Western PA Local News category, Page 1553
Norwin School Board approves policy that guides teaching of controversial issues
Norwin School Board on Monday approved guidelines for instructing students on controversial issues, including race relations, by employing what the district termed a balanced approach to presenting those issues, without inserting opinions or indoctrinating students to a particular viewpoint. The initiative to develop a policy on teaching controversial issues such...
Pittsburgh City Council looks to regulate Airbnb, other short-term rentals after deadly weekend shooting
Legislation that will be introduced to Pittsburgh City Council Tuesday aims to regulate Airbnb and other short-term rental units in the city, after two teenage boys were killed and eight others were injured in a shooting at an Airbnb rental property in the city’s North Side over the weekend. The...
Trib Total Media co-sponsoring debate in Pa.’s hotly contested GOP primary race for governor
Spotlight PA and its founding members, including Trib Total Media, are sponsoring a debate Tuesday featuring five candidates seeking the Republican nomination in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race. The 90-minute debate at Gettysburg College will be broadcast on the nonprofit cable television network PCN, airing at 7 p.m., and livestreamed by the...
West Penn crew replacing pole hits Peoples natural gas line in New Kensington
A West Penn Power crew drilling to place a new utility pole struck a natural gas line along Tarentum Bridge Road on Monday, causing a leak. Westmoreland County 911 said the incident was reported shortly after 8 a.m. It happened at the entrance to Riverview Plaza in front of Donut...
Unity couple’s retrial delayed over dispute with lawyer
A retrial of a Unity couple convicted in 2018 was delayed after one of the defense lawyers withdrew from the case. Jury selection was to begin Monday in the case against Bruce Palmer, 37, and wife, Marie Ann Farabaugh Palmer, 43, whose convictions were later overturned. Prosecutors claim Bruce Palmer...
Leechburg High School baseball field to remain unplayable rest of season
The Leechburg High School baseball team will not be able to play games on its home turf for the rest of the season. The announcement came during an April 13 school board meeting as the school’s solicitor Amy Schrempf gave a status update on the condition of the field, which...
Derry Township man pleads guilty in 2018 crash that injured motorcyclist
A Derry Township man pleaded guilty Monday to being under the influence of marijuana and causing a crash that severely injured a motorcyclist more than three years ago. Orrin W. Burbank, 42, was charged last summer with aggravated assault with a vehicle and driving under the influence in connection with...
Jury seated in retrial of Allegheny Township man accused of multiple rapes
A Westmoreland County jury was seated Monday to hear evidence in the retrial of an Allegheny Township man accused of the rape and sexual assault of six women. Prosecutors claim Eric Wright, 50, was a serial rapist who committed crimes for nearly two decades. Originally charged with more than 50...
Police: Pair arrested in Upper Burrell; crystal meth, $15K, stolen gun confiscated from home
Two people arrested at an Upper Burrell home face multiple felony drug and weapons charges after police said they found more than 2 ounces of crystal meth, a stolen handgun and other evidence of drug dealing during a search of the home. Djuan “Chiz” Osceola Williams, 42, of the 7000...
Woman accused by police of DUI in 3-vehicle crash that injured 7 in North Huntingdon
A North Versailles woman was arrested Monday by North Huntingdon police on multiple charges of DUI and aggravated assault by vehicle for causing a March 8 crash on Route 30 that sent seven people to the hospital, according to court documents. Police allege the driver of a 2017 silver Chevrolet...
2 Pine Township restaurants cited by Health Department for cockroaches
Update, April 21: After an inspection on Thursday, the consumer alert for Thai Place North has been lifted. All major issues have been resolved. The Allegheny County Health Department posted consumer alerts at two restaurants located next to each other in the North Hills, after finding cockroaches in the kitchen...
Police responded to noise complaint at Pittsburgh Airbnb 90 minutes before shooting
Pittsburgh police officers responded to an Airbnb party at a North Side home for a noise complaint just 90 minutes before a shooting left two teenage boys dead and eight other partygoers injured by gunfire. Pittsburgh police on Monday confirmed that officers had been called to the scene for a...
