Western PA Local News category, Page 778
Gibsonia man charged in fatal hit-and-run in McCandless last March
A Gibsonia man has been charged in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 78-year-old pedestrian last year in McCandless. Karl Vincent Scott, 36, was arraigned Wednesday, Feb. 7, charged by McCandless police with causing an accident involving death or injury. Police say Scott struck Donald Leach of Wexford at about...
Mon Incline set to reopen following monthlong closure
The beleaguered Monongahela Incline will get new life again. The incline, which connects Pittsburgh’s Station Square to the city’s Mount Washington neighborhood, is set to reopen sometime this weekend, pending a state inspection, Pittsburgh Regional Transit announced Thursday. Transit officials said repairs are nearly complete and state inspection workers will...
EPA grant sends 75 electric school buses to Pittsburgh, Southwestern Pa.
Getting to school for thousands of students in Southwestern Pennsylvania is getting a bit quieter and a lot cleaner. Three school districts in Southwestern Pennsylvania will receive 75 new electric school buses thanks to funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Pittsburgh Public Schools, the largest district in the region,...
Police investigate crash in Washington County that killed McMurray man, Venetia woman
A McMurray man and a Venetia woman died when their vehicles collided Thursday afternoon in Washington County. The motorists were dead at the scene on Route 837 in Carroll Township, according to a report from the county coroner’s office. That office has identified one of the crash victims as Michael...
Vandergrift man convicted in sexual assaults of 2 children
A Westmoreland County jury deliberated more than five hours before returning guilty verdicts against a Vandergrift man for the sexual assaults of two children. Following a three-day trial that ended Wednesday night, Timothy Robert Johnson, 38, was found guilty of nine felony counts including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, conspiracy, indecent...
Westmoreland sheriff appoints new chief deputy
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert on Thursday announced the hiring of his fourth chief deputy since taking office in 2020. Albert, a Republican who was elected to his second four-year term last fall, named Jennifer Shipley as his second in command. Shipley, 37, of Youngwood has worked in the Sheriff’s...
Westmoreland County commissioners approve $2.7 million boost in pay
Raises for Westmoreland County’s union and nonunion employees will cost taxpayers an additional $2.7 million in 2024. Commissioners ratified a union contract and approved pay hikes for nonunion workers Thursday. A new three-year labor deal with the Service Employees International Union Local 668 and Healthcare Pa. includes average raises of...
Register of Wills says work continues to ease backlog as office restructuring OK’d by commissioners
A restructuring and boost in staff pay approved by Westmoreland County commissioners is expected to improve operations in the Register of Wills office. Filing delays and other deficiencies prompted Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton to be admonished last week by a county judge, who issued a court order that...
Longtime Allegheny County chief medical examiner Karl Williams to retire after 17 years
Karl Williams, Allegheny County’s longtime chief medical examiner, who toiled largely in obscurity while overseeing some of the region’s most grisly death investigations, is stepping down. A doctor by training, Williams, 75, is retiring Friday after 17 years as the county’s top forensic pathologist. He leaves behind a $238,000 salary,...
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Pittsburgh gearing up for annual Evening of Hope fundraiser
A familiar face in volunteer circles is the new executive director of Boys Hope Girls Hope of Pittsburgh. Ali Brush of Fox Chapel is serving to advance the local affiliate of the international organization that strives to graduate educated young people in the U.S. and Latin America. Brush and her...
‘A completely different world’: Virtual reality arcade opens in Westmoreland Mall
When Dan Roble first put on a virtual reality headset in 2016, his reaction was not what he had hoped. “It made me sick (after) the first 15 minutes or so,” said Roble, 35, of Latrobe. But the technology has improved significantly over the past eight years to prevent users...
‘There’s consequences,’ judge tells Pittsburgh man before sending him to prison for killing toddler with stray bullet
Zaphora Bernard held up the baby book, “The Life of Zykier Young. I love you.” Zykier was just 5 pounds, 9 ounces when he was born. But 22 inches long, his mom said. She flipped through the pages, displaying them for the judge to see, thrusting the book toward the...
