Western PA Local News category, Page 942
Westmoreland political leaders eye state judicial contests to lure voters
Westmoreland County’s political leaders said Election Day 2023 could set the stage for the following year’s presidential election. With a ballot devoid of high-profile contested county races this fall, officials said they expect to work overtime to ensure voters are motivated to head to the polls or vote by mail...
The Stroller, Sept. 10, 2023: 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. Murder mystery fundraiser to benefit library Community Library of Allegheny Valley...
Church bells to ring again in Leechburg after successful $30,000 fundraiser
A defunct church belltower in Leechburg will soon be operational again, thanks to the fundraising work of church volunteers the last five months. “I had a Jesus moment,” said the Rev. James Arter of First Evangelical Lutheran Church of the moment last Tuesday when he opened the church mailbox and...
Prime Stage Theatre to host open auditions for upcoming season
Prime Stage Theatre officials will host open auditions for their 27th season Sept. 16-17 in Pittsburgh. Auditions for the “Season of Courage and Discovery” will be from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 16 and 4-9 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Prime Stage Studio, 840 West Saw Mill Run Boulevard in...
‘Oppenheimer’ hype – Pittsburgh connections to the atomic age
J. Robert Oppenheimer’s brilliant mind belonged to the atom, his loyalty to the United States, his passion to the New Mexico desert. But the beating heart of the American Prometheus belonged to a woman who grew up in Aspinwall. Yes, Aspinwall, childhood home of the great physicist’s wife, Katherine “Kitty”...
‘Oppenheimer’ hype brings lesser-known aspects of atomic age in Pittsburgh to fore
J. Robert Oppenheimer’s brilliant mind belonged to the atom, his loyalty to the United States, his passion to the New Mexico desert. But the beating heart of the American Prometheus belonged to a woman who grew up in Aspinwall. Yes, Aspinwall, childhood home of the great physicist’s wife, Katherine “Kitty”...
A little bit of German, a lot of county fair to be found at Sprankle’s Octoberfest in Saxonburg
Yes, you could find beer flowing into waiting steins, polka music drifting through the air and the occasional lederhosen or dirndl darting through the crowds at Sprankle’s Octoberfest in Saxonburg. But strolling through the fairgrounds Saturday, you would be just as likely to run across a 20-foot python, a rescue...
‘Homecoming’: Sisters of Mercy, St. Xavier’s Academy alumni return to Unity to celebrate opening of new nature preserve
Barbara Mance was sitting in her English class at St. Xavier’s Academy on March 16, 1972, when the fire alarm went off. She walked downstairs, assuming it was just another fire drill. She and her classmates were joking that “maybe the old place is finally burning.” Upon arriving outside, they...
Local, state, federal officials to mark 22nd anniversary of Flight 93 crash on 9/11
Monday will mark the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, as well as the crash of United Flight 93, meant for an additional attack that was foiled by the plane’s passengers. Local, state and federal officials will be in attendance at ceremonies...
Indiana County coroner identifies trapped quarry worker, rules death accidental
The Indiana County Coroner’s Office identified a quarry worker who died after becoming trapped in a limestone hopper on Friday, ruling the death accidental. First responders were called just before 10:30 a.m. to rescue Eric Matthew Komlosky, Sr., 39, of Indiana, who had become trapped at Ridge Limestone, a quarry...
Kiski Township man ordered to trial on multiple felony charges
A Kiski Township man accused of stealing an SUV to flee after assaulting a family member and then eluding capture by police who spotted him the next day has been order to stand trial on multiple felony charges. James Francis Sabino, 37, of the 300 block of Riffler Road was...
Commissioner candidate has surgery for injuries suffered in 2021 Election Day attack
A Democratic candidate for Westmoreland County commissioner is temporarily off the campaign trail after having surgery Thursday to repair lingering injuries suffered during an attack at the polls on Election Day in 2021. Lisa Gephart, 56, of Mt. Pleasant Township remained hospitalized Friday and is recovering and expected to return...
