Western PA Local News category, Page 1232
Where to find emergency shelter in the blistering cold
Anyone who finds themselves without heating, warmth or shelter this weekend as temperatures plunge into the single digits can get help and a safe place to stay at warming stations in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Allegheny County’s winter shelters will be open at Second Avenue Commons, 700 Second Ave. and...
Brackenridge Salvation Army plays Santa for more than 200 families
Georgetta Field said she was like a kid in a candy store when a truckload of toys was delivered to the Salvation Army in Brackenridge ahead of the group’s Christmas shop on Wednesday. “We got such nice things,” said Field of Brackenridge, who volunteers year-round at the site with her...
Former Steeler Ryan Shazier brightens holidays of 4 people with spinal cord injuries
Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier continues his mission to support those affected by spinal cord injuries. Shazier arrived Wednesday morning at the Giant Eagle Market District in The Waterworks shopping center near Aspinwall to welcome four people with spinal cord injuries who were invited to participate in a free...
Greensburg, police union spar in court over retirement savings plan switch
A Westmoreland County judge is deliberating whether to grant a preliminary injunction to delay Greensburg from implementing a new tax-deferred retirement savings plan for city workers. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 56 contends the city violated union’s existing five-year labor contract with the city when it unilaterally moved to...
The Stroller, Dec. 22, 2022: 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. Winners named in Tarentum holiday light contest Tarentum Recreation Board has...
Delmont man charged with witness intimidation in sexual assault case
A Delmont man faces witness intimidation charges after police said he repeatedly made contact with a victim in violation of his release conditions in a criminal case. Brandon J. Pyle, 26, of West Pittsburgh Street was arrested Wednesday and charged prior to a preliminary hearing on sexual assault, simple assault...
Shady Side Academy in Fox Chapel selects California educator as head of middle school
Shady Side Academy in Fox Chapel has selected a California educator to head its Middle School, according to an announcement on Dec. 19 from SSA President Bart Griffith Jr. Michelle Merson will become the academy’s head of Middle Shool, effective July 1, 2023, to replace Amy Nixon who has announced...
Floor plans for a proposed Quaker Valley High School in Leet approved, more detailed design work continues
Quaker Valley School District officials have approved floor plans for a proposed high school in Leet Township. The board voted 8-0 at a special meeting Wednesday night to move forward with designs crafted by BSHM Architects and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects. Board member Daniela Helkowski was absent. Floor plan approval...
Man arrested after fatal January shooting, hit-and-run in Pittsburgh
Nearly a year after a fatal shooting and hit-and-run in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood, police have arrested a suspect. Alec Stefanovits, 27, faces criminal homicide charges after, police say, he shot two people early Jan. 23 in the the 300 block of Minton Street. When police arrived at the scene, they...
Dozens of bridges maintained by Pittsburgh in need of repairs within 6 months, report says
Structural issues with dozens of bridges maintained by the city of Pittsburgh are significant enough that they should be addressed within the next months, according to a report commissioned by Ed Gainey. Gainey called for the report when he unveiled his plans for a new Comprehensive Bridge Asset Management Program...
Bethel Park honors service members with Wreaths Across America ceremony
The weather may have been wintry, including a light dusting of snow, but that hardly deterred a healthy gathering at Bethel Park’s Wreaths Across America ceremony. “This is the second year for this event, and I am very overwhelmed with the response,” organizer Lisa Jenkins said as she greeted guests...
Fans flock to Immaculate Reception marker, airport to remember Franco HarrisVideo
Lifelong Steelers fan Don Kinnamon, 65, came all the way from Santa Cruz, Calif., with plans to attend ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception on Friday afternoon. Then, he planned to witness the retirement of Franco Harris’ No. 32 at the Steelers-Raiders game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium....
