Western PA Local News category, Page 844
Lawsuit alleges Clean Water Act violations from Beaver County plastics manufacturer
Two nonprofit environmental organizations filed a federal Clean Water Act lawsuit on Tuesday against a Beaver County manufacturer that they said is illegally discharging millions of tiny plastic pellets into the water and riverbanks around Raccoon Creek and the Ohio River. The lawsuit, filed by PennEnvironment and Three Rivers Waterkeeper,...
Former Pittsburgh VA worker pleads guilty to embezzling $17,000 from veteran accounts
A former Veterans Affairs Medical Center worker from Pittsburgh pleaded guilty to embezzlement and mail fraud on Tuesday, after federal prosecutors said he stole money from disabled veterans and receive undue pandemic benefits. Corey Mizell, 51, of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty to four counts of embezzlement and one count of mail...
Prosecutors contend Unity man used bogus check scheme to pay for daughter’s wedding
Westmoreland prosecutors said a Unity man used a home computer to forge checks written on a bogus account to pay vendors hired for his stepdaughter’s 2020 wedding. “Embrace the mess,” Assistant District Attorney Cassidy Hatten told jurors as she outlined the four cases against Joseph Malago, 51, who faces multiple...
Ruth Reichl’s Town Hall South talk focuses on America’s poor food quality
Former Los Angeles Times and New York Times food critic, chef and author Ruth Reichl said the quality of American food isn’t nutritionally what it once was — or should be. The James Beard Award-winning writer took the stage at Upper St. Clair High School Theater, pulled her glasses down...
Jury views surveillance video that shows New Kensington slayingVideo
A group of armed men and teens gathered in the lobby of a New Kensington apartment building and tussled just minutes before 39-year-old Jason Raiford staggered outside and was gunned down, according to video shown to jurors Tuesday. During the first day of the murder trial of three men charged...
Greensburg Salem superintendent addresses incident involving elementary school child
Police are investigating an incident in a Greensburg Salem elementary classroom that was reported in October, Superintendent Ken Bissell told school board members Monday. Few details about what’s being investigated have been released. A letter Bissell sent to parents last week notified them of an incident that came to the...
Hampton Township School Board caps tax increase
A 1.15-mill real estate tax increase will be the maximum in Hampton Township School District for 2024-25, and early projections have the number slightly lower. The school board on Dec. 4 approved a resolution not to raise the rate by more than 5.3% over the current year, a figure that...
Fox Chapel Area High School juniors host Jingle Bell Bash
The Fox Chapel Area High School junior class council is sponsoring the first-ever Jingle Bell Bash on Monday, December 18. The holiday celebration is for children ages pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Members of the FCAHS junior class and members of high school clubs will oversee activities that will include holiday...
Pittsburgh looks to extend police headquarters lease for $1.3M
Pittsburgh officials are considering a six-year lease extension for the police bureau’s headquarters for more than $1.3 million per year. The city has leased the Western Avenue location in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood since it sold the prior police headquarters building in 2002. The old site is now a parklet near...
Monroeville parents whose 5-year-old killed younger sibling get probation, house arrest
The parents of a 5-year-old Monroeville boy who shot and killed his 3-year-old sister in 2021 were sentenced to probation on Tuesday. Martaz Colvin, 31, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person, and Brea Sanders, 29, who pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering another person were sentenced...
Fox Chapel expects to hold tax rate steady
Fox Chapel residents are likely to pay the same in property taxes next year after council approved its tentative $9.2 million budget. The tax rate is expected to remain at 2.95 mills, the same as it’s been since 2019. “It’s the 16th lowest in Allegheny County, and it includes garage...
Dick’s Sporting Goods to become official retailer for Notre Dame
Findlay-based Dick’s Sporting Goods struck a deal with Notre Dame to become the official retailer for the university’s athletics. Dick’s and Notre Dame Global Partnerships inked a multi-year partnership, which will include promotions and giveaways on Notre Dame Athletics’ digital platforms, social media channels and national radio network and at...
