Western PA Local News category, Page 1300
Pittsburgh’s soaring homicide rate leaves officials baffled
Pittsburgh police said Thursday its officers have investigated 59 homicides to date in 2022 — the highest rate in at least seven years and a 25% spike year over year. There have been nearly 700 homicides in Pittsburgh since 2010, county records show. Homicides in Pittsburgh hit 60 in 2015...
AG’s office announces sex charges against 4 men; Butler suspect kills himself before arrest
A Butler County man who was about to be arrested Thursday morning on charges of rape and sexual abuse killed himself in the bathroom of his home, officials said. Eric E. Eleam Sr., 61, of Butler, was one of four men facing charges in connection with a statewide investigating grand...
Plum hires new school police officer
Plum Borough School Board unanimously approved the appointment of Officer James Miller to the school district’s police department. Miller, whose was hired at the board’s Oct. 25 meeting, will be stationed at Holiday Park Intermediate School for the remainder of this school year. He has been a resident of Plum...
Great Scott! Westmoreland Performing Arts stages ‘Rocky Horror Show’
As much fun as actors might have on stage, sometimes performing is just a job. That’s not the case for those involved in the Westmoreland Performing Arts production of “The Rocky Horror Show.” “There are shows that actors do because they’re actors, and there are shows they do because it’s...
Pittsburgh City Council looks to revamp permiting process for athletic facilities
Athletic associations in Pittsburgh may have an easier time getting field time if legislation before City Council is approved. The legislation would revamp the prioritization process for permits at city athletic facilities. “During covid, (athletic associations) helped keep 10,000 kids off the streets in the city of Pittsburgh when recreation...
Murrysville area: ‘Polar Express’ reading, used book sale, walk-a-thon, more
Email news briefs and event information to pvarine@triblive.com. Events must be submitted two weeks in advance in order to make the Star’s deadline. Marathon swimmer will give library presentation Franklin Regional graduate and “Oceans Seven” marathon swimmer Darren Miller will be the featured speaker at a Nov. 15 presentation at...
Penn-Trafford area: Food drives, Veterans Day program, toy drive
Food drive planned by CommunityWomen’s Club of Level Green The Community Women’s Club of Level Green is seeking nonperishable food donations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Level Green Lion’s Club Community Building, 123 Murrysville Road. The drive will benefit the Trafford Food Bank. Items needed...
Osborne Elementary’s Race for Education raises record funds
Students ran the track squealing with joy and excitement during the morning of Oct. 20 as they participated in Osborne Elementary’s annual Race for Education. This year, Osborne set a new record, raising more than $53,000. “Our biggest total in years past was $33K,” said Tracey Hartman, Home and School...
Norwin area happenings: School fundraiser, craft show
Trampoline park fundraiser set for Andrew’s Avengers Students at Norwin’s Hillcrest Intermediate School will hold a fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m Nov. 7 at Sky Zone, a trampoline park at 60 Levin Way, Monroeville, to raise money for Andrew’s Avengers, a nonprofit that helps fund pediatric cancer research....
Maggie’s Farm Rum to expand with new distillery in Upper St. Clair
Maggie’s Farm Rum has experienced years of awards for its Strip District-produced spirits, and the distillery now is parlaying that success into a new 22,0000-square-foot production distillery, tasting room and cocktail bar in Upper St. Clair. Allegheny Distilling, which produces award-winning Maggie’s Farm Rum and Personal Day Vodka Hard Seltzer,...
Looking back at the 2018 Tree of Life attack in Squirrel HillVideo
On Oct. 27, 2018, a gunman opened fire inside the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill, killing 11 worshippers and wounding two. It was the deadliest act of anti-Semitic violence in U.S. history. Four Pittsburgh police officers were injured by gunfire as they responded to the attack. To capture...
More than half of 2022 graduates of Aquinas Academy in Hampton earn Advanced Placement awards
Thirty-two Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh’s current seniors and graduates of the Class of 2022 recently earned AP Scholar Awards from College Board for their performance on Advanced Placement examinations during their high school years. Twenty-seven awardees are 2022 graduates of the school in Hampton, representing 53% of the class. An...
