Local category, Page 1085
‘Changed all of our lives’: Foundation provides $465K for Western Pa. students
As a single mother, Johnetta Higgins said she couldn’t afford to send her three kids to private school without help. She had started her children — James Cross, 13, Janiyah Cross, 10, and Jamel Cross, 7 — in public schools, but said they were “having a hard time” and weren’t...
Blawnox Cleanup Day rescheduled
Best of Blawnox officials have postponed their Earth Day cleanup event due to inclement weather. It has been moved from April 22 to May 13. Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to noon to beautify the borough. Registration and supply pickup begins at Blawnox Fire Station at 376 Freeport Road....
Everyday Hero program at Highlands renamed to honor late Brackenridge chief
District Judge Carolyn Bengel imparted a wise bit of advice to Highlands fifth graders during a school assembly Friday afternoon. “Dance like no one’s watching,” she told the group of preteens at the Harrison middle school. What that means, she said, is don’t seek recognition for being their best selves....
Fire official: Murrysville volunteer suffers heat exhaustion while battling house fire
A Murrysville firefighter was taken by ambulance for treatment of heat exhaustion Friday while battling a blaze that caused minor damage to a home along Cole Road in Murrysville. That’s according to Cody Paiano, deputy chief with the neighboring Sardis Volunteer Fire Department. The Murrysville volunteer’s condition wasn’t immediately available....
Friday night work on outbound Fort Pitt Tunnel postponed
Motorists who regularly use the outbound Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel have been given somewhat of a reprieve. Work scheduled for tonight has been canceled and the bridge will remain open. Instead work will take place on Saturday and Sunday. PennDOT says road crews will be working to remove pavement...
Sen. Bob Casey lobbies for CHIPS funds at semiconductor manufacturer in Youngwood
A $280 billion pot of federal funding was made available last year when the federal CHIPS and Science Act was signed into law, and at least one Westmoreland County manufacturer is ready to expand rapidly if it can gain access to some of those funds. Powerex Inc. said it could...
Audits find issues with 5 Westmoreland fire department relief associations
Five Westmoreland County fire department relief associations were found to be out of compliance during audits by the state Auditor General, according to reports released Friday. The reports were among 42 examinations of fire department relief associations statewide in 25 counties. Relief associations provide support to the departments and receive...
New Kensington’s Fridays on Fifth returns for 3rd season with 6 dates
Fridays on Fifth, the food truck event that has lured throngs of people to downtown New Kensington, will launch its third season this month. Returning favorites including Del Vecchio’s Sausage will be among a dozen food trucks expected for the opener April 28. Among the newcomers is Cilantro & Ajo,...
Work on bridges will restrict traffic in Jeannette, North Huntingdon, Hempfield
Staggered daytime single-lane traffic restrictions will be in place beginning Monday on roads in Jeannette, North Huntingdon and Hempfield as PennDOT continues ongoing preservation of nearly two dozen bridges throughout Westmoreland County. Traffic will be affected between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. Restrictions are scheduled Monday on three...
U.S. marshals arrest New Kensington bank robbery suspect in Central Pa.
A Tarentum man accused of robbing a New Kensington bank in December has been arrested, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday. The U.S. Marshals Task Force arrested Anthony Burda, 37. He was taken into custody in the Central Pennsylvania region of Cambria and Blair counties, said Melanie Jones,...
Murrysville mayor sues Westmoreland elections bureau after being left off 2023 primary ballot
Murrysville Mayor Regis Synan was looking forward to another election season in which he was the sole candidate running for the office. He was surprised to find out that, according to the Westmoreland County Bureau of Elections — but contrary to Murrysville’s Home-Rule municipal charter — he still is mayor...
2 candidates running to replace outgoing Ricky Burgess on Pittsburgh City Council
Two Democrats are vying for a seat on Pittsburgh City Council in District 9, where Councilman Ricky Burgess will not be seeking another term. Burgess was first elected to council in 2007, but is not seeking reelection. Looking to fill his seat are Khari Mosley, political director of the advocacy...
