Western PA Local News category, Page 596
‘Biggest race to date’: North Park event raises money for scholarship fund
Credit could go to the cause, the course or perhaps the exceptionally cooperative weather. Whatever the reason, the seventh annual KILLIAN5K race through the picturesque surroundings of North Park on the sunny morning of July 27 turned out to be a record-setting occasion, according to members the organizing family, Patrick,...
Summer Fest has fun for kids, adults, pets at Twin Lakes Park
The third annual Summer Fest at Twin Lakes Park will have activities for kids, adults and even dogs. Organized by Greensburg-based Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region, the event is set for noon to 5 p.m. Sunday along the park’s Lower Lake, near Pavilion No. 7. It is...
Former Sewickley Academy director of theatre arts takes on ‘Bandstand’
Many Sewickley Academy alums may spot a familiar name in the playbill at Front Porch Theatricals’ production of “Bandstand,” running Aug. 16-25 at the New Hazlett Theater on the North Side. Joe Jackson, who served as dance teacher and theatre arts director at the academy, returned to the region from...
Judge defies appeals court, denies bail to Sewickley torture defendant
An Allegheny County judge on Tuesday refused to follow a state Superior Court order to grant bail to a Sewickley man accused of assault and torture. Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski instead held a hearing at the request of the prosecution before finding that Noah Storm Sadowski poses a...
Springdale Township trimming expected budget shortfall
Springdale Township officials say they are getting an anticipated budget deficit under control. When the 2024 budget was approved in December, township commissioners projected $2.3 million in expenditures but only $1.7 million in revenue, leaving roughly $600,000 to be covered by the township’s financial reserves. Commissioner Tim Basilone said the...
Penn Hills native named director of admissions at United States Military Academy West Point
Coming from humble beginnings in Penn Hills, Col. Rance A. Lee didn’t imagine life would lead him to where he is. “My parents didn’t have a lot of money for college so I had to look for other avenues to pay for school,” said Lee, who grew up as the...
Route 28 access limited near Baileys Run Road in East Deer
Motorists who’ve been dealing with a long-term closure along Baileys Run Road in East Deer might have been relieved to see the road reopen Wednesday. But they’ll have to be patient a bit longer. Another section of the road, between the Route 28 ramp and Freeport Road, closed at the...
Allegheny Land Trust seeks public help to buy and preserve 280 acres in Indiana Township
An expansive piece of land in the heart of rapidly developing Indiana Township could stay green if the Allegheny Land Trust secures pledges of $2.5 million by December. The nonprofit is eyeing 280 acres in the Deer Creek Watershed, where wildlife, trails and streams abound. Some of the property abuts...
PennDOT to study problematic stretch of Greensburg Road in Upper Burrell
PennDOT officials announced Tuesday they will begin a traffic study on a stretch of Greensburg Road in Upper Burrell that has drawn ire from community members. Agency spokeswoman Laina Aquiline said PennDOT is reviewing Upper Burrell’s request for a traffic study in the 2200 block of Greensburg Road and anticipates...
Community blood drives scheduled for August to address shortage
Vitalant, a nonprofit blood and biotherapies health care company based in Pittsburgh, is planning a series of community donor drives to help boost blood supply in the region. The company has declared an emergency shortage of type O blood — the most transfused blood type. While O blood types are...
Find a ‘cooler weather’ road trip in Western Pennsylvania
Bruce Gezon of Murrysville is no stranger to a nice, scenic drive. Gezon, a member of the Sports Car Club of America’s Hall of Fame, has been designing rally courses for a half-century. With late-summer temperatures continuing to stay in the 80s and 90s, spending an afternoon outdoors might not...
Judge rejects effort to dismiss charges against East Huntingdon man injured in police shootout
A Westmoreland County judge has rejected defense calls for dismissal of charges against an East Huntingdon man wounded by Pennsylvania State Police in an exchange of gunfire last winter. Defense attorney Jill Devine during a court hearing Tuesday contended there was no evidence James R. Miller Jr. intended to kill...
