Western PA Local News category, Page 1338
1 injured in armed carjacking in Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood
A man was injured early Wednesday in a carjacking in Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood. Pittsburgh police responded to a reported carjacking just before 4 a.m. Wednesday in the 800 block of Herschel Street. At the scene, officers found a man bleeding from the head. He told officers he had been approached...
Fall allergies share symptoms with covid; ragweed a leading trigger
A stuffy, runny nose could be a sign that your body is coping with a flu or covid-19 infection, or it could be an overreaction to an allergen. The maturation of pollen-packed plants like ragweed means the fall allergy season has arrived in Western Pennsylvania. “If you have nasal congestion,...
Fox Chapel council appoints junior member
Logan Dressman has dreams of being a foreign service officer for the federal government. It may take several years for the Fox Chapel Area High School junior and Model UN club head delegate to reach his goal as an American diplomat with the Department of State. Elected leaders in his...
Motorcyclist injured in New Kensington accident
A motorcyclist is in the hospital after an accident on Tuesday evening in New Kensington. The accident occurred at around 9:50 p.m. in the 1100 block of Seventh Street, according to a Westmoreland County dispatcher. EMS transported the motorcycle driver to an area hospital, the dispatcher said. No further information...
Fox Chapel police to add more body cameras to their equipment stock
The Fox Chapel police will soon have body cameras available for all officers. Council unanimously voted on Sept. 19 to buy five, new, body-worn cameras from Motorola Solutions for $15,695 to be added to the six body-worn cameras and four in-car cameras the borough began using in July. Council also...
Architects for proposed Quaker Valley High School will be paid $50,000 to study how to reduce its energy usage
Architects of a proposed Quaker Valley High School will study how to make the facility more energy efficient as attorneys representing parties for and against the project continue their legal battle in Allegheny County Court. School directors voted 8-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 20 to approve a $50,000 contract amendment with...
Leechburg fire company’s carnival continues through weekend
The annual Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company carnival opened Tuesday and continues through Saturday night at the fire company grounds, 268 Canal St. Gates open at 6 p.m. nightly and admission is free. There is a cost to ride the rides and play carnival games. There is food, rides, games, and...
Burgettstown man gets maximum sentence for third-degree murder in 3-year-old boy’s beating death
A Burgettstown man will serve 20 to 40 years in prison for killing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son last year. Tyler Scott Mason, 27, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder on June 21 for the beating death of Aiden Lombardi. On Monday, he was sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kelly...
South Hills Junior Orchestra invites participants
South Hills Junior Orchestra has kicked off its Fall/Winter 2022 season with regularly scheduled weekly rehearsals. Free trial practices of SHJO are free and open to amateur musicians of all ages. They are held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays at Upper St. Clair High School, 1825 McLaughlin Run...
Defendant takes the stand in Homewood triple fatal fire trial
Martell Smith spent nearly eight hours in a Pittsburgh police interview room on Dec. 20, 2017, being questioned about a fire in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood that killed three people earlier that day. Investigators suspected the fire had been purposefully set and that gasoline was used. They also knew that when...
Witnesses say bar fight started with quip and ended in near death
James Lookabaugh said a fight prompted by an offhanded response to a man he had just met at a North Belle Vernon bar three years ago nearly turned tragic. Lookabaugh, 47, of Texas, testified to a Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday he owned an oil and gas business and was...
Trial for sex trafficking of teen ends in guilty plea for Turtle Creek man
A Turtle Creek man pleaded guilty Tuesday to the sex trafficking of a 14-year-old runaway from New Kensington. Davon Allen Fuqua, 36, cut short his trial midway through testimony from his accuser, who told a Westmoreland County jury she was transported with a prostitute to have sex with two older...
Harmar to maintain Springdale Township road to help residents
Harmar supervisors approved an agreement allowing the township to permanently maintain a section of road in neighboring Springdale Township. Under the memorandum of understanding, according to township engineer Matt Pitsch, Harmar will maintain Crone Hollow Road from its intersection with High Street in Springdale Township to the Harmar line. As...
