Penn-Trafford area: Election Day food drive, Safety Town, chicken barbecue, more
Election Day food drive The Lions Club will host a food drive to benefit the Manor Food Pantry on Election Day, May 19. The event will be held at the local polling place, located in the Borough Building Community Room, 44 Main St. Donations will be accepted from 7 a.m....
North Huntingdon therapy collective aims to improve mental health counselors’ working conditions amid rising demands
Jeannette therapist Sarah Ludwig is on a mission to improve mental health counselors’ working environment. Ludwig, 36, has worked for various private therapy practices in her 12 years as a mental health counselor specializing in sexual violence cases. Though she finds the field rewarding, counselors often are burdened with high...
Theatre Factory to move to New Kensington arts hub; volunteers aim to fill gap in TraffordVideo
After 30 years providing theater opportunities to local actors, the Theatre Factory in Trafford will move into a New Kensington-based arts hub at the end of the summer. Theatre Factory leadership decided last fall it would accept an offer to become the resident theater company for Aluminum City Arts —...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust to recognize 64 high school seniors at ‘Achievement in the Arts’ ceremony
Sixty-four seniors from 16 Westmoreland County high schools will be recognized by the Westmoreland Cultural Trust for their exceptional artistic abilities. The Cultural Trust will host its 28th annual Achievement in the Arts award ceremony on May 13. It recognizes graduating seniors who have excelled in vocal or instrumental music,...
Greensburg Salem approves comprehensive plan
Greensburg Salem School Board has approved the district’s latest comprehensive plan — focusing on literacy, engagement, work-based learning and mental health. The state Department of Education requires all 500 of the state’s public school districts to submit a comprehensive plan every three years. Improving early-level literacy rates, boosting engagement among...
Yough School Board fills vacancy left by former member’s resignation
A Sewickley Township father of five has been appointed to the Yough School Board, filling a vacancy and bringing a focus on diverse learning paths for district students. Gary Wetzler, 43, was selected Tuesday during a public special meeting to replace Gregg Nogy, who resigned April 1 after serving multiple...
Late TribLive reporter remembered by colleagues
Former TribLive reporter William P. Modoono, known by colleagues for his exceptional writing and lighthearted nature, died in his home April 12 at age 77. Modoono, born in June 1948 in Malden, Mass., covered sports for The Pittsburgh Press and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review before becoming a senior writer for UPMC...
Seton Hill launches $110 million fundraising campaign
Seton Hill University announced a multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign Wednesday night benefiting student scholarships, student support services, academic program development and updated facilities at the university. But it has already raised the majority — $96.3 million — of its goal funding. The campaign, “Framing the Future: The Campaign for Seton Hill...
Greensburg Salem to vote on comprehensive plan
Greensburg Salem School Board will vote Wednesday on its next three-year comprehensive plan, which would guide district operations. The state Department of Education requires all 500 of the state’s public school districts to submit a comprehensive plan every three years. Greensburg Salem’s plan focuses on literacy, engagement, work-based learning and...
Former Steelers stars to headline NFL draft festivities at Live Casino Pittsburgh
Former Steelers stars Santonio Holmes, Ryan Shazier, Louis Lipps, Mike Merriweather and Robin Cole will headline a series of draft festivities at Live Casino Pittsburgh this week, offering fans a way to celebrate the NFL Draft away from the congestion of Downtown Pittsburgh. While the city prepares for an influx...
Westmoreland Garden Council prepares for annual May Mart plant sale
Every year, Bullskin resident Glenda Gebert looks forward to the conversations she will have with fellow gardeners at the Westmoreland Garden Council’s annual May Mart plant sale. “I like talking to people and telling them how you do this, how you do that and what works for me and what...
Moss & Rain Boutique to open in downtown Greensburg
Greensburg resident Amy Fiaschetti is living out her dream of owning a boutique. Fiaschetti and her two daughters, Rachel Mormack and Madison Swan, will open Moss & Rain Boutique on Saturday in downtown Greensburg. “I love clothes, and then having two girls, I passed that on (to them),” said Fiaschetti,...
Diocese of Greensburg bishop joins clergy nationwide weighing in on Trump, Pope Leo XIV discourseVideo
Diocese of Greensburg Bishop Larry Kulick said Thursday that Pope Leo XIV is “speaking from his rightful position” in criticism of President Donald Trump and the Iran war. The polarizing debate between the president and the pope has pushed onlookers to opposing sides. But Kulick views Leo’s continued calls for...
