Oakmont Council to vote on non-cooperation resolution with ICE
Tensions ran high and anger boiled to the surface during Oakmont’s council meeting Tuesday in the wake of a borough resident being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Jose Flores, 47, was taken by ICE agents Thursday morning after being approached in front of his Oakmont home while preparing...
World’s tallest living female dog is a Great Dane with an ironic name and Pittsburgh roots
Minnie is anything but what her name suggests. The black-and-white Great Dane named after a Disney character recently earned the title of world’s tallest living female dog by Guinness World Records. Having just turned 4, Minnie — standing at 3 feet, 2.25 inches on all four paws — is about...
Oakmont ICE arrest spurs new policy on cooperation with law enforcement at Riverview School District
The Riverview School Board has found itself front and center in the nation’s debate over immigrant deportations. The board’s agenda meeting Monday served in part as a place for residents to express frustration following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest in Oakmont on Thursday. Jose Flores, 47, was detained by...
1 person in hospital after Washington Township crash
One person was transported to the hospital after a vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in Washington Township. Westmoreland 911 said there was a two-vehicle wreck reported at the 1400 block of Route 286 just before 2 p.m. A person was taken to the hospital by helicoptor as a precaution, dispatchers said....
Bocce builds bridges for people of all ages and abilities
Abigail Gerthoffer wasn’t sure what she was getting into when she joined Burrell High School’s unified bocce team during her sophomore year. She just knew the team aligned with her values and personal mission to have a positive effect in the world. With no prior experience playing bocce, Gerthoffer jumped...
ICE operation in Oakmont leads to local father’s arrestVideo
Hariett Flores thought Thursday was going to be like any other day. She and her husband, Jose, were getting ready for work as their 8-year-old daughter, Lily, prepared for school in their Oakmont home. Then, when Jose and Lily left the house on their way to Lily’s school, everything changed....
4 people injured in explosion at metal fabricating plant
Four people were taken to the hospital in Washington County following a reported explosion Thursday afternoon at a metal fabricating plant. A hazardous materials team was called to the Langeloth Metallurgical Co. facility in Smith Township, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The incident was reported at about 6:15 p.m....
Pittsburgh woman dies after car careens off Parkway East into Monongahela River
A Pittsburgh woman is dead after her vehicle went off the Parkway East and into the Monongahela River on Thursday afternoon. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified her as Jacinta Stevens, 31, of Pittsburgh’s West End. Stevens’ car landed in the river in the 900 block of Second Avenue, between...
Communities call in the heavy machinery for snow removalVideo
Some towns are trading in their snowplows for front loaders and dump trucks to deal with the remnants of Sunday’s snowstorm. With bitter cold expected to keep the snow piles around for at least a week, communities have nowhere to push the snow, so they plan to pick it up...
Volunteers face cold, snow to help local food banks
Cory Nulph and Jacob Ritchie didn’t hesitate when they were asked to clear snow from Leechburg’s First Methodist Church parking lot Monday evening. The men had spent most of the day plowing and shoveling their own driveways in Gilpin and those of their neighbors. Monday evening, when borough Mayor Doreen...
Iron City Distilling to host whiskey encore with online release
Whiskey lovers who missed the first release of Iron City Distilling’s Bessemer Rye Whiskey are getting a second chance at the limited spirit sooner than expected. Following what the East Deer distiller is calling a “rapid sellout” of the first round, a second sale of the single-barrel rye will be...
West Deer Cub Scouts use snowfall to raise money for church roof
While many people stayed inside snuggled up and warm during the snow Sunday and Monday, Scouts from Cub Scouts Pack 965 got to work. The Scouts worked for most of the day Sunday shoveling driveways throughout the West Deer area in exchange for donations to help East Union Community Center...
Oakmont Council welcomes 2 student representatives
Oakmont Council members have a couple of fresh faces in their ranks. During the borough’s Jan. 20 meeting, Dimitri Hong, 17, and Sophie Yahnke, 16, were sworn-in as the borough’s two new youth representatives. Council began the student representative program last year when they welcomed Riverview High School senior Rocco...
