Western PA Local News category, Page 369
Interest in online learning, cyber charters increase in wake of covid pandemic
As the covid-19 pandemic eased and Canon-McMillan School District reopened its doors in August 2021, elementary student Camille Postlewaite told her parents she did not want to return to in-person classes. “That was what she wanted to do, and we’re not big on, ‘Well, you’re going to do it this...
From technology to learning loss to mental health, covid’s impact on education still felt today
Wayne Walters can still recall the enormous logistical challenge of handing out thousands of paper packets of classwork to Pittsburgh Public Schools students in 2020. The covid-19 pandemic had taken hold in the region. Schools closed buildings, students were left to learn online, and educators scrambled over how best to...
Drama on Grant Street sparks widespread concerns about Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey
As Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey faces a critical primary showdown in May, turmoil has engulfed his administration. Personnel shakeups, public outbursts, pushback by a newly rebellious City Council — all the drama is making some political observers question whether Gainey may be vulnerable to rival Democrat Corey O’Connor. Among critics’...
As PSNK’s future teeters, New Kensington business leaders stress the importance of The Corner Launchbox
Jim Radeshak was about 75% prepared to open a business with his wife, Christine, when he took a free course at The Corner Launchbox in New Kensington around two years ago. The course, which met over about 12 weeks, was a “how-to business course” where attendees learned about starting a...
IUP reaches deal with Torrance hospital for clinical training, addressing crisis in rural health care
Four years from now, there could be a dozen or so students from Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s medical school doing some of their clincal training at Torrance State Hospital near Blairsville. The experiences these IUP students from the proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine would face at the state hospital in...
Hundreds turn out for fundraiser supporting longtime police officer, mentor Willie Weber
Carl Bayne recalled training with Arnold firefighter Willie Weber more than 45 years ago. Bayne had signed on to be a junior firefighter in the city’s volunteer department. “From (age) 14 to 17, you can only do so much until you hit 18 and get into the regular department,” Bayne...
New Kensington residents, church leaders hold anti-drug, anti-violence rally
Melanie Schuler of New Kensington knew she could not sit idly by after what she suspected were drug overdoses in her apartment building earlier this month. She has lived in the city for decades and is one of many residents in the Kensington Manor Central Towers high-rise along Fourth Avenue....
Brackenridge boy lands a big one on Mentored Youth Trout Day
It didn’t take long for Camdyn Anderson to reel in an impressive trout Saturday on Mentored Youth Trout Day. Camdyn, 12, of Brackenridge caught the 22-inch Palomino trout in Bull Creek, near Outdoor Life Lodge at 8:04 a.m. — four minutes after the event started. The trout weighed 4.1 pounds...
Norwin Elks host annual Vietnam Veterans Luncheon
Robert and Joseph Tanyer weren’t even legally allowed to drink yet when the two brothers from Jeannette signed up for the Army and shipped out to Vietnam in the late 1960s. “I turned 21 while I was over there,” Joseph Tanyer said. “I didn’t think too much about it. I...
One-day closure set for Old William Penn Highway below Parkway East in Monroeville
Old William Penn Highway will be closed Monday, March 31 between Evergreen Drive and Duff Road as work crews conduct demolition work on the Parkway East bridge that runs over the road. Old William Penn will be closed from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. to accommodate the work. East of...
Pike County man to serve up to 23 months in jail for 2020 sexual assault
A Northeastern Pennsylvania man was taken out of a Westmoreland County courtroom in handcuffs Friday after being handed a jail sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl five years ago. Judge Christopher Feliciani sentenced David Stone, 62, of Dingmans Ferry in Pike County, to six to 23 months in the...