Student art, America’s 250th anniversary to be highlighted during Greensburg ArtsWalk
Work by local students will be a focal point of this year’s Greensburg ArtsWalk — including vinyl records on display in businesses and an exhibit celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday. This is the seventh year for ArtsWalk, a day highlighting local artists and musicians throughout downtown Greensburg. It is a...
Glassport sandwich shop opens location in Penn Township
A Glassport sandwich shop has expanded to a second location in Penn Township. Glads Deli opened in March along Route 130 at Crossroads Plaza. The building formerly housed a Subway. Owner Jason Billingsley ran Affordable Bathrooms and Kitchens by JB from 2000 to 2023 before getting into the restaurant industry....
Liberty Borough man arrested after allegedly fighting with police, trying to grab officer’s gun
A Liberty Borough man was arrested this week after fighting with a police officer and attempting to steal the officer’s weapon, according to Allegheny County Police. Matthew Bertges, 28, is facing numerous charges, including aggravated assault, strangulation, robbery, disarming a law enforcement officer, possession of criminal instruments and evading arrest...
What is the ‘just war theory’ that U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson invoked to defend Trump from Pope Leo?
Following recent social media disagreements between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV surrounding the Iran war, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday used the “just war theory” to defend the president’s criticism of the pontiff. But what exactly is the “just war theory”? Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, insisted...
Glassport sandwich shop opens location in Penn Township
A Glassport sandwich shop has expanded to a second location in Penn Township. Glads Deli opened in March along Route 130 at Crossroads Plaza. The building formerly housed a Subway. Owner Jason Billingsley ran Affordable Bathrooms and Kitchens by JB from 2000 to 2023 before getting into the restaurant industry....
Club at Blackthorne no longer facing legal challenges
The Club at Blackthorne, a private event and wedding center in a Penn Township housing community, is no longer facing legal challenges. Blackthorne Investors has dropped an appeal of the venue’s occupancy permit. The 36,000-square-foot site, accompanied by a golf course, is located off Harrison City-Export Road in the Blackthorne...
‘We’re all Penn-Trafford’: Penn Township and Penn Borough residents consider potential mergerVideo
Emergency services and finances were among the key talking points presented by the dozens of residents, volunteer firefighters and local government officials who gathered Monday night to discuss a potential merger of Penn Township and Penn Borough. Officials from the borough, a 0.2-square-mile community containing about 435 residents, approached the...
Pa. Game Commission to vote on increasing number of Sundays in deer rifle season
The Pennsylvania Game Commission will vote Saturday on potential adjustments to the deer rifle season, which officials believe could bolster interest in hunting among youth and young adults. The game commission’s nine-member board met Friday in Dauphin County to discuss opening deer rifle season on Nov. 28, a Saturday, and...
Public meeting set for potential merger of Penn Township, Penn Borough
Penn Township and Penn Borough officials will answer residents’ questions Monday on a potential merger of the two communities first pitched about three years ago. Officials from the borough, a 0.2-square-mile community containing about 435 residents, approached the neighboring township in March 2023 about merging the municipalities. This would mean...
Legislators, behavioral health professionals discuss Westmoreland County mental health goals, challenges
Legislators and behavioral health professionals will discuss the mental health challenges and priorities among Westmoreland County residents Friday. The fourth annual mental health legislative breakfast, held at the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit, is a partnership between Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew, Mental Health America of Southwestern Pennsylvania and Adelphoi. This year’s...
Penn Township withdraws zoning violation notice from Club at Blackthorne, but other legal disputes continue
Penn Township is no longer accusing the Club at Blackthorne, a private event and wedding venue located in a housing community, of violating the municipality’s zoning ordinance. However, several other legal disputes surrounding the clubhouse continue. The Blackthorne Investors appeal and clubhouse zoning variance request will continue to be discussed...
Western Pa. educators rope historic Artemis II mission into classrooms
Penn-Trafford High School science teacher Ryan Tucek has spent years studying the lunar exploration of the 1970s. But, just like his students, NASA’s Artemis II is the first space mission Tucek has witnessed himself. Artemis II launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., last week, beginning a...
