Western PA Local News category, Page 788
Homestead woman, 44, ID’d as West End bridge hit-and-run victim
The woman killed in a hit-and-run crash Saturday on the West End bridge is Faye McCoy, 44, of Homestead, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Police were still looking for the driver of the car involved in the crash, believe to be a dark-colored sedan with silver wheels....
1 hurt in crash along Route 28 north near Tarentum
One person was taken to hospital after a two-vehicle crash Tuesday evening on Route 28 north near Tarentum, an Allegheny County 911 official said. State police are investigating the crash, which happened shortly after 6 p.m. between the Russellton and Tarentum exits of the highway....
Beaver Falls man comes 90 minutes shy of world record to build Star Wars LegoVideo
Jonathan Wagner doesn’t like to talk about his “dark period” with Legos. “A lot of people in the Steel City Lego User Group went through it,” he said. “Usually around early adulthood, most people kind of just forget about Legos.” In the late 1990s, Lego began releasing kits for its...
Raises rejected for retired Westmoreland County employees
For the first time in 13 years, Westmoreland County’s 1,400 retired government employees will not receive cost-of-living increases. “This is a very difficult budget, and one where we couldn’t afford to do a COLA this year. Difficult decisions had to be made,” Commissioner Ted Kopas said. Retirees received 8.1% cost-of-living...
Some ‘choosing to live outside’ after flooded Mon Wharf homeless encampment cleared, official says
Many of the homeless people who were living in an encampment wiped out by flooding on the Mon Wharf opted to move to other encampments instead of accepting repeated offers of shelter, Pittsburgh officials said. “These are people who are choosing to live outside. They won’t necessarily take shelter,” said...
Yukon-area residents rip lawsuit settlement with landfill operator
A group of Yukon-area residents ripped a proposed $275,000 settlement regarding allegations that polluted dust and odors wafting from a hazardous waste landfill near their homes has hurt their quality of life since July 2014. “It would not have covered anything I lost,” said Angela Babich of Yukon, following a...
Latrobe social worker pleads guilty to sex crimes against teen clients
Victims and their supporters stood and cheered Tuesday as a former Latrobe social worker was led out of a Westmoreland County courtroom in handcuffs. Gregory P. Miscik, 63, pleaded guilty to 13 charges stemming from seven separate cases involving 10 victims. The charges involved sex crimes against teenage clients dating...
Pine-based nonprofit doubles fundraising goal on behalf of Make-A-Wish
The inaugural 412 Gives Back Gala brought in $90,000 to benefit Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia, which will grant 18 wishes to local children. That represents much more than the original fundraising goal, Pine residents Amy Fleming and Billie Higgins, co-founders of the nonprofit philanthropic organization 412 Gives Back....
High water in Westmoreland closes Loyalhanna Creek causeway, Conemaugh River bridge
The Sleepy Hollow Causeway across the Loyalhanna Creek east of Ligonier was closed Tuesday afternoon because of flooding. The causeway connects the eastbound lanes of Route 30 in Unity with the westbound lanes in Derry Township. PennDOT officials also announced closure of a portion of Bairdstown Road/West Market Street in...
Pine-Richland mulls $8 million-plus in HVAC upgrades at 2 schools
Folks who attended schools before they were equipped with air conditioning will remember how the heat of late summer and spring wasn’t exactly conducive to optimal learning. While Pine-Richland buildings have more advanced systems for temperature control, mounting inefficiencies caused by aging prompted school district officials to embark on upgrades....
Pitt graduate workers request union recognition
Graduate workers at Pitt are asking for voluntary recognition of their union, claiming majority support for collective bargaining. Hundreds of graduate workers, United Steelworkers organizers and unaffiliated supporters gathered on the first floor of the Cathedral of Learning Tuesday to deliver a letter to Chancellor Joan Gabel with a request....
Jim Rogers Taser case did not merit homicide charge, Zappala says
A Pittsburgh police officer was “wrong” but didn’t commit homicide when he repeatedly shocked a homeless man with a Taser, which preceded the man’s death, the officer’s termination, and a $8 million civil lawsuit settlement with the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said Tuesday....
