Western PA Local News category, Page 1187
O’Hara police sergeant honored as ‘Top Gun’ DUI expert
Ben Wolfson doesn’t claim to be a maverick, nor is he nicknamed Ice Man. But he is a Top Gun. The O’Hara police sergeant is a two-time Pennsylvania DUI Association Top Gun Award winner for his efforts as a drug recognition expert. Officers are nominated for outstanding contributions or for...
Winter storm rips into mobile home, topples trees, wires in Derry Township
Wednesday’s winter storm ripped through Derry Township during the afternoon hours, toppling trees and utility lines and damaging buildings. Areas of the township were pummeled by high winds roaring down from Derry Ridge to the east, said Bradenville Fire Chief Mark Piantine. “We had a lot of trees and wires...
Greensburg police chief’s arrest shocks community
Federal drug charges filed against Greensburg police Chief Shawn Denning caught community members by surprise Wednesday. Westmoreland County Park police Chief Henry Fontana, who worked 22 years as a Greensburg police officer and detective, had no indication Denning was being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. “I’m as shocked as...
Police arrest suspect in December homicide in Brighton Heights
An argument over custody of a child escalated into a fatal shooting late last year, and Pittsburgh police say they now have the man who pulled the trigger in custody. Corey Washington drove to the parking lot of a Family Dollar store in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights on the afternoon of...
Police: 2 juveniles recovering after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood
Pittsburgh police are investigating the shooting of two juvenile boys in the city’s Homewood neighborhood. Public Safety spokeswoman Amanda Mueller said officers were dispatched at about 11:15 p.m. Tuesday for a Shotspotter alert along the 7200 block of Susquehanna Street. First responders located two boys who had been shot in...
Pittsburgh City Council nixes plans for curfew enforcement to combat youth violence
Pittsburgh City Council has nixed a proposal to ramp up enforcement of the city’s curfew for minors. Council members, however, say they remain committed to opening 24-hour resource centers geared toward the city’s youth to try to curb an increase in violence in Pittsburgh. Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End,...
Plum School District offering paid training to attract bus drivers
Plum Borough School District is offering paid training as it seeks to fill vacancies among its bus and van drivers. The district, which operates its own fleet with its own employees, needs six bus drivers and two van drivers, business manager Ryan Manzer said. Two bus aides also are needed....
Hempfield Area School District sets timeline for 2023-24 budget process
The Hempfield Area School District has established a timeline for its 2023-24 budget process that may or may not introduce a tax increase for district residents. According to the timeline shared during the Hempfield school board’s Monday night meeting, the district must adopt a proposed general fund budget by May...
Former Jeannette school director fined by Pa. Ethics Commission
A former Jeannette City school board member was hit with a civil penalty by the State Ethics Commission, according to an order released Wednesday. Karen A. Welshons failed to file complete and accurate statements of financial interest for 2018 and 2019 when she was a school director. She was ordered...
Monroeville Finance Authority seeks board members
You know what they say about the world’s two certainties, and Dan Marston is doing his part to help mitigate one of them: “We all have enough of a tax burden.” And he is looking for Monroeville residents who may want to help his cause while learning more about the...
Pittsburgh looks to spend $2.6M on playground projects in Schenley Park, Lincoln Place
Pittsburgh is planning to spend $2.6 million to renovate one city playground and build another. The city’s Department of Public Works is removing all playground equipment from Schenley Park’s Anderson Playground to clear the way for a renovation project there this summer. Also known as the Dinosaur Playground because of...
$2 ticket surcharge at planned entertainment venue would support Hill District revitalization
A portion of all tickets sold at a planned entertainment venue on Pittsburgh’s former Civic Arena site will go toward revitalizing the Hill District. Plans to develop the 4,600-seat entertainment venue, along with a six-story parking garage, retail space and a public safety station, on the former arena site in...
Pittsburgh looks to create program to train retail, food service workers how to help people in crisis
A program being considered by Pittsburgh officials would train front-line workers in the retail and food service industries how to deal with people in crisis. Legislation introduced Tuesday by City Councilwoman Deb Gross, D-Highland Park, would create a training program through the city’s Office of Community Health and Safety. Gross...
City Brewing expanding warehouse at Westmoreland Innovation Center
City Brewery Co. is expanding its warehouse space at the former Sony Corp. plant outside New Stanton and will add more than 20 jobs at the site, the Regional Industrial Development Corp. of Southwestern Pennsylvania said Wednesday. The La Crosse, Wis.-based company brews beer at the former Latrobe Brewing Co....
Kiski Area School District welcomes deaf therapy dog
The latest addition to the Kiski Area School District staff is of the four-legged variety. Roo, a 5-month-old mixed-breed deaf rescue dog, is the district’s first full-time therapy dog. Kiski Area Superintendent Misty Slavic said she noticed a need for a therapy dog while hearing feedback from students and staff...
Westmoreland happenings: Designer purse bash, safe driving class, stuffed chicken dinner, more
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to Carol Pinto-Smith at cpinto-smith@triblive.com or mailed to Briefly Speaking, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks before the event. Each announcement is printed once; there...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh detectives look for missing 72-year-old
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023: Pittsburgh detectives seek missing 72-year-old Detectives with the Pittsburgh police Special Victims Unit are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 72-year-old man. Melvin Wilson was last seen at 4:10 p.m. Tuesday in...
Man who body-slammed girl at mall accused of harassing district judge late at night
An East Vandergrift man has been accused of harassing Allegheny Township District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec with late-night phone calls. Tyler Drew Zidek, 25, of East Vandergrift faces several misdemeanor charges of harassment by a communication device. Zidek has a criminal record, including a guilty plea for body-slamming a teenage...
The Stroller, Jan. 25, 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. Drive-thru Valentine meal to benefit Peoples Library Peoples Library will sponsor...
Greensburg police chief out, charged with drug distribution
Greensburg Police Chief Shawn Denning is off the job after he was arrested by federal officials who claim he was the go-between for interstate drug deals, even providing menus and prices of available substances. Denning is charged with two counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine and three...
Morning snow transitions to rain across Western Pa.
Snow that coated roads in the region Wednesday morning was changing to rain, a National Weather Service meteorologist said. Nearly all locations in southwestern Pennsylvania will change to rain by noon as warm air moves in, meteorologist David Shallenberger said. The high temperature will be rising into the mid-40s. The...
Greensburg Salem senior organizes Holocaust Museum Remembrance Night
Greensburg Salem senior Lillian Gatons learned something disquieting during an elective course at the high school on the Holocaust. “People are starting to think the Holocaust wasn’t real and aren’t learning about it,” she said. “That made me want to create a night dedicated to people who lost their lives...
Man wanted in connection with a Dec. 26 homicide in Pittsburgh apprehended
Pittsburgh Public Safety officials announced the arrest of a man wanted for the murder of a Pittsburgh man Dec. 26 in the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. Police arrested Ambrose J. Sample Jr., 42, at about 2 p.m. Tuesday along the 200 block of Dinwiddie Street in the Hill District, according to...
McKean County woman found guilty of felony and misdemeanor charges relating to 2021 Capitol breach
A McKean County woman who breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection that attempted to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election has been found guilty of federal charges. Pauline Bauer, 55, of Kane, was found guilty of felony and misdemeanor charges for...
Censure vote fails against Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam
Allegheny County Council voted down Tuesday night an attempt to censure Councilwoman Bethany Hallam over foul language she directed at a fellow board member earlier this month. Council members voted 3-10 for the censure, with two council members abstaining. Several council members said it was inconsistent to bring a censure...
