Western PA Local News category, Page 1013
Soaring Lottery jackpots fuel big dreams, big ticket sales
Massive lottery prizes are leading local retailers to see an uptick in lottery sales. On Monday, the Powerball jackpot was $900 million — the third-largest in its history and the seventh largest U.S. lottery jackpot — and worth an estimated cash value of $465.1 million. There have been 37 consecutive...
Chinese national pledges to continue appeal of human trafficking conviction and deportation order
A former Mt. Pleasant woman awaiting deportation to China told a Westmoreland County judge she will continue to appeal her conviction for human trafficking without the help of a lawyer. Hui Xu, 48, appeared for court Monday and, with the help of a Mandarin translator, asked to fire the Philadelphia-based...
Bethel Park hires municipal manager
At the July 10 Bethel Park Council meeting, Kristen Denne was approved as the new municipal manager. Her start date is Aug. 28. “Kristen is very well qualified, with substantial local government managerial experience,” Tim Moury, council president, said. “We’re excited to have her on board and look forward to...
New start-ups to join Lawrenceville’s ‘Robotics Row’
Several more companies are joining the ranks of Pittsburgh’s growing robotics industry. The Robotics Factory, a consortium of start-ups, announced Monday that it will move into the Tech Forge building in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. Six start-up companies will be joining the Robotics Factory’s “Accelerate” program, which provides them with funding...
Everyone learns at Bethel Park’s Camp Invention
Teachers still are learners. “I never knew who invented the Bose speaker,” Melinda Romito said. “I never thought about it.” She discovered the answer while serving as an instructor for, appropriately enough, Camp Invention. An educational program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the camp took place in Bethel...
Trooper says man stopped for speeding in North Buffalo had 4 ounces of crack, nearly $5K cash
State police said a man pulled over in North Buffalo Township for speeding had more than 4 ounces of crack cocaine in the glove box and nearly $5,000 under the seat. Kahn Mykle Holliday, 30, of the 1100 block of Leishman Avenue in Arnold was charged July 12 with a...
Former Westmoreland Commissioner Kopas tapped to fill Cerilli Thrasher’s seat
Former Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas will return to the job he held for more than a decade. The county’s 11 Common Pleas Court judges on Monday appointed Kopas to complete the remaining five months of the unexpired term of Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher, who will resign July 31 to...
‘Such a huge void’: Survivors of synagogue shooting victims testify in trial’s final phaseVideo
For weeks, everyone in the courtroom had become accustomed to the pictures of the victims. They were displayed frequently. State-issued ID photos, sometimes smiling, but often stoic, on a blue background. On Monday, the pictures changed. As the government told the jurors about each of the lives lost Oct. 27,...
Police issue dozens of citations in South Side crime crackdown
Pittsburgh police say they issued dozens of citations over the weekend in the city’s South Side neighborhood amid efforts to curb violence and crime in the area. Police on Monday said they had “conducted focused enforcement to ensure public safety” along the East Carson Street entertainment district. With assistance from...
Police say 3 guns stolen from unlocked vehicles in Leechburg past week
Leechburg police are asking residents to be vigilant about locking their vehicle doors after three guns were stolen in less than a week. Police Chief Jason Schaeffer said all three handguns were stolen overnight from unlocked vehicles. The first one was taken from a vehicle parked along Logan Street early...
All-Chevy Show scheduled for Bridgeville
The Batmobile of 1960s TV fame may have been a Ford product, but Scott resident Perry Minnis does a good job of evoking its appearance with a Chevrolet. Given his family history, that’s appropriate. “My dad was a general manager for Ford, and I always wanted a Corvette,” he said...
Salem’s Market & Grill hopes to add grocery store to Hill District plaza
Pittsburgh-based Salem’s Market and Grill will purchase a shopping plaza in Pittsburgh’s Hill District where its ownership hopes to open a grocery store by the end of the year. The city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority last week unanimously voted in favor of selling the Centre Avenue property that formerly housed a...
