Western PA Local News category, Page 1541
St. Joseph students to stage ‘Into the Woods’ at Vandergrift’s Casino Theater
St. Joseph High School students have tapped into the expertise of professional directors for the spring production of “Into the Woods.” The guidance has taken them from “amateur to stars,” some of the theatrical teens said. “We’ve gone to a whole other level,” said senior Hannah Laskowski, 18, of Arnold....
New event space to open at Live! Casino Pittsburgh
A new event and entertainment space is slated to open this summer at Live! Casino Pittsburgh. Located in Hempfield’s Westmoreland Mall, the 7,000-square-foot space dubbed The Venue at Live! Casino is scheduled to open in late June. The space, which can hold up to 780 people and has an adjustable...
Remember When: Female teacher coached 1943 high school football team at Bell Township
It was 1943, and World War II was raging. Thousands of Alle-Kiski Valley troops were away from home, fighting battles in Europe and in the Pacific. Locally, at Bell Township High School, all of the male teachers were serving in the military. As the high school football season approached, about...
Convicted sex offender charged with escape for leaving West Deer facility
A convicted sex offender was charged with a felony for leaving a West Deer behavioral facility where he was living under court order. Brandon Jamal Baker, 32, who last listed his address as Surrey Lane in Elizabeth Township, was charged with one count of felony escape along with making terroristic...
Armstrong County couple charged with sexually assaulting 1-year-old
An Armstrong County couple has been charged with sexually assaulting their 1-year-old daughter, according to state police. Troopers from the Kittanning station were sent on Saturday, April 23 to ACMH Hospital, to investigate an alleged sexual assault. Police said Jesse A. Wiegand, 29, of Cowansville told hospital staff that he...
Pittsburgh man federally indicted on charges related to several robberies in Allegheny County
A Pittsburgh man arrested in connection with four armed robberies in March, including two in which people were shot, now faces federal charges. Eric Jones, 32, of the city’s East Hills neighborhood has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of robbery, attempted robbery and firearms violations, authorities...
Republican Senate candidates meet in live debate, but without front-runnersVideo
Several Republican candidates participated in a prime-time debate for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey. The debate was chaotic, with most candidates dodging questions, instead speaking out about alleged voter fraud and criticizing other candidates. There are seven Senate candidates running in Pennsylvania’s Republican...
Penn Township police to take outdated meds in Drug Take Back Day
The Penn Township Police Department will take unused, unwanted and outdated drugs during the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 30 at the Penn Crossing Shopping Center along the Harrison City-Export Road in Harrison City. The drugs will be collected at the...
I-70 work at Yukon, Madison exits triggers detours; Route 22 rehab to continue in Salem
Motorists who are heading east on Interstate 70 and intend to use the Yukon or Madison exits in Westmoreland County can expect to encounter detours this week as crews from contractor Trumbull Corp. work on improving the two interchanges. Closures of eastbound ramps at the exits, and resulting detours, were...
Penn Hills man sentenced to 2 years in federal prison for traveling extensively while on supervised release
A Penn Hills felon who wasn’t supposed to travel outside of Western Pennsylvania after serving 14 years in prison was found to have gone on at least 14 trips to places such as Las Vegas, Disney World and Los Angeles. Federal authorities say Kevin Carter, 50, was busted when he...
Police: Man in critical condition after being shot in Wilkinsburg
A man was in critical condition after being shot in Wilkinsburg on Tuesday afternoon, according to Allegheny County Police. Officers were dispatched around 2:45 p.m. for a shooting along the 500 block of Franklin Avenue. First responders found the man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. He was...
National Weather Service issues freeze warning for southwest Pa. counties
A frost advisory for Wednesday morning has been canceled, but the National Weather Service says even colder weather is possible later tonight into Thursday morning. A freeze warning has been issued for 10 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania. It will run from 11 p.m. until 9 a.m. Thursday, meteorologist Lee Hendricks...
Unity man convicted of child rape, sexual assaults
A Unity man was convicted Tuesday of the rape of one child and sexual assault of another. Following a four-day trial, a Westmoreland County jury found Steven M. Cope Jr. guilty of 10 counts including rape of a child and multiple charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault...