Westbound Route 422 reopens following fatal crash in Butler County
The westbound side of Route 422 has reopened following a fatal crash Saturday morning in Summit Township, police said. First responders were called to the highway just west of Mitchell Hill Road around 11 a.m., according to Butler County 911 officials. Ronald Litzinger, 43, of Butler, was found dead at...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh teen charged with robbing, assaulting delivery driver
Here are a few morning news items from across the region for Saturday, March 29, 2025. Teen charged with robbing delivery driver Pittsburgh Police arrested a teenager Thursday, charging him with assaulting a pizza delivery driver earlier this week in the city’s Elliott neighborhood. Police said Nae’Pear Clark, 16, of...
Religion Digest March 29, 2025
Apollo The Apollo Ministerium will sponsor a Lenten lunch series at noon Wednesdays through April 9 at various churches. The April 2 service will be at Apollo United Presbyterian Church, 401 First St. The Rev. June Jeffries of New Life Baptist Church will be the speaker. Arnold The Tomb, 1821...
The Stroller, March 29, 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. Pet food, supplies needed...
Hempfield officials make plans to spend $7.5M surplus
Hempfield officials are reallocating $7.5 million in surplus funds after higher than expected revenues in recent years. Township supervisors this week approved a plan to use the money to buy public works equipment, pay off fire trucks and foot the bill for a second road paving project, among other priorities....
Derry’s former Porcelain Park could be revamped as new commercial space
Brian Lawrence can see a light at the end of the tunnel when he looks over the 19 acres of empty land in Derry once known as Porcelain Park. Decades ago, 200 people came there to work for the borough’s main employer, a plant that produced ceramic insulators. If the...
Police: Worker seriously injured at Harmar brick manufacturing plant
A worker at a brick manufacturing plant in Harmar was injured by a piece of machinery Friday evening. Harmar Police Chief Jason Domaratz said a man in his 30s was transported with a serious injury to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh from the Glen-Gery plant at 26 Rich Hill Road...
‘Absolutely a miracle’ — Driver recounts harrowing Buffalo Township crash, help of good Samaritans
Christy Dray-Blackham says she must have had divine help when the minivan she was driving plunged 50 feet into a ravine and then a creek Thursday afternoon in Buffalo Township. That intervention came in the form of two nurse “angels” who happened by in separate cars and a slew of...
Hempfield Area students hold a 12-hour Mini-THON to aid pediatric cancer patients
Nearly 260 of Hempfield Area School District’s juniors and seniors participated in a 12-hour, no-sitting Mini-THON Friday, a high school version of the popular Penn State THON fundraiser. This is the third year that the local district has held a fundraiser for Four Diamonds, the charity at Penn State Health...
At the library: Here are some upcoming programs at Northland Public Library
Preview screening set on ‘Free for All’ documentary Northland Public Library is giving the public the opportunity to view the documentary “Free for All: The Public Library” before it premieres April 29 on PBS. The screening will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. April 11 in the library’s upper...
New York man to stand trial on Mon View Heights theft charges
A New York man accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars meant for a West Mifflin subsidized housing complex will stand trial. Following a two-part hearing, District Judge Richard Olasz Jr. on Friday held the charges against Moshe Silber, including theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy, risking catastrophe and public...
Latrobe man convicted in stepbrother’s drug overdose death gets second chance from court
A prosecutor, a defense attorney and a judge worked together Friday to fashion a sentence that they hope will help a man who has struggled with a drug addiction — which led to the death of his stepbrother — get a second chance. Stephen A. Piper could have been sentenced...
Monessen man receives prison sentence for stabbing attack
A Monessen man was sentenced Friday to state prison for stabbing a man at an apartment complex where they lived in 2023. The victim of the attack declined to testify during the sentencing hearing for Robert W. Varner, 62, but the fact that he didn’t waive a mandatory two- to...
Teen stole Giant Eagle Fuel Perk information from customers, police say
Denise Huspaska was surprised to learn that approximately 1,500 points from her Giant Eagle advantage card had been used to purchase $30.49 worth of fuel at a gas station in Peters Township. She hadn’t been there on Feb. 17 as an alert stated. Unsure how someone gained access to her...
