Western PA Local News category, Page 2253
Health officials: 40% of Allegheny County’s covid cases came in November
Forty percent of Allegheny County’s nearly 30,000 covid-19 cases came in November. The case numbers increased despite Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen’s “stern warning” two weeks ago for people to avoid large Thanksgiving gatherings. Her announcement piggybacked on a statewide halt to alcohol sales at bars and restaurants on the...
Former Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez again seeks dismissal of charges in teen sex case
The lawyer for former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez said 11 criminal charges related to allegations that he and a teenage girl exchanged sexually explicit text messages should be dismissed over jurisdictional issues. In court documents filed this week, defense attorney Gary Gerson said those charges related to alleged crimes...
Residents, staff test positive for covid at Concordia at Cabot
Ten residents and 11 staff members have tested positive for covid-19 at Concordia at Cabot in Butler County, which includes both a skilled nursing and an assisted living facility. All 10 residents are in the Lund Personal Care Center (Bachman Hall), an assisted living section of the campus, along with...
ATI to invest up to $85M in Vandergrift facility, phase out production of standard stainless steel
ATI said Wednesday it will phase out production of standard stainless steel sheet products and end finishing operations at its Brackenridge plant in Harrison as it shifts its focus to specialty rolled products. While finishing operations will end at the massive Brackenridge works, the $1.1 billion Hot Rolling & Processing...
Burglary, DUI cases handled in Judge Hromyak’s Sharpsburg court
The following cases were heard by District Judge Leonard Hromyak in Sharpsburg court: • Chanele Iandiorio, 31, of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty to a summary offense after being charged with providing a false identification to police. Blawnox filed the charges Nov. 20. • Richard DeSabetino, 66, of O’Hara waived to court...
Virus cases found at 5 Westmoreland County public housing properties
Coronavirus cases among residents in five public housing properties throughout Westmoreland County were reported over the past week. Residents in communities in Greensburg, Hempfield, Latrobe and Monessen have reported contracting the virus, confirmed Michael Washowich, executive director of the Westmoreland County Housing Authority. “It’s a trend that mirrors what has...
Allegheny County awarded $1.2M for homeless programs
Without $1.2 million in federal coronavirus funding announced Wednesday by Allegheny County officials, providing shelter and services to the county’s homeless population would be tougher. “We would not be in the best situation,” Cynthia Shields, assistant director of the county Department of Human Services Office of Community Services, said. “If...
Pittsburgh council tweaking covid-related sick leave legislation before final voteVideo
People who work in Pittsburgh and need to take time off because they test positive for covid-19 or are asked to quarantine would be given paid sick leave under legislation Pittsburgh City Council will consider for adoption next week. Mayor Bill Peduto spearheaded the proposal, which was introduced last week...
Derry church is target of repeated vandalismVideo
Two break-ins and vandalism this week at a Derry Borough church have left the Rev. Sam Lamendola and his parishioners questioning why the house of worship seems to be a target. “It’s been traumatic particularly to the parish staff who love and take care of the church day by day,”...
Trump supporters plan rally from Unity to Greensburg Saturday
President Trump’s supporters are gathering again Saturday outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg to protest the results of the election. The rally, which will feature speakers, starts at 2 p.m., said co-organizer Tony Naples. But the day will begin at the Trump House in Unity at 1 p.m. with...
Westmoreland jury trials halted as virus cases mount in county
All trials scheduled for December in Westmoreland County will be postponed amid the rising number of coronavirus cases already diagnosed and the potential for a continued surge in the coming weeks. Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway said Wednesday that criminal trials slated to start next week will be...
Covid-friendly menorah lighting event to be held in Monroeville Community Park
The Chabad Jewish Center of Monroeville will host its fourth-annual menorah-lighting event in a covid-friendly fashion on Dec. 13. Typically, the synagogue’s “Light Up the Night” event draws several dozen people to the Miracle Mile Shopping Center along Route 22 for singing, dancing and hot latke eating. This year, the...
