Western PA Local News category, Page 1572
Blawnox egg hunt makes return after 2 years of pandemic cancellations
After two years in a covid-related hiatus, the Blawnox Easter Egg Hunt will return Sunday April 10 with cookie decorating, crafts and hundreds of candy-filled plastic eggs hidden in Community Park. Hosted by the nonprofit Best of Blawnox, the event is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. at the park...
Fireworks expert enlivens his Indiana Township neighborhood with birthday blasts, more
You could call him Pyro Joe. Joe Veltri has a blast using his love of fireworks to brighten the nights of residents in his Indiana Township neighborhood, known as Park Place. Veltri, 49, began putting on fireworks shows in the neighborhood after virtually everything — including in-person birthday parties —...
AG Josh Shapiro bans Martino Motors from selling cars
A Penn Hills used car dealership is banned from selling cars in Pennsylvania. Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced in a press release Monday that Martino Motors, 536 Rodi Road, violated an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (AVC) that the dealership entered into in 2014. “Martino Motors agreed to play by the...
Man accused of running from Tarentum traffic stop, leaving toddler behind, faces multiple felony charges
A Wilmerding man faces multiple felony charges in connection with two incidents in Tarentum, including one in which police said he ran off and left his toddler son behind when the car he was riding in was pulled over for traffic violations. Vern Alexander Connor, 40, of the 100 block...
Prayer vigil for Ukraine set for Saturday in Greensburg
A group of area religious leaders will lead a prayer vigil for the people of Ukraine from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Bononi & Bononi parking lot at the corner of South Main and East Third streets in Greensburg. “We want to present a unified message on Russia’s...
Grant sends Excela newborns, parents home with sleep sacks
All babies born at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital’s Family Additions Maternity Center will be sent home with two sleep sacks under a grant from the Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation. Staff at the center have long used the sleep sacks to swaddle infants in their first hours of life, but now their...
Police: Drug charges filed against West Deer man who said disturbance was reaction to attack by demons
A West Deer man faces a felony drug charge after telling police he woke his neighbors at 2 a.m. because he was being attacked by white demons with black eyes, authorities said. Donald A. Cowfer Jr., 34, of Tarentum-Culmerville Road was charged with felony possession of drugs with the intent...
Police: Ford City man faces felonies for hitting neighbor in head with baseball bat
A man told Ford City police that he was hit in the head with a baseball bat when he went to a neighbor’s house to retrieve items from his former girlfriend. Benjamin Peter Space, 45, of the 700 block of Fourth Avenue in Ford City, faces charges of aggravated assault...
At least 1 killed in crash on Route 8 in Butler County
At least one person was killed early Tuesday in a two-vehicle crash involving a log-hauling truck along Route 8 in Slippery Rock Township, according to Butler County 911. The crash happened just after 6 a.m. at the intersection of Branchton Road, said Butler County Emergency Management Coordinator Robert McLafferty. A...
The Stroller, April 5, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Leechburg Area High School to present, ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ The Leechburg Area High School Drama Club will present the musical, “Annie...
Firefighters stage fundraisers for Arnold emergency scene photographer who lost legVideo
Steven Matto shoots some of the most intense fire scene photos ever taken. It’s just that most people don’t get a chance to see them. Matto, 54, is the official photographer for many Alle-Kiski Valley fire companies, documenting more than 700 emergencies. His photos are used by fire companies to...
Sharpsburg to form parks and recreation commission
Sharpsburg residents will soon have another way to influence the borough’s recreational offerings and opportunities. Borough council is in the process of forming a parks and recreation commission, spearheaded by Councilwoman Carrie Tongarm and Councilman Peter Adams. “I think we have a great opportunity to get more of our residents...
What’s That: Murrysville marks site of natural gas discovery
Editor’s note ‘What’s That?’ is a recurring feature in the Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Plus edition. If there’s something you’d like to see explored here, send an email to gtrcity@triblive.com. In 1878, Michael and Obediah Haymaker drilled a hole in Murrysville, hunting for oil. Instead, they found gas, inadvertently turning the Westmoreland...
