Western PA Local News category, Page 985
Hempfield holds its National Night Out event to showcase first responders
Hempfield National Night Out took place Thursday in Hempfield Park. Local police, firefighters and other first responders were on hand, along with community mental health resources and more. There were food trucks, raffle baskets, a kids corner, student group performances scheduled, all to be topped offed by fireworks....
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Aug. 4-6
Bargains galore There will be bargains galore this weekend in Irwin. A flea market is planned for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday at The Lamp Theatre, 222 Main St. There will be no early bird sales. For more information, call 724-367-4000 or visit lamptheatre.org. • Irwin Business...
Police, PennDOT urge motorists to keep eyes open for motorcycles
Being a motorcycle officer with the Pennsylvania State Police carries a unique set of demands. You have to answer the police radio and keep an eye out for lawbreakers while also staying safe on the road, just like any other motorcyclist. “It was an additional challenge being a motorcycle officer...
Discounted court fees result from stalled state budget
Divorce-seekers are in line for a discount. Costs to file court documents in Pennsylvania are more than $20 cheaper, for now. An under-the-radar casualty of the state’s financial uncertainty related to a monthlong budget impasse is an annual surcharge added to fees for the filing of most court documents. That...
Hampton band prepares for start of school
If it seems as if the 2022-23 school year just wrapped up, consider that a new one is right around the corner. The first day of Hampton Township School District classes is Aug. 24, but at the start of the month, students already were preparing for activities to come. Among...
Latrobe residents set their sights on Steelers and Friday Night Lights
Not many things can bring every facet of a community together to work as one. But in Latrobe, the Pittsburgh Steelers and students have inspired the effort. From the school district to robots, every member of the community has pitched in to make the annual Friday Night Lights practice a...
Funfest returns to Monroeville Public Library
Last year, over 2,500 people showed up for Monroeville Public Library’s Fun Fest. For 2023, they’re expecting even more for the annual event, scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 26 on the library grounds, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd. “This is the fifth year, and it grows every year. We...
‘Retired’ host returns to Steel City Con in Monroeville
Monroeville Convention Center soon will be packed with artists, pop culture enthusiasts, costume creators and a familiar face that rivals many of the celebrity guests. Mike “Zombo” Devine of Shaler makes his return to Steel City Con Aug. 11-13 after a brief retirement from hosting such events. The usually silver-haired...
Youngsters learn first aid in Hampton Little Medical School program
You don’t have to be a Boy Scout to, as the motto goes, be prepared. “Let’s say you’re in the school lunchroom, and somebody is eating a grape,” Dr. Kim Roth told youngsters attending day camp at the Hampton Community Center. “And they start coughing and holding their throat a...
Gov. Shapiro signs Pa. budget, scratches out $100 million for tuition vouchers
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a new state budget Thursday, putting to rest the worst fears over a budget stalemate that could cost Pennsylvanians access to critical safety net programs and send cash-strapped school districts scrambling for dollars to open for the new school year. The crisis was averted through a...
Car cruise slated at conservation district site in Hempfield
Car cruise fans can see a gathering of classic cars from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 at the grounds of the Westmoreland Conservation District, 218 Donohoe Road, Hempfield. The fifth annual Sewickley Creek Watershed Association’s Cruise for Conservation will feature entertainment and food prepared by the Sewickley...
2 probation officers hurt after scuffle with Greensburg man
Two Westmoreland County probation officers were hurt Wednesday when they got into a scuffle with a man who they said violated his probation, according to court papers. The probation officers reported to Greensburg police that they visited the Harrison Avenue apartment of Akeem Vance, 39, around 9:30 a.m. Vance, who...
Hallam sues Fitzgerald, other county officials for lack of attendance at jail meetings
Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, D-Brighton Heights, has filed a lawsuit against Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and two other elected county officials in an effort to compel them to attend Jail Oversight Board meetings. Hallam and advocates for better conditions at Allegheny County Jail have long been critical of...