Arnold grants variance for walk-in cooler at service station
Arnold businessman Mike Thakkar received an OK from the city’s zoning hearing board Tuesday on a variance request for his 1610 Freeport Road service station/convenience store. Thakkar, representing Yashvi Oil LLC, requested permission to build a walk-in cooler that would extend outside the rear of the building toward an adjoining...
Sharpsburg Community Library features Halloween-themed art exhibit
Sharpsburg Community Library hosts Danse Macabre, an art display featuring various media and a Halloween theme. The exhibit opened Oct. 22 and is scheduled through Nov. 12. Danse macabre is a medieval artistic genre celebrating the universality of death. Admission is free. Pieces are available for purchase, and 25% of...
Friends of Monroeville Public Library makes donation toward energy savings
Friends of the Monroeville Public Library has donated $5,000 toward updating the library’s 58-year old lighting system to help save energy costs and maintenance hours. The donation helps the library take advantage of a program from Duquesne Light Co., which offers a discount for energy-efficient bulbs and equipment. Friends members...
Edgeworth Elementary students learn life lessons as part of new project
Several Edgeworth Elementary students learned a thing or two about life as part of a project to make them and their fellow young Quaker Valley learners a little wiser. Learning support teacher Melissa Martinelli and academic specialist Gina Gordon worked with 10 fourth graders last year to create a Wisdom...
Crash rips wheel from Audi parked on Fifth Avenue in Arnold
An Arnold resident is shopping for a new car at probably the worst possible time given the market after his Audi A7 was destroyed in a bizarre crash. Edward Jarnagin said he bought the large luxury car new in 2016. It was almost paid off, but now it is headed...
Unity man charged with homicide in Cassandra Gross disappearance
For 1,662 days, Kathe Gross waited for Thursday. It was the day state police charged the man they believe killed her daughter, Cassandra Gross, of Unity. Since April 9, 2018 — the day Kathe Gross reported her daughter missing — she pushed for homicide charges against Thomas G. Stanko, 52....
New Kensington family gets porch rebuilt through Habitat’s ‘Brush With Kindness’ campaign
Through Allegheny Valley Habitat for Humanity and with the help of volunteers from Lowe’s Home Improvement, a New Kensington family has a new porch on their home. The project to rebuild the front porch of Devon Schulz’s home started Friday and was expected to wrap up Wednesday, said John Tamiggi,...
Complaint alleges Southwest Greensburg improperly pushed for elimination of library tax
A complaint was lodged this week with the Westmoreland County Board of Elections asking it to investigate a claim that Southwest Greensburg improperly lobbied borough voters to support a referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot. If the referendum is approved, it would eliminate a 1-mill annual library tax. The complaint...
Savoring Sewickley fundraiser draws crowds at Sewickley Public Library
A fundraiser at the Sewickley Public Library proved to be a treat to the tastebuds of hundreds of supporters. The 21st annual Savoring Sewickley event took place Oct. 23 at the library. Organizers said approximately 300 people – including guests, chefs, club owners and assistants, elected officials and volunteers –...
The Stroller, Oct. 27, 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 a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Salvation Army seeks Red Kettle volunteers The Salvation Army New Kensington...
Early voting soars in Westmoreland County
Exceeding expectations, nearly 22,000 Westmoreland County voters already have cast ballots with less than two weeks to go before the Nov. 8 general election. County officials said the number of mail-in applications requested and returned by voters has continued to surpass estimates. As of Wednesday, more than 36,000 mail-in and...
Hanna’s Town adds trick-or-treating on Family Day, spices tours with Celtic lore
Western Pennsylvania frontier history and Halloween traditions and lore will combine for a fascinating and fun seasonal brew of activities this weekend at Historic Hanna’s Town. A new trick-or-treating opportunity joins numerous returning features during the re-created 18th-century village’s annual Fall Family Day, set for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m....
PennDOT unveils plans online for 3 bridge replacements in Westmoreland
PennDOT is presenting online plans for three bridge replacement projects in Westmoreland County. The projects are on East Pittsburgh Street in Hempfield, Route 356 in Allegheny Township and Route 906 in Rostraver. In addition to replacing an arch culvert over Pine Run with a precast concrete structure, the Allegheny Township...