New York City man sentenced for drug distribution in Pittsburgh area
A New York City man arrested twice in less than three years for bringing large amounts of drugs into the Pittsburgh area was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in a federal prison. Christopher Delacruz, 35, was first arrested during a traffic stop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County in...
Valentine’s Day gift ideas for any budget
Are you struggling to decide what to give your partner this Valentine’s Day? Here’s a list of ideas for any budget to help get you started: 1. Sweet treats or food You can’t go wrong if you buy your significant other their favorite candy — or snacks for those who...
A.W. Beattie Career Center in McCandless explores renovations
An expansion may be in the works by next year for A.W. Beattie Career Center in McCandless. Student enrollment at Beattie is growing, according to director Eric Heasley “The possibility of an addition to the existing career center building is due to continued enrollment growth and additional potential program considerations,”...
Franklin Regional marching band enjoys sun, Dole Whip in Hawaii
Franklin Regional Panther Marching Band students loaded onto several buses around 2 a.m. in early December, the first leg of a lengthy journey to Hawaii. The band had a chance to perform in the annual Pearl Harbor Day Parade and also to play in the shadow of the USS Arizona...
Etna community remembers late Mayor Tom Rengers
Etna residents are still reeling from the loss of their long-time mayor in December. Tom Rengers, 71, had a 30-year career in Etna politics, serving as a council member for 11 years and then as mayor for 19. He died on Dec. 7 from prostate cancer. Known as a family...
Murrysville area: Kindergarten registration, library programs and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Kindergarten registration opens at FR Kindergarten registration is open and being accepted online for Franklin Regional students through March 31. Parents and visit FRSDk12.org, click on “Parents & Community,” followed by links for “Enroll Your Child” and “Kindergarten 2024-25. An evening parent...
New Kensington officer injured, suspect Tased twice in warrant arrest
Police had to twice use a Taser on an Arnold man as officers struggled to arrest him in December, according to court records released this week. At least one police officer was injured. The incident began after New Kensington Officer Tyler Balla saw Anthony Marsalis Howell, 36, of Arnold walking...
Tickets on sale for Northland Public Library’s Garden Gala in McCandless
Celebrate spring at Northland Public Library on April 20. The Garden Gala 2024: “Gatsby in the Garden,” presented by UPMC Health Plan and UPMC Passavant, will feature food offerings from local restaurants and caterers, along with tastes of spirits, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages. Guests can enjoy live music, a...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Feb. 9 – 11
Did preparing for the Super Bowl distract you from buying your sweetheart a Valentine’s Day gift? Or worse? Are you heartbroken that your team didn’t make it to the championship? Well, there’s plenty of sweet events to cheer you up and do some last minute shopping this weekend in Westmoreland...
Penn Hills likely to replace municipal engineer, despite delays
Growing pains for the new Penn Hills Council have delayed a breakup between the municipality and its engineering firm of almost 20 years. Gibson-Thomas Engineering is poised to replace The Gateway Engineers, with a council vote likely coming in February. Council has twice tabled a resolution to make Gibson-Thomas municipal...
Hill District residents ‘overwhelmed with joy’ that Salem’s Market is open
The Hill District has a grocery store again. Salem’s Market & Grill opened its third location at Centre Heldman Plaza on Thursday morning, ending a nearly five-year span in which the Hill District was left without a local grocer following the closing of Shop ‘n Save in March 2019. Guests...
New Sheetz expected to open on Plum’s Golden Mile Highway in May
A new Sheetz under construction in Plum is tentatively scheduled to open in May, a spokesman for the Altoona-based convenience store chain said. When the new convenience store and gas station on Golden Mile Highway at Presque Isle Drive opens, the existing smaller store nearby at Pine Valley Drive will...
Acorn Park work to begin in spring in Franklin Park
Updates on the way for Acorn Park in Franklin Park will include an outdoor classroom, trail work, restroom facilities and more. “Work is expected to begin in the spring of this year and completed by the end of 2024. The borough is currently awaiting approval of a national pollutant discharge...
