Western PA Local News category, Page 1195
Bethel Park Lions Club celebrates 80th anniversary
Part of Bethel Presbyterian Church is eminently familiar to Jay Wells. “When I joined the club, we met right in this same room,” he said. The group he referenced is the Bethel Park Lions Club, which is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its establishment. The club was organized on Dec....
Police: Richland man paid no-show home improvement contractor up front
A contractor from Butler County faces felony charges after a Richland man told police that he paid more than $6,000 up front for fence work but couldn’t get a refund after being told he would have to wait at least four months for the project to start. Austin Jay Reges,...
Voters to select successor to state Rep. DeLuca in upcoming special election
Residents of Oakmont, Verona and most of Plum will vote for a new state representative on Feb. 7. The special election for the 32nd state House district is one of three scheduled for that day in Allegheny County. The others are for the 34th and 35th districts. Only residents registered...
Students celebrate Chartiers Valley Primary School’s birthday
Students helped the celebration by making a card, putting their fingerprints on a flag and listening to stories from retired teacher Mary Coperich. Each student at the primary school, which serves approximately 800 students in kindergarten through second grade, received a cupcake eraser thanks to the Social-Emotional Learning Committee. In...
Fawn man convicted of sexually assaulting 2 children gets 10-30 years in prison
A Fawn man who was arrested in 2019 was sentenced to 10 to 30 years in prison after being found guilty of repeatedly sexually assaulting two young children. Douglas Charles Simoncic Jr., 32, of Iron Bridge Lane was found guilty Oct. 11 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court of two...
Westmoreland happenings: Art show, pierogi sale, 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...
How the Good Food Project is creating a zero waste kitchen in Millvale
Too much food can be a good problem to have, but it does pose challenges. Just ask the folks who run 412 Food Rescue’s Good Food Project, a kitchen in Millvale that accepts and processes food that would otherwise go to waste. It’s all about feeding people who don’t have...
New Kensington man pleads guilty in fatal 2018 crash in Plum
A New Kensington man pleaded guilty Tuesday to homicide by vehicle for a 2018 crash in Plum that killed a 90-year-old woman. Richard Stutz, 44, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Thomas E. Flaherty on April 17. Stutz also pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault...
Morning Roundup: Police say man who shot at mail carrier shot others on McKnight Road
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023: Police: Man who shot at mail carrier shot others on McKnight Road Police have connected a man who they say shot at a mail carrier in Pittsburgh earlier this month with a shooting that injured...
Freeport starts the year with 15% property tax hike, first in more than a decade
Freeport is starting 2023 with a 15% hike in real estate taxes. The owner of a home assessed at $40,000 will pay $80 more in borough real estate taxes, from $520 in 2022 to $600 in 2023, borough officials said. “Council agreed to raise taxes because revenue has been flat...
People encouraged to ‘Fill the Truck’ to help feed the needy
Without donations from the public, Bread of Life food pantry in Etna would struggle to serve its 140-plus families each month with fresh eggs, milk and produce. “The help is invaluable,” Director Alexis Weber said. “It is our mission to provide and we would never turn anyone away. I don’t...
The Stroller, Jan. 18, 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. Tickets on sale for cash bash Natrona Heights Veterans of Foreign...
Hempfield teen convicted in brother’s slaying paroled from state prison
Ian Bishop, who was 14 when he bludgeoned his 18-year-old brother to death in the family’s Hempfield home in 2002, is out of prison. Bishop, now 35, was paroled Jan. 3, according to records made public by the Pennsylvania Parole Board. He served 21 years in prison. Bishop was prosecuted...
Quaker Valley School District officials promise to keep any potential real estate tax hike to 4.1% or less
Quaker Valley School District officials have pledged to keep any tax hike for next school year to 4.1% or less. That percentage is the highest the district can push for under the inflation-based state limit known as the Act 1 index. Act 1, passed in 2006 to provide property tax...
Police say no foul play in man’s fatal fall from Lower Lawrenceville building
A man who died after falling about 30 feet from a rooftop Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Lower Lawrenceville neighborhood has been identified. Jonathan Encrapera, 41, of Pittsburgh was declared dead shortly after he fell, according to an Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office report. Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said officers...
ShotSpotter reports 11 shots fired in the East Hills, Pittsburgh police find man shot in the arm
A man was hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday after being shot in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said officers were dispatched shortly after 8 p.m. to the 2300 block of East Hills Drive after a ShotSpotter alert reported 11 rounds had been fired. Police found a...
O’Hara residents to see changes in trash collection in a few months
Changes are coming to O’Hara trash collection, specifically with new bins and collection days. Township officials recently approved a new trash and recycling contract with Waste Management through the North Hills Council of Governments. It runs 2023-26 with an option year for 2027. Township Manager Julie Jakubec said garbage collection...
Plum man faces federal gun, drug charges
A Plum man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on drug and gun charges. Authorities said convicted felon Taiwan Donje Rodgers, 25, of Unity-Trestle Road possessed firearms and ammunition as well as possessed heroin and fentanyl with the intent to distribute them. The charges stem from...
Lawyer says Youngwood murder suspect is not a killer
The lawyer for a man charged with the robbery and fatal stabbing of a man in his Youngwood home more than five years ago told a Westmoreland County jury Tuesday that his client is not a killer. Defense attorney Ken Noga said Michael J. Covington Jr. of Youngwood, now 25,...
Ross hires veteran Pittsburgh police commander to serve as its 1st female chief
Ross Township officials broke with the long-standing tradition of promoting their most senior police officer to chief when an opening comes up. With help from a consultant who developed a plan to restructure the police department, the township announced during a news conference Jan. 17 that it has hired its...
Allegheny County Jail inmate records videos from inside jail, has them posted to YouTube
A man awaiting trial on a rape charge may no longer represent himself in court after he used recording equipment inside Allegheny County Jail to make multiple videos — including a sample opening statement — and posted them on YouTube. James Taric Byrd, 44, has been incarcerated while awaiting trial...
Ligonier welcomes 32nd annual Ice Fest this weekend
Debbie Sarault, owner of clothing store Betsy’s of Ligonier, has a secret. But she’s not letting the proverbial cat out of the bag until Saturday, when the 32nd annual Ligonier Ice Fest begins. As a shop owner for 33 years, Sarault prides herself on having never missed the event. She...
Slain Monroeville teen remembered as ‘sweetest person’
Eloisa Creighton has read the flood of online comments and social media posts about her grandson, Aceyn Ausbrook, who was shot and killed last weekend outside a Monroeville birthday party. Now, she said she wants to add her voice to the chorus. “People say it all the time, but he...
South Fayette man pleads to Jan. 6 Capitol riot charges
A South Fayette man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Jorden Mink, 29, will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss on April 11 on two counts including assaulting, resisting or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon and theft of...
Pa. Resource Council asks amateur photographers to turn their ‘Lens On Litter’
Pennsylvania was home to a half-billion pieces of litter in 2020, and that was just along the roads, according to a survey commissioned by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and PennDOT. That’s disheartening news to Pennsylvania Resource Council Executive Director Darren Spielman, especially since the council’s annual Gene Capaldi...
