Local category, Page 1029

A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday rejected a request from defense attorneys to preside over a nonjury trial of a Unity couple originally charged eight years ago in connection with allegations brought by a teenager. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger said the cases against Bruce Palmer, 38, and his now...

McKeesport issued $3,000 bonuses to city police officers Friday, nearly three weeks after the shooting death of city Officer Sean Sluganski. McKeesport solicitor Jason Elash said Mayor Michael Cherepko authorized the payments to compensate officers for lost overtime and court pay while the department was shut down for two weeks...

A candidate for Allegheny County executive called Tuesday for officials to speed up the process of reopening the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center. At about the same, the county’s sitting executive, Rich Fitzgerald, said he was in the process of addressing the issue. The now-closed Shuman Center closed in September 2021...

February did not make Pittsburgh shiver. Generally, February is the region’s second snowiest month of the year. Not this year. Just 0.2 inches of snow accumulated over February in the Pittsburgh region. With highs reaching above 50 degrees Tuesday, the month ended as the least snowy February in Pittsburgh history,...

Pittsburgh City Councilman Anthony Coghill is launching a campaign for Allegheny County treasurer. Coghill, a Beechview Democrat in his second term on council, said his experience as a city councilman, business owner and Sports & Exhibition Authority treasurer has prepared him for the role of county treasurer. “I feel like...

The owner of an architectural and development firm has been appointed by Pittsburgh’s newly reorganized Art Commission. Gerrod Winston, an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s school of architecture and owner of Pittsburgh-based Winston Design + Development, will join the commission’s Civic Design Committee. City Council last week approved Mayor...

Traffic will be shifted on Greensburg Road near Lincoln Beach Drive in Plum for work to replace a bridge over Pucketa Creek, the Allegheny County Department of Public works announced Tuesday. The lane shifts will start at 9 a.m. March 13 and are expected to end in December, the department...

A long-debated zoning package for Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood gained final approval Tuesday. City Council postponed a vote on the zoning package in December after a lengthy public hearing where residents, developers and other Oakland stakeholders voiced an array of concerns. The zoning legislation will create three new base zoning districts...

When designer Jason Allen won a blue ribbon at the 2022 Colorado State Fair with a piece generated using an artificial intelligence (AI) engine, it sparked controversy and in some cases outrage from artists. Allen created his piece, “Theatre D’Opera Spatial,” using Midjourney, an AI program which creates images from...

District Judge Carolyn Saldari Bengel has announced her re-election bid. Bengel’s court covers Brackenridge, East Deer, Fawn, Harrison and Tarentum. A resident of Harrison, Bengel is a full-time judge who said she “has always focused on the need for a fair judicial system that truly represents the people of our...

Plans for a proposed trail in Cheswick are expected to step off by April. Friends of the Riverfront will use input from a public hearing in early February to make final revisions to the borough’s trail segment. Designs are expected to be ready for review in April. About 40 people...

Cecil-based pharmaceutical company Viatris Inc. has named a new chief executive officer. Scott A. Smith will be taking the role of chief executive officer, effective April 1. Current CEO Michael Goettler will be working closely with Smith to support a transition, the company said. Smith has been a member of...

A Ligonier Township house was destroyed by fire Monday night and the fire rekindled early Tuesday morning, according to a Westmoreland County Public Safety supervisor. The fire that destroyed the home of David J. Popola and Tamara Haitz along Feathers Lane, three miles north of Ligonier, was reported at 7:45...

Pittsburgh-based health care giant UPMC reported profits of about $238 million during 2022, a 71% drop compared to the previous year. Edward Karlovich, executive vice president and chief financial officer of UPMC, called it a “difficult year in health care,” but said UPMC made long-term investments in 2022 to improve...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023: Police report missing teen found Pittsburgh police said 16-year-old Dahlia Braver has been found. Early Tuesday, police were asking for the public’s help in finding Braver, who they said had not been home since Sunday...

For the first time in more than a decade, Westmoreland judges will have a voice on the county’s prison board. Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. attended his first meeting Monday of the now seven-member prison board as part of an effort by judges to have more influence on the...

Flights on Spirit Airlines from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity to Myrtle Beach International Airport are scheduled to resume May 5, about a month sooner than expected. “We are hoping that this flight starting back up is the beginning of something big,” said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the...

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. Scrapbook fundraiser to benefit A-K Valley museum Alle-Kiski Valley Heritage Museum...

Two tents couldn’t contain the large group of friends and supporters who gathered Monday evening outside First Presbyterian Church in Rostraver to remember a 6-year-old girl from North Belle Vernon who was struck by a car and fatally injured while heading to catch her school bus Friday morning. Amanda Woznick...

Westmoreland County’s birthday bash kicked off with a treat. More than 500 red, white and blue cupcakes were handed out to courthouse workers Monday to signify the start of the county’s 250th birthday celebration and commemorate the founding of the county in 1773. Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew led...

The man killed in a house fire Tuesday in South Park has been identified. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office said Richard Perlick, 83, was the man pronounced dead inside his home in the 5800 block of Curry Road. The fire was reported at 9:44 p.m. Tuesday in the 5800...

People who were in a vehicle being followed by an unmarked state drug task force vehicle stopped and exchanged gunfire with authorities Monday afternoon in Stowe, then fled and shot at another law enforcement vehicle, police said. Agents with the state Attorney General Narcotics Task force were following the vehicle...

A Pittsburgh man pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge stemming from a December bank robbery in Dormont. Ahmed Asiri, 26, of the city’s Brookline neighborhood, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Marilyn J. Horan. Authorities said he robbed the Dollar Bank along the 3000 block of West Liberty...

A Pittsburgh man missing since Feb. 14 has been found dead, police said. The body of Nathanael Williams, 23, was located, according to a Pittsburgh Police tweet Monday. Information such as where he was found and what may have caused his death were not released. UPDATE: Nathanael Williams has been...

For more than a century, Rotary International has carried the motto of Service Above Self. The spirit seems to be alive for the next generation in Bethel Park. “I see a lot of kids who have a drive for community service, and they’re always looking to help other people,” high...