Western PA Local News category, Page 1706
Holiday travel on Pennsylvania Turnpike expected to jump by 40% over last year
Officials predict more than 5.4 million motorists will take to the Pennsylvania Turnpike between the 2021 Christmas and 2022 New Year’s Day holidays, approaching pre-pandemic travel figures. “Our holiday traffic projections are coming close to matching those of 2019 with an increase of 40% over last year,” PA Turnpike CEO...
Export man arrested, charged with drug possession
An Export man is facing 12 drug-related charges because, state troopers allege, he tossed a bag of methamphetamine from his shirt pocket when they came to his home to serve him with a warrant. Ronald I. Askey, 49, was in the county jail without bond Wednesday after his arraignment. Cpl....
Fawn-Frazer water customers ordered to conserve after water main break
Due to a water main break along Bull Creek Road, the Fawn-Frazer Joint Water Authority issued a water conservation order for all of its customers. All unnecessary use of water is prohibited, according to the order. In addition, customers are asked to conserve on the use of water for drinking...
Family, friends, community say goodbye to ‘Mr. Mt. Pleasant’ Gerald Lucia
Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday celebrated the life and times of Gerald Lucia, the longtime Mt. Pleasant mayor and fire chief. Lucia died Dec. 17. He was 76. On Wednesday, there was a procession of fire trucks before and after his funeral. A volunteer firefighter for 46 years, Lucia served as...
Texas man charged after Pittsburgh International Airport security agents catch loaded handgun
A Texas man faces charges after police said they caught him Tuesday with a revolver inside a purse at Pittsburgh International Airport. Court records identified the man as Mazzio Akins, 51, of Houston. Transportation Security Administration agents spotted the loaded .22-caliber handgun inside an older-style purse as it went through...
Greensburg man dies after being hit by vehicle in Jeannette
A Greensburg man died Tuesday after being hit by a vehicle in Jeannette, according to police Chief Donald Johnston Jr. and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Ronald Momeyer, 65, was in a cross walk on Claridge-Elliott Road heading into work at Elliott Group at 6:15 a.m. Monday when he was...
Brighton Heights artist works with students to create Bakery Square exhibit
It appears that two of the figures are holding up the building. Called the “Larimer Caryatids,” the second art installation at Bakery Square in Pittsburgh’s East End was created by artist Lori Hepner of Brighton Heights. A “caryatid” is a Greek word and the name given to an architectural column...
Proposal would add 6 parks, more than 300 acres to Pittsburgh park system
A proposal before Pittsburgh City Council would designate six greenways as city parks, adding more than 300 acres to the city’s park system. The measure would move the city closer to its goal of increasing the number of residents who live within a half-mile – or roughly a 10-minute walk...
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey says covid-19 test was false positive
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey said Wednesday that his recent covid-19 test was a false positive. Gainey had moved an announcement regarding his transition team to a virtual format Monday after a rapid covid-19 test came back positive. Gainey, who is vaccinated and has received a booster, never had symptoms of...
Pittsburgh, Humane Animal Rescue extend partnership for more than $1 million
Pittsburgh City Council on Monday approved a measure to extend the city’s partnership with Humane Animal Rescue, a nonprofit that takes in stray animals and aids in the adoption process. The nonprofit has collaborated with the city’s Bureau of Animal Care and Control for about 15 years. The contract approved...
Northern Tier Library updates hours in 2022
Starting in 2022, the Northern Tier Library will have new hours — 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The library is located at , 4015 Dickey Road, Gibsonia. Marilyn Monroe: The girl behind the image In the glittering Golden...
Duquesne man jailed after 135 mph chase in Derry Township
A Duquesne man was jailed this week on fleeing and related charges filed by state police in connection with a 135 mph chase that started in Derry Township earlier this year. Bail for Nicholas D. Lomax, 28, was set at $100,000. Troopers said they were stationed on Route 22 in...
