Western PA Local News category, Page 197
Tuition increase approved for state-owned universities for 1st time in 7 years
Tuition for state universities is set to increase by 3.6% for students this fall, but that figure could decrease if state funding increases, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education said Thursday. In-state undergraduate tuition for this academic year will increase by $139 per semester, to $3,997 per semester, according...
Franklin Park votes to place government commission study question on November ballot
A vote to place a government commission study question on the ballot in November’s general election for Franklin Park residents, passed 4 to 2, after a vote at the July 16 council meeting. Voting yes were Ward 1 representative and council President Uday Palled, Jiang Li of Ward 1, Laura...
Cooper-Siegel Community Library debuts patriotic event
The fireworks weren’t the only draw this year for Fourth of July fun in Fox Chapel. More than 100 guests gathered under clear skies on July 4 to celebrate and honor the nation’s 249th birthday at Cooper-Siegel Community Library. An inaugural live reading of the Declaration of Independence kicked off...
Heavy storms cause cleanup of clogged drains, culverts in Fawn
Fawn resident Paul Freshwater spent Thursday morning shoveling 2 inches of water from his garage off Metz Road. It was only the second time in 60 years that Freshwater remembers storm runoff causing an issue at his property. “It came down so fast and so hard that you couldn’t see...
Striking workers from Springdale’s Greco Steel Products push for improved safety, benefits
Worries about safety and his poor life insurance policy pushed Jerry Harris to go on strike from Springdale-based Greco Steel Products. Harris, 35, of Jeannette recalled watching a co-worker fall through a roof and die on the job in June 2023. Several of Harris’ striking colleagues pointed to that moment...
In 10-year process, Franklin Park is 1st police force in North Hills to achieve accreditation
Franklin Park is the first police department in the North Hills to achieve accreditation status from the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. Aron Leach, chief of the Franklin Park Police Department, was presented with an accreditation plaque and certificate from Chief James Adams of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association...
Filming of Apple+ series in South Buffalo to begin next week
Film crews will be in and out of South Buffalo until around Thanksgiving for an AppleTV+ series tentatively titled “Parallax.” The shoots will take place in the township’s Clinton neighborhood. It will total only about six days over the next several months, according to Kannie Yu LaPack, executive vice president...
Student input instrumental in major renovations slated at Sewickley Academy’s Senior School
Sewickley Academy freshman Jack Christ has something to look forward to when he returns to campus this fall: a newly remodeled school building. The private academy announced this year news of a major renovation of the interior of the Senior School that houses 230 students in grades nine through 12....
Kinloch streets marked for Lower Burrell summer paving
More than 20 streets in Lower Burrell are on tap to be paved this year. City Council on Monday approved a contract of close to $235,000 with Russell Standard to chip-seal 19 streets — the majority of which are in Kinloch — this summer. The full list of roads, according...
Carnegie Mellon temporarily shuts down The Fence in wake of anti-Trump message
Tensions over free speech continue to mount at Carnegie Mellon University as President Farnam Jahanian on Wednesday announced he was temporarily forbidding any new messages from being painted on an iconic campus fence that has served for a century as a student billboard. The decision was prompted by controversy over...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: July 18-20
No plans for a summer vacation on the horizon? No worries. Take a staycation right here in Pittsburgh this weekend with a whole bunch of fun, active and relaxing events. Vintage Grand Prix A local tradition returns to Schenley Park this weekend. Gawk at — and cheer on — your...
Tarentum dog-mauling victim reels from learning what police say about attack
Tarentum resident Michael Shutack was still reeling from a Halloween dog mauling when he learned Tuesday that the man who police said helped him escape the jaws of two pit bulls is the person who set them loose. “As much as I went through my whole life, including being in...
Triaxle crashes, catches fire along Route 66 near Youngwood
More than a dozen passersby stopped Thursday morning to rescue a man trapped in a burning triaxle truck after it crashed in New Stanton, according to fire Chief Rob Cammarata. Joe Schiavone and Steve Parsons were headed to a job for Perfect Industrial Cleaning when they came upon the ball...