Westmoreland home repair program filled before program launch
A new $1.6 million program to stop future blight has more than enough potential applicants even before Westmoreland County officials were ready to formally announce its launch. Brian Lawrence, executive director of Westmoreland County’s Redevelopment Authority, said referrals from other agencies have “overprescribed” what officials expect to be a popular...
The Stroller, Sept. 9, 2023: 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. 9/11 Moving Flag Tribute planned in Harrison The 9/11 Moving Flag...
Magnet fishing couple pulls piece of Harrison history from Allegheny River in Lawrenceville
You never know what you might pluck from the Allegheny River. Magnet fishing enthusiasts George and Suzanne Murphy Haught have pulled up boat parts, locks and even a gun. “I pulled out a washer from a barge that was the size of a dinner plate,” said George, who began the...
‘Read-in’ highlights representation in books frequently targeted for banning
When Mackenzie Fangman read “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, it was an awkward experience at times. “It made me cringe to read, but it was a cringe of self- recognition,” said Fangman, 26, of Greensburg, who also is gender-queer. “And if it made me feel that way as an...
PennDOT bridge replacement will trigger detour in South Huntingdon
A section of Wyano Waltz Mill Road (Route 3010) in South Huntingdon will close Monday so PennDOT crews can replace a bridge over a branch of Sewickley Creek. The closure, between Markeys Road and Waltz Mill Road, is expected to continue through mid-November, depending on weather conditions. PennDOT will post...
Yough-N-Roll, Party on the Trail planned along Great Allegheny Passage
The annual Yough-N-Roll and Party on the Trail fundraisers along the Great Allegheny Passage are set for Sept. 16. Riders in the Yough-N-Roll and Family Fun Ride can set their own pace and distance starting from the Boston trailhead. There are 40- and 20-mile options that turn around at Cedar...
In brief: News from Fox Chapel, Sharpsburg and more
The Community Library Association has an immediate need for Fox Chapel resident with legal expertise to fill an open board position. The association is the governing board that oversees operations for Cooper-Siegel Community Library and its branch, the Sharpsburg Community Library. Interested residents should contact Jill McConnell, executive director, at...
Injured player flown by medical helicopter from Kiski-Laurel Highlands football game
Laurel Highlands football standout Antwan Black Jr. was transported by medical helicopter from Kiski Area after suffering an injury during a game Friday night in Allegheny Township. First responders called for a medical helicopter around 9:40 p.m., in response to Black’s injury at the game at Richard Dilts Field on...
Fire at McKeesport high-rise injures 3, displaces 200
Three people were transported to the hospital, two in critical condition, following an apartment fire Friday afternoon that displaced about 200 residents in McKeesport. Firefighters were called to the McKeesport Towers, a housing authority high-rise on Sixth Street, shortly before 3 p.m. for a report of an apartment fire. “We...
Bridge inspection to restrict traffic on I-70 span across the Monongahela River
A routine inspection of the Speers Bridge will trigger daytime single-lane restrictions on Interstate 70 beginning Monday. The lane restrictions are expected to continue through Friday, Sept. 15, on the bridge, which carries I-70 over the Monongahela River, affecting both eastbound and westbound traffic between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m....
Mt. Pleasant SportZone closes; hockey rinks for sale
An East Huntingdon indoor sports arena and entertainment center that had multiple names through almost 20 years and drew hundreds of boys, girls and their families for weekend inline hockey and other tournaments will have an entirely new purpose. Snowplows, salt spreaders and tree cutter supplies will soon fill the...
Dr. Richard Moriarty, founder of Mr. Yuk sticker, dies at 83
When people found out Dr. Richard Moriarty was the man behind the Mr. Yuk sticker, they would say how the sticker saved them from drinking something that could have killed them. Or that the 1970s commercial, where a narrator with a menacing laugh warns kids that “Mr. Yuk is mean...
Sheriff’s office arrests fugitive in Wilkinsburg, authorities say
Detectives from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office on Friday arrested a Wilkinsburg man who they said was wanted on multiple warrants. Michael Lyons, 32, had been a fugitive since November 2022, when Common Pleas Judge Edward Borkowski issued a bench warrant for Lyons for violating terms of his 10-year probation,...
