Western PA Local News category, Page 1749
Downtown Pittsburgh winter homeless shelter reopens, but covid limits capacity to 68 people per night
Amid bouts of chilly wind, icy rain and temperatures dipping into the 30s, several dozen people showed up at the steps of Downtown Pittsburgh’s Smithfield United Church of Christ this past week in need of a warm place to sleep. An average of 25 to 35 people who are homeless...
Pittsburgh finance director leaving city government for position with PNC Bank
Pittsburgh’s finance director and treasurer will be leaving city government and moving to a new role at PNC Bank, Mayor Bill Peduto announced Friday. Douglas Anderson began working for the city in January 2008 as the deputy controller and chief of staff to City Controller Michael Lamb. Peduto appointed him...
Pittsburgh police investigating East Liberty shooting
Pittsburgh police are investigating after an East Liberty business was struck by gunfire Friday evening, officials said. Officers responded to a Shotspotter alert in the 6000 block of Penn Avenue around 5 p.m., said Pittsburgh Public Safety Spokesman Maurice Matthews. Matthews said a man was treated on scene after being...
Pittsburgh Public School students to learn online the Monday they return from Thanksgiving break
Pittsburgh Public School students will learn remotely Monday, Nov. 29 — the day after Thanksgiving break — as district officials grapple with staffing shortages they say related to the covid-19 pandemic. The change was announced in a letter written by interim Superintendent Wayne Walters. “The impact of the covid-19 pandemic...
Greensburg event Saturday hopes to connect community members and local police
A Unity in the Community rally scheduled for Saturday in Greensburg will work to bridge the gap between community members and local police. The Bridging the Gap event will bring together speakers and organizations like Westmoreland Community Action; Pennsylvania State Police; Ray of Hope, a suicide prevention organization, and more....
Fake energy company jilts investors out of $2M used to buy boats, jewelry, wedding gifts; 1 of 3 indicted pleads guilty
A Greene County man admitted bilking Western Pennsylvania investors out of more than $2 million under the guise of funding a promising renewable energy company, only to use the money to pay for lavish personal items and the living expenses of he and his fellow schemers. Authorities say the money...
Pittsburgh man pleads guilty to heroin distribution via South Side gang-linked drug ring
A Pittsburgh man caught throwing 17 bricks of heroin off the balcony of a Homestead hotel and making drug deals in the Penn Hills area has been convicted for his role in a drug ring linked to a local street gang. Henry Johnson, 30, of the city’s South Side neighborhood,...
Lots drawn to declare winners in 39 tied election races in Westmoreland County
Lady Luck eluded Nancy Peters on Friday afternoon. Peters, an incumbent councilwoman in Jeannette, was one of 30 people who tied with one write-in vote in the Nov. 2 election for city controller. Ties were broken Friday afternoon through a random casting of lots for that race — and 38...
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate drops in October
For the second month in a row, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate has dropped two-tenths of a percentage point. The state’s unemployment rate for October was down to 6% according to the PA Department of Labor & Industry’s preliminary employment situation report released Friday. It’s the eighth consecutive month the state’s unemployment...
Pittsburgh Creche is blessed in Downtown service
The Pittsburgh Creche has been blessed. At noon on Friday, Christian Leaders Fellowship, an ecumenical group of local bishops and denominational leaders, held a prayer service. It was the annual dedication of the nativity located in front of U.S. Steel Tower on Grant Street, Downtown. In its 23rd year, it...
Carrick man pleads guilty to dealing meth in cross-country drug trafficking case
A Pittsburgh man has pleaded guilty to dealing methamphetamine as part of a cross-country drug ring that was busted earlier this year, federal prosecutors said. Doug Austen, 40, of the city’s Carrick neighborhood, admitted in federal court this week to possessing and distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney...
Ward announces $2M for infrastructure projects in Westmoreland County
Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, on Friday announced nearly $2 million in Commonwealth Financing Authority grants for five local projects in Westmoreland County. The projects in Hempfield, Mt. Pleasant and Unity townships as well as Delmont and Jeannette were among 266 projects statewide totaling $94.4 million that the CFA...