Mild weather helps make Aspinwall’s ‘Light up the Wall’ holiday event a success
Aspinwall’s Light up the Wall Dec. 2 drew a heavy turnout as people enjoyed music, roasted marshmallows, mild temperatures and fireworks to welcome the holiday season. Festivities were centered along the business districts of Brilliant and Commercial avenues. A magician and a juggler entertained, as did the Fox Chapel Area...
Man accused of fleeing from traffic stop, assaulting and trying to disarm Arnold police officer faces charges
A Pittsburgh man accused of assaulting and trying to disarm an Arnold police officer told investigators that he fled from a traffic stop because he was wanted on a drug warrant and had a large amount of crack and heroin in the SUV he was driving, according to authorities. Tyrone...
Suspect in deadly Carrick bar shooting turns himself in
A Pittsburgh man suspected of fatally shooting a man over the weekend in Carrick turned himself in on Monday. Corey Anthony Rall, 25, Pittsburgh, was arraigned on a charge of criminal homicide and taken to Allegheny County Jail after being denied bail. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the...
Highlands School Board votes to limit tax hike; 3 new members sworn in
Residents in the Highlands School District should not expect to see a property tax increase for the 2024-25 school year beyond 7.6%. The school board agreed to keep any tax hike next school within a limit that’s tied to inflation. The tax rate for residents is 25.13 mills. The owner...
Greensburg Salem hires retiring principal as interim athletic director
David Zilli was hired as Greensburg Salem School District’s interim athletic director and transitional administrator, a position that will run from Jan. 1 until March 8. Zilli is set to retire as the district’s high school principal on Dec. 31, which was going to be the end of his 35-year...
3 hospitalized after fire in 6th-floor cell at Allegheny County Jail
Three people were hospitalized late Monday after a small fire broke out at the Allegheny County Jail, Pittsburgh police said. Police and firefighters responded to the jail on Second Avenue at about 10:30 p.m. for reports of “smoke inside the building,” police spokeswoman Cara Cruz said. Firefighters found the smoke...
Oakland Catholic students host Longwood at Oakmont’s Winter Wonderland Formal
When Longwood at Oakmont hired Emma Winkler, the retirement community in Plum gained more than simply a part-time dining server. The Cheswick resident took the initiative to help organize Dancing Through the Decades, a spring prom for the residents. “Witnessing the sheer happiness the prom brought to the residents —...
Southwestern Pa. enjoying low natural gas prices after large drop from last year
Historic levels of natural gas production are among factors leading to low prices in Southwestern Pennsylvania. There are signs natural gas prices could stay low moving into next year. Purchased gas prices for Pennsylvanians are down 9% to 65% compared to where they were last year, according to Pennsylvania’s Public...
Padlocks cut on 7 units, items stolen from Hempfield storage site
Numerous items valued at $4,800 were taken from or damaged in four storage units in Hempfield last month, according to state police. Sometime between Nov. 19 and 20, two people cut padlocks on seven units at Larch’s Self Storage on Willow Crossing Road and took valuable items from three of...
Plum Middle School students return to school after odor investigated
Students and staff returned to Plum Middle School about an hour after an odor caused school and district officials to divert its students to another building this morning, district Superintendent Rick Walsh said. What initially was described as a faint natural gas odor in a classroom was detected about 7:50...
Probe continues after hunter, mistaken for coyote, is shot in South Huntingdon
A man wrapping up a day of hunting Friday in South Huntingdon was shot by another hunter, according to Travis Lau, communications director at the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Lau said the hunter was at his vehicle when he heard a gunshot and walked to an area off State Hill Road,...
Morning Roundup: Burglar targets West Homestead convenience store; Wible Run Road reopens in Shaler
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Dec. 5: Burglar targets West Homestead store West Homestead police said a burglary occurred early Monday at a convenience store along West Run Road in the borough. Police told TribLive news partner WTAE that a man in a...
50th anniversary: Latrobe historical society searches for next generation
The Latrobe Area Historical Society has evolved and expanded throughout the past 50 years — but its continued service to the local community is reliant on the work of numerous dedicated volunteers. President Mary Lou Townsend said the society is seeking younger volunteers to spearhead future growth of the organization....