Officer Brian Shaw concert series to rock Lower Burrell for 5th year
Nine live bands and more than 130 auction items are in store when the Officer Brian Shaw Foundation Concert Series returns to Lower Burrell on Saturday. The event runs from 2 p.m until midnight at Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell. Admission is $10. “The community just really likes to...
Parks Township police chief exits for new post as lieutenant with regional department
A familiar face in law enforcement has returned to his roots in Gilpin. After 28 years in uniform, former Parks Township Chief John Arce reported for his first shift with the Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department on July 3. Arce resigned in June, after 17 years as a full-time officer...
New Kensington-Arnold plans outdoor lounge, ‘Think Tank/Brain Space’ room at high school
New Kensington-Arnold School District is preparing an outdoor lounge area and an interactive classroom space in the high school’s planetarium for the upcoming school year. Valley Junior-Senior High School is transforming its planetarium into a “Think Tank/Brain Space” room. Funding for the new room, amounting to $30,000, was granted to...
Wildfire smoke again returns to Western Pa.
The Pittsburgh region is again suffering from poor air quality as smoke from Canadian wildfires has returned. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on Monday declared a statewide code orange air quality action day. Pennsylvania officials warned that a number of locations could see a rise in particulate matter that...
‘It all happened so fast’: Tiki boat captain saves boy in Allegheny River
All it took was a second. On a sunny summer afternoon, Shaler native Jason Ruhle was halfway through a two-hour cruise around the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three rivers, captaining 12 passengers on two tiki boats down the Allegheny River. He docked about 4:30 p.m. July 8 at Point State Park....
Westmoreland awards $3M in covid funds to social service programs
Westmoreland commissioners last week gave $3 million to eight social service agencies as part of its continuing allocation of federal covid relief funds. “We’re confident that the grants awarded in the fields of workforce development, mental health, housing and children and youth services are going to have a significant impact...
Woman fatally shot in Braddock during neighborhood dispute
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating after a woman was fatally shot Sunday evening in Braddock during a neighborhood dispute. Troopers said Erica Vail, 43, was shot in the abdomen around 7:30 p.m. on Corey Avenue during the dispute among residents that turned into an altercation. She was taken by ambulance...
Man shot multiple times in Wilmerding
A man was shot several times early Monday morning in Wilmerding, according to Allegheny County Police. At about 5:16 a.m., Allegheny County 911 was notified of a shooting in the 600 block of Airbrake Avenue. At the scene, first responders found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported...
In brief: musical comedy, concert, other Monroeville happenings, week of July 17, 2023
Musical comedy performance Alabaster Performing Arts will perform “Family Reunion,” a musical comedy, at 7 p.m. July 26 at New Covenant Church, 2225 Grandview Ave., Monroeville. The show tells the tale of love, laughter and coming home for a colorful family of feuding cousins, picnic baskets, relay races and returning...
In brief: Free Dentistry Day, class reunions, other happenings, week of July 17, 2023
Free Dentistry Day in Verona Free dental services will be available on July 28 at Verona Dental Care. Dr. Sumit Gupta, the team at Verona Dental Care and volunteer doctors are participating in Free Dentistry Day, dedicated to providing for the growing number of Americans without dental insurance. Cleanings, fillings...
The Stroller, July 17, 2023: 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. HOPE Center shares summer wish list The Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center,...
Concrete floor crumbling under weight of newest engine at Harrison Hills VFC
The Harrison Hills Volunteer Fire Company should see improved response times, if only slightly, thanks to a new floor at its garage on Freeport Road. Installation of a concrete floor began last week because the old one was crumbling under the weight of the engines, Chief Jim Bartolovich said. “Our...
Washington Township’s top cop to retire; new chief named
The Washington Township supervisors have set the structure for a change in the police department’s leadership. Chief Scott Slagle is retiring after serving as chief for 27 years and working in the department for 33. His departure is not a surprise, though. He filed for the Deferred Retirement Option Program,...
