Western PA Local News category, Page 1265
Teen missing from Knoxville neighborhood found safe
A teenager missing from Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood was found safe. City police sought help from the public to find the 13-year-old boy who was last seen Thursday afternoon. He was found Friday, according to police....
Lawsuits request hand recounts of votes for governor, senator
Lawsuits alleging fraud and requesting hand recounts of results in the races for Pennsylvania governor and U.S. Senator have been filed in Westmoreland County and across the state. As of Friday, four cases were filed in Westmoreland County from voters in Lower Burrell, Delmont, Hempfield and Loyalhanna. One case was...
Penn State president asks for ‘time and grace’ to meet diversity, inclusion goals
Penn State’s top official on Friday met with a handful of faculty to discuss concerns over the administration’s controversial decision to slash plans for a center designed to promote diversity and equality on campus. President Neeli Bendapudi participated in an online town hall-style meeting with six members of the faculty...
Thomas G. Stanko ordered to stand trial in death of Cassandra Gross
Homicide charges against a Unity man suspected of killing Cassandra Gross were held for court Friday, despite unsuccessful searches for her body or remains in the last four and a half years since the Unity woman went missing. “Can you tell us how she died?” asked Marc Daffner, defense attorney...
Westmoreland judge announces bid for opening on Commonwealth Court
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. on Friday announced he will run for a vacant seat on the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court. Smail, 56, of Hempfield has served as a county judge since 2014. “My 8 1/2 years of experience in hearing a wide variety of cases is a...
No injuries reported in New Kensington crash that closed Tarentum Bridge Road
A portion of Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington was closed for a short time Friday morning after an SUV flipped between Leechburg Road and Carl Avenue. No injuries were reported, according to New Kensington Fire Department No. 2. Emergency crews responded to the crash just after 7 a.m. near...
Gingerbread houses on display at City-County Building in Pittsburgh
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the City-County Building. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Friday officially unveiled the city’s 20th annual gingerbread display, which will adorn the City-County Building lobby through the New Year. “It’s a great way to kick off the holiday season,” Gainey said. For...
Probation office ignored alert that North Side funeral shooting suspect shed ankle monitorVideo
Two days before police say Shawn Davis shot five people at a North Side funeral on Oct. 28, Allegheny County Adult Probation received an alert that his electronic monitoring ankle bracelet had been removed. No action was taken. “We get a lot of alerts,” Probation Supervisor Jason Bright testified in...
Allegheny Township police arrest man on sex charge after investigating ChildLine report
Allegheny Township police charged a man from Lawrence County with having an inappropriate sexual relationship with an underage girl they say gave birth to his child. Elijah James Sowerby, 19, of Riverview Avenue in New Castle faces a felony sex charge along with a count of corruption of a minor....
Survey asks Duquesne students about race, gender, sexuality as classroom topics
Students at Duquesne University received emails this month asking them to take a short survey to identify topics — such as race, gender and sexuality — that can make them uncomfortable when raised in class. It asks them to describe cases where professors responded well or poorly. “Recently, students have...
First-ever meatloaf dinner fundraiser a whopping success for Harrison Cub Scouts
Meatloaf dinners are paving the way for exciting Cub Scout activities in the new year. Pack 186, based out of Guardian Angels Parish in Harrison, hosted a fundraiser dinner Nov. 6 where more than 300 meals left the church kitchen. “It was the first time we attempted this type of...
2nd mill of tax for Washington Township Volunteer Fire Company prompts 1 mill tax hike in 2023
Real estate taxes in Washington Township will rise by 1 mill under the 2023 proposed budget. The proposed $3.5 million spending plan will come up for final passage at the township supervisors’ Dec. 8 meeting. Rich Gardner, supervisors chairman, said the tax increase is specifically to benefit the Washington Township...
New Kensington artist to debut animated short on WQED
Anyone watching WQED while trying to stay warm this weekend might happen to see an animated short about a goofy-looking seagull. Just know that the animation airing at 10 p.m. Saturday on the PBS affiliate’s Filmmakers Corner is actually the debut project of Brooke Doran, a 24-year-old Point Park University...
