Western PA Local News category, Page 1464
New Sharpsburg public works facility dedicated in memory of late department Superintendent Carl J. Ferraro
Carl J. Ferraro was a longtime public servant of Sharpsburg and a political force for decades. The legacy of the late public works superintendent and former Sharpsburg Democratic Committee chair lives on not only through his family and friends, but through a new public works building near the corner of...
Popular pierogie business prepares to open distribution center in Unity
In 2001, Terry Smith-Rawecki, her husband, Jan, and her mother got together to make about 30 dozen handmade pierogie to take to the farmers market in Ligonier. Gosia’s Pierogies sold out that afternoon, and by the end of that summer, they were bringing 90 dozen pierogies to the popular market....
Pittsburgh to partner with nonprofit to help recently incarcerated people find work
Pittsburgh is entering into an agreement with a New York-based nonprofit to provide temporary employment to recently incarcerated people. City Council unanimously approved the proposal on Tuesday. Councilman Ricky Burgess, who introduced the measure, said the program will help people who were in jail reacclimate to society and find employment....
Taxes remain steady in Hempfield Area despite upcoming renovation project
Despite recently moving forward with a high school renovation project that could cost upwards of $110 million, the Hempfield Area School Board this week unanimously approved a final budget that does not raise taxes for the fourth consecutive year. Passage of the $102.8 million budget came months after board members...
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship names new principal
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship has appointed a new principal. Jessica Zuk, who is the school’s director of curriculum and instruction and MicroSociety coordinator, will assume her new position July 1. The charter school announced the hire June 9 in a press release. Zuk succeeds Tamara Allen-Thomas, who was...
Juneteenth festival Saturday in Sharpsburg
Sharpsburg will host its second annual Juneteenth festival on Saturday, June 25, seeking to promote cultural change in the borough and beyond. Hosted by the Fox Chapel Social Justice group, the event will showcase Black-owned businesses and offer family-friendly fun. “Juneteenth is a holiday of progress that represents the fight...
Pittsburgh looks to extend lease for North Side public safety training facility for $2M
Pittsburgh is looking to extend a lease with the Community College of Allegheny County to continue to use a property the school owns on North Lincoln Avenue for a public safety training facility. Legislation introduced to City Council on Tuesday would extend the lease through 2027 for a cost of...
Snow flies at Carnegie Science Center’s annual Snowball Day
They came by the score carrying snowballs in coolers, plastic storage containers and plastic bags, anything that would keep the icy spheroids cold on a day when the temperature was expected to reach 90 degrees. Most of the children and families that showed up to celebrate the annual Snowball Day...
Final leg of PA Hero Walk supporting veterans to march through region
Area residents can show their support for local veterans by greeting or joining members of the PA Hero Walk as they complete the final leg of their 14th annual trek across the state this weekend. The half-dozen veterans accompanied by two drivers started their trip at 8 a.m. June 12...
Man stripped to underwear, socks after incident at Greensburg pharmacy, police say
A man is being held without bail in a crime spree Sunday that, police say, ended when he stripped to his underwear and socks and was arrested while pushing a shopping cart full of stolen goods on a main thoroughfare in Greensburg, according to court papers. Alex M. Kerestesy, 31,...
Pittsburgh City Council honors outgoing Police Chief Scott Schubert
Pittsburgh City Council declared Tuesday as Scott Schubert Day in the city to honor the outgoing police chief, and said it would make a donation in his name to the Special Olympics, an organization Schubert has strongly supported. Schubert announced his retirement last month, after nearly 30 years of service...
Tom Cruise’s success credited with bump in Westmoreland air show attendance
It isn’t exactly risky business to assume that actor Tom Cruise’s summer blockbuster sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick,” may have played a role in the wildly successful attendance figures reported for this year’s Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow. About 50,000 people attended the air show earlier this month, making it among...
New West Jefferson Hills superintendent to lead alma mater
You really can go home again. Janet Sardon sat in the library at Thomas Jefferson High School on a recent Friday morning. She recalled her days as a student in the district. “I can remember that time of my life walking into (then) Pleasant Hills Elementary and my days in...