30 employers expected at job fair set on Monday near Youngwood
About 30 employers are expected at a job fair scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. Monday at the PA Career Link office adjacent to Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood. Employers will be seeking workers in health care, nursing homes, gambling, staffing, machining, manufacturing, higher education and the package delivery...
Pittsburgh nonprofit gets $120K grant for Fern Hollow Bridge restoration, Frick Park rehab
Pittsburgh’s new Fern Hollow Bridge could be finished by the end of the year, but the collapse of the old Fern Hollow Bridge in January has left lingering damage to the valley below. Upstream Pittsburgh, an environmental nonprofit, has received a $120,000 state grant that could help address that, said...
Indecent graffiti in Kennedy Park in Vandergrift draws ire from parents
The last thing Vandergrift resident Sarah Cooper expected to find at her local park during an outing Sunday with her young son was X-rated graffiti. Cooper said her 10-year-old son noticed vulgar images of male genitals and obscene words spray-painted on two stone pillars at the entrance to Kennedy Park....
Trump FBI search puts unusual spotlight on National Archives nominee, a Norwin graduate
WASHINGTON — As a novelist, Colleen Shogan has imagined the most vivid of Washington dramas. Larceny at the Library of Congress. A homicide in the House of Representatives. A stabbing in the U.S. Senate. But Shogan is about to become a protagonist in a storyline too fantastical for fiction —...
Plans for $1.3 million renovation of Overlook Park in Whitehall released
Whitehall officials have revealed plans for an estimated $1.3 million redevelopment project at Overlook Park. They include a new playground and swings, installation of an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant pathway to the playground, upgrades to the baseball field and improved access via rebuilt stairs from Spring Valley and Orchard...
Linton Middle School unveils STEM lab, New Directions room
Penn Hills School District’s Linton Middle School unveiled a recently completed STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) lab, as well as a New Directions room. On Sept. 15, the school district also welcomed Sen. Jay Costa (D-Forest Hills) to tour and dedicate the upgraded spaces. First on the tour was...
Prime Stage earns American Council of the Blind award for audio description services
Nathan Ruggles’ work as an audio describer at Prime Stage Theatre means he is responsible for bringing the visual elements of live theater to visually impaired audience members. “It’s all about making that visual imagery present and accessible to people who have visual impairment,” said Ruggles, 48, of Pittsburgh’s Mount...
18 Under Eighteen: Junior Achievement calls for nominations
Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania, headquartered in South Fayette, seeks to showcase and celebrate a dozen and a half young people through the initiative 18 Under Eighteen. This year, the organization recognized the inaugural class, which represented a diverse cross-section of the region and varied backgrounds. JA is accepting nominations...
Improvements eyed at Flight 93 memorial’s western overlook
Planning and fundraising for a new facet of the Flight 93 National Memorial is underway as nonprofit group plans to enhance the western overlook, the spot where families got their first glimpse of the Sept. 11, 2001 crash site. Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial executive director Donna Gibson said...
Mt. Pleasant man charged after incident in Westmoreland County courtroom
A man accused of incidents involving two nurses at the Westmoreland County Prison was charged Monday after a woman was injured when he “thrusted himself” at his attorney in a courtroom, according to court papers. Joe Paul Biller, 37, of Mt. Pleasant, is facing a charge of simple assault. Westmoreland...
Homecoming festivities scheduled at Chartiers Valley
As the 2022 football season progresses, Chartiers Valley High School’s Homecoming is approaching. The Colts will play Montour at 7 p.m. Oct. 14, and preceding the game is a Homecoming Carnival, to take place from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 12 During the carnival, guests will have the opportunity to...
Pa. court hears argument on whether life without parole for 2nd-degree murder is cruel, unusual punishmentVideo
When Derek Lee illegally entered a home in Elliott in 2014, he had no intention of killing anyone. He and his co-defendant, Paul Durham, had gone to the house to rob its occupants. But while Lee was upstairs, Durham shot and killed a man in the basement. Both men were...
