Local category, Page 1095
Eureka EMT tapped to lead Tarentum disaster response
Tarentum has hired a longtime emergency medical technician (EMT) from Eureka Fire-Rescue-EMS to handle responses to large-scale borough disasters such as train derailments, fuel spills and criminal manhunts. Rodger Blystone was appointed Tuesday by council as the borough’s emergency management coordinator. A largely voluntary role, Blystone will be paid a...
Norfolk Southern offers up-close view of cleanup work at East Palestine derailment site
Chris Hunsicker has done environmental cleanup work for 30 years, but he said he’s never been involved in a project as extensive as the one that began after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine in early February. “This is a very unique event and a very significant event,”...
Arnold man guilty of drug charges after high-speed chase with toddler in car sentenced to 20 years in prison
An Arnold man who was found guilty on drug charges after leading police on a high-speed chase and crashing with a toddler in his car has been sentenced by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy on Tuesday sentenced Kevin Watson, 33, to 20 years in prison. He...
Penguins give part of Lower Hill development site to Bethel AME Church decades after it was displaced by arena project
More than six decades after its church was displaced to clear the way for construction of the former Civic Arena, Bethel AME Church will once again get land in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District. The church is set to develop a 1.5-acre site at the corner of Crawford and Bedford avenues,...
Majority of victims’ families in Tree of Life shooting case want death penalty
The sisters of two of the men killed in the mass shooting at a Squirrel Hill synagogue in 2018 said on Friday that they believe the man responsible should be put to death. Diane and Michele Rosenthal hosted a brief video meeting with members of the media to correct what...
Backyard fire pit sparked blaze that destroyed abandoned house, damaged 2nd home in New Kensington
An ember from a backyard fire pit accidentally sparked a brush fire Wednesday that destroyed an abandoned building in New Kensington and heavily damaged the home next door, according to investigators. The brush fire was reported just before 3 p.m. April 12 in the 800 block of Franklin Avenue and...
5K, family races, mindfulness-aligned activities slated in event at Hempfield Park
Interactive activities for all ages and two types of races will be featured during the inaugural Dr. Spino Kids Day on April 29 in Hempfield Park. Slated from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the event is organized by G. Domenic Spino, a former family therapist, and will include area human...
Police seek owner of valuables found in Sheetz restroom in Indiana County
Pennsylvania State Police are seeking the owner of several valuable items found Monday at an Indiana County Sheetz. Several antique coins, including U.S. Indian Head pennies, and pieces of jewelry, including a diamond ring, were among contents of a camera case found in the men’s restroom of a Sheetz gas...
Overnight closure scheduled between Irwin, Pittsburgh interchanges of PA Turnpike
Westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be closed from midnight until 5 a.m. Sunday between the Irwin and the Pittsburgh interchanges for repairs and maintenance. State police and turnpike personnel will be stationed at the impacted interchanges to assist drivers, and message signs will provide information on closures and...
Beloved Hosack Elementary custodian from O’Hara Township died from viral encephalitis, medical examiner says
Kevin Cavlovich, the late head custodian at Hosack Elementary School, passed away from viral encephalitis, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office announced Thursday, April 13. Viral encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain caused by a virus. The medical examiner ruled that the death was natural. Cavlovich died Jan. 5...
Lower Burrell firefighters turn down tax credit
Lower Burrell Council will not offer a state-approved tax credit to the city’s volunteer firefighters. Councilwoman Brandy Grieff, director of public safety, said it was a choice made by the firefighters themselves. She said she contacted officials for Lower Burrell Fire Company No. 1 (Kinloch) and Lower Burrell Fire Company...
Suspect in Ross Dress for Less store theft ring pleads guilty
A Florida man pleaded guilty this week to his role in a multi-state theft ring from a local clothing retailer. Yan Roynell Duquesne Martinez, 31, was charged in December with theft of clothing and other items from multiple Ross Dress for Less stores in Westmoreland, Allegheny, Blair and Cambria counties....