North Allegheny students place 2nd in Stellar Xplorers National Space Design Competition
A team of five North Allegheny High School students placed second in the finals of the Stellar Xplorers National Space Design Competition, a national contest organized by the Air Force. The North Allegheny Air Force Junior ROTC team was one of 10 finalists — whittled down from 350 teams —...
Plans for Pittsburgh’s Juneteenth celebration unveiled
Community leaders and local officials on Tuesday outlined plans for Pittsburgh’s annual Juneteenth celebration, which this year will include a parade, sports, a music festival and 100 minority-owned business vendors. The city’s Juneteenth celebration is organized by Stop the Violence Pittsburgh and the organization’s founder and CEO, B. Marshall, in...
Westmoreland Community Action plans outdoor, interactive mystery event
Local banker JR Greenback is found slain in Greensburg’s St. Clair Park, victim of an apparent blow to the head. Evidence scattered around the body includes a crumpled paper listing names of business leaders and other prominent citizens. The miserly banker was not well-liked — perhaps not even by his...
Suspended Somerset County DA faces new charges in unrelated case
SOMERSET — A suspended western Pennsylvania prosecutor facing charges in a sexual assault case has now been charged in an unrelated assault almost a year ago. Jeffrey Thomas, 36, Somerset County’s elected district attorney, was jailed Monday on charges of simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment after state police alleged...
Officials identify man, woman found dead in Springdale apartment
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the two people found dead Monday in a Springdale house as Robert Devaughn Williams, 36, of New Kensington and Morgan Kurpakus, 24, of Springdale. Their bodies were discovered after 3:30 p.m. Monday in a house in the 1000 of block of Pittsburgh...
Mail-in, absentee ballots will start going out to Allegheny County voters this week
Voters in Allegheny County who applied for mail-in and absentee ballots should begin receiving them soon, as the first batch of such ballots should be mailed out by the end of the week, officials said. More than 100,000 mail-in and absentee ballots have gone out so far, said county spokeswoman...
Anti-Defamation League: 82% increase in antisemitic incidents in Western Pa. in 2021
Western Pennsylvania has seen an increase of more than 80% in antisemitic incidents, the highest figures recorded in the state since tracking began in 1979, according to a report from the Anti-Defamation League. ADL officials released the report this week highlighting 20 incidents in which antisemitism was considered a significant...
Pittsburgh partners with CommonWealth Press to sell official city merchandise
The city of Pittsburgh is partnering with CommonWealth Press to sell the city’s first officially licensed merchandise. Officials with the Peduto Administration announced in September that they were looking to partner with a company to create branded Pittsburgh merchandise. On Wednesday, City Council approved a measure to partner with Pittsburgh-based...
Pittsburgh region jobs up, jobless rate down in March
The seven-county Pittsburgh region created more jobs in March and more people returned to the workforce, pushing the unemployment rate down to below to pre-pandemic levels of 2020, according to data released Tuesday. The area’s economy added 13,200 nonfarm jobs in March, raising the level to 1.23 million, which was...
Plum Chamber of Commerce presents Touch A Truck on May 14
In 2019, plenty of youngsters — grownups, too — had the opportunity for close encounters of the vehicular kind during the Touch A Truck, the Plum Chamber of Commerce’s largest event to date. Chances for a repeat were delayed two years, but plans call for a convoy to gather again...
State police seeking help in identifying 3 who tried to break into Mt. Pleasant Township home
State police investigating an attempted burglary in Mt. Pleasant Township are trying to identify a woman and two men who tried to break into a home. Investigators released a surveillance image Tuesday of a tan minivan in which the suspects fled. Trooper Steve Limani said the incident was concerning because...
Arona man accused of burglary, false imprisonment
A 44-year-old Arona man was arrested by state police Monday after he was accused of breaking into a woman’s residence in Derry Township and carrying her outside before she was able to break free, according to court records. Shawn E. Grbach was arrested at the scene after the woman called...