Swissvale woman sentenced to 6 years probation for yearslong sexual relationship with teen
A judge on Tuesday sentenced a Pittsburgh-area therapist to probation for having a yearslong sexual relationship with a boy starting when he was 14. Rachel Witkowski, 43, of Swissvale pleaded guilty to three of the 11 charges against her — statutory sexual assault by a person 11 or more years...
The Stroller, July 31, 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. Back-to-school bash planned in Freeport Freeport Area Library, 428 Market St.,...
Westmoreland happenings: August Fun Fest, Bible school, fire station open house, more
Church News • St. James Church, 306 St. James Lane, New Alexandria, will have all-day Eucharistic Adoration Aug. 6 for the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Mass will be celebrated at 8 a.m., adoration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and benediction will be at 6 p.m. Drop in...
Sewickley officers planning first National Night Out celebration
The Sewickley Police Department has joined a national effort to promote police-community partnerships. The borough force will host its inaugural National Night Out celebration from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6. Nevin Avenue will be closed between Hill and Hopkins streets for the event. Officers will provide safety information and...
Pittsburgh Brewing teams with Pitt for blue-and-gold I.C. Light can
A collaboration between Pittsburgh Brewing Co. and Pitt Athletics on a limited edition Pitt I.C. Light can has been brewing for about two years. The can features royal blue and university gold team colors in addition to the recognizable “Pitt” script and “Hail to Pitt.” It is available this week...
Ex-administrator in Penn Hills School District says he’s struggling to find work after ‘frivolous’ harassment charge dropped
Robert Kollar is rebuilding his career after a now-dismissed harassment charge tarnished his reputation and led him to resign as director of human resources for the Penn Hills School District. In May, a judge threw out the case, which alleged that Kollar placed his midsection on an individual’s back, but...
Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy to host inaugural fun walk, 5K
Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy plans to host a new way for people to explore one of the borough’s prime recreation sites. The inaugural Fox Chapel Foxtrot 5K & 1 Mile Family Fun Run is set for Sept. 8 in McCahill Park. “The idea is to have a community event that...
Shot hits Station Square restaurant; no injuries
A restaurant window at Station Square on Pittsburgh’s South Side was hit by a gunshot Tuesday afternoon, Pittsburgh Police said. No one was injured when one of the bullets damaged one pane of a two-pane window about 2:30 p.m. at Joe’s Crab Shack, 226 W. Station Square Drive, police said....
‘A failure on multiple levels’: Records reveal security lapses at Trump rally
Five days before Donald Trump took the stage at the Butler Farm Show grounds for a rally, the Secret Service was busy rolling out its strategy to protect the nation’s 45th president. The advance planning was hardly unusual as part of the agency’s mission to guard the nation’s current and...
New Kensington man pleads guilty to drive-by shooting of high school classmate
A New Kensington man was ordered Tuesday to serve up to 14 years in prison for the attempted homicide of two occupants of a vehicle during a drive-by shooting in New Kensington. Ernest Gary IV, 20, pleaded guilty to seven offenses including two counts of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, reckless...
State officials visit Strengthening Families program in Monessen
The simple act of untangling a human chain can teach a lot about trust and teamwork. On Tuesday, participants in the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission’s Strengthening Families program mashed together, crossed their arms and grabbed hands. Next, they worked together to undo the knot they had formed. Jessica Anderson,...
Dominican trucker faces second deportation for New Stanton fentanyl sale
Westmoreland County prosecutors said a Dominican Republic national faces deportation for the second time after he serves an eight-year prison sentence for selling fentanyl to an undercover state trooper two years ago in New Stanton. Leonardo Antonio Ramirez was convicted in May by a Westmoreland County jury of three drug-related...
PennDOT plans Route 119 detour in New Stanton
PennDOT road work is set to trigger a detour beginning Wednesday on Route 119 in New Stanton and traffic interruptions on Thursday on Route 51 in Rostraver. Motorists heading south on Route 119, from Youngwood toward Connellsville, will be diverted along a detour because the southbound ramp they normally use...
