U.S. Steel fined $118K for safety lapses in Clairton Coke Works fatal explosion
U.S. Steel is facing 10 violations and $118,000 in fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration related to last year’s deadly explosion at the Clairton Coke Works. The Pittsburgh-based company was cited nine times for inadequate safety procedures, employee training and equipment to isolate machines from energy sources. The...
Man killed in fall from building in Downtown Pittsburgh
A man died after falling from a building in Downtown Pittsburgh Thursday morning, public safety officials said. The fatal fall was reported around 11 a.m. Medics pronounced the man dead at the scene. He landed on scaffolding from an unknown height, police said. Officials did not immediately identify the man....
New effort aims to clean, maintain Pittsburgh’s riverfronts
Pittsburgh’s three rivers are often the first image that comes to mind when people think of the city. They welcome visitors emerging from the Fort Pitt Tunnel and dominate the skyline shots shown on television whenever Pittsburgh is in the spotlight, Mayor Corey O’Connor said. A new partnership between the...
Pastor of Aspinwall Presbyterian Church is retiring; last service set for Feb. 15
The Rev. Scott Hill is retiring after about 36 years in ministry, including the past decade leading Aspinwall Presbyterian Church. His last service is set for 11 a.m. Feb. 15 at 299 Center Ave. Many Aspinwall-area residents know Hill for his community initiatives such as Kids Bus Stop Ministry, Blessing...
PennDOT awaiting warmer weather before lifting lane restrictions near Route 28 rock slide
A southbound lane of Route 28 in Harmar will remain closed until further notice due to the potential for rock slides, according to PennDOT. Debris tumbled from a hillside onto the highway Tuesday evening between the Hulton Bridge in Oakmont and Powers Run Road in O’Hara. No one was hurt...
Solar power project proposed for Palmer Regional, Rostraver airportsVideo
The Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity could become the first Pennsylvania airport of its size to install a solar power array and generate revenue. Solar power company representatives touted the proposal this week as a money-saver and revenue generator. Palmer Regional and Rostraver airports could be the sites of...
Nemacolin named top hotel in Pennsylvania, 28th in the U.S. in annual report
Nemacolin, the exclusive Fayette County resort known for its luxury accommodations, fine dining and expansive grounds, was named Pennsylvania’s top hotel Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report. The Laurel Highlands destination earned the No. 28 spot nationwide — one of only two businesses in Pennsylvania to crack the top...
Eminent domain may be next for flood control project in Greensburg’s Northmont neighborhood
Greensburg may use eminent domain to acquire the remaining easements needed to complete a flood control project in the Northmont neighborhood. City council Monday introduced a bill that, if approved, would give Solicitor Zachary Kansler the authorization to file a declaration of taking at the Westmoreland County Courthouse. But Kansler...
After deadly explosion, safety and environmental lapses at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works now rest with NipponVideo
For Don Furko, Aug. 11, 2025, was a normal shift. Until it became the shift he would never forget. At 10:47 a.m., U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works outside Pittsburgh — a sprawling riverside industrial facility and the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere — erupted in an ear-piercing...
Rep. Lindsay Powell hosts 2nd ‘Ought to Be a Law’ competition at Shaler Area High School
Shaler Area High School honors civics students received a visit from state Rep. Lindsay Powell, D-Lawrenceville, on Feb. 5 as part of the “Ought to Be a Law” competition. The competition aimed to encourage civic participation and critical thinking about current events by having high school students submit proposals for...
California man accused of sexually extorting Pitt student
A California man is accused of using a University of Pittsburgh student’s intimate photos as blackmail in a monthslong pattern of coercion. Michael Vaca, 19, was charged Wednesday with 55 counts of sexual extortion, terroristic threats, stalking, harassment and other crimes. Police say he obtained these images last summer while...
Overlay districts could expand possible uses of former fire stations in Hempfield
Minor renovations at a building in Hempfield that once housed fire trucks have allowed Mutual Aid EMS to turn it into a new ambulance base. Ambulances have been responding since November from the former High Park fire station on Baughman Avenue, close to Route 30 in the western part of...
