Western PA Local News category, Page 456
Bargain shoppers in Harrison, Unity and beyond lament Big Lots closure, anticipate steeper discounts
Bargain shoppers across the region said they were disappointed that Big Lots is going out of business. Some were on the lookout for better bargains as the Columbus, Ohio-based chains liquidates its inventory. “We’ll be looking for the 90% sales,” Betty Ferringer said. She’s in the process of moving to...
Enter Northland Public Library’s Winter Bookmark Contest
Children of all ages — adults, too — are invited to create an original design reflecting the winter months and then enter their artwork in Northland’s Winter Bookmark Contest. Pick up an entry form at the Children and Teen Services or Ask A Librarian desk or download one from the...
Morning Roundup: Oakland intersection modified after fatal crash; 4 injured after school bus gets rear-ended
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Dec. 20: Oakland intersection modified after fatal crash Changes are coming to an Oakland intersection where a woman was hit and killed by a truck Dec. 5 while crossing the street. Pittsburgh’s Fatal Crash Response Team recently visited...
The Stroller, Dec. 20, 2024: 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. Christmas concert to benefit...
Saint Vincent College holiday program provides gifts for more than 100 children
Christmas wishes will come true for 123 local children thanks to SVC Wraps for Kids. They’re among more than 1,900 kids who have received holiday gifts through the annual program that began more than a decade ago. The program is a partnership between the Saint Vincent College Education Department and...
Hempfield will engage AI system to evaluate need for road work
Hempfield is tapping into technology to get a better understanding of the condition of its 300 miles of roads. Township supervisors on Wednesday approved a five-year agreement with Vialytics that officials said will help them prioritize roads in need of improvements. Township manager Aaron Siko said the software will help...
Additional hearing required for proposed injection well in Plum
Plans for a proposed injection well project in Plum will once again be debated before the borough’s zoning hearing board as the governing body adheres to a state court ruling. Board members voted 5-0 Thursday determining a section of the zoning ordinance involving setbacks applies to Penneco Environmental Solutions’ request...
Winter Night events at Westmoreland museum bring spark holiday season
Westmoreland Museum of American Art played host Thursday to the latest of its Winter Lights holiday series. The events feature live music and activities that encourage creativity, including the opportunity to work with luminary displays. The musical entertainment is complemented with beverages and food available along with the annual outdoor...
Westmoreland County’s go-to man Greg McCloskey calls it a career
During the summer of 2021, Westmoreland County commissioners were in a bind. They had just fired the county’s election bureau director following what they said was ongoing mismanagement. The deputy director had been fired months earlier. So commissioners turned to longtime public works director Greg McCloskey to assume the election...
Highlands pre-kindergarten students kick off holiday with song and dance
Pre-kindergarten classes at Highlands Early Childhood Center presented “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” on Thursday to the delight of parents and staff. The 30-minute holiday concert featured songs such as “Jingle Bells” and “The Reindeer Pokey” with choreographed dance moves. Accompanying the 34 singers was music teacher Amy Karavlan...
Westmoreland commissioners pass no tax hike budget, spar over county’s financial future
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners defended a 2025 budget that increased spending in several key categories and carries a more than $9 million deficit. The shortfall is being covered through a dwindling surplus fund bolstered by a 32.5% tax hike approved last year. The new budget maintains the current county property...
Then and Now: From EMS to community library, this Fox Chapel property is always in service
From EMS to community library, the property at 403 Fox Chapel Road has long served residents. The site adjacent to the Fox Chapel Municipal Building was home to Foxwall EMS for years before it was replaced in 2011 by the $6 million Cooper-Siegel Community Library. Foxwall EMS landed a larger...
‘We’re ready to go’: Springdale’s Colfax School ready for demolition
A nearly 100-year-old institution in Springdale is coming down. Crews with Kane Specialty Group of Pine will begin demolishing the former Colfax Upper Elementary School either Friday or Monday , said Jim Kane, company president. “We’re ready to go,” Kane said Thursday at the site. Crews began preparing the site...
