Western PA Local News category, Page 1731
Lower Burrell volunteer fire company’s EMS squeezed, asks the city for help
A red hot labor market and inadequate insurance reimbursements are squeezing Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3’s EMS and they are asking the city for help. City council has not agreed to anything but has been meeting with EMS and fire company officials to try to find a solution,...
New Kensington holiday parade brings community together once againVideo
Hundreds of people packed the sunshine-lit streets of downtown New Kensington on Saturday for the return of the city’s holiday parade. It was a bigger turnout than pre-pandemic years, according to Carol Grunden. “I think people are just tired of being confined,” she said. The covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation...
Tours at Animal Friends Sanctuary benefit shelter, promote compassion
Two-year-old Blake Burkley dissolved into a fit of giggles when it came time to feed the cows. Perched on her mother’s hip, the girl laughed as cows named Mary and Jesus searched with their tongues for a tasty treat. For Alexa Burkley of Irwin, a tour at Animal Friends Sanctuary...
Drive-thru bingo set for under the bridge in Tarentum
It’s not your grandmother’s bingo. Tarentum’s recreation board is hosting an open-air, drive-thru event at the borough’s marina for a festive hour of bingo, raffles and socializing. It’s calling the event Scratch Off Bingo and it’s set for 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9. The rain date is the following...
Inmate sentenced to life in prison for SCI-Somerset murder
SOMERSET — A Pennsylvania state prison inmate was handed two life sentences in Somerset County court on Friday for killing his cellmate at SCI-Somerset in 2018. Judge Scott P. Bittner sentenced Dale Michael Wakefield, 29, to life in prison for first-degree murder and life in prison for assault by a...
Westmoreland Manor vaccine mandate on hold as nearly a third of staff remains unprotected
More than a third of employees at Westmoreland Manor will remain on the job without coronavirus vaccinations after the county last week deferred a vaccine mandate following a federal appeals court ruling that temporarily halted the requirement. Manor administrator Abby Testa said Friday that just 64% of the more than...
Park upgrades and safer sidewalks coming to Aspinwall, Etna thanks to state grant
Safe sidewalks and park amenities in Aspinwall and Etna will be supported by a state grant, officials announced recently. The boroughs will share a nearly $515,000 grant through the Commonwealth Financing Authority. Friends of the Riverfront also will receive money to improve accessibility along the Three Rivers Water Trail. “The...
Arnold Palmer airport officials in Unity to dedicate flag tribute to fallen service members
A ceremony will be held Tuesday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport to dedicate a flag memorial honoring fallen service members. Erected early in November at the Unity airport, the 13 flags in a “V” formation will be officially dedicated as the Donald Rossi Airport Memorial Park. The former member of...
Hempfield taking aim at cyber attacks
As cyberattacks continue to burden businesses, schools and medical facilities nationwide, the Hempfield Area School Board is taking proactive steps to protect district technology. Directors unanimously agreed to hire Digital Forensic Solutions to conduct an audit and vulnerability assessment of the district’s technology infrastructure at a cost not to exceed...
The Stroller, Dec. 4, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Burtner House Restoration Society Christmas ornaments available Burtner House Restoration Society is selling handcrafted Christmas tree ornaments to celebrate the 200th...
Freeport VFD plans to replace aging engine with new Pierce apparatus, financing uncertain
Freeport firefighters plan to replace an aging truck with a new custom model. The volunteer fire department’s 1987 Mack Grumman fire engine failed a pump test this year. Fire Marshal Michael Greiser said maintenance of the 33-year-old truck has become taxing, with parts becoming harder to find. Its open cab...
Kiski Area welding students show their skills at Weld Off competition
Two Kiski Area High School seniors were among the competitors in the 40th annual Weld Off on Friday, sponsored by the American Welding Society. Phillip Miller and Nathaniel Potanko, fourth-year students in the welding program at Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in New Kensington, welded for several hours at...
Training program approved for guards at Westmoreland jail
Westmoreland County Prison guards will be required to complete an annual training program designed to deescalate potentially violent situations with inmates. The county’s prison board approved hiring a Delmont-based trainer to a 40-hour session for prison staffers as part of an effort officials hope ultimately will result in fewer dust-ups...
