Western PA Local News category, Page 789
Plans for new Derry-Ligonier power line spark property owner concerns over potential impacts
An idyllic Ligonier Township homestead where a young couple are living the life bucolic by raising exotic fowl and keeping honeybees could be bisected by a high voltage power line proposed by FirstEnergy. The proposed power line “would slice directly through the center” of the eight-acre property on Orme Road...
Strike averted: Union approves new contract with Westmoreland County
More than 500 Westmoreland County courthouse and nursing home employees ratified a union contract Monday. Approval of the three-year deal averted a strike that would have started Friday if a deal wasn’t reached. Rank-and-file members of the Service Employees International Union Local 668 and Healthcare PA overwhelmingly voted to accept...
Westmoreland register of wills faces more questions about office’s handling of filings
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton conceded Monday her office has been scrambling to keep up with its workload. “We understand it is an issue, and we are making progress slowly and we will do whatever we have to do to make it happen,” Hamilton said after another...
‘He was larger than life’: Emilio ‘Chummy’ Saldari dies at 99
A World War II veteran and community servant well-known throughout the Allegheny Valley has died. Emilio “Chummy” Saldari of Springdale Township died Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. He was 99. Saldari attended Springdale High School and was drafted to serve in World War II in 1943. He was sent to France,...
Scottdale contractor pleads guilty to home improvement fraud
Jacqueline Anke’s biggest regret isn’t the more the $3,300 she lost to a Scottdale contractor. It’s that she waited to report the swindle to authorities. “We thought it was just going to be a civil matter, then I read about all of these other folks in 2021 and 2022. It’s...
Westmoreland to ramp up search for new jail warden
Westmoreland commissioners said a new warden for the county jail could be hired in February. Efforts to fill the vacancy left by the September resignation of Warden Bryan Kline will ramp up in the coming weeks, officials said Monday following a meeting of the county’s prison board. “We’re going to...
Shapiro proposal would steer extra $40M a year to Pittsburgh Regional Transit
Southwestern Pennsylvania’s largest transit agency could see a needed boost of about $40 million annually thanks to a budget proposal unveiled Monday by Gov. Josh Shapiro. If passed, it would be the first funding increase for Pittsburgh Regional Transit in years, an agency spokesman said Monday. Transit agencies across the...
Banding together: Hampton grad, dad perform side by side in Altered Egos
One of people’s most common fears is public speaking. For folks who have such an aversion, try to imagine public singing. As a member of the band the Altered Egos, Hampton High School graduate Ann Hodos frequently treats audiences to her vocal talents. But she’ll admit to some trepidation as...
Tarentum man pleads no contest in Route 28 fatal crash
A 79-year-old Tarentum man faces up to five years in prison for killing his front-seat passenger in a single-car crash on Route 28 in 2021. Frederick Fattman pleaded no contest Monday to involuntary manslaughter in front of Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Satler, his attorney, Alexander Lindsay, told TribLive. The plea...
Water authority lifts mandatory conservation for customers served by Beaver Run Reservoir
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County lifted its mandatory water conservation order Monday for more than 56,000 customers served by the Beaver Run Reservoir in Bell and Washington townships. Customers who live north of Route 30 in Westmoreland, Allegheny and Indiana counties have been under a mandatory order since mid-December...
Pittsburgh officials tearing down homeless encampment after flooding
Pittsburgh officials are decommissioning a homeless encampment after first responders had to rescue a man from floodwaters in the Mon Wharf area. The homeless man was rescued with a ladder from about a foot of water around 9:30 p.m. Sunday as the rivers rose, public safety spokeswoman Emily Bourne said....
Allegheny River voted Pennsylvania’s 2024 River of the Year
The Allegheny River has been chosen by public vote as the top waterway in the state. The 325-mile stretch was named 2024 River of the Year, earning 8,307 votes to edge the Youghiogheny, which received 7,212 votes, and the Lackawaxen River, which received 4,740. “I cannot wait to celebrate this...
