Western PA Local News category, Page 1395
Student news from Sharpsburg, Blawnox and Fox Chapel
Sri Vidya Malladi, of Sharpsburg, graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Metropolitan Campus in Teaneck, N.J., in May with a master’s of science in management information systems. Joe Kirklewski of Blawnox received a bachelor of science in civil engineering technology in May from Rochester Institute of Technology. Jacob Klein of the...
Pittsburgh man arrested in connection with March 22 slaying
Pittsburgh police made an arrest Friday in the March 22 fatal shooting of Tiwand Hill. Robert Freeman, 32, of Pittsburgh’s Hill District, is charged with homicide and carrying a firearm without a license. Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the U.S. Marshals Western Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force made...
Authorities ID Michigan man found dead in Allegheny River off East Deer shore
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the name of the man who was found dead Thursday afternoon in the Allegheny River off the East Deer shore. The medical examiner identified the man as Tirrell Lamont Smith, 40. Inspector Mike Peairs of the Allegheny County Police said Smith is...
Music down by the river delights concertgoers in Freeport
Music fans came by foot, bike, car, and even boat to attend the last summer concert held Friday at Riverside Park in Freeport. Sponsored by the Freeport Renaissance Association, the monthly music series wrapped up with the summer’s third free performance from the gazebo in the park. Sommelier, an indie-rock...
Doug Mastriano brings gubernatorial campaign to Westmoreland County
State Sen. Doug Mastriano made a campaign stop Friday in Westmoreland County, where he received the endorsement in his race for governor from the county’s Republican Party chairman and state Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward. Speaking before a crowd of several hundred supporters in a clearing at the Slickville Sportsman’s...
2 arrests made in arsons that have hit Homestead-Munhall since April
Police have made arrests in nine of the 15 suspicious fires that hit the Homestead-Munhall area between late April and last week. Allegheny County Police announced the arrest of two suspects Friday, accusing a 16-year-old boy of setting one of them and a Homestead man of setting eight others. Police...
Felon indicted in connection with 3 Pittsburgh gas station robberies
A Pittsburgh man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on accusations that he robbed three gas station in the city last December. Marcus Allen Wells, 28, formerly of Pittsburgh’s Glen Hazel neighborhood, faces federal robbery and firearms charges. According to the indictment, on Dec. 10, 2021,...
Off-road vehicle, stretcher, ropes needed to rescue man from rugged terrain in Murrysville park
It took more than two hours Friday for emergency crews to rescue a man who suffered an apparent medical emergency and fell down a steep trail in Murrysville’s Duff Park. Off-road utility terrain vehicles and a rope system were used to transport the man across some of the park’s steep...
Sheldon Park celebrates ‘excellent’ Community Day
Hours after the 35th annual Sheldon Park Community Day celebration concluded Friday afternoon, Sydney Hayden still had hordes of children running around, laughing and showing off their face paint. “It was an excellent day,” said Hayden, a leader at the Allegheny County public housing complex off Springhill Road in Harrison....
Westmoreland GOP retains top leaders
With recent successes at the ballot box and increases on the voter registration rolls, Westmoreland County Republicans voted to keep the party’s leadership team in place for another two years. GOP committee members gathered at Hempfield Park on Thursday and reelected, without opposition, the party’s executive team for a second...
UPMC Children’s Hospital employee diagnosed with monkeypox
A UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh employee who works in an outpatient clinic has been diagnosed with monkeypox, officials said Friday. “Precautions to prevent transmission were already in place and were followed, so we believe there is very low risk of exposure,” said Beth Mausteller, a spokeswoman for the UPMC...
Some Pittsburgh cops sidelined after failing firearms certification
Several Pittsburgh police officers are off the streets while they await retesting for annual firearms certification, officials said. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said in an email that she did not have the exact number of officers who failed to qualify during the current testing period, noting that it is...
5 parcels transferred to redevelopment authority along 4th Avenue in Arnold
Arnold continues to benefit from a recent zoning change on the 1300 block of Fourth Avenue. Council on Tuesday night approved the transfer of five former residential parcels on that block to the city’s redevelopment authority for business use. Properties at 1339, 1341, 1349 and 1351 likely will be used...
