized, city fund for public art created
Pittsburgh’s Art Commission and the percentage given to the city’s art program are set to be reorganized. City Council voted unanimously last week to approve changes proposed by Mayor Ed Gainey. This comes about a month after the mayor removed all prior Art Commission members with little explanation. He then...
Former Congressman Mike Doyle to take job with Pittsburgh law firm
After serving nearly three decades in Congress, former U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle will be taking a lobbying job at a multinational law firm based in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP announced last week that Doyle will be joining the firm as a government affairs...
Food Truck A Palooza returns to Monroeville Convention Center
You’re invited to step under the Big Top and explore a kaleidoscope of cuisine when one of the nation’s only indoor food truck festival returns to western Pennsylvania. Presented by GoodTaste! Pittsburgh, Food Truck A Palooza is scheduled for 1 to 6 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Monroeville Convention Center,...
Photo gallery: Paying tribute to slain Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire
A contingent of police, fire and ambulance vehicles from around the region converged in Tarentum on Tuesday for a procession in honor of slain Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire, who was shot to death on Monday during a confrontation with a suspect wanted on an arrest warrant. Related • Brackenridge...
Plum High senior earns Eagle Scout rank
A Plum Senior High School student has achieved the highest rank in Boy Scouts. Cody Chill’s Eagle Scout rank was acknowledged during a Court of Honor ceremony on Dec. 17 at Holiday Park United Methodist Church in Plum. Fewer than 6% of Boy Scouts become Eagles. Special guests speakers at...
Gunman in Brackenridge police chief slaying had extensive criminal history
The Duquesne man who police said killed Brackenridge’s police chief Monday had been charged with homicide nearly a decade ago. Aaron Swan, 28, was shot and killed Monday night after a shootout with police in Pittsburgh’s Homewood-Brushton neighborhood. Police said Swan had shot Brackenridge Chief Justin McIntire earlier in the...
Senior driver improvement courses offered in Plum, other areas
Seniors For Safe Driving is offering senior citizen driver improvement courses to help motorists understand how aging affects driving abilities and prove insight about navigating today’s roads. The PennDOT-approved courses are designed for drivers age 55 and older, and include no testing or behind-the-wheel driving. As mandated by Pennsylvania law,...
Father hailed as hero after scuffle with man who killed Brackenridge chiefVideo
What unfolded before 16-year-old John Pierce’s eyes Monday afternoon in Brackenridge was nothing short of terrifying. His father, Todd Pierce, 50, was in the family’s driveway on Morgan Street cleaning out his work van when a gunman suddenly appeared, demanding the elder Pierce give up the keys to the van....
Holy Family Parish celebrates Christmas with annual brunch
A Christmas brunch was held by Holy Family Parish at St. Joseph Church Hall in Verona and at Our Lady of Joy Church Hall in Plum on Christmas morning. Because of the pandemic, this was the first time since 2019 that the brunch was held in-house. In 2020 and 2021,...
North Hills Genealogists host Jan. 16 presentation about Civil War ancestors
North Hills Genealogists will host an online presentation on Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. by Brian Rhinehart entitled, “I Have a Civil War Ancestor… Now What?” The event is free and open to the public. Civil War soldiers often left a rich genealogical paper trail. Many records are tucked away...
Sewickley’s Little Garden Club celebrates 100 years
The Little Garden Club of Sewickley celebrated its 100th Anniversary at its traditional Christmas luncheon on Dec. 8 at Allegheny Country Club. President Lauren McLeod opened the presentation by introducing the 100th Committee members — Fran Merryman, Nancy Hansen, Britt Eubanks, Elizabeth Sykes, Annie Gensheimer and Diane Meakem. The committee...
Merger of Excela, Butler health systems finalized
Ken DeFurio, who served as president and CEO of Butler Health System, will lead the new organization formed by the merger of Butler and Excela Health, officials announced Tuesday. The merger was final as of Sunday, Jan. 1. John Sphon, who was CEO of Excela Health, plans to retire in...
Monroeville Public Library organizes early welcome to 2023
As the time neared 12 o’clock, the countdown started, wrapping up with a resounding: “Happy New Year!” And then the folks who attended the Dec. 31 celebration at Monroeville Mall headed out into the daylight. Monroeville Public Library’s annual Noon Ball Drop had a new venue this year, with plenty...
Homer City man arrested after fleeing police
State police arrested a Homer City man who fled from police and was wanted in Armstrong County for drug and alcohol-related charges. On Friday, state police in Indiana attempted to pull over Drew Bittner, 19, in White Township, Indiana County, after Bittner was speeding. Bittner initially pulled into the parking...
Highlands School District switches to remote instruction, offers counseling in response to police shootings
Highlands School District officials announced a shift to a remote learning schedule Tuesday in response to the fatal shooting of Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire on Monday in Brackenridge. A huge police presence and incident unfolded Monday around noon in the Brackenridge and Tarentum communities resulting in an hours-long series...
East Deer Commissioners pass 2023 budget with no tax hike, have enough left over from ’22 to avoid loan
The East Deer Commissioners gave the township’s 2023 budget final approval Friday while officially closing the books on 2022. The real estate tax will remain at 4.9 mills to help fund East Deer’s $1.3 million budget. The only real change from the budget’s preliminary approval Dec. 1 was the $430,000...
Fired Narcisi Winery employee accused of bilking $40K by discounting bills, pocketing difference
West Deer police accused a former employee of Narcisi Winery of stealing nearly $40,000 by applying a discount to patrons’ bills or voiding them altogether and pocketing the difference. Kevin William Weis, 52, of the 2800 block of Middle Road in Hampton was charged by summons with felony counts of...
Artist from Export proposes mural to cover Route 22 underpass graffiti
As pedestrians and cyclists on the Westmoreland Heritage Trail pass near the Cozy Inn Cutoff, they head underneath William Penn Highway, where the underpass is covered with all manner of graffiti. If Export native Christina Donahoe has her way, however, later this year, it will be covered with the largest...
Brackenridge police chief’s wife: ‘I’m literally broken’
The wife of slain Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire expressed heartbreak Tuesday as she and her family grieve the loss of the longtime officer. “I am literally broken. I just want someone to tell me this nightmare is over,” Ashley McIntire posted to her public Facebook page. Justin McIntire, 46,...
Ford City joins Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department
The Ford City Police Department is no more. Borough leaders voted last month to abolish their police department this year and join the Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department, which includes Gilpin, Freeport and, as of Sunday, Ford City. The force held an official pinning ceremony and first shift ceremony Oct....
The Stroller, Jan. 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. Chili cook-off planned at Natrona Heights VFW Natrona Heights Veterans of...
Pope Benedict XVI recalled as leading Catholic theologian
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was remembered Monday by Greensburg Bishop Larry Kulick as a man who in many ways helped to shape the Roman Catholic Church as it is known today. As a preeminent theologian in the Catholic Church, Benedict was a significant voice behind St. John Paul II, Kulick...