Shaler graduate receives 2nd consecutive scholarship from Burger King
Katelynn Marie Britenbaugh thought she was just stopping at Burger King in Etna, her part-time employer when she is not in school or playing travel softball, to see her coworkers and to meet her family for a short lunch on April 16. She wasn’t aware that she was about to...
Listen to radio calls as police respond to North Side Airbnb shooting
Audio recordings of emergency calls during a shooting early Sunday at a party in Pittsburgh illustrate in real-time the chaotic scene that police and partygoers experienced as the gunfire continued. As officers begin responding to the scene on Suismon Street at Madison Avenue, the sheer volume of people becomes clear....
Freeport businesses to offer food trucks, live music and more every month
Freeport businesses have teamed up to offer a community open-air market with food trucks and live music every month through November, weather permitting. Dubbed “Freeport Days,” the event offers a festival vibe showcasing the products and services of local businesses. To accommodate the festivities, the borough will close down a...
Pennsylvania Supreme Court hosts art, essay contest for students
Students are invited to celebrate the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s 300th anniversary by participating in an essay and coloring contest. “Recognizing the crucial role that civics education plays in the public’s understating of the judiciary, we are excited to expand our 300th celebration efforts to involve students at all grade...
Hempfield officials want to hear from residents in survey
Hempfield officials are seeking public input as they work to update their 16-year-old comprehensive plan. Township leaders have opened an online survey asking residents what issues they think are most important, what type of development they would like to see, what they think is the quality of life compared to...
Mt. Pleasant man jailed on $250K bond after accused by troopers of firing handgun at car
State police arrested a 25-year-old Mt. Pleasant man on accusations of firing a handgun at a car that drove past a friend’s home over the weekend, according to court documents. Joshua Scott Lucot was ordered held in the county prison on $250,000 bond after the incident at 2 a.m. Saturday...
Driver pleads guilty in DUI crash that killed Jefferson Hills police officer
Dale T. Provins Jr. was more than just a police officer who died in the line of duty. His daughter, Mariah Provins, told a judge Monday that her father was a Desert Storm veteran, a dependable son, a fun uncle and, to her, the strongest man in the world. That’s...
Greensburg forum to discuss mental health, substance abuse issues
The crisis in mental health and substance abuse during the pandemic will be discussed by several speakers at a program planned from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Greensburg YWCA, 424 N. Main St. Representatives from the Blackburn Center in Greensburg, MedMark Treatment Centers, Sage’s Army of Hempfield, Westmoreland...
Celebrate South Hills with SHIM in Bethel Park
South Hills Interfaith Movement has hosted the annual fundraising event Celebrate the South Hills with SHIM, for 10 years, honoring individuals who share SHIM’s values of neighbors helping neighbors. While the event traditionally consisted of a dinner program and silent auction, it became a virtual event for two years through...
From community gardens to the environment, sisters fulfill various missions
Sister Sheila Carney chuckles when she recalls the day a few years ago her Sisters of Mercy were urged to call the White House to weigh in on an issue that stood to benefit Western Pennsylvania’s poor. “One of our older sisters sat down and dialed the number,” Carney said....
Man arrested in 2021 Donegal Township wreck that injured 4
State police arrested a Jeannette man who they said was driving without a valid license at the time of a 2021 Donegal Township crash that seriously injured three others, according to court papers. Shane R. Mowry, 36, is charged with accidents involving death or injury and several summary vehicle citations,...
New vice president appointed by St. Clair Health
St. Clair Health has appointed Rich Taylor as vice president of facilities management and operations. Taylor has more than two decades of management experience. He began his career in the construction industry, serving as a project manager for companies in the Baltimore area, before transitioning to healthcare with progressively responsible...
Kayak Pittsburgh to open kayak rentals in Sharpsburg
Sharpsburg borough council unanimously approved a kayak concession rental recently at the James Sharp Landing. The outdoors nonprofit Venture Outdoors will locate a Kayak Pittsburgh rental site for a one-year pilot program. Sharpsburg Mayor, Brittany Reno said she was excited that residents would have the opportunity to kayak the Allegheny...