Work to close roads in Ligonier, Fairfield, Mt. Pleasant townships, county covered bridge
Road closures are slated to begin Monday in the Ligonier Valley and in Mt. Pleasant Township as state road and bridge projects get underway. PennDOT announced traffic restrictions also will be enforced as work begins on bridges in several Westmoreland County communities. The closures will affect sections of Route 271...
Export, water authority differ on removal of asbestos-infused waterlines
Export officials’ issues with the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County are well documented. Borough council members have chafed as they’ve watched recently paved streets reopened for waterline work. Councilman John Nagoda, in particular, has pushed for the agency to do something about the waterlines in the borough — at least...
Morning roundup: Washington Pike bridge to close for construction
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, April 14, 2023: Washington Pike Bridge to temporarily close The Washington Pike bridge over Chartiers Creek in Bridgeville and South Fayette Township will be closed through 5 a.m. Monday morning, according to PennDOT. Crews will be demolishing and...
2 men stabbed in Downtown Pittsburgh, suspect arrested
Two men were stabbed in Downtown Pittsburgh just before 11 p.m. Thursday night, city police said. Police on Saturday confirmed that officers arrested Christopher M. Boswell, 37, of New Brighton at the scene in the area of Sixth Avenue and Smithfield Street. A weapon was also retrieved, police said. According...
Fox Chapel Area student a finalist in ‘Junk Kouture’ contest
Fox Chapel Area High School senior Marley Pistella is one of 30 U.S. finalists in the Junk Kouture contest, that challenges students aged 13-18 to design, upcycle and create high-end couture from 100% recycled materials. Marley created a high fashion couture outfit titled, “In Bloom,” from used jeans and other...
McCandless museum to host first-ever drive-in movie
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the inflatable screen will be coming from the McCandless Community Association. The McCandless/Northern Allegheny Heritage and Cultural Center is going movie retro. The center’s first-ever showing of a drive-in movie will be June 17 in the center parking lot at...
The Stroller, April 14, 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. Leechburg Hall of Fame induction slated The 18th annual Leechburg Hall...
Jeannette stained-glass artist crafts windows for Mt. Pleasant park gazebo
Mt. Pleasant’s Veterans Park is getting a unique upgrade. Jeannette stained-glass artist Doug Davis is creating eight windows that reflect the borough’s history. The windows will be affixed to each side of an octagonal gazebo at South Diamond and Washington streets, just steps from the landmark World War I doughboy...
Salem woman on probation for theft from Derry Presbyterian church now accused of theft from Methodist church
A woman on probation for stealing $20,000 from a Derry Borough Presbyterian church in 2017 and 2018 was arrested this week on accusations she racked up $5,560 in personal expenses on a credit card belonging to another borough church. Teri Sauers, 39, of Salem was working as a secretary at...
Grant funds tapped for Westmoreland human services reorganization
A $250,000 grant from the Hillman Foundation will pay for reorganization of Westmoreland County’s human services department. Commissioners accepted the grant that will pay for the hiring of three administrators and further an effort to integrate multiple programs into a consolidated department for social services, including the children’s bureau, behavioral...
Greensburg Salem parent calls for change after teacher caught reading racial slur aloud in classroom
A Greensburg Salem High School parent is calling for change after a substitute teacher voiced a racial slur while reading aloud to her classroom from the 1937 John Steinbeck novella “Of Mice and Men.” The incident happened March 24 in a 10th-grade language arts class. According to parents, the moment...
Deb Docherty, founder of Docherty Agency in Pittsburgh, dead at 63
It plays like the lore from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Deb Docherty began a career in the entertainment industry when she was discovered in the early 1980s while standing at a phone booth in Downtown Pittsburgh. An agent saw her from the street asked her if she was interested...
Thinning the herd: East Huntingdon farm family auctions Brown Swiss, Ayrshire cows
Susan Spadaro wasn’t expecting to get emotional about auctioning off 100 of her family’s Brown Swiss and 25 Ayrshire cows on Thursday. “We’ve just always had a passion and love for these animals and the dairy industry,” said Spadaro, the fifth generation of the Miller and Love families, which have...