Townhouse development proposed for former Bell Harbor Yacht Club site in O’Hara
Development at the former Bell Harbor Yacht Club site in O’Hara might move forward, more than 10 years after an original proposal to township council. Don Housley from River Road Development on Dec. 1 presented the Miramar Landing plan for 38 single-family townhouse units that would include parking, patios or...
Rep. Mike Kelly, Sean Parnell continue to pursue legal challenge to Pa. election results
A congressman and the challenger to Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb on Wednesday asked Pennsylvania’s highest court to stay its own order from last week as they wait to hear if the U.S. Supreme Court will take their case challenging the state’s mail-in voting law. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court,...
Mt. Pleasant Area children get free books through Imagination Library
Children who live in the Mt. Pleasant Area School District can get free books mailed to them monthly through a new partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Mt. Pleasant Public Library is working with the singer’s book gifting organization to provide books for children through age five who live...
Sweet, salty treats give shape to Latrobe gingerbread housesVideo
You could try to eat it when the holiday season is over, but it’s really intended solely as eye candy. Making a gingerbread house with all the trimmings has been a decades-long, year-end tradition for Lori Vaglia and her two daughters. This year, the Derry Township resident brushed up her...
Baby girl overdoses on heroin in East Deer while woman caring for her slept, police say
A 9-month-old girl overdosed on heroin Tuesday after police said she ingested the drug while the East Deer woman who was supposed to be caring for her slept. Paramedics who responded to the incident injected the baby with 2 milligrams of Narcan before rushing her to UPMC Children’s Hospital in...
Food Podcast: Amen to Action provides about 1 million meals to Pittsburgh food bank amid pandemic
Since 2017, Lee Kricher, Reid Carpenter, Bishop David Zubik and other community leaders have hosted an annual event the day after Thanksgiving that brought thousands of people together literally to pack millions of meals. This year, covid-19 forced them to change their strategy but not their goal. Amen to Action,...
10% of City of Pittsburgh’s employees are in covid quarantine, officials say
About 10% of the City of Pittsburgh’s workforce is off work because they are quarantining for possible covid-19 exposure, the city announced Wednesday. That amounts to about 330 of the city’s 3,300-person workforce. A smaller but unspecified number of workers are off because they’ve tested positive for covid. The workers...
Lawsuit: Allegheny County Jail staff beat, restrained women inmates
Three women formerly incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the facility and several officers alleging that they were “brutally assaulted” by a sergeant, who beat them, and improperly used a restraint chair and pepper spray on them. The purpose of the lawsuit, filed by...
Freeport to celebrate holidays with Small Town Christmas festivities
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Freeport. The Freeport Renaissance Association — a community organization dedicated to promoting and beautifying Freeport — is hosting a Small Town Christmas celebration to spread holiday cheer around the town. It’s an annual tradition that began in 2005 and has grown...
Police investigating suspected meth dump site in Indiana County
Pennsylvania State Police launched an investigation Tuesday after a hunter reported finding materials associated with methamphetamine production in Green Township, Indiana County. Troopers discovered several plastic bags near a wooded area along Barr Road. After discovering the items, the State Police Clandestine Laboratory Response Team was called in. They said...
Westmoreland County sets record for new covid-19 deaths
A day after Westmoreland County reached 200 covid-19 deaths, a new daily record was set. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Wednesday the county has 15 new coronavirus-related deaths, a single-day record. It brings the total deaths to 219. The seven-day death total (Nov. 26 through Wednesday) reached 47 deaths,...
Penn Township man shares love of adventure with son in trip to Wyoming
Robert Szypulski, a computer programmer with Windstream Communications, lives in Penn Township. His son, Scott Szypulski, is a financial research administrator for the University of Pittsburgh who lives in Oakland. This is the story of their recent adventure to Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks in Wyoming. The past three...
Ace Hardware in Greensburg closes for good, citing pandemic
The Ace Hardware in Greensburg has closed after a decade on East Pittsburgh Street. Sales plummeted when the coronavirus pandemic hit and lockdowns were put in place, said owner John McCullough, owner of New Kensington-based Thrift Supply. “We’ve just seen our customer base drop, and our business drop, and we...