Art students follow in South Fayette teacher’s footsteps
Students enjoy hearing encouragement from their teachers, even if it comes with more than a hint of humility. “When they grow up, they’ll be much better than I am,” Selva Priya Sahadevan said. “Even now, I see kids doing much better than me.” Yes, her Priya Arts students tend to...
Burgettstown man pleads guilty to killing 3-year-old in Coraopolis
A Burgettstown man pleaded guilty Tuesday to third-degree murder for the beating death of a 3-year-old boy last year in Coraopolis. Aiden Lombardi died on Feb. 3, 2021, a day after police said he was beaten by Tyler Scott Mason. Mason, 27, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas...
Highlands residents to see slight tax increase
Highlands School District residents will pay slightly more in property taxes in the coming school year. The board this week approved a $50 million budget that sees the tax rate climb from 24.88 mills to 25.13 mills. It is about a 1% bump. Lori Byron, the district’s executive director of...
Raises for West Penn, Allegheny General nurses could help retain workers, union says
Staffing shortages at Pittsburgh-area hospitals have been exacerbated by the pandemic, with many nurses fleeing the health care industry for good. Pennsylvania’s largest union for health care workers said an agreement reached last week with Allegheny Health Network will raise nurses’ wages in an attempt to combat staffing problems. SEIU...
Summer camp provides kids opportunity to explore nature in Franklin Park
For kids who don’t want to stay cooped up inside all summer, an outdoor camp in Franklin Park can help them explore nature. Dan Gray of CDG Sports is hosting an Ultimate Eco-Adventure Camp for kids ages 6-13. They’ll explore Blueberry Hill Park, Linbrook Park and Acorn Park, he said....
Lower Burrell station to offer gas for $2.38 per gallon for 2 hours
If you’re lucky — and patient — you might be able to score some gasoline at almost half-price tomorrow in Lower Burrell. The BP gas station at Leechburg and Wildlife Lodge roads is partnering with a nonprofit to offer gasoline for $2.38 a gallon on Wednesday for about two hours...
Ligonier home tour gives look inside 5 eclectic area properties
When Carmen Quartararo decided to relocate from California to Western Pennsylvania in 2020, she ended up buying a house in Ligonier, sight unseen. “The house was built in the 1950s by a local family for their two spinster sisters,” Quartararo said. “They were seamstresses. They lived very modestly on the...
Police: Jeannette man arrested after trying to flee traffic stop
A Jeannette man is behind bars after police said he tried to run from a traffic stop and had several types of drugs in his SUV, according to court papers. Brandon A. Iapalucci, 28, told investigators that nine blue pills they found him in possession of were pressed fentanyl. The...
Long-time Shaler manager announces retirement
Last month, Shaler Township manager Tim Rogers announced that he will retire at the end of the year. Rogers started the job as manager 30 years ago. Prior to accepting the position, he worked as a traffic manager and assistant cooperate council to Lock Engineering. Rogers is a 1991 graduate...
12th gun of 2022 seized at Pittsburgh airport security checkpoint
A loaded handgun was confiscated from a Washington County man after it was found in his carry-on luggage at Pittsburgh International Airport over the weekend, according to Transportation Security Administration officials. The gun, belonging to an Avella man who TSA officials did not identify, was spotted Saturday at a security...
Pine, Richland student news for the week of June 21, 2022
Megan J. Roth of Gibsonia was named to the Dean’s List at Kutztown University for the spring 2022 semester. Ian Daugherty of Gibsonia was named to the Dean’s List at Shenandoah University for the spring 2022 semester. Lauren Rearick, a nursing major; and Reilly Wolff, a health science OT major,...
Greater demand, rise in maintenance costs drive Western Pennsylvania rent increases
Average rents in the Pittsburgh region have increased during the pandemic, and reports indicate certain areas are rising faster than others. A report from real estate research firm CoStar Group showed Pittsburgh-area rents increased about 6% from the start of 2020 to March 2022, which was slower than the 11.3%...