Pitt’s chancellor, top deputies receive 4.25% raises
Ten top University of Pittsburgh officials will receive 4.25% raises next year, boosting their base salaries to between $260,625 and just more than $1 million. The Compensation Committee of Pitt’s board of trustees approved the raises for Chancellor Patrick Gallagher and nine of his top deputies in a unanimous vote...
Pedestrian identified who was killed by dump truck in Hazelwood
The woman who was killed Wednesday when a dump truck hit her as she crossed a road in Hazelwood has been identified. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Cynthia Haskell, 73, of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh police, EMS and fire crews responded to the accident in the 5000...
One of Franco Harris’ last public appearances was at North Allegheny’s Ingomar Middle School
Just moments before Franco Harris’s surprise appearance to students at Ingomar Middle School on Dec. 12, as he walked toward the doors of the auditorium, he was warm, approachable and genuine with the few who were waiting in the lobby. Harris was vibrant and enthusiastic. And it clearly generated with...
Defense requests 2 phases of sentencing if Tree of Life suspect is found guilty
Attorneys for the man charged in connection with the killings of 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill believe that his sentencing proceeding should be separated into two phases so that jurors in the potential death-penalty case are not improperly influenced by victim impact testimony. The...
Pitt committee approves up to $10M for land deal in BioForge project
A panel of University of Pittsburgh trustees on Wednesday authorized spending up to $10 million to acquire a piece of property in Hazelwood Green to develop a cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility. The three-acre property known as Lot 18 would become home to BioForge. “BioForge will be designed to...
Police: Threats trigger security restrictions at Latrobe hospital, lead to charge
A Hempfield man was arrested on a charge of terroristic threats stemming from a disturbance Friday and Saturday at Excela Health Latrobe Hospital. Paul D. White Jr., 37, is accused of making threatening remarks concerning the hospital and its staff while at the emergency room, prompting tightened security, according to...
Uniontown treasurer accused of stealing $106K in taxpayer funds
Uniontown’s elected treasurer has been charged with stealing about $106,000 in taxpayer funds during her time in office. Antoinette Hodge, 53, is charged by the state police Western Organized Crime Unit with four felony counts, including theft by failure to make required disposition of funds and perjury. She also is...
Completed Fern Hollow Bridge unveiled in advance of Friday reopening
Less than a year after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park, officials unveiled a new span that will open in its place this week. “This is the best Christmas gift we could give the city of Pittsburgh,” Mayor Ed Gainey said Wednesday as he stood on the...
Popular Leechburg Lights holiday light show relocating to Connellsville after this yearVideo
Leechburg’s lit but not for long. The annual Leechburg Lights synchronized holiday light display at the home of Clyde Lindsey on Main Street is in its last season. Lindsey, 48, the homeowner and event creator, is moving from Leechburg to Connellsville in a few months. He plans to continue the...
Karen Riley named 18th president of Slippery Rock University
Karen Riley, provost at Regis University in Denver, has been named the next president of Slippery Rock University. The State System of Higher Education’s board of governors on Wednesday chose Riley to succeed William Behre, who in February announced that he would retire at the end of this academic year....
Northern Regional Police accuse man of failing to reveal prior drug use when trying to buy gun
Northern Regional Police charged a man with a felony after they say he failed to acknowledge his previous drug use when filling out the application to buy a gun at a sporting goods store in Richland. James Sergei Betts, 28, of the 9800 block of Presidential Drive in McCandless, was...
Edgeworth officials hold the line on taxes with 2023 budget
Edgeworth property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes next year as part of the borough’s budget. Council unanimously approved its 2023 spending plan on Dec. 20. The millage rate remains at 4.15 mills. It has been two decades since Edgeworth raised taxes. Council lowered the...
Allegheny Valley Association of Churches hosts free Christmas store for clients
In the social hall at Trinity United Methodist Church in Brackenridge, single father Samajai Williams loaded up a shopping bag with toys, clothes and other goodies to supplement Christmas wish lists from his three children. “I’m so thankful,” the Harrison resident said. “In these post-covid times, a lot of people...
