Western PA Local News category, Page 1244
20 years after daughter’s murder, former Monessen man in court, accused of violating sex offender sentence terms
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani must have had a feeling of deja vu Monday when John Bright stood before him. Two decades ago, Feliciani was a court-appointed attorney representing the Monessen father as the man pleaded guilty to misusing burial funds donated for his murdered 8-year-old daughter. Bright,...
Donors step up as Harrison police investigate theft of 20 bikes from Toys for Tots, Dick’s chips in 25 bikes
The Allegheny Valley Marine Corps Toys for Tots storage space in Harrison was buzzing Tuesday morning. At least a dozen bikes rolled in from donors hoping to lift spirits after thieves made off with 20 bikes overnight Sunday from the group’s storage pod at Heights Plaza. “People are absolutely stepping...
Westmoreland to kick off blight blitz with Advance Furniture demolition in Greensburg
A six-story building that housed one of Greensburg’s first department stores more than a century ago soon will be only a memory. It originally featured the J.W. Pollins and Son’s dry goods and furniture business and the Galbraith and Jamison grocery store when it opened in 1903 at 221 S....
Derry Township teacher arraigned on child porn charges
A Derry Township man who works as a teacher in Indiana County has been charged with four felony charges related to child pornography. Charles Allen Kirkland, 31, is charged by state police with two counts of child pornography and one count each of disseminating photos or film of child sex...
Murrysville cooking instructor publishes cookbook
Patty Irrgang of Murrysville has worked as an independent fashion designer and as a space manager in the University of Pittsburgh’s academic provost office. She also has spent nearly a half-century providing the food while tailgating at Pitt football games. During that time, she built up quite a recipe repertoire....
Joe McAndrew wins Democratic nomination for special election to replace Rep. Tony DeLuca
Following the death of longtime incumbent state Rep. Tony DeLuca, an Allegheny County district has its first nominee to fill that seat. Joe McAndrew of Penn Hills secured the Democratic nomination after winning a nominating session on Sunday. McAndrew prevailed among eight candidates to replace DeLuca, who passed away in...
Gateway educator named Junior Achievement Teacher of Year
The announcement of Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania’s Teacher of the Year came as a surprise, as intended, for the winner. “I’m shaking,” Emily Levine said as she greeted a multipurpose room full of cheering students in Monroeville. “This is just unbelievable. I never imagined something like this would happen.”...
Police: 16-year-old from South Strabane admits to shooting stepfather outside mall entrance
A Washington County man had to undergo lifesaving surgery after his 16-year-old stepson admitted to shooting him in the stomach and leg with a stolen gun early Monday, according to authorities. Samuel Brian Hoy, 16, of the 100 block of Floral Hill Drive in South Strabane was charged with felony...
Fox Chapel Police collect gifts for police athletic league toy drive
Fox Chapel Police Department collected about 200 toys and $250 in monetary contributions for the annual Western Pennsylvania Police Athletic League’s Stuff-A-Store toy drive. It was the second year the department participated in the event. The collection ended Dec. 9. “We have more toys this year than last, it was...
$1M Mega Millions ticket sold in Rostraver
Someone who purchased a Mega Millions lottery ticket in Rostraver is $1 million richer. A ticket sold at the Shop ‘n Save supermarket at Willowbrook Plaza matched all five white balls, but not the yellow Mega Ball, in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing, according to Pennsylvania Lottery officials. The officials noted...
Pittsburgh’s URA sells Hill District properties to clear way for affordable housing, restaurants, gallery space
Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority has sold a dozen Hill District properties to a city-based firm that wants to build a $3.4 million development with affordable housing, restaurants and gallery space. The URA board voted unanimously Thursday to sell the properties to the Pittsburgh-based Studio Volcy for $94,500, plus costs. Studio...
Aquinas students perform ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ in Hampton
Middle school students at Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh in Hampton performed “Peter Pan and Wendy,” a play by Doug Rand, during two November performances in the Rhodora J. Donahue Multipurpose Building. Rand’s work is based closely on the original play and novel “Peter and Wendy” by J.M. Barrie, With a...
