Western PA Local News category, Page 1759
Freeport has no cops after chief quits at end of 1st shift; state police covering borough
Freeport hasn’t had a police officer on duty since Nov. 3, when the newly hired police chief quit at the end of his first shift. With no officers left on the force, state police are handling calls in the 1.3-square-mile borough of about 1,700 residents, officials said. Retired Plum police...
5 Questions with incoming bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
Ketlen Solak can remember a time when others were taken aback by her telling them she would one day like to lead the Episcopal Church. But on Saturday, Solak’s wish will be fulfilled when she succeeds Bishop Dorsey McConnell at a consecration ceremony making her the ninth bishop of the...
Determined Highlands kindergartner says, ‘They cut off my foot. And I’m getting a new one!’
Highlands kindergartner Annabel Grant isn’t shy when classmates ask why she uses a wheelchair. “They cut off my foot,” the 5-year-old says bluntly. “And I’m getting a new one!” Born with fibular hemimelia — the absence of a fibula bone — in her lower right leg, Annabel doesn’t appear to...
Makerspace aims to help young people with mental health challenges at facility on Pittsburgh’s South Side
Noelle Conover said she worries that all too often, children who suffer from serious mental health problems and the facilities helping them don’t get as much attention, funding and resources as young people with other types of more visible ailments. She recalls the many resources made available to her and...
The Stroller, Nov. 13, 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. Toys for Tots sign-ups scheduled Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots served by the Allegheny Valley Detachment will have sign-ups online...
Missing Westmoreland County teen found to be safe, state police say
State police say a missing 13-year-old girl who had been last seen in Derry Borough has been found. Serenity Adams, 13, had been reported missing on Wednesday evening....
Protesters block Grant Street, demand prosecution in Jim Rogers’ death
A group of protesters carrying a banner advocating “People’s Justice for Jim Rogers” demonstrated on the steps of the City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh and blocked Grant Street on Friday night. Rogers died Oct. 14, about 24 hours after being struck with a Taser deployed by a Pittsburgh police officer,...
Pa. lawmakers look to expand parole eligibility for aging, sick inmatesVideo
Avis Lee, convicted of second-degree murder for serving as the lookout in a robbery-turned-fatal shooting, served 40 years, six months and 12 days in prison. In February, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf commuted her sentence of life without the possibility of parole to life with parole. She was released from prison...
Former Saint Vincent College president who handled school’s coed transition dies
Much like the early church fathers, the Rev. Augustine Flood, OSB, traversed the world. During a life in the priesthood that spanned half a century, he served as a parish priest, missionary, theology professor and president of Saint Vincent College. The priest, affectionately known as “Father Gus,” studied in Italy,...
North Huntingdon mom opposes sentence in Westmoreland child corruption plea
The mother of a North Huntingdon girl who was sent sexually explicit photographs told a Westmoreland County judge she didn’t approve of the five-year probation sentence imposed. Tyler James Heck, 20, of Danville, Perry County, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of corruption of minors in a deal approved by...
State recount forces Westmoreland commissioners to relocate public meetings
Westmoreland commissioners are likely to relocate two scheduled public meetings next week to accommodate a state-ordered recount in the race to fill one of two seats on the state’s Commonwealth Court. Democrat Lori Dumas held a small lead over Republican Drew Crompton, by just 16,804 votes as of earlier this...
Officials break ground for Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project in Norvelt
Decades of planning for an upgrade of the Route 981 corridor south of Route 30 bore fruit Friday as PennDOT officials and local leaders kicked off the first phase of the Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project. Dignitaries took part in a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Little League field in the...
Pittsburgh zoo officials say African elephant calf stabilizing as recovery continues
An elephant calf born at the Pittsburgh zoo’s International Conservation Center in Somerset County over the summer is showing signs of improvement after health issues left her in dire condition. The African elephant calf, born in July, had developed several “serious medical conditions” by September, according to officials at Pittsburgh...
Sept. 11 Memorial Trail to Shanksville gets boost from land purchase in New Jersey
The 9/11 National Memorial Trail, which will link to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, has advanced with action in New Jersey. N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy announced plans to spend $65 million to buy a 9-mile greenway, which will be a segment of the 9/11 Trail. The trail is...
Tree of Life synagogue shooting suspect won’t pursue insanity or intellectual disability defense
The man accused of killing 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill will not pursue an insanity defense, his attorneys said this week. Robert Bowers also will not raise an intellectual disability claim when he goes on trial for the Oct. 27, 2018, mass shooting at the Tree...
Pittsburgh Christmas tree set for Downtown delivery, prompting road closures
Pittsburgh’s official Christmas tree will be making its debut at the City-County Building’s Grant Street entrance this weekend. The Forestry Division will transport and install the 106th City of Pittsburgh Christmas tree at the site this weekend ahead of a tree lighting ceremony Nov. 20. As officials get the tree...
Irwin budget for 2022: No tax hike proposed
Irwin officials have proposed a $4.16 million budget for 2022 that holds the line on taxes without cutting any programs or services. The budget is available for review at the borough office. Council is scheduled to approve it at the Dec. 8 meeting. The borough last year raised property taxes...
Police: Standoff started after Hempfield man scared woman into trip to liquor store
When a bar along Route 136 was closed Wednesday evening, 46-year-old George J. Gardner asked a relative to drive him to the liquor store, according to court documents. She refused, the record states, instead telling him he had a drinking problem. Gardner fired a gunshot through the windshield, police said...
Police: Derry Township bar patrons restrained man who assaulted bartender
A 53-year-old Latrobe man was arrested by state troopers inside a Derry Township bar Thursday after he was accused of striking a female bartender who stopped serving him and asked him to leave, according to court documents. Troopers reported in court documents that Todd A. Pynos was restrained by other...
Missing Penn State student found dead
A Penn State student reported missing Thursday has been found dead, according to State College Police. Police did not name the 19-year-old woman. The Centre Daily Times, citing the university and family members’ social media, identified her as Justine Gross. Police said early indications are her death was accidental. It...
Tarentum lands Allegheny County grant to cover East 7th Avenue sewer project
A $73,000 storm sewer separation project in Tarentum is expected to wrap up by the end of the year — and it will cost the borough less than $300. Council on Tuesday was awarded $72,752 from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County. “We originally thought the project was going to...
Friends continue direct delivery of Thanksgiving meals to those alone, in need
Two friends are teaming up again to help folks living alone enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Last year, as the pandemic highlighted social isolation during the holidays, Molly O’Brien of Fox Chapel and Bethanie Stein of Aspinwall started their own, small-scale effort to provide meals directly to people in need....
Beaver Falls 6-year-old cancer survivor to light PPG Tree
It’s been a rough couple of years for Zoey Ward, a 6-year-old cancer survivor from Beaver Falls. Diagnosed at the age of 4 with stage 4 Neuroblastoma, Zoey has spent the last two years undergoing multiple rounds of chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation, two stem cell transplants, and major surgery to...
Allegheny County municipalities sue PennDOT over proposed I-79 bridge tolling project
Three Allegheny County municipalities have sued PennDOT to halt a bridge project along Interstate 79 that could result in tolls being imposed there to help pay for the work. The bridge, which borders Collier and is located in Bridgeville and South Fayette, goes over Route 50. It has been targeted...
Kiski Township police charge man with strangling, raping woman during dispute over missing cell phone
Kiski Township police arrested a man after a woman accused him of strangling and raping her during an argument that started over his missing cellphone, according to authorities. Jordan Michael Coleman, 32, of Acheson Avenue, North Apollo, is charged with four felonies in connection with the Oct. 28 incident, according...