Building the Valley: New Kensington Massage Therapy business flourishing
Tonie Vaughn-Clemons had no intention of opening her own business. A trained massage therapist, she worked side jobs for income while volunteering her skills at a Sarver chiropractor’s practice, for the satisfaction of the healing work. Then covid-19 hit, and the activity she cherished was shut down amid pandemic restrictions....
Kiski Area School District forms new subcommittee to help with communications, brand improvements
Kiski Area Superintendent Misty Slavic is on a mission to improve communications and brand awareness in the district. Slavic has partnered with the school board to form a new Public Relations Subcommittee with a goal of increasing positivity in the district. “We’re trying to get our community members involved,” Slavic...
Crews battle Uptown row house fire
Firefighters are on the scene of a row house fire that broke out Monday night in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood. Allegheny County 911 officials said fire crews were called to a residence near the intersection of Locust and Van Braam streets Uptown, near UPMC Mercy Hospital. The Pittsburgh Fire Fighters Twitter...
Federal civil rights lawsuit filed against City of Pittsburgh in Jim Rogers’ death
The estate of a man who died in October a day after being tased by Pittsburgh police filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit Monday against the city and the officers on the scene that day. The complaint, filed by James Frierson, who is serving as the administrator of Jim Rogers’...
Flag-raising ceremony honors organ donation awareness at Allegheny Valley Hospital
A small crowd gathered Monday in the courtyard at Allegheny Valley Hospital to raise awareness about the gift of life. A flag-raising ceremony at 11 a.m. honored those who have donated organs and called attention to the need for more people to register, organizers said. The event was outside the...
70 cats recovered from Hempfield home after owner calls for help
It will take thousands of dollars to get 70 cats and kittens that were rescued Sunday from a Hempfield hoarding situation into adoptable condition, said Jen Johnson, president of Ninth Life Rescue Center. She and volunteers from As They Come Animal Rescue are hoping for some community support to rehabilitate...
Suspect arrested in South Side Flats shooting
Pittsburgh police have arrested a man in connection with an April 2 shooting on Pittsburgh’s South Side that left another man in critical condition. Julyan Richards, 25, who was not listed with an address in court records, has been charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence. Shortly...
Jeannette man sent to jail for Excela break-in
A Jeannette man was ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail for the burglary of three medical offices at Excela Health in Greensburg. Travis Michael Gibson, 37, pleaded guilty this week to charges to felony burglary and trespassing offenses, as well as misdemeanor theft, criminal mischief and receiving...
Men who played role in Pittsburgh garbage collector’s death plead in state court
Seven members of a local gang involved in violence in Pittsburgh’s Hilltop neighborhood that led to the 2014 shooting death of a beloved garbage collector have pleaded guilty in state court. All seven men were members of the Zhoove gang, based in Beltzhoover, which at the time was fighting with...
Westbound Turnpike exit in Cranberry to close Monday night into Tuesday morning
The westbound Cranberry exit ramp from the Pennsylvania Turnpike will close at 7 p.m. Monday night and reopen Tuesday morning as work crews remove a disabled tractor trailer from the ramp, turnpike officials announced Monday. The closure of the westbound Exit 28 ramp will be from 7 p.m. Monday night...
Latrobe man paroled for Hollow Tavern arson accused of 2nd DUI since 2021 release
A man paroled just over a year ago after serving more than a decade in state prison for setting fire to the landmark Hollow Tavern in 2008 was arraigned Monday on DUI and related charges for a Christmas Eve motorcycle crash on Route 30 that injured his passenger. It is...
FBI: Sextortion of teenagers is growing problem
Teenagers, primarily boys, are being lured with the offer of money by “females” in return for sending sexually explicit photos and videos over social media, only to discover that they become victims in an elaborate extortion scheme seeking more money, according to the FBI in Pittsburgh. The FBI said Monday...
