Western PA Local News category, Page 1258
Toys for Pittsburgh Tikes continues tradition of holiday collections
Toys for Pittsburgh Tikes is hosting collection events at Jaden’s Catering on Route 22, taking in toys and cash from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 26 and 27 and again on Dec. 3 and 4. “It started in a cardboard box about 10 years ago in my catering company...
Judge approves independent DNA testing by defense in Tree of Life case
A federal judge has given attorneys for the man accused of killing 11 people at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue four years ago permission to send biological materials from the defendant and victims to a lab in England for DNA testing. Attorneys have argued over whether the testing should occur,...
Murrysville area: Holiday happenings, luncheons, meetings, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Items must be emailed two weeks in advance to make the deadline for the Star. Holiday happenings The following is a list of holiday-related events happening in the Star’s coverage area. Email events to pvarine@triblive.com. • First Presbyterian Church will host its...
South Negley Avenue bridge sidewalk to close for repairs
Pittsburgh officials on Wednesday said they are closing the east sidewalk on the South Negley Avenue bridge in Shadyside. The bridge, which spans the East Busway and Norfolk Southern railroad tracks, had sparked concerns about its safety earlier this year, as many residents grew alarmed about the state of the...
Plum alumna crowned Miss Duquesne
Plum Senior High School alumna Cassie Wiles didn’t plan on being a pageant winner. In fact, she signed up for the Miss Duquesne pageant expecting to lose, but her friends encouraged her to compete. Those expectations proved to be unfounded as Wiles was awarded the crown by a panel of...
Gainey to replace all members of Pittsburgh Art Commission
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey has dismissed all of the current members of the city’s Art Commission. Commission members, who are appointed by the mayor, serve their terms under the same timeframe as the mayor who appointed them, said Maria Montaño, a spokeswoman for Gainey. That means the commissioners Gainey dismissed...
Pittsburgh City Council considers proposal to shift $3M in Land Bank funding to new food justice fund
Pittsburgh City Council members said Wednesday they support creating a $3 million food justice fund, but several are concerned about taking money from the city’s Land Bank to do so as Mayor Ed Gainey proposed in his 2023 budget. The budget, which the mayor introduced to council this month, is...
UPMC profits down 75% so far in 2022, filing shows
Health care giant UPMC reported Tuesday that it had nearly $200 million in profits during the first nine months of this year — about a quarter of what it reported during the same span a year ago. UPMC said in its third-quarter financial report that labor and supply markets related...
McKeesport man faces homicide charge in connection with infant son’s death
A McKeesport man who police said shook his infant son to the point where the boy experienced brain bleeding and died now faces homicide charges. Michael Barber, 29, initially gave witnesses and police several explanations for how the five-month-old baby was injured on Aug. 31, including that his toddler dropped...
Shop with a Cop fundraisers in Unity, Latrobe sustain annual effort for children in need
State Trooper Steve Limani is braving Black Friday crowds at the Unity Walmart in an effort to raise money for children in need who will get to participate in Shop with a Cop next month. He’s planning to be outside the store along Route 30 from 10 a.m. to 2...
Plum planning to draw down reserves, not increase property tax in 2023
Plum is not increasing real estate taxes, but would draw down its reserves by about 42% under the proposed budget for 2023. The entire proposed budget for all borough funds is about $23 million, Finance Director Michael Whitico said. That’s an increase of $3.42 million — or about 17.5% —...
Letter to the editor: Herbst House sale has been discussed
I would like to take exception to a quote by Father Brian Noel in the Nov. 10 article on the Herbst House on Broad Street “Still in limbo” by Michael Divittorio. In the article, Fr. Noel states that “We’re not looking to sell that property. It was never our intent...
Hampton Community Library seeks board members
Hampton Community Library is seeking new members to serve on the board of trustees. No experience is necessary, just a desire to help shape the library for the future. Email a letter of interest to Erin Hasinger at hampton@hamptoncommunitylibrary.org by Dec. 18. Library programs include: • Brrrr! It’s Cold Outside...