No one injured after early riser alerts Harmar neighbors to laundromat fire; 6 apartments evacuated
Donna Bendel was already done showering and feeding her dog, Jet, before heading out for work about 3:45 a.m. Thursday when a fire broke out in the laundromat in the same building as her apartment and five others. “I heard the front security door bang shut, but didn’t think anything...
Pink at PNC Park: What to know before you goVideo
What will Pink bring to her Saturday concert at PNC Park? If it’s anything like other stops on her Summer Carnival Tour, the crowd can expect acrobatics, gymnastics, dancing, dazzling costumes, motorized flamingos, confetti, fireworks and smoke cannons. And that’s in addition to her music — a high-energy mix of...
Appeal of former Leet police chief’s termination in the hands of Civil Service Commission
Former Leet Police Chief Michael Molinaro is fighting to get his job back. It may prove to be a Herculean effort as township officials have accused him of conduct unbecoming of an officer including incompetence, insubordination, attempting to steal money during a search warrant, disobedience of orders, submitting false information/documents...
Judge formally sentences Pittsburgh synagogue shooter to death in emotional hearing
The emotions swung like a pendulum — from forgiveness, to kindness, to hate, to love, to regret, to gratitude. For each of the people who spoke Thursday at the formal sentencing hearing for the man who killed 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue nearly five years ago, they recounted...
Murrysville area: School open-house tours, local community festivals,
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Franklin Regional open house tours Franklin Regional school officials will host open house tours of its school buildings in August for all students. They will take place on the following dates: • Senior high school: 6:30-8 p.m. Aug. 17, 18 and 21,...
‘The Center Shines On’ 40 years later; O’Hara facility serves 10,000 people a month
Inside the kitchen of a home in the Falconhurst neighborhood in the early 1980s, friends Sue Golier and Gretchen Montgomery plotted the beginning of something magnificent. They just didn’t know it yet. The pair discussed the need for a community center in the Fox Chapel Area, and at the same...
New playground, pickleball courts included in Lower Burrell parks improvements
Enhancements are coming to Lower Burrell’s parks and playgrounds. The city is working through two grants to improve its parks, Councilman Chris Fabry said. The impact of the first grant can be seen at Veterans Park for two new playgrounds — one of which was installed a couple weeks ago....
Shared memories of simpler times sustain strong ties for North Huntingdon’s final Class of ’58
Some guys ventured out for late-night drag racing while the girls stayed inside for pajama parties. On Friday nights, nearly everybody turned out for the North Huntingdon High School Bulldogs football game, followed by a sock hop in the gym. “It was a fun time,” said Alice Goodlin. “We didn’t...
Norwin area: Band to preview halftime show; French classes at Norwin library; Irwin Music in the Streets
Norwin band preview show set The Norwin High School Marching Band will give the community a preview of their 2023 production, Pasttime For the Love of the Game, at the Norwin Knights Stadium, from 7 to 8 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Norwin Knights Stadium at the high school in...
Pine man who pleaded guilty to child-porn charge last year accused of same crime again
A Pine Township man who pleaded guilty last year to having child pornography was arrested by Allegheny County police for allegedly downloading illegal images and video on the day of a scheduled meeting with his parole agent. Kyle Donnelly, 28, of the 200 block of McKinney Road was charged by...
New Kensington-Arnold approves hiring, personnel moves ahead of new school year
The New Kensington-Arnold School District hired several teachers and other personnel ahead of the start of the 2023-24 school year. Nicholas DeFrancesco was hired as a DECA teacher at Valley Junior-Senior High School, with a starting salary of $53,368. DECA, short for Distributive Education Clubs of America, prepares students for...
How we covered it: Trib’s front pages from Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, trial
The gunman who killed 11 worshippers at a Squirrel Hill synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, was given the death penalty on Wednesday. A jury in the federal case against Robert Bowers, 50, of Baldwin rejected the defense’s assertion that he was mentally ill. The jurors were unanimous in their decision...