Washington Township man with string of felony convictions denied bond after police file gun, assault, other charges
A Washington Township man who has multiple felony convictions is jailed without bond on gun, assault and theft charges. Harold Michael Franks, 40, of the 300 block of Route 356 was charged with illegal possession of a firearm, two counts of aggravated assault, theft and receiving stolen property, which are...
‘Top dog’ pleads guilty for role in Westmoreland heroin trafficking ring
A Jeannette man who prosecutors described as the “top dog” of a multi-million dollar heroin trafficking ring that operated throughout Westmoreland County in 2017 has pleaded guilty to drug and conspiracy charges. Chauncy Bray, 32, has been behind bars since his arrest five years ago, when police said he and...
Gilpin police say woman illegally set up home in vacant property
A woman accused by Gilpin police of moving into a vacant house with her dog after the owner put the property up for sale has been ordered to stand trial. Francesca Gimigliano, 43, who is homeless according to police, was charged with felony counts of criminal trespass and burglary, along...
Trib Total Media nominated for 3 Mid-Atlantic Emmy awardsVideo
Trib Total Media is a finalist for three Mid-Atlantic Emmy 2022 awards. The media company’s video titled “Olympic Oak, The Story of John Woodruff, The 1936 Berlin Olympics And The Roots of Athlete Activism” was nominated in the Diversity/Equity/Inclusion long form content category. Another video, “Last Chance Trolley: Transforming Western...
Washington Township welcomes new supervisor
Washington Township has a new supervisor. Matthew Thornton, 55, was unanimously appointed by the board of supervisors on Monday, Aug.8. There was no comment from the public regarding Thornton’s appointment during the meeting. He replaces former supervisor Scott Held, who resigned last month. Held served for six months before resigning...
Woman, dogs escape injury in Jeannette fire
A woman and four dogs escaped injury Friday when a Jeannette home caught fire and was extensively damaged, leaving a family of four homeless. Jeannette fire Chief Bill Frye said flames were shooting out of the second-story windows of the front bedroom of the house on 14th Street when firefighters...
Westmoreland land bank buys first properties in New Kensington, Arnold
The Westmoreland County Land Bank bought its first properties in New Kensington and Arnold since the cities and their school district joined the blight-fighting program. Six residential properties in New Kensington and one in Arnold were among a dozen tax-delinquent properties the land bank bought at a judicial sale on...
Peters man accused of leaving infant in hot car, killing him, released from jail
A Peters man who said he accidentally left his 3-month-old son inside a hot vehicle for six hours, killing the infant, will be released from Allegheny County Jail. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski on Friday afternoon granted release on home electronic monitoring for Khang Nguyen. Nguyen, 33,...
Democrats set nominating session for Pittsburgh City Council special election
The Allegheny County Democratic Committee will hold a nominating session on Sept. 15 for the upcoming Pittsburgh City Council District 5 special election to replace former Councilman Corey O’Connor. District 5 includes Squirrel Hill South, Regent Square, Swisshelm Park, Greenfield, Hazelwood, Glen Hazel, Hays, Lincoln Place, and New Homestead. The...
Quaker Valley School District officials prepare to welcome students back
Quaker Valley School District officials are preparing for the return of students, and will welcome at least two new administrators this year. First day of school for K-9 students is Aug. 24. Grades 10-12 start the following day. Current enrollment is 1,831 with 413 students at Edgeworth Elementary, 396 at...
Developer to resubmit plans for Shadyside apartments after zoning rejection
The Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustments has rejected plans for a 131-unit apartment complex in Shadyside that was seeking a height variance to build above the 85-foot limit in that area. But the developer who proposed the apartment building, Shadyside-based Mozart Management, has vowed to resubmit plans in hopes to...
Coco’s restaurant in Hempfield aims to please all palates with upscale dishes
After Mary Ann Calabrase and Chris Lee lingered for several hours over a recent lunch at Coco’s Prodigious Food Artisans, Calabrase said, “If we had brought sleeping bags, we’d stay overnight.” That’s how much they enjoyed the experience. Their order included a Reuben sandwich and fries, beef barley soup, white...