Greensburg native excited to be back in Pa. as principal of Quaker Valley’s Osborne Elementary School
Joshua Ringling said his first order of business as the new principal of Osborne Elementary School is building relationships with students, staff, administrators and Quaker Valley-area families. Welcomed with cards, posters, a paper hat and other odds and ends, the Greensburg native recently moved back to the area to start...
Scott Blasey concert, organized by Highlands student, raises $4,000 for Highland HoseVideo
A fundraiser Saturday that featured The Clarks lead singer Scott Blasey brought in more than $4,000 for Highland Hose in Tarentum. Organized by Highlands Middle School eighth grader Kaley Bastine, the fundraiser was the most recent in a long line of events coordinated by the teen to help police and...
The Stroller, Feb. 12, 2026: 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. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Bingo to raise funds...
Officials quiet after Springdale man detained by ICE
Springdale and federal officials remained mostly mum Wednesday after the arrest of a borough resident by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Tuesday. Randy Cordova-Flores, 36, remains in custody at Northern Regional Correctional Facility and Jail near Moundsville, W.Va., according to ICE records. Originally from Peru, Cordova-
Flores was detained after Springdale...
Here are the numbers behind the Stewart School sales agreement
Burrell School District officials believe the $1 redevelopment sales agreement of the former Stewart Elementary School property is the most fair and reasonable price for the property, and it will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue for the district moving forward. The school board Tuesday approved a...
Amid financial challenges, Millvale hires consultant to find new borough manager
Millvale hopes to have a new borough manager hired by summer, council President James Machajewski said. At its Feb. 10 meeting, council voted 6-0 to engage Public Partners, a program of the Allegheny League of Municipalities, to conduct a search for a manager. Councilman Al Atkinson was absent. The borough...
Westmoreland happenings: Pancake and sausage dinner, art reception, bingo night, more
Art A closing reception in memory of artist Tony Naponic and a display of some of his paintings will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at You Are Here Gallery, 406 Clay Ave., Jeannette. A native of Adamsburg, Naponic died in 2003. Details: yah406clay@gmail.com. Fundraisers • A bingo...
From Sewickley to Slovakia: Esmark sponsors new international ice hockey team
All eyes may be on Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics, but an interesting ice hockey alliance has formed in recent weeks between Sewickley and Slovakia. These worlds collided when Jim Bouchard, founder and chairman of Esmark Inc., took a call last year from his family’s former nanny, Miriam Marhevska....
Norwin area: Movie night at Sage’s Army, church fish fry, more
Sage’s Army to hold movie night Sage’s Army, a nonprofit drug prevention and recovery organization, will show the movie, “The Fantastic 4: First Steps,” at 6 p.m. Feb. 18 at the organization’s headquarters at 6044 Lincoln Highway, Hempfield. The doors will open at 5.30 p.m. The free movie night will...
Delmont police chief will retire in April
Longtime Delmont Police Chief T.J. Klobucar said the day he worked his first Apple’n Arts Festival, he could tell that Delmont was the right place. “I knew this community was for me,” said Klobucar, 50, who announced his pending retirement from the police department at Tuesday’s borough council meeting. “It’s...
Ex-boyfriend testifies New Florence woman ‘despised’ her mother, discussed wanting to kill her
Melissa Fox-Beacom regularly brought up her hatred for her mother in conversations with her daughter’s ex-boyfriend, he testified Wednesday. She never referred to Alice Robson as mom. “ ‘My mother’ — she’d say it with an attitude,” Ace Vavrek remembered. “ ‘My mother.’ It’s like she despised her.” Even so,...
Imperial man pleads guilty to federal weapons charges
An Imperial man pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to weapons charges related to a pistol that was converted into a fully automatic handgun. Prosecutors said Ja’Shon Spencer, 22, was in possession of a machine-gun conversion device attached to a Glock semi-automatic pistol on June 16, 2025, otherwise known...
Compromise sought to salvage controversial $6M Pittsburgh master plan
A Pittsburgh councilman has offered a compromise that could pave the way for consultants to finish a costly, controversial master plan for the city. Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, previously pushed for clawing back about $2 million that had not yet been spent on the $6 million effort. On Wednesday, he...