First-ever Winterfest in McCandless brings seasonal fun
Anyone with experience naming snowplows should try their luck at the first-ever Winterfest in McCandless on Dec. 18. The seasonal celebration starting at 4 p.m. and culminating with a 7 p.m. fireworks display will be at the town hall grounds off Grubbs Road, with Santa and plenty of activities and...
Police: Patron stabbed clerk at 7-Eleven in Castle Shannon
Castle Shannon police are searching for a suspect in a stabbing Friday night at the 7-Eleven/Sunoco convenience store in the 200 block of Mt. Lebanon Boulevard. According to police, a patron pulled a knife and stabbed a store clerk in the arm, inflicting a wound that is not life-threatening. Three...
Student busing in Plum School District no longer guaranteed
A shortage of bus drivers has prompted Plum School District officials to warn parents that transportation for their children can no longer be guaranteed. The district sent out an alert about their transportation issues Friday. District chief financial officer Ryan Manzer said they had tried to offset the driver shortage...
Thiel College fraternity’s walk to help UPMC Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund stops in Freeport
A Thiel College fraternity on a 100-mile walk benefiting the Free Care Fund at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh made an overnight stop at a Freeport church Friday. About 30 members of Phi Theta Phi made it more than 50 miles on foot from the Greenville college and through several...
Santa stopping for Sunday breakfast in Fawn
The pancakes at Fawn No. 1 volunteer fire department must be pretty tasty. Santa is scheduled to travel there on Sunday for breakfast. Local children are invited to join him from 10 a.m. to noon for pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs. The event is a joint project between Fawn No....
New Kensington mayor’s community dinner ushers in holiday seasonVideo
A New Kensington holiday tradition has returned. The fire station along Fourth Avenue opened its doors Friday night for Mayor Tom Guzzo’s 11th annual community dinner. It wasn’t held last year because of covid. Festivities kicked off shortly before 5:30 p.m. with Christmas carols by the city tree at Ninth...
Holiday shopping, cookies, Santa draw visitors to downtown Irwin
Cookies, carriage rides and Mr. Claus were the main attractions in downtown Irwin Friday night during a Christmas Cookie Tour sponsored by the Irwin Business & Professional Association. John and Rebecca Shakoske of neighboring North Huntingdon brought their 9-month-old daughter, Coraline, to experience her first holiday season in the community....
Adamsburg firefighters get boost from Kenny Ross Auto in effort to buy disinfecting machine
The Adamsburg fire chief wants to acquire a machine to disinfect safety gear to remove chemical residue and other fire-related contaminants that might pose a danger to a firefighter’s health. Instead of having firefighters clean their self-contained breathing apparatus, masks and personal safety gear by hand, Chief Don Thoma said...
Washington County man says he was treated ‘like an idiot’ during 2015 murder trial
A Washington County man serving a life prison sentence for the 2013 murder of his father-in-law in Donegal Township told a Westmoreland County judge his trial lawyer ignored his wishes when he failed to challenge a two-hour police confession and his desire to testify in his own defense. Michael Martin,...
Sutersville man to serve up to 20 years in prison for sexual assaults of 2 children
A Sutersville man will serve up to an additional 20 years in prison for the rape and sexual assaults of two children. Ronald E. Styche III, 43, pleaded guilty to three felony counts based on allegations made to two young girls who claimed they sexually assaulted for more than two...
Lower Burrell police accuse man of endangering his kids by driving drunk with them in vehicle
Lower Burrell police charged a man with two felony counts of endangering the welfare of children after police said he was driving drunk with his two daughters in the vehicle early Friday morning. After being taken into custody, the man’s school-age children were turned over to the Westmoreland County Children’s...
Harrison man accused of having backpack full of drugs in car after traffic stop
Arnold City police arrested a man on felony drug charges after officers searched his vehicle following a traffic stop and found a backpack filled with prescription narcotics, marijuana and other drugs. Jason John Sciubba Jr., 22, of Vine Street in Harrison was charged with four felony counts of the manufacture,...
