Western PA Local News category, Page 1260
Hempfield officials defend middle school consolidation as community awaits February vote
Hempfield Area officials defended the district’s proposal to permanently close Harrold Middle School at the final public meeting before the school board will vote on the plan in February. About 70 people attended Monday’s board meeting, many of them to speak out against the plan. Parents raised concerns over transportation,...
West Mifflin Area administrators investigating weekend fight inside locked high school
West Mifflin Area Superintendent Jeffrey Soles said the district is investigating a video of what appears to be two students fighting last weekend inside the high school, which had been closed at the time. It was not clear how the students got inside the locked building. “The district will uphold...
Greensburg police union files suit to block change in retirement plan provider
Greensburg’s police union has filed suit in Westmoreland County court seeking to block a change to a retirement savings plan it says would violate its contract with the city. Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 56 argues in the civil action filed last week that Greensburg’s planned change of provider for...
New Kensington teen seeks to move murder case to juvenile court
On Monday, the lawyer for a teenager charged in connection with a fatal shooting in New Kensington asked a Westmoreland County judge to transfer the case to juvenile court. Da’Montae Marquis Brooks, 16, of New Kensington was the last suspect to be arrested in connection with the July 3 shooting...
Pittsburgh police safely locate missing teen
Pittsburgh police have safely located teen Jaquan Groomes-Smith. The 13-year-old was last seen Friday at Allegheny Traditional Academy when police issued an alert seeking help to locate him. Police posted an update Tuesday to social media that he has been found....
$1.65M Pennsylvania Lottery prize still unclaimed by winner in Kiski Township
Time is running out for a person to cash in a $1.65 million-winning Pennsylvania lottery ticket sold last year in Kiski Township. The unclaimed Cash 5 winning ticket was purchased Dec. 16, 2021, at the BP Fueland on River Road. The ticket is on the verge of expiring if unclaimed by...
‘Making great strides’: Jeannette IDs 12 more blighted homes for demolition
Twelve homes in Jeannette were deemed public nuisances and ordered demolished Monday, adding to the city’s list of blight proposed to be removed through Westmoreland County American Rescue Plan funding. Fire Chief Bill Frye said he hopes to push as many as 100 properties through what can be a time-consuming...
Student-curated WWII exhibit on display at new LIGHT Center at Dorseyville Middle School
A group of eighth-graders at Dorseyville Middle School are volunteering their time to take others back in time to the 1940s. The school’s new LIGHT Center is hosting its first exhibit, a World War II display featuring a collection of artifacts on loan from faculty members. “The students were trained...
The Stroller, Nov. 22, 2022: 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. Butler Lions plan annual Christmas tree sale The annual Christmas tree...
Thanksgiving detour: Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Bridge to close for Turkey Trot
Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Bridge will close to traffic for a short time on Thanksgiving Day to make way for more than 6,000 runners in the 32nd annual YMCA Turkey Trot. The bridge links the North Shore to Downtown at Seventh Street. It is scheduled to be closed from 7 to...
Dealers question report tracing guns used in Pennsylvania crimes
Just a fraction of Pennsylvania’s thousands of gun dealers — most of them in the greater Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas — represent the biggest source of firearms linked to crimes in the state, according to one of the nation’s most influential groups combating gun violence. In a report released this...
Vehicle rollover in Ligonier Township sends 1 from Route 30 scene for treatment
One person was transported for treatment following a one-vehicle wreck Monday evening in Ligonier Township, according to responding firefighters. The rollover crash with entrapment was reported at about 7:15 p.m. on Laurel Ridge, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher confirmed. Waterford and Ligonier firefighters were dispatched to the crash near the...
Officials: Verona man fatally shot on porch of Wilkinsburg home
Allegheny County police are investigating a shooting Monday afternoon in Wilkinsburg that killed a Verona man. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as 40-year-old Walter Sloan. First responders who were dispatched shortly after 4:45 p.m. found the man had been shot multiple times on the front porch...