Traffic calming project in Glen Hazel aims for safety after 6-year-old fatally struck
A traffic calming project in Pittsburgh’s Glen Hazel neighborhood is designed to make the streets safer after a 6-year-old boy was fatally struck by a vehicle while riding his bike there last summer. Mayor Ed Gainey on Friday visited the site on Johnston Avenue to watch as crews constructed speed...
Gainey awaits background checks before announcing police chief nominee
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Friday said he is waiting on candidates’ background checks before announcing his nominee for the city’s new police chief. Those background checks, he said, should be in next week. The mayor said he has not offered anyone the job yet, and won’t move ahead till...
Police shoot suspect in Pittsburgh neighborhood, charges filed
The Allegheny County Police have charged a Pittsburgh man who was shot by city police with kidnapping and other crimes for allegedly holding his ex-girlfriend and their baby hostage Friday morning in Pittsburgh’s Arlington neighborhood. Gregory Freed, 29, remains hospitalized until he can be arraigned on additional charges of unlawful...
Earth Day cleanups planned in Hempfield
Hempfield will be among the outdoor sites where spring cleaning will occur on Saturday, which is celebrated as Earth Day. The township is planning a community-wide cleanup during which residents can dispose of their household recyclable items, tires, and scrap metal at the municipal building at 1132 Woodward Drive, or...
2 teens arrested in shooting death of Pittsburgh high school student
Pittsburgh Police have arrested two teens in the fatal shooting of an Oliver Citywide Academy student last year. Police charged Eugene Watson, 18, and his brother, Brandon Watson, 17, both of the city’s Crafton Heights neighborhood, with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy, and two firearms violations. They are both charged as...
Brush fire snarls morning commute on Route 28 near RIDC Park
Southbound Route 28 traffic was slowed to a crawl Friday morning when a brush fire broke out on the wooded hillside near the RIDC Park exit in O’Hara. Haze from the fire covered the highway and traffic was reduced to a single lane headed toward Pittsburgh during the morning rush...
Coast Guard calls off search for lost boat with Murrysville native aboard
After searching more than 200,000 square nautical miles, U.S. Coast Guard officials and their Mexican counterparts have called off the search for three American sailors, including a Murrysville native, whose boat was last seen April 4. Kerry O’Brien, a 1989 Franklin Regional graduate, left Mazatlán, Mexico the morning of April...
Diocese of Greensburg presents 23rd Salt and Light Awards
Recipients of this year’s Communities of Salt and Light Awards, bestowed by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg, are “folks who have really lived the mission of Catholic Charities, the diocese and the Catholic Church itself,” said Bishop Larry Kulick. Presented for the 23rd year, the awards recognize individuals...
Some Westmoreland polling locations changed
Westmoreland County’s election board on Thursday approved location changes for in-person voting on May 16 at precincts in Irwin, Lower Burrell and Monessen. In Irwin’s third and fourth wards, the polling location will be moved from the First Presbyterian Church that is currently undergoing renovations to the First United Methodist...
Recycling event set at Yukon landfill
MAX Environmental Technologies will accept unwanted electronics and a limited number of tires from area residents at its Yukon landfill on Spring Street from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. The event is for residents only. Drop-offs from businesses or commercial operations will not be accepted. Residents can bring up to...
Former Pittsburgh City Council candidate charged with rape
A man who previously ran for Pittsburgh City Council is charged with sexually assaulting a woman, according to Pittsburgh police. According to court documents, Kierran Cole Young, 30, is facing multiple felony charges including rape, harassment, unlawful restraint and indecent assault stemming from an alleged sexual assault on a female...
Greensburg Salem Middle School students back in class after water break; damaged areas sealed off
Greensburg Salem Middle School students were scheduled to return to the school for in-person instruction on Friday, for the first time since a water break closed the building on Monday. District officials had been waiting on results from air quality testing before having students return to the school. “Air quality...
Hempfield proposes more changes to middle school assignments
Hempfield Area School District directors are expected to revise a plan for next year’s middle school assignments based on responses from a parent survey. Students from neighborhoods of Youngwood, Edgewood Manor and Timber Ridge Court who were previously expected to move to Wendover Middle School will remain at West Hempfield...
