Local category, Page 1017
Trio of Murrysville musicians headed to Portugal with Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra
A.J. Schmidt doesn’t remember why he first chose to take up flute at the end of his third-grade year. But his father does. “He came home at nine years old and said, ‘I can make a sound on it, and it’s pretty,’” said Schmidt’s father Judd, who is getting ready...
Judge rejects New Kensington man’s appeal of murder conviction
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday rejected the appeal filed by a New Kensington man, who said his claims of self-defense were not properly considered by jurors, and found him guilty of first-degree murder of an unarmed man in an Arnold home in 2020. Mario Gatti, 33, of New Kensington...
Pittsburgh to offer breakfast, lunch, snacks to city youth during summer
Pittsburgh’s Department of Parks and Recreation will launch its summer food service program next week. The CitiParks program offers free breakfast, lunch and snacks to anyone under 18 and residents with intellectual disabilities up to 21 over the summer months. This year, it will get underway Wednesday and continue through...
Mixed bag of weather for Taylor Swift concertgoers in Pittsburgh
There’s a good chance of rain throughout the day in Pittsburgh, but the tens of thousands of Swifties in town for the first of two weekend concerts will likely shake it off. The National Weather Service called for quick bursts of rain Friday evening, with cooler than usual temperatures. “We...
Groups oppose housing proposal at former Irish Centre site in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill
A proposed apartment development at the former Irish Centre site in Pittsburgh has drawn the ire of two community groups. The Squirrel Hill complex, a former community center near Frick Park’s Nine Mile Run trail, was put on the market a few years ago. A recent proposal calls for constructing...
Chartiers Valley Class of ’23 graduates with sense of optimism
Optimism abounds at high school graduations, as each year’s seniors look forward to receiving their diplomas while well-wishing family members and friends prepare to applaud. For those attending Chartiers Valley High School’s May 31 commencement, speeches by three particularly eloquent members of the Class of 2023 buoyed the overall sense...
Myasthenia Gravis Association plans benefit golf outing on Sept. 24
Golfers can enjoy their sport and play for a good cause at the Myasthenia Gravis Association of Western PA’s annual MGA Golf Outing on Sept. 24 at the Pheasant Ridge Golf Club in Richland. Proceeds from the golf outing will benefit the organization’s free patient support services to people affected...
Jury finds gunman guilty on all counts in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
It was almost a foregone conclusion. Even defense attorneys for Robert Bowers told the jury that their client did it. He’s the one who entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill on the morning of Oct. 27, 2018, carrying an AR-15 and three handguns. He’s the one...
TGIS summer concert series returns to Palace Theatre courtyard
Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s TGIS concerts are returning to the courtyard of The Palace Theatre in downtown Greensburg, after three years of socially distanced events at the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center. Now in its 18th year, the free weekly summer music series kicks off at 6 p.m. Thursday with Shiva...
Greensburg Garden Center tour features 7 special outdoor spaces
The seven locations on Greensburg Garden Center’s upcoming garden tour feature themes spanning the globe from Hawaii to the British Isles. The self-guided driving tour is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 24. Five of the featured gardens are in the Greensburg area, the other two are in...
Summer: a time to explore history at Capt. Thomas Espy Post in Carnegie
History enthusiasts are a different bunch. Rain, wind and snow don’t typically deter us from exploring battlefields and historic sites, while here in Western Pennsylvania, summertime humidity can feel almost tropical. Sunburns, insects, dehydration, or a twisted ankle, can just as easily put us right back onto the couch. If...
Man accused of slapping Tarentum police officer he thought called CYS on kids faces assault trial
A man accused of stalking a Tarentum police officer and then slapping him across the face has been ordered to stand trial. Bryaunt C. Williams, 38, of the 200 block of West Eighth Avenue in Tarentum was arrested May 19 and charged with a felony count of aggravated assault, along...
Swifties gather on Pittsburgh’s North Shore for pre-concert ‘Tay-gating’ parties
The day has finally arrived. The day that Swifties have been waiting months for — Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” comes to Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Fans began arriving early, even thought the parking lots weren’t scheduled to open until 1:30 p.m. And most gates opened at 4:30...
Graffiti cleanup set at popular Beam Rocks in Forbes State Forest
Obscenities and other graffiti were spray painted on popular natural overlook Beam Rocks in the last couple weeks. Volunteers are being sought to help clean up the vandalism June 24, about three years after a similar undertaking at the sandstone outcroppings along the border of Westmoreland and Somerset counties in...
Ticket prices to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour drop — slightly
Swifties take note: If you are still in need of seats for Saturday’s Acrisure Stadium concert, you might not have to fork over an arm and a leg for tickets. Just an arm seems like it will suffice. Swift’s “Eras Tour” shows have been setting records across the country —...
Morning Roundup: Recently retired Pittsburgh police K9 dies
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, June 16: Pittsburgh police K9 Fredy dies A retired Pittsburgh police K9 has died. Fredy, 10, was a patrol/explosive detection K9 who began his service in June 2014. Police announced the news on social media and said K9...
Air Force captain with local ties among pilots set to take flight in Westmoreland airshow
Plenty of people will be on hand Saturday and Sunday to see Capt. Lindsay Johnson pilot an A-10C Thunderbolt II Air Force jet in the Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow. Among those heading to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity for the aerial attraction will be many area relatives and...
Alle-Kiski Valley Class Reunions
• The sixth annual Springdale High School All-Class reunion will be from 2 to 7 p.m. July 1 at the Syria Shrine Center pavilion, 1877 Shriners Way, Harmar. Free admission. There will be food trucks and a cash bar. Alumni and their families are welcome. • Ken Hi Class of...
Some North Allegheny school board members express concerns over hiring of new Superintendent Brendan Hyland
The more that North Allegheny residents get to know Dr. Brendan Hyland, NA’s new school superintendent, “the more they will like him,” said school board Vice President Marcie Crow. The NA school board, voting 6-3 on June 12, selected Hyland, the superintendent of the Plum School District and a former...
The Stroller, June 16, 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. Car cruise and concert planned Sunday The Allegheny County Summer Concert...
Taylor Swift Eras Tour outfits: Fans dress to the nines in styles with meaning behind the music
There are four major eras in the development of the world. But in the world of Taylor Swift, there are 10. In tribute to Swift’s discography, the singer launched an eight-month Eras Tour, a global series of shows that cover all styles of music from her 10 studio albums, ranging...
Tarentum officials reassure residents in wake of violent crimes
Meridith Ross was inside her Corbet Street antique shop in Tarentum when she heard gunshots ring out just before 3 a.m. Monday. “I heard people screaming, then pow, pow, pow,” said Ross, who owns Redefined vintage store inside the former Harrison’s men’s shop near the corner of Fifth Avenue. “I...
Westmoreland County leaders seek input on reviving abandoned properties
It will be up to residents and leaders in Westmoreland County communities where large-scale blight removal is underway to bring a vision of improvement to life. County redevelopment authority executive director Brian Lawrence said he hopes meetings planned with community members over the next week will inspire them to take...
Monroeville native to open restaurant, catering business at William Penn Place
When Debbie Hoffner was 16 years old, she started a job in the dietary department at Forbes Regional Hospital. She’s worked in the food-service industry on and off for four decades, and has been told often that she should start her own food business. Next month, with the help of...
OSHA probes fatal workplace fall in Blairsville
Workplace inspectors launched an investigation Thursday into the accident that killed a man who fell through three stories of a dilapidated former Blairsville school on Wednesday, a federal official said. John W. Plunkett, 63, of Colfax, N.C., who died in the fall, was working with Ryan Nupp, 27, of Latrobe...
