Teghan Simonton stories, Page 25

The state Senate’s newest head of Urban Affairs and Housing Committee comes from a district that isn’t urban at all. Even state Sen. Joe Pittman, who was named the new chair of the committee last week even though he represents mostly rural parts of Westmoreland, Armstrong and Indiana counties, admitted...

Pittsburgh police say two men tried to rob a man walking his dog Thursday night in Swisshelm Park. Police were called to the attempted robbery around 11:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Windermere Drive. The suspects, dressed in dark clothing, allegedly tried to rob the man at gunpoint, but...

Neighbors of the former Vi’s Bar in Vandergrift expressed relief that the abandoned building might finally be demolished after years of deterioration. Its glowing sign hasn’t been lit in more than a decade. The building at 127 Grant Ave. is falling in on itself. Its roof is caving in, so...

A former PNC Bank employee pleaded guilty in federal court to robbing three PNC Bank locations and attempting a fourth. Disguised in a hijab and a surgical mask to cover her face, Jasmine Parrish, 30, stole nearly $100,000 from her former employer. Parrish pleaded guilty to a five-count indictment, U.S....

The Roberto Clemente Bridge will close for two hours Saturday — from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. — as part of a mile run through Pittsburgh. The Department of Public Works announced Wednesday that Cupid’s Charity was granted a permit to close the bridge for the Cupid’s Undies Run. The runners...

Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact Senior News Editor Tom Fontaine at tfontaine@tribweb.com. An award-winning author of children’s books is...

A fire that extensively damaged an Allegheny Township house last month was caused by the spontaneous combustion of some oily rags, a fire marshal said Monday. The fire at 1241 Bagdad Road was reported after 1 p.m. Jan. 26. The house was under construction and unoccupied. The homeowners declined to...

New automatic CPR machines in use for about a month on Vandergrift/Oklahoma EMS ambulances have already helped paramedics and EMTs save lives. Vandergrift/Oklahoma Emergency Medical Services recently used a state grant to buy two CPR machines for their ambulances. The device, called LUCAS, is a mechanical chest-compression system. It fits...

Crews will perform concrete repair work on the deck of I-579 Veterans Bridge next week, PennDOT announced Friday. Weather permitting, there will be single-lane restrictions Feb. 3 and 4 on the bridge. On both days, northbound restrictions will occur from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., while southbound restrictions will occur...

A former Pittsburgh resident was formally indicted on drug charges stemming from a 2018 kidnapping case, according to federal prosecutors. A federal grand jury handed down a seven-count indictment against Kevin Harris, 37, formerly of Pittsburgh, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady’s office. According to the indictment, Harris allegedly conspired...

Students at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School donated a truckload of food to the Kiski Valley Food Bank last week. The school’s student council — made up of fifth and sixth graders — has held a week-long food drive every January for seven years, said Katey Hummel, a fifth grade...

A top executive of a Pittsburgh software technology company was appointed to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation Board of Trustees, the foundation announced Wednesday. Anita Dressel is the chief financial and operating officer of TeleTracking Technologies, a software company serving the health care industry. “It means a lot to...

Swallowing tears, Joy Krumenacker faced the packed lobby of Allegheny General Hospital on Pittsburgh’s North Side. “Fifteen months ago, I entered this hospital to spend my very last weekend with my son,” she began. Allegheny General Hospital and the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) unveiled a memorial Wednesday...

Sewer maintenance will cause lane restrictions on Second Avenue in Pittsburgh until mid-February, PennDOT announced Tuesday. Single-lane restrictions will occur on Second Avenue between Tipton Street and Glen Caladh Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting Wednesday. The restrictions will continue on weekdays until some time in February, PennDOT...

Students have returned to Quaker Valley Middle School on Tuesday after an odor forced the building’s evacuation for about an hour. Quaker Valley Middle School was evacuated after staff reported an unusual odor near the nurse’s office, according to a post on the district’s Facebook page. The school reported that...

The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium has given names to its new clouded leopard cubs. Zoo officials announced Monday that the cubs were named Gale and Lynn. The names were chosen by the daughter of a longtime zoo docent, Gail Noden. “In honor of my mother, who loved the zoo...

Way Hollow Road in Edgeworth and Sewickley Heights will close indefinitely starting Tuesday, PennDOT announced. Multiple landslides in the area have made the road a public safety hazard, according to PennDOT. At this time, there is no time frame for the slides to be repaired or the roadway reopened. The...

There will be lane restrictions on the Parkway West (I-376) over the weekend, PennDOT announced. Crews from Mackin Engineering Company and the Sofis Rigging Company will conduct overhead sign inspections in various locations along the Parkway West on both Saturday and Sunday, PennDOT said. Lane restrictions will occur from 6...

In response to what the Allegheny County Health Department says is a problem rooted in institutional racism, officials will receive training to help develop and implement new policies to address birth disparities. The training and technical assistance comes from CityMatCH, a national organization of city and county health departments’ maternal...

Crews from Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority are working to repair a water main at the intersection of Bigelow Boulevard and Herron Avenue, PennDOT said Friday. Water line work on Route 400 outbound in Pittsburgh is currently underway. Lane restrictions will occur at the intersection until 3 p.m. If additional...

Three school districts in Western Pennsylvania were identified on a national report showing stark economic differences between neighboring districts. ”Fault Lines,” released Thursday by the nonprofit EdBuild, named America’s 50 “most segregating school district borders” — defined as neighboring districts with strong differences in student poverty rates and resources allocated...

For Teresa Emeroff, the “Practice What We Teach” exhibit was the chance to finish some of her own work and experience the joy of sharing it. An art teacher at Highlands High School, she said she doesn’t get to do that very often. “I start projects all the time at...