Ohio consultant to help Greater Latrobe School District craft facilities master plan
Greater Latrobe School Board has selected a firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio, to help the district develop an updated facilities master plan. The board this week retained SHP to provide facilities master planning and visioning services. The company’s fee structure hasn’t been finalized but will “align with the district goals...
Greensburg Holiday Parade to honor health care workersVideo
Health care workers will take center stage at the Greensburg Holiday Parade this weekend. On Saturday, health care workers from Westmoreland County will lead the parade through downtown Greensburg as grand marshals. The event will be a way for city officials and community members to thank those in the medical...
TSA makes travel safer, though security remains imperfect 20 years later, experts say
Since the Transportation Security Administration was created in the wake of 9/11, terrorists haven’t carried out any large-scale attacks involving commercial airliners or U.S. airports. Some say that’s a testament to the TSA and proof that its security measures are working. But some aviation security experts say the TSA, created...
Vandergrift Market opens for holiday shopping every Saturday, supporting local businesses
A holiday market has returned to historic Vandergrift. Vandergrift Market offers many vendors Saturdays on the lower-level floor of the former J.C. Penney department store at 134 Grant Ave. Market hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday through Dec. 18. In its second season, volunteers with the Vandergrift...
Churchill man convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Arnold killing
Devon Askew doubled over and cried as a Westmoreland County jury read a verdict that rejected his self-defense claims in connection with a fatal shooting last year in Arnold. Askew, 28, of Churchill, was convicted Friday of voluntary manslaughter — a verdict neither the defense nor prosecutors originally sought —...
M@C Discount signs lease with Pittsburgh Mills mall to expand its locations
One of the largest empty spaces in the Pittsburgh Mills mall has a new tenant. M@C Discount announced it will open a location Dec. 1 in the space formerly used by Sears Grand. The online bidding store signed a five-year lease with the mall. Spirit Halloween occupied the space during...
Online fundaiser set up for Lower Burrell volunteer firefighter whose home caught fire
A fundraising effort is underway to help a Lower Burrell volunteer firefighter’s family after their home was heavily damaged by fire Thursday morning. Multiple fire companies responded to the blaze along Fairview Drive. Angela Veri has lived in the home for 14 years with her husband, two daughters and son,...
Dinosaurs will roam Pittsburgh when Jurassic Quest comes to townVideo
After millions of years, dinosaurs are again roaming North America in Jurassic Quest, an interactive dinosaur attraction coming to Pittsburgh in February. With more than 100 life-like dinosaur replicas, themed rides, live dinosaur shows, interactive science and art activities, a fossil dig, a “Triceratots” soft play area, inflatable attractions, photo...
Not in a pickle any longer, giant ornament returns to Pittsburgh
This pickle didn’t pop. After the ornament that the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership tried last year to install deflated, there’s a new one to take its place. Thought to be the world’s largest pickle ornament, it was unveiled on Thursday in Downtown Pittsburgh. It is located in EQT Plaza at 625...
Judge: Former Charleroi woman charged in Capitol riot can’t possess gun to protect her livestock
A federal judge on Friday denied the request of a former Charleroi woman charged in the Capitol riot to be allowed to possess a firearm to protect her livestock pending trial. Tara Stottlemyer, 36, is accused of obstructing official proceedings, disorderly conduct in the Capitol building, entering a restricted building...
‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ flying into Greensburg’s Palace Theatre
Some stories have a message that is evergreen, so to speak — especially when it comes to Christmas specials. That’s certainly true of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” a story that first came to television in stop-motion, animated form in 1964. “It’s all about accepting people and their differences and realizing...
North Huntingdon man accused of choking, hitting woman during argument
Police arrested a 25-year-old North Huntingdon man Thursday, charging him with simple assault and strangulation after he was accused of choking and punching a female relative, police said. Brandon M. O’Brien was taken into custody a few blocks from his home on Lavonne Drive just before 9 p.m. after police...
Diaper Bank looks to offer more help from its Mt. Pleasant location
Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank officials are hoping to partner with health care providers at its Mt. Pleasant location to bring additional services to those in need. Co-founder Cathy Battle said the coronavirus pandemic has and continues to upend many lives, leaving some families without the ability to access health care....
