Western PA Local News category, Page 1200
Feathers Artist Market in Irwin to host local author open house
Tracy Alaia, owner of Feathers Artist Market and Gifts in Irwin, describes herself as “a crazy book person.” “I read 48 books last year, and I’ve already read five books in January,” she said. “Reading is my peace and my stress relief. If I can’t sleep, I read; I prefer...
Man killed in South Shore hit-and-run, police looking for car
Pittsburgh Police are looking for a car they believe was involved in a fatal hit-and-run involving a pedestrian early Saturday on the city’s South Shore. A man was found lying on West Carson Street just before 3 a.m. He died at a hospital, police said. His identity has not been...
Greensburg Salem School District eyes improved website, alert system
Greensburg Salem School District plans to upgrade its website this year and offer an improved alert system for communications with local families. The district will revamp its online presence through an agreement with Finalsite, an educational technology company based in Connecticut. The school board this week approved an agreement with...
Fox Chapel Area cheerleaders qualify for national cheer competitionVideo
The Fox Chapel Area High School cheerleaders have reason to cheer. For the first time in school history, the varsity cheerleading squad earned a bid to compete at the 2023 National High School Cheerleading Championship at Disney World on Feb. 10-12. “They were screaming in December when they found out...
The Stroller, Jan. 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 Elks to host annual hoop shoot event The annual Leechburg...
Sluggish start to snow is no obstacle to skiing season
At Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, the snow guns rev up a storm anytime the temperature gets below a chilly 27 degrees. Whether during cold nighttime off-hours or while skiers are trying out the slopes during the day, the Vail Resorts property is keeping up with the warm and...
1 killed, 8 hospitalized in Shaler house fire; authorities identify 2-year-old victim
A 2-year-old girl died after being rescued from a house fire Friday night in Shaler, according to township police. Danika Deramo was found on the first floor of the home and was taken to UPMC Mercy hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 10:34 p.m. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s...
Mt. Pleasant Township family of 5 loses everything in house fire, clothing collection started
A home in the Mt. Pleasant Township village of Hecla was destroyed in a fire Friday evening, and a neighboring fire company is collecting donations for the family. The blaze was reported around 6:30 p.m. in an old, two-story former “company home” off Hecla Road on Academy Lane. Hecla Assistant...
Greensburg woman gets jail sentence for sale of child’s medication
A Greensburg woman was ordered to serve jail time for selling a family member’s medication and paying a child for urine to help others pass drug tests. Christine M. Meadows, 48, pleaded guilty Monday to charges in four separate cases involving felony drug counts, child endangerment and other offenses as...
Pittsburgh experts not surprised by recent spike in Allegheny County covid numbers
A recent crest in covid case numbers in Allegheny County was entirely predictable, according to Western Pennsylvania medical experts monitoring the data. Tracking by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified Allegheny County to be in the “medium” level of covid-19 transmission last week, though officials have confirmed the...
Man’s body discovered in Penn Hills
The body of a deceased man was found on a hillside in Penn Hills Friday afternoon. Allegheny County dispatch confirmed police activity shortly before 3 p.m. along the 9000 block of Frankstown Road. It was still an active scene a few hours later. Mayor Pauline Calabrese said she spoke with...
New Kensington man receives life prison sentence for Arnold fatal shooting
Shirley Clegg didn’t mince any words for the man who killed her brother. “I hope you never know peace because I will never know peace,” Clegg testified Friday during a sentencing hearing for Mario Gatti. Gatti, 33, of New Kensington was convicted of first-degree murder in October for the January...
Steelers’ Levi Wallace talks importance of air quality with Acmetonia Primary School students
School can sometimes be a drag, but an educational show featuring an NFL football player and a professional DJ made for a fun afternoon for Acmetonia Primary School students. Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace was welcomed with raucous cheers and applause Friday when he visited the Allegheny Valley district school...