Bonfire Restaurant owners pass torch to new family in Allegheny Township
Jay Snyder has worked at the Bonfire restaurant for most of his life. Born and raised in Allegheny Township, Snyder, 59, began working at the restaurant when he was 14 after his parents, Patty and Jerry, bought it in 1981 from the Mannarino family. Snyder can’t help but reminisce about...
Faces of the Valley: North Apollo man celebrated for 50-year career journey
Gene Burns has guts. At least that’s what his first manager, Don Brewer, at Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority, said when Burns showed up on his doorstep on New Year’s Eve in 1975 asking for an interview. Less than a month later, Burns began what would become a 50-year...
Oakmont releases road treatment plan, parking restrictions for winter storm
The Oakmont Street Department has released a tentative plan of attack in advance of the winter snowstorm expected to hit the region Saturday night. The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings, and meteorologists are predicting 10 to 14 inches of snow will blanket the region. Forecasters tell TribLive...
Penn Hills residents asked not to travel during incoming winter storm
As the weekend fast approaches, so does a prolonged winter storm that has area communities, including Penn Hills, bracing for up to a foot of snow. According to the Penn Hills Public Works Department, snowfall is expected to occur over an estimated 24- to 36-hour period. Penn Hills residents are...
Leechburg to commence pollution reduction plan in summer
Leechburg is taking a step toward improving pollution mitigation in the borough. According to council Vice President Chuck Pascal, the borough will be installing two new stormceptors in the borough, which help separate and remove pollutants in stormwater. “This was identified as a weakness in our system, so we have...
Oakmont Council looks to improve, prioritize efficiency
An internal restructuring of Oakmont Council is being discussed among its members to find a way to keep up to date with borough boards, the school district, committees, projects and other happenings. Council President Nancy Ride credited the idea to fellow members Amanda Pagnotta and Jennifer Paris. Pagnotta took the...
1st phase of Riverview football, baseball field lights project approved
The first phase of the Riverview Raiders field lights project is a “go” after a unanimous council vote Tuesday night. Oakmont Council approved the geotechnical investigation of the subsurface soil, rock and groundwater surrounding the field where the lights are proposed. It’s the first step required in the project and...
No-kill animal control making inroads with municipal contracts
After decades of being the only animal control business in much of the Alle-Kiski Valley and Westmoreland County, Hoffman Kennels is beginning to see competition from an upstart service in Indiana County. After announcing its first municipal animal control contract in December, no-kill shelter Whiskey Acres Animal Rescue and Sanctuary...
Craft distilleries make industry, community connections
Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, Western Pennsylvania was the epicenter of American whiskey production. Before the Prohibition era, Pennsylvania cornered the market in rye whiskey. It wasn’t until 2011 that a distillery returned to the state. Matt Strickland, the master distiller for Iron City Distilling, wants to honor that history....
Pennsylvania Cable Network to showcase Leechburg artist
The Leechburg Area Museum and Historical Society will be gracing the television screen once again. After previously filming for its show “It’s History!,” the Pennsylvania Cable Network is back for more. “There was just so much information,” said Larry Boehm, president of the museum board. Boehm said the museum’s first...
Riverview seeks to fill vacancy on school board
Riverview School Board is looking for a new member. Applications are being accepted to fill a board vacancy left after Roger Pogoda resigned. “This was not an easy decision,” Pogoda told the board at its meeting Monday. “I appreciate each and every one of you. … You can’t know if...
2 Deer Lakes principals receive recognition from Pittsburgh Penguins as top principals
Two Deer Lakes principals are receiving their flowers after years of hard work. Jodi Vanderschaaff, East Union Intermediate Center principal, and Samantha Abate, Deer Lakes Middle School principal, were two of 15 Allegheny County administrators awarded as Pittsburgh Penguins Most Valuable Principals. Vanderschaaff is in her seventh year as East...