Police seek suspect in Hempfield gift card fraud
State police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a fraud suspect in an incident last month at the Hempfield Walmart. Police said a man shown in surveillance photos they released on Monday is suspected of making a fraudulent return of gift cards at the store at about 3 p.m....
District Judge Mik Pappas says he will not seek reelection in upcoming primary
The Highland Park magisterial district judge who made waves in Allegheny County’s criminal justice system by forgoing cash bail and occasionally refusing to sign warrants submitted by local law enforcement said he will not seek reelection in the spring 2023 primary. Pappas, 41, made the announcement Sunday afternoon on Twitter....
Monroeville Surgery Center ranks 1st in Newsweek list
Allegheny Health Network’s Monroeville Surgery Center was ranked first in Pennsylvania and No. 10 in the United States on Newsweek’s latest list of America’s Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers. AHN’s Westmoreland Outpatient Center and Bethel Park Surgery Center also made Newsweek’s list and were ranked fourth and eighth in Pennsylvania, respectively....
Light Up the Wall in Aspinwall helps hundreds prepare for the holiday season
People packed the streets of Commercial and Brilliant avenues in Aspinwall to celebrate the borough’s annual Light Up the Wall holiday celebration. Festivities began with a live nativity musical with second graders from Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy under the direction of teacher Margaret Katocs shortly before 5 p.m....
Pep rally in Monroeville celebrates Divine Mercy Academy athletics
Students at Divine Mercy Academy in Monroeville and members of their families had the opportunity to vote on a new name for the mascot representing the school’s sports teams, and the winner was revealed during a Nov. 18 pep rally celebrating Sabers athletics. Among them was Fletcher Dagit, who bested...
Springdale Mayor John Molnar dies at 81
Springdale Mayor John Molnar died Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. He was 81. Molnar, son of the late Catherine and Andrew Molnar, leaves behind his wife of 60 years, Donna, according to his obituary. He also is survived by two children, John (Laurie) Molnar and Michelle (Shawn) Smajda. The cause of...
Westmoreland County Prison guards injured, inmate from Irwin charged
A man being held at the Westmoreland County Prison was arraigned Monday on aggravated assault and terroristic threats charges after authorities said he injured three guards, according to court papers. Carl A. Jones, 33, of Irwin, is accused in the Oct. 31 incident at the Hempfield jail. Westmoreland County detectives...
Where to watch USA World Cup games in Pittsburgh
The biggest sporting event in the world has started as matches have begun for the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar. The world is watching and that goes for Pittsburgh as well, where a number of bars and establishments are hoping fans come to cheer on their favorite teams, especially...
Family of victims in East Huntingdon fire located
After more than two days of searching, members of the Westmoreland County coroner’s office have located family members of an elderly East Huntingdon couple killed in a fire Friday. Coroner Tim Carson said Monday that they located a son in Swissvale. Ernest E. Wright Sr., 87, and his wife, Nancy...
Sewickley Academy donates food, funds to Good Samaritan Parish
The Sewickley Academy community showcased their generosity once again with the annual “Spirit of Community” Thanksgiving Food Drive. On Nov. 16, students from the Lower, Middle and Senior schools delivered donated goods to the Good Samaritan Parish in Ambridge. Over the two-week collecting period, the Academy’s families, faculty and staff...
Motorcyclist injured in 2-vehicle crash on Route 356 in Allegheny Township
A motorcyclist was injured after colliding with another vehicle along Route 356 in Allegheny Township on Monday morning. The crash was reported at 10:48 a.m. at the intersection of Orr Avenue, according to a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor. The cyclist, whose identity was not released, was transported to a local...
Pittsburgh police ask for help to find man last seen in early November
Pittsburgh police are seeking help from the public to locate a man last seen on Nov. 5. William “Billy” Garasich Jr, 30, is known to frequent Stanton Heights and Lawrenceville. He also hangs around The Waterworks shopping plaza near Aspinwall, according to police. He is described as 5-foot-6, 145 pounds,...