10th Street Bypass reopens after flooding in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh’s 10th Street Bypass reopened Tuesday after it had closed due to flooding, according to PennDOT. The 10th Street Bypass between Fort Duquesne Boulevard and the Fort Duquesne Bridge and I-279 had closed after Downtown Pittsburgh’s riverfront began to flood Sunday. The flooding spurred road closures at the bypass and...
Appeals court sends Plum injection well plan back to zoning board for review
Plans to add another injection well in Plum will go back to the borough’s zoning hearing board. The zoning board in January of 2022 voted to approve the addition of a second injection well at Penneco Environmental Solutions’ existing facility on 69 acres on Old Leechburg Road because, the board...
Police say Jeannette man pointed gun at coworker at Hempfield restaurant
A Jeannette man remains behind bars after state police said he pointed a gun at a coworker at a Hempfield restaurant, according to court papers. Isaiah W. Niehenke, 18, was arrested Saturday on charges of aggravated assault, firearms not to be carried without a license, terroristic threats and related offenses....
Bloomfield community group joins appeal to revive housing, grocery store development
A large development proposal for Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood that stalled out last year is gaining an ally in a local community group. The Bloomfield Development Corporation joined in this week on the appeal of a zoning rejection for a plan to build a large housing and grocery store development at...
DA files criminal charges against Century III, calls former mall a ‘monument to blight’
The owners of the blighted Century III Mall were charged Tuesday in a move by Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala to seize ownership and demolish the once-mighty 1.3-million-square-foot building in West Mifflin. The district attorney’s office charged Century III Mall Pa. LLC with causing or risking a catastrophe, a...
Food pantries count on Fox Chapel church’s Fill-the-Truck event to replenish shelves
In his 20 years managing a food pantry in Indiana Township, Gil Cutruzzula said he can count on donations dipping just after the Christmas holiday — at the same time that need goes up. “It’s like clockwork,” said Cutruzzula, pantry manager at the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center...
Pine-Richland musicians selected for regional band festival
The Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 1 Senior High Band West Festival was held on January 11-13, 2024 at Peters Township High School. Participating from Pine-Richland were juniors Will Tamburri and Lilliana Bogle, and sophomores Ryan Noir and Jiwon Lee. From the event, Ryan, Will and Lilliana have been selected...
Pine-Richland JROTC cadet earns Air Force scholarship
Pine-Richland High School senior MacKenzie Roy, a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadet, was selected to receive an Air Force J-100 Character-in-Leadership Scholarship. The daughter of David and Laurie Roy is one of only 100 cadets nationwide to receive the scholarship. The J-100 program provides recipients with four years of...
Phone, internet outages expected in Tarentum
Tarentum residents could experience phone and internet outages throughout Tuesday, according to the borough. Planned maintenance from Comcast is the cause, officials said in an email. “Please be aware that Tarentum Borough is experiencing intermittent phone and internet interruptions,” the borough’s email said. “Maintenance is expected to last throughout the...
Morning Roundup: Fayette man shot in moving vehicle during fight with wife
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Jan. 30: Fayette man shot in moving vehicle during fight with wife A man was shot twice in the thigh in a moving vehicle Monday morning in a domestic dispute with his pregnant wife in Fayette County, according...
Leechburg minister to co-pastor churches from different denominations
A Leechburg pastor is prepping for double ministerial duty at Protestant churches that cross denominational lines. With The Rev. Sue Washburn preparing to leave her post as interim pastor of Leechburg’s Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church in mid-February, church leaders on Sunday approved naming the Rev. James Arter as part-time...
The Stroller, Jan. 30, 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. Highlands HS plans annual cabaret concert Saturday The 12th annual Highlands...
SoCal in New Kensington closes indefinitely; owner seeks new restaurant partner
SoCal Mexicali Grill in New Kensington has closed, but the owner said he’s looking for a new business partner in hopes of reopening. “The volume didn’t come through,” said owner Sean Watson. “We had a great products and people loved it, but traffic wasn’t there to keep it going.” SoCal...