MAWC lifts boil water advisory for Hempfield, Unity
A boil water advisory issued over the weekend to about 4,500 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers in Hempfield and Unity was lifted Monday afternoon. The authority said no contamination was found during tests of water lines affected by a leak that drained a water storage tank serving the area,...
Barb Warwick sworn in as Pittsburgh city councilwoman
Newly elected Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Barb Warwick was sworn in Monday morning, filling a vacant seat on council. Warwick, 45, of Greenfield, handily won a special election in November to fill the District 5 seat left vacant by Corey O’Connor, who now serves as Allegheny County controller. She launched her...
Second Farmer x Baker cafe in O’Hara to close, relocate
The Farmer x Baker located in O’Hara is closing. The takeout cafe located at 1101 Powers Run Road is scheduled to close Dec. 24. The announcement was made Dec. 7 on Farmer x Baker’s Facebook page. “Thank you to the guests who supported us over the last year! We are...
Plum School Board elects new leadership
Plum Borough School Board elected Michael Devine as president and Michael Caliguiri as vice president by a 7-2 vote during the board’s annual reorganization meeting on Dec. 6. “I am honored and excited that the board has once again placed their trust in me to lead us into the next...
Leetsdale officials hold the line on real estate taxes
Leetsdale property owners will not have to pay more in borough real estate taxes next year. Council voted 6-1 on Dec. 8 to adopt its 2023 final budget. Councilman Roger Nanni dissented. He said he had been sick and out of town for weeks and had not looked at the...
Allegheny jail officer suspended after crash, DUI charges in North Huntingdon
A Penn Township man arrested last week in connection with a North Huntingdon drunken-driving crash that left another motorist seriously injured is suspended without pay from his job at the Allegheny County Jail. A county spokeswoman said Dwight D. Edwards has worked as a corrections officer at the jail for...
Crafton Heights man thought he would be meeting child for sex, police say
A man from Pittsburgh’s Crafton Heights neighborhood was arrested Thursday after police said he made arrangements to meet for sex with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. The girl was actually an undercover FBI agent. Pittsburgh police charged Ackenio Taylor, 32, with criminal attempt, criminal solicitation, unlawful contact with...
$10K reward offered for information about embalmed head found in Beaver County
A $10,000 reward is being offered for this week only in the bizarre case of a woman’s embalmed head that was found lying along a road in Beaver County in 2014. The Beaver County Detective Bureau and Economy Borough police are offering a $5,000 reward that is being matched by...
Woman accused in robbery slips handcuffs, found driving stolen truck, officers say
An Allegheny County woman arrested in a robbery at a Hempfield store Saturday is accused of slipping out of a handcuff at the state police station and stealing a pickup before being stopped on Route 22 in Murrysville, according to court papers. Kristy R. Zalac, 33, of Liberty is being...
Gas prices falling across nation and state, but Pennsylvania drivers still paying more than others
Average gasoline prices are continuing to fall in Pennsylvania and across the nation, although the average in Pennsylvania is about 50 cents per gallon higher than the national average. According to AAA, the national average Monday is about $3.26 per gallon. That’s about 14 cents less than a week ago,...
Leechburg Area High School students host hygiene drive to benefit school nurse and community
A new competition is helping to fill a need for personal care items at Leechburg Area High School and beyond. The Interact and BRAVE clubs have partnered to collect toiletry and hygiene items for the nurse’s office. Michelle Ferretti, coordinator for community service and the Interact Club, said the school...
Holiday sale brings out shoppers at Bushy Run Battlefield
Bill and Karen Gourdie were ready for the rush. The owners of Bushy Run Winery brought 30 cases to sell Sunday afternoon for the fourth annual Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society Christmas sale. “They’ll probably be all gone by the end of the day,” Karen Gourdie said. Husband Bill serves...
Victory Brinker joins Latshaw Pops for holiday show at The Palace
“America’s Got Talent” veteran Victory Brinker will reunite with the Latshaw Pops Orchestra for “The Sounds of Christmas,” set for 3 p.m. Sunday at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. The precocious opera singer, now 10, made her first appearance in the orchestra’s annual holiday concert in 2021. “Our orchestra was...