Burglarized New Kensington gun store plans to reopen as investigation continues
A New Kensington gun store burglarized last week will reopen Saturday with enhanced security measures. Roy Berg, who runs RC Firearms on Freeport Street with his son, Cole, said they will be having a “big sale” to mark the reopening along with a somewhat early celebration of their first year...
Bower Hill VFD celebrates 100 years of service in Scott Township
In an era where local volunteer fire departments are struggling, the Bower Hill Volunteer Fire Department in Scott Township is going strong as it celebrates its 100th year of service. Township commissioners recognized the department during their January meeting. “As we look into the future, my hope is that we...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of Jan. 29, 2024
PALS lines up several events for February The Plum Area Ladies Society (PALS) will hold its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7. The guest speaker will be a representative from Jeremiah’s Place, which provides child care for low-income families. The service project will be to donate money, laundry supplies...
Lawyer in Jim Rogers Taser case releases video of Pittsburgh police encounterVideo
Video released publicly Monday showed for the first time how Pittsburgh police repeatedly shocked a homeless man with a Taser in 2021 during a fatal encounter whose details until now had emerged only through official reports. Jim Rogers, 54, died the day after being shocked by Keith Edmonds, a former...
Fox Chapel Area students to stage ‘The Little Mermaid’
Fox Chapel Area students will present “The Little Mermaid” at 7 p.m. Feb. 29, March 1 and 2 and 2 p.m. March 3 in the high school auditorium, 611 Field Club Road, in O’Hara. Tickets, which are $13 each, will go on sale starting at 7 a.m. Jan. 31. All...
Philips Respironics suspends U.S. sales of CPAP, other breathing machines
In the wake of a disastrous recall involving defective sound-dampening foam in several of its breathing machines, Philips Respironics announced Monday that it was suspending sales of its continuous positive airway pressure — or CPAP — machines in the United States. The decision comes as part of a consent decree...
Trib Lunch Box: Opinion on abortion funding, superintendent shortage, upcoming concerts
Here are some noon headlines from TribLive, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024: • Pa. Supreme Court sends abortion question back to Commonwealth Court The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday issued a complex opinion on a case involving the funding of abortions by Medicaid, finding that the right to “reproductive autonomy” is...
Steeper gas price increases expected in mid-February, analyst says
While a combination of factors are pushing up the price of oil and the national average price of gasoline, steeper increases are on the horizon, an industry analyst says. The national average rose 4.5 cents per gallon in the past week to $3.07, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. Despite that,...
Maryland woman faces felony assault charges for allegedly attacking state trooper
A Maryland woman is facing charges of aggravated assault after allegedly attacking a state trooper who stopped her for driving the wrong way on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Margot Bass, 53, of Takoma Park was arrested just before 1 a.m. Thursday. She faces a preliminary hearing before Judge Tom Swan in...
East Huntingdon man taken to hospital after being shot in confrontation with state police
A man who state troopers shot Sunday night in East Huntingdon has been a nuisance in the neighborhood, according to an employee at a neighboring tow company. Jim Miller Jr., 61, started firing guns at his home just off Route 819 around 7 a.m. Sunday and was carrying on all...
Pa. Supreme Court returns Medicaid-funded abortion case to lower court
Abortion rights advocates Monday praised a state Supreme Court opinion that they believe will ultimately uphold a broad constitutional right to abortion in Pennsylvania, even as the justices remanded the narrow merits of the case back to a lower court. The complicated set of five concurring and dissenting opinions spanning...
Morning Roundup: No injuries reported in Ross fire; landslide in Moon
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Jan. 29: No injuries reported in Ross fire No one was reported injured after a fire broke out early Monday morning at a house in Ross Township, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. First responders were alerted a...
Hempfield, North Huntingdon aim to reinforce township identity through branding, signage
Hempfield and North Huntingdon are revamping their signage to bolster each township’s identity. Both are divided by multiple ZIP codes and neighborhoods, and in Hempfield, the township’s officials outlined goals to reinforce municipal identity in their 2023 comprehensive plans. While preparing a comprehensive plan, approved by the supervisors in September,...
