Western PA Local News category, Page 281
Buffalo Supervisors mull limits to public comment at meetings
At an early morning special meeting on Wednesday, Buffalo Township Supervisors tabled a resolution that would place limits on public comment at meetings amid recent community objections to proposed solar farms. A public hearing for the farms earlier this month took several hours as around 35 residents voiced opposition to...
Westmoreland happenings: History program about electricity, flea market, more
Fundraisers • The used bookstore at the YWCA of Westmoreland County, 424 N. Main St., Greensburg, has added evening hours on Mondays. Hours are 4 to 7 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and the first Saturday of each month. Proceeds benefit YWCA programs. •...
O’Hara book-lover turns the page on a new job post-retirement
Karen Fornari grew up walking herself to the public library in her hometown of Indiana, Pa. “From childhood, I was a reader. Nancy Drew was my favorite,” Fornari said. “I always looked for the brand new books and it was exciting.” Her love of books continues post-retirement with a part-time...
1.7 million window AC units recalled nationwide
With extreme heat plaguing Western Pennsylvania, window air conditioners are working overtime across the region. But residents should double check their model. Midea recently recalled about 1.7 million U and U+ window air conditioners nationwide for risk of mold exposure, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Included in...
Computer/video game museum relocates from Baltimore to former Penn Hills municipal building
Brendan “The Everything Guy” Becker lost four board members when he chose to relocate the Bloop Museum from outside Baltimore to Pittsburgh. And he doesn’t regret it. The Pittsburgh address is 12245 Frankstown Road — the old Penn Hills Municipal Building. Becker, 45, said he couldn’t pass up a space...
Seneca Hills Village Singers present Memorial Day concert to honor veterans
The Seneca Hills Village Singers gathered for a special Memorial Day concert May 26 to celebrate veterans and honor the men and women who lost their lives while serving our country. The chorus staged a 45-minute concert for residents and visitors of Seneca Senior Living along Saltsburg Road in Penn...
New Castle voice coach accused of sexual communication with teen
A New Castle voice coach has been accused of making online sexual advances and requesting nude photos from a 15-year-old student, according to Pennsylvania State Police. According to a criminal complaint, the student began taking voice lessons from Justin Bryan’s New Castle home in 2019. During the covid-19 pandemic, Bryan...
Man killed in White Oak dirt bike crash
A man was killed early Wednesday after crashing a dirt bike into a guard rail in White Oak, according to Allegheny County police. At 1:18 a.m., police were called to the 1200 block of Long Run Road, where officers found a man lying in the road, according to police. The...
The Stroller, June 25, 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. Monthly Fridays on Fifth...
Pickleball popularity presents sustainability problems with plastic balls
When pickleball exploded in recent years as America’s favorite sport, the pastime came with collateral damage — plastic neon-colored balls piling up in landfills. More than 500 million pickleballs are manufactured each year, seemingly with nowhere to go, said Jeff Pepper, an avid player from Verona. “The number is huge,”...
Carnegie’s Civil War symposium grows as plans take shape for 2026
In April, more than 200 Civil War and history enthusiasts from across the United States and Canada converged on the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie for our annual Civil War symposium. With an all-star lineup of historians speaking on the Maryland Campaign and the Battle of...
Hear ye, hear ye: Hanna’s Town seeks reduced speed
Motorized vehicles and paved roads didn’t exist when Historic Hanna’s Town was settled in 1773. Fast forward 252 years and the modern transportation environment is juxtaposed against the centuries-old historic site that was Westmoreland County’s first government seat. The contrast is causing problems for thousands of visitors who must cross...
Westmoreland County launches grant program to increase access to online services
The Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to launch a grant program this week to provide funding to help low-income residents access the internet. Commissioners are slated to vote Thursday on the proposal to establish a digital technology grant program. They also are expected to award three $15,000 grants to local...