Western Pa. storms impact power, roads in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
Fire crews and power companies from around Western Pennsylvania were busy Thursday morning racing to address downed power lines and fallen trees blocking roadways, following Wednesday’s strong thunderstorms that rolled through the region. Wednesday’s storms produced at least an inch of rain throughout the Pittsburgh region, said Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist...
Victim in fatal Point Breeze rollover crash was Allderdice grad
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the teen killed in a Point Breeze car crash early Thursday as a Pittsburgh Allderdice High School graduate from Squirrel Hill. Jakob James Sirlin, 18, was killed and three others hospitalized after a vehicle rollover crash on Beechwood Boulevard, according to Pittsburgh...
The Stroller, July 17, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. ‘The Roeblings of Saxonburg’...
Lower Burrell approves cooperative fire agreement: ‘a realistic solution,’ mayor says
A cooperative fire agreement among Lower Burrell, New Kensington and Arnold fire departments has won approval from Lower Burrell officials. Council approved plans outlining rules to establish a Tri-Cities duty crew for daytime volunteer fire coverage among the three cities. “I’m very excited for the Tri-City duty crew and its...
Tarentum’s Dreshar Stadium, rich in sports history, ‘served its time’
Amy Nulph grew up at Dreshar Stadium in Tarentum. “My dad coached there for the Hornets, my brothers played there and now my kids are there with RYFO (Rams Youth Football Organization),” she said. Plans to demolish the 87-year-old sports complex are bittersweet for Nulph and many area families. Work...
Advocacy group blasts plea deal in cruelty case against Derry cat shelter operator
A national animal advocacy organization Wednesday criticized a probation sentence imposed against a Derry-area woman who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty offenses. In Defense of Animals, an international animal protection organization based in San Rafael, Calif., said the guilty plea entered by Kimberly Rose, 45, of Blairsville in late June...
‘It took a village’: Ross couple grateful for community’s help in finding dog missing for 34 days
Ginette Conover was losing hope. Penny, her Pomeranian mix, likely was somewhere in the area of Ross Township, where Ginette and her husband, Kevin, live. But it was already January, and over one month since Penny escaped through an open gate on Dec. 3. “It was a horrible 34 days,”...
Westmoreland happenings: Parish festival, Civil War weekend, meetings, more
Festivals • The annual St. Pius X Parish Festival, Mt. Pleasant, will be held 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, July 20, at the church, 224 Summit St. There will be food including the famous parish pizza, games of chance, raffles, bingo, basket auction, children’s games and more. Entertainment will...
Affordable housing builder expands in Allegheny County with $2.4M investment, creating 58 jobs
A modular home builder constructing a trio of affordable townhomes in Etna will be expanding its operations in Allegheny County. Gov. Josh Shapiro recently announced that his administration secured a $2.4 million investment from Module Design, which will create 58 jobs while retaining eight existing positions. Module received a $762,000...
Divine Mercy Academy holds 4th annual cheer camp
Thirty-three students attended Divine Mercy Academy’s fourth annual Saber Summer Cheer Camp in June, with the theme of “Neon Lights and Saber Nights.” The Monroeville parochial school’s cheer camp was available to all area children entering kindergarten through 8th grade in the fall. Campers did not have to be Divine...
Roads closed, wires down after rain pummels Harrison, Fawn
Heavy thunderstorms rolled through the area Wednesday, wreaking havoc in local municipalities, particularly Fawn and Harrison. In Fawn, Bull Creek Road was flooded for a considerable stretch in the vicinity of Iron Bridge Road. There was a report of a house that in that area having 5 feet of water...
Standing-room-only crowd gets detailed look at plan for Homer City natural gas plant
Members of the public got their first detailed look Wednesday evening at what would be the largest natural gas-fired power plant in the U.S. if it’s built: a 3,200-acre project in Homer City, Indiana County. Representatives from Homer City Redevelopment were on hand alongside officials from local trade unions and...