Greensburg man accused of trading explicit images with 16-year-old girl
A Greensburg man is charged with possession of child pornography, corruption of minors, criminal solicitation and related violations after he and a 16-year-old girl allegedly shared explicit images of themselves with each other. Greensburg police said Paul Michael Fogle, 37, requested in December that the girl send him photographs in...
Salem man sentenced to prison for sexual assault at Ligonier Township party
A Salem man was ordered Friday to serve up to 44 months in prison for the sexual assault of an 18-year-old woman at an outdoor birthday party more than two years ago in Ligonier Township. Zachary John Saflin, 24, was convicted in October of two counts of aggravated indecent assault,...
Leetsdale police officer suspended, borough officials mum
A Leetsdale police office is suspended and another resigned. The officer’s suspension was unanimously approved at this week’s council meeting. Council President Patricia Lee and police Chief Daniel Raible said they could not comment on personnel matters. Other council members also declined comment. Borough solicitor Daniel Conlon would only confirm...
Bolivar man charged in attempted Ligonier Township kidnapping
A nearly weeklong search ended Friday when a Bolivar man was arrested in connection with the attempted kidnapping of a female jogger at gunpoint in Ligonier Township. Frank Springer, 56, was taken into custody by Westmoreland County detectives and Ligonier Valley police and charged with attempted homicide, attempted kidnapping, aggravated...
Rivers Casino reopens after being closed due to leak
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh temporarily closed Friday after a cracked refrigeration pipe leaked onto the gaming floor. The casino on the city’s North Shore reopened around 8 p.m., according to a staffer who answered the phone. Repairs were made and crews cleaned up the area after the break, said Jack Horner,...
4% price increase effective Sunday at Pennsylvania liquor stores
The prices of more than 3,500 of the most popular items at state liquor stores will increase by 4% Sunday, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced. In a statement, the LCB cited 40-year record-high inflation as the reason for price hikes. “These increases will allow the PLCB to generate revenues...
Pittsburgh Land Bank scales back goals after losing $3M in proposed ARPA funding
Pittsburgh’s Land Bank is now expecting to buy and sell fewer properties than officials initially hoped, after the city pulled $3 million of the bank’s proposed $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. While Mayor Ed Gainey had initially proposed giving the Land Bank a $10 million infusion from...
Pittsburgh police resuming traffic stops for minor infractions
Pittsburgh police are once again able to pull over drivers for minor, secondary infractions, as city police have put a hold on training officers about a city ordinance that banned traffic stops for minor infractions. Pittsburgh City Council voted in late 2021 to bar police from pulling over drivers for...
Sewage backup prompts early dismissal at Franklin Regional Senior High
Students at Franklin Regional Senior High were dismissed from classes early Friday afternoon after a sewage backup prompted closure of the school’s bathrooms. Students were dismissed beginning at noon and teachers also were permitted to leave since bathroom facilities weren’t available, according to district Superintendent Gennaro R. Piraino Jr. Piraino...
Electrify Your Symphony returns to Bethel Park for rock-style concert
Addressing a stage full of young musicians, Greg Byers was all about encouragement. “You sound great,” he told students gathered in the Bethel Park High School auditorium. “We’ve got to look great, too. Bring the energy.” The ensemble of mostly stringed instruments was rehearsing the afternoon of Jan. 6 for...
New Ken-Arnold pledges to keep next school year’s taxes within state-imposed inflation limit of 6.1%
The New Kensington-Arnold School Board has committed to not increasing the district’s property taxes for the 2023-24 school year by more than its state-imposed inflation limit. New Kensington-Arnold’s limit for the 2023-24 school year is 6.1%, up from 5% for this school year. It’s the highest limit the district has...
Sociologist sees ‘haunting’ similarities between 20th, 21st century pandemic responses in U.S.
The last time Tom Soltis spoke to the American Association of University Women’s Murrysville chapter, it was during the emergence of the omicron variant of the covid-19 virus. Soltis recently retired after a career teaching sociology and anthropology at Westmoreland County Community College. He also is the author of “An...