Environmental groups demand Nippon Steel work to cut emissions after buying U.S. Steel
With U.S. Steel’s $14.9 billion sale to Nippon Steel made official last week, environmental advocates say it’s time for corporate leadership to take make real strides toward limiting pollution. “U.S. Steel has gotten everything that it wished for in this deal with Nippon,” said Matt Mehalik, executive director of the...
Jeannette school district property owners to pay 1.1% more next school year
Jeannette City School District property owners will pay about 1.1% more in taxes for the 2025-26 school year. In a 5-3 vote Tuesday, the school board approved raising property taxes by 1 mill. The new tax rate will be 90 mills. The 1-mill increase will cost the average property owner...
Hempfield Area hires administrator as assistant superintendent departs for Greater Latrobe
Hempfield Area Superintendent Mark Holtzman will reunite with a former Beaver Area colleague following a vote by the school board this week to hire a new administrator for the district. Emily Sanders will assume her post as Hempfield’s deputy superintendent this summer. She comes to the job after three years...
Former Tribune-Review business, real estate writer Ron DaParma ‘could cover anything’
Ronald L. “Ron” DaParma, a longtime business editor and business writer for newspapers in McKeesport, Greensburg and Pittsburgh, had the ability to cover a broad spectrum of topics, whether it was real estate, Pittsburgh’s banking behemoths, small business, or steel mill operations and the steelworkers who labored in those factories....
Norwin School Board members critical of removal of archived YouTube videos
A Norwin School Board member and several residents are questioning the removal of archived school board meeting videos from the district’s official YouTube page. Administrators were not able to provide a specific reason at this week’s school board meeting why several livestreamed recordings of 2024 school board meetings — and...
With nowhere to hide, these workers are left with no choice but to endure sizzling temps
It was so hot Tuesday that Chris Kelly had to pull his roofing crew from their regularly scheduled job. “Once it hits about 85 or 90 degrees, we don’t even install because the shingles will heat up to the point that walking on them will scar them,” said Kelly, owner...
Former IT manager for Heinz Endowments indicted for embezzling nearly $1 million
The former IT manager for the Heinz Endowments is charged in federal court with embezzling nearly $1 million. Charles A. Richardson, 45, of Pittsburgh, was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and four counts of money laundering on June 17. The indictment was unsealed on Tuesday. He is free...
Court affirms dismissal of charges against retired minister accused of $350K theft
The state Superior Court on Monday upheld the dismissal of charges against a retired North Side pastor accused of stealing more than $350,000 from his church. The Rev. Wayne C. Peck, 73, of Highland Park, was charged in 2022 with theft and receiving stolen property after he was accused of...
Allegheny County, McCandless settle jail use-of-force lawsuit for $50K
A North Hills man who an Allegheny County Jail corrections officer taunted while shocking him with a Taser last year will receive $50,000 in a settlement of his federal civil rights lawsuit, officials said Tuesday. “That feels good baby,” the lawsuit claims a corrections officer said to plaintiff Brian Estep,...
UPMC to stop gender-affirming care for patients 18 and under by month’s end
UPMC has confirmed it will end gender-affirming care for patients 18 and younger in response to the Trump administration’s policies aimed at transgender youth. A spokesperson for UPMC, the region’s largest hospital network, said federal guidance has made it clear clinicians who provide care such as puberty blockers and hormone...
Victim’s father offers no forgiveness for brother charged in nephew’s fatal overdose
Daniel Rebosky told a Westmoreland County judge Tuesday he will not forgive his brother for the role he played in his son’s 2021 overdose death. “God teaches us to forgive, but I cannot forgive Michael Rebosky because he let this happen,” Daniel Rebosky said during a sentencing hearing for his...
Pittsburgh officials consider $1.8M plan for ‘pipe dream’ public safety training facility
Pittsburgh City Council will consider spending $1.8 million on a master plan for a sprawling public safety training center that has been long delayed. Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, who chairs council’s public safety committee, said he doesn’t want to spend so much money on a new public safety training site...