1,000 candles set to glow in Washington Township
A neighborhood in Washington Township is set to glow with more than 1,000 candles on Christmas Eve. Washington Acres will host a luminary evening beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. Light Up Washington Acres is sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 211, based in Delmont. The event serves as a fundraiser for...
Pittsburgh’s URA to forgive $2.9M in small-business loans
Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority said this week it would forgive more than $2.9 million in small business loans given through its Emergency Loan Fund program, in a move meant to help small businesses survive the covid-19 pandemic. As covid-19 restrictions forced many small businesses to close their doors or alter...
Holidays from the Heart remembers patients of UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Anne Alter walked back into UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital in Oakland on Friday — but not as a patient this time. She walked in as someone who is living proof that it’s possible to be well and live in recovery. Alter returned to sing a moving Hanukkah song at Holidays...
260-pound black bear trapped near Downtown PittsburghVideo
The Pennsylvania Game Commission trapped a 260-pound black bear Wednesday morning next to a Lower Hill District dumpster near Downtown Pittsburgh. A sighting of the bear was first reported Dec. 6 in the 5700 block of Penn Avenue, but it disappeared, said Douglas Bergman, a game commission warden covering Allegheny...
Police: Homewood woman arrested for housing 2 infants, puppy in ‘deplorable living conditions’
Two infants were taken into protective custody after, police say, officers found them living in “deplorable” and unsafe conditions in a Homewood home on Monday. A malnourished puppy was also removed from the house on Mt. Vernon Street. Pittsburgh police charged Franshauna Chevi Batron, 37, with endangering the welfare of...
Unity’s Victory Brinker, Steelers JuJu Smith-Schuster support Pittsburgh’s less fortunate
Victory Brinker noticed homeless people as she walked the streets of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, Calif., before her performance on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. “She had never seen homeless people before,” said her mother, Christine Brinker, on Tuesday inside Light of Life Rescue Mission on Pittsburgh’s North Side. “She...
Greensburg man charged with directing woman to record video of sex act with child wants case dismissed
A Greensburg man awaiting trial on charges that he directed his ex-girlfriend to have sex with a child and record the act now contends the case is based on an improper police search of his cell phone. A new lawyer for Charles Jason Hunter, 35, in court documents made public...
Actor Richard Thomas proving to be man for all seasons in PittsburghVideo
Let’s be clear. Actor Richard Thomas loves performing in Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh audiences love seeing Thomas perform. And they’re getting plenty of chances to watch the former “Waltons” star apply his craft. Thomas is currently in Pittsburgh reprising his role as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Pittsburgh CLO’s “A Musical Christmas...
The Stroller, Dec. 22, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your holiday events, club meetings and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. HOPE Center collecting donations for its SAF-T kennel The Alle-Kiski HOPE Center offers a Sheltering Animals and Families Together (SAF-T) Kennel...
Argument over beer leads to SWAT situation in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood
A SWAT situation ended with a man’s arrest in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood Tuesday night, police said. Pittsburgh police said officers went to the 200 block of East Elizabeth Street shortly after 8:30 p.m. for a report of domestic violence. A criminal complaint filed in the case said a woman reported...
Experts weigh in on holiday travel amid threat of omicron, surging covid cases
Almost two years since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, cases are surging and the threat of another highly contagious variant looms, but projections show people still plan to travel for the holidays. Nearly 28 million more people will travel this year compared to 2020, according to AAA, and airlines...
Greensburg police getting SUV for its newest dog, Ace
The Greensburg Police Department is gearing up to buy a new Ford Explorer, which will be used for one of the city’s newest police dogs. Costs for the vehicle will largely be covered by a $46,696 donation from the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office, which council members voted to accept...
Plum officials hold the line on taxes for 2022
Plum property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes as a result of the upcoming year’s borough budget. Borough officials held the line on taxes when council unanimously voted this month to pass their 2022 spending plan. The millage rate remains at 4.78 mills. Revenue was...