Faith Lutheran Church in Harrison to celebrate 50th anniversary
A reluctant merger of two local churches in 1972 has led to a thriving congregation at Faith Lutheran Church in Harrison. Parishioners will mark the 50th anniversary Saturday, celebrating a unity that “accomplished many wonderful things,” longtime member Elaine Sakaluk said. “Now we’re like family,” said Marilyn Gilkey of Cabot....
Leechburg native returns home to open bookstore/gift shop
Lindsey Smith has a way with words. The Leechburg native embraced writing and English from a young age, and now she’s using her decades of experience in the publishing industry with her latest venture: a bookstore and gift shop opening soon in downtown Leechburg. One Idea Books & Gifts will...
Building the Valley: Pittsburgh Coffee Co. truck rolls into Lower Burrell with freshly roasted brews
Like many, Morgan Lineman of Lower Burrell likes a good cup of coffee or a mocha, latte or cold brew. When Lineman, 28, lost her job during the pandemic while she was pregnant, the Lower Burrell woman and her husband charted a new course. “We decided to start something on...
Edgeworth officials plan to hold the line on real estate taxes in next year’s budget
Edgeworth officials hope to stave off a real estate tax hike despite rising costs. Council voted 6-0 on Nov. 15 to approve and advertise its preliminary 2023 budget. Councilman Dan Wilson was absent. The millage rate is projected to remain at 4.15 mills. Proposed revenues and expenses were listed at...
Greater Latrobe students with disabilities to benefit from career lab
Greater Latrobe students with disabilities will soon have the opportunity to gain a plethora of hands-on, career-relevant experiences within school walls. Next year, the district plans to introduce a Practical Assessment Exploration System Lab at the high school. The $30,000 lab will offer curriculum materials and onsite training for students...
Police: Greensburg woman tried to kill 8-year-old girl with fentanyl
A Greensburg woman is being held without bail after police said she gave an 8-year-old girl the powerful opioid fentanyl in an effort to cause her death, according to court papers. Authorities said they found Skye C. Naggy, 29, and the girl Oct. 25 in a wooded area near Loyalhanna...
Merger of Excela, Butler health systems to be finalized by year’s end, officials say
Excela Health and Butler Health System completed another step toward becoming one by entering into a definitive merger agreement, moving forward with a plan expected to generate more than $1 billion in revenue. The two networks signed a letter of intent to merge on June 1. The agreement announced Friday...
Mt. Pleasant man pleads guilty to drug sale in 2017 fatal overdose
A Westmoreland County judge made no guarantees but promised he would consider imposing a sentence with no time behind bars for a Mt. Pleasant man implicated in the fatal overdose of a friend nearly five years ago. The comments from Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears came during a hearing in...
Pittsburgh man accused in North Huntingdon bank robbery
A Pittsburgh man declined to take $182 from a North Huntingdon bank police said he tried to rob and instead fled in a stolen BMW, according to court papers. The owner of the car, along with fingerprints found at the PNC Bank on Norwin Avenue, helped investigators identify Bruce M....
South Huntingdon woman accused of DUI, crashing into state police patrol car
A South Huntingdon woman is accused of being intoxicated when she crashed into a marked state police patrol car last month on Route 31, according to court papers. Troopers said they found text messages on a cellphone belonging to Kennedy M. Horvat, 27, in which she admitted she fled the...
Greensburg kicks off holiday season with parade, window display, raffle
When units head south on Greensburg’s Main Street Saturday for the city’s annual holiday parade, they’ll pass by a scene not witnessed in about four decades. Windows at the former Troutman’s department store at Main and Second streets will be decorated for the holiday season — for the first time...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Nov. 18-20
Holiday shopping, animal encounters and parties celebrating art and history are on tap this weekend in Pittsburgh. German-style market The Peoples Gas Holiday Market opens Friday in Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh, with hours from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Inspired by the original German Christkindlmarkts (or “Christmas Markets”), the...