Penn State hotel prices soar ahead of home playoff game
The Penn State Nittany Lions take the field Saturday for the team’s first-ever playoff home game, and hotel prices are surging in the State College area. The Nittany Lions will play the Southern Methodist University Mustangs, a team that’s used to playing under sunny skies in Texas. Weather forecasts for...
Salem approves 55,000-square-foot Westmoreland Food Bank expansion
The Westmoreland Food Bank cleared another hurdle on the way toward a planned expansion that will double the size of the nonprofit’s food cooler, receiving approval from Salem supervisors to proceed. “We’re expanding by about 55,000 square feet and it’s being funded through (federal American Rescue Plan) funds through the...
Leaders of community garden hope to nurture young residents with scholarship program
Organizers of the Sharpsburg Community Garden are hoping to grow a new generation of people with a passion for planting. The garden, situated behind the community library along Main Street, is launching a scholarship program for 2025 through which a newbie can get their hands dirty and harvest crops such...
Grand jury indicts Braddock man shot by security at Harrisburg courthouse
A convicted murderer living in a Braddock halfway house who was shot after authorities said he tried to stab a security officer at the federal courthouse in Harrisburg has been indicted. Joseph Louis Camino, 56, is charged with assaulting a federal officer and possessing a dangerous weapon in a federal...
Allegheny County must pay ex-jail guard $1.5M over former boss’ racist comments
Allegheny County will pay a former jail guard $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit alleging he was fired for reporting racist comments by a supervisor. Jeffrey Kengerski was fired in November 2015 after reporting that a superior officer called Kengerski’s biracial relative “a monkey.” He sued the county in federal...
More than just books: Cooper-Siegel Community Library closes in on funding for $2.5M expansion
Tools, 3D printers and musical instruments probably aren’t what most people associate with libraries. But Cooper-Siegel in Fox Chapel is far from ordinary. The $6 million, 24,000-square-foot facility along Fox Chapel Road has grown its lending libraries, programs and classes to meet the demands of patrons who number nearly 30,000...
15 local seniors among young women presented during 61st annual Medallion Ball
Fifteen seniors from the Fox Chapel Herald coverage area were honored Nov. 29 during the 61st annual Medallion Ball at the Pittsburgh Wyndham Grand Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh. The students and their schools are Ainsley Anderson (Fox Chapel), Claire Auffenberg (Fox Chapel), Ridglee Boychuk (Fox Chapel), Emma Callahan (Our Lady...
Living large: Relaxed approach to parenting keeps family of 11 happy and humming in Fox Chapel
Bigger is apparently better for a family of 11 in Fox Chapel. “I always wanted a big family,” said Stephanie Wilkinson, wife and mother to nine biological children she’s raising with her husband, Jim. “I told my mom I wanted at least eight kids.” The Wilkinson children, four boys and...
Christmas story tradition continues at Acmetonia Elementary School in Harmar
Allegheny Valley School District Superintendent Patrick Graczyk read a classic story, “The Night Before Christmas,” to kindergarten students at Acmetonia Elementary School in Harmar on Thursday. Students wore their pajamas as part of the tradition that’s been happening for about a decade. Graczyk and the students shared what they were...
Pittsburgh Public Schools board raids reserve fund to close 2025 budget deficit
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board on Wednesday approved a 2025 spending plan that includes no tax increase but relies on the district’s financial reserves to balance the budget. The nearly $775 million budget will draw about $28 million from the district’s reserve fund to fill in the gap between projected...
Hempfield nixes plan for ‘fire tax,’ maintains 3-mill tax rate for 35th straight year
For the 35th consecutive year, the millage rate in Hempfield will stay at 3 mills in 2025. Township supervisors Wednesday unanimously approved the $17 million spending plan for next year. The millage rate has been unchanged since 1990. “We are pleased to provide a balanced budget going into 2025 with...
Lender demands $143M from Station Square owners in mortgage foreclosure suit
The owners of Station Square must pony up nearly $143 million in overdue loan payments or face foreclosure amid a challenging year for the popular tourist spot on Pittsburgh’s South Side. In a lawsuit filed Nov. 4 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, Delaware-based lender Wilmington Trust demanded the remainder...