Allegheny Valley Hospital to shift adult mental-health services to geriatric patients only
Adults in the Alle-Kiski Valley seeking mental health care no longer will be able to access in-patient services from Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. Beginning Monday, the facility along Carlisle Street will be shifted to provide expanded psychiatry services for geriatric patients only. “We are not closing the unit but...
Pittsburgh school board takes stance on race, gender identity teaching in classroom
Pittsburgh Public Schools board members this week took a stance on four state House and Senate bills, unanimously passing a resolution that called the measures regarding race and gender identity “inconsistent” with the needs of district students. Pennsylvania House Bills 1532 and 2813 restrict certain teachings about race and sex,...
Chestnut Ridge, ‘The Twilight Zone of Pennsylvania,’ is the setting for strangenessVideo
It’s known as “The Twilight Zone of Pennsylvania” or “The Disneyland of the Paranormal.” Sometimes it’s simply “The Mysterious Chestnut Ridge.” It’s the westernmost ridge of the Alleghenies, rising in southern Indiana County and continuing to the south-southwest for approximately 75 miles, stretching along Westmoreland and Fayette counties and on...
Christ the Divine students deliver holiday cheer to Sharpsburg’s St. Vincent dePaul food pantry
Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy students and staff have much to be thankful for, and they were busy spreading the good cheer ahead of Thanksgiving. Students made their traditional pre-holiday trek to St. Vincent dePaul food pantry in Sharpsburg to donate an abundance of food. Student council members delivered...
Man charged with macing couple in dispute over dog at Frazer pet shop
Frazer police arrested a man for allegedly pulling a knife on his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend, then spraying them with mace to get a dog away from them at a pet shop. James William Dezort III, 35, of the 500 block of Clyde Street in New Kensington was charged...
Blue Knights expand effort to feed area families for Thanksgiving
Westmoreland County law enforcement officers were out in force last week to round up the usual suspects: turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, veggies and butter — the time-honored ingredients of a Thanksgiving dinner. For the second year in a row, local Chapter I of the Blue Knights motorcycle club for active...
Hampton Bands’ Holiday Extravaganza set for Dec. 3
While the Hampton Bands’ Holiday Extravaganza features a day full of students performing music, folks who attend can expect a whole lot more. “We really try to make sure that when a family decides to go to the event, everybody in the family has something that they’re interested in and...
Northern Regional Police Department recognized by AAA
One of the nicest things about living in northern Allegheny County is the ability to easily travel between serene neighborhoods scattered along winding, tree-lined roads to vibrant shopping districts that connect to major interstate roadways. But getting to and from just about anywhere in Pine, Richland, Marshall and Bradford Woods...
Letter to the editor: Sewickley council president responds to budget story
As president of Sewickley Borough Council, I am writing about the article published online Nov. 10 (and in print Nov. 17) “Sewickley officials pass preliminary budget without public input.” Contrary to the eye-popping headline, Sewickley’s budget was developed, discussed and passed just as it always is — in a series...
Police: Pittsburgh man facing 90 charges after hiding cameras in restrooms
Police have arrested a Pittsburgh man they say planted cameras inside restrooms — including one at The Frick Pittsburgh in Point Breeze — and videotaped “several hundred” men, women and children. Todd Bueschen, 35, faces 90 charges that include invasion of privacy, sexual abuse of children and possession of child...
Kiski Area to explore $22 million intermediate school renovation
Kiski Area School District officials are moving toward financing a projected $22 million renovation of the intermediate school. The board Monday approved a resolution appointing Janney Montgomery Scott LLC as the district’s bond underwriter and the law firm of Dinsmore and Shohl LLP as its bond counsel. Superintendent Misty Slavic...
Police say trio admit to using stolen credit card to buy nearly $2,000 in gift cards at Hempfield Walmart
Three people walking quickly across the parking lot into the Hempfield Walmart store earlier this month caught the eye of Katrina Jaquay, who was outside taking a break from her duties in loss prevention. One of the people glanced over at her. “It gave me a red flag,” she said...
