Local category, Page 1362
Harrison man arrested for burglary in 2013 charged with attempted gun purchase
A Harrison man faces a felony count of illegal transfer of a firearm after, police say, he didn’t tell authorities about his criminal record when he tried to buy a gun at a sporting goods store. In addition to the felony charge, Zakery Boreland, 24, of the 400 block of...
Letter to the editor: Build Quaker Valley High School as net zero energy building
Oil at $100/barrel, gasoline at $6/gallon, and natural gas about to be shut off for much of Europe … it just makes sense to make any newly constructed building as immune to these shocks as possible. The choice for the Quaker Valley School Board is clear: have the new Quaker...
Brackenridge focuses on revitalization, eyes 12 blighted structures for demolition
Five ramshackle structures in Brackenridge are expected to be razed this fall, and council is eyeing another seven to follow. It’s the first push in an effort to remove blight, clean the community and lay the groundwork for redevelopment. “It’s going to be fantastic,” Councilman Dino Lopreiato said. “They’ve been...
The Corner’s Opportunity Accelerator helps small-business owners in Alle-Kiski Valley
When Nicole Porterfield-Miller opens her breakfast restaurant, Cafe Nikki P, in New Kensington, it will be the realization of a dream. It started with a hobby making fruit and vegetable trays that she turned into a side business. “I never thought I could open a restaurant. I didn’t think that...
Woman accused of threatening to shoot Harmar gas station clerk over candy faces assault, robbery charges
A woman was arrested on her birthday after a clerk at the Marathon station in Harmar accused her of threatening to shoot him if he didn’t pay for her candy and then fighting with him when he tried to stop her from walking out with a pack of cigarettes. Samantha...
Transportation issues delayed Penn Hills students’ return home on first day
Students in Penn Hills School District returned to school on Aug. 29, and the day had its ups and downs, according to superintendent Dr. Nancy Hines. “Transportation was more challenging than we had expected, particularly for younger students. Several bus routes had to be combined, and that was confusing to...
Monessen man indicted on federal drug, gun charges
A Monessen man was indicted by a federal grand jury after federal and state investigators said he was in possession of drugs on three occasions, according to court papers unsealed Monday. Rashawn Ford, 27, is charged with possession with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a...
University of Pittsburgh police warn of scam targeting students
University of Pittsburgh police are warning of scams more than a week after students returned to campus for the fall semester. According to a post on the department’s Twitter page, officers have seen an increase in fraud cases where the agency’s phone number is spoofed and a person pretends to...
Police accuse North Hills man of beheading woodpecker sign at Upper Burrell tavern
A North Hills man is accused of decapitating the bird on a custom-made sign at Woodpeckers Pub & Grub in Upper Burrell and driving off with it as a souvenir. Matthew John Hoch, 33, of McIntyre Road in Richland Township was charged with felony counts of theft and receiving stolen...
Pittsburgh police say they caught man ‘rifling through the cash register’ at Downtown McDonald’s
Pittsburgh police arrested a man who they suspected of breaking into a McDonald’s restaurant in Downtown early Tuesday. Officers responded to the restaurant 500 Liberty Ave. around 1 a.m. Tuesday. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said officers found the front door shattered and the man “rifling through the cash register.”...
Monessen man killed in South Huntingdon crash
A Monessen man was killed early Tuesday morning in a wrong-way crash in South Huntingdon, state police said. Officers said 37-year-old Nathan T. Dzimiera of Leeds Avenue, was killed in the two-vehicle crash along Route 31, also known as Mt. Pleasant Road, near Hughes Lane. Dzimiera was driving south in...
Letter to the editor: Sewickley short-term rentals ordinance needs specifics
Having read the draft ordinance for short-term rentals being proposed by the Sewickley Borough Council, and after reading council member Tom Rostek’s comments in the Sewickley Herald on Aug. 18, I have the following comments: I agree with Mr. Rostek that the proposed ordinance is a “registration mechanism.” Where are...
The Stroller, Aug. 30, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15068. Please include a daytime telephone number. Dogs and owners welcome at annual HOPE Center fundraiser The annual Mutts,...
Police: Woman injured in Homewood shooting
A woman was shot in the leg late Monday in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, police said. Police officers said they responded to a shooting in the 7500 block of Kelly Street around 10:30 p.m. and found three vehicles that had been damaged from gunfire, said Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz....
Norwin teacher recognized for community involvement
Norwin High School’s show choir director has been recognized as one of the people in the Pittsburgh region who has made a difference in her community. Bridget Faulk has been named one of 22 Pittsburgh ChangeMakers in this fall’s class by the non-profit Multiplying Good, formerly known as the Jefferson...
Former Irwin School bell displayed at Mayor Dan Rose Memorial Park
Editor’s note: ‘What’s That?’ is a recurring feature in the Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Plus edition. If there’s something you’d like to see explored here, send an email to gtrcity@triblive.com A small park nestled between shops lining Main Street and the bustle of the Irwin Fire Department is more than just a...
Oz courts GOP voters at town hall event in Monroeville
Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former TV personality and celebrity surgeon, has struggled with his approval ratings ever since narrowly winning the Republican primary election in May, and at a campaign event in Monroeville he attempted to persuade his Republican base to come out and support his campaign for Pennsylvania’s open...
Early reopening possible for Logans Ferry Road as slide work progresses
Logans Ferry Road in Plum may reopen to traffic earlier than expected, a PennDOT spokesman said Monday. The heavily traveled road between Entrance Drive and Columbia Road near New Kensington has been closed since Aug. 2 while a contractor works to repair a landslide. The closure has forced the more...
Pittsburgh union leader Jack Shea remembered as a ‘giant’ in labor movement
Jack Shea was the face of the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council when he was its president for close to two decades, speaking at labor rallies and supporting strikers on the picket line. Shea died Monday, Aug. 29, 2022. He was 79. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald called Shea a “giant”...
New Pitt-Greensburg Life Sciences building expected to open early next year
Crews are busy constructing a new Life Sciences building at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg that will provide expanded, updated facilities for growing programs. The two-story, 32,000-square-foot building is expected to cost about $19.5 million and is scheduled to open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony early next year. The Pitt-Greensburg...
Fun with fungi: Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club plans North Park foray
When it comes to identifying mushrooms, some folks get about as far as distinguishing between the little ones you slice to put on pizza and the big ones that fit nicely inside of a burger bun. Then there are the mycologists within the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club. “In general, a...
Charges withdrawn against man suspected in Unity woman’s disappearance
Criminal charges in three unrelated cases were dismissed against a man authorities have labeled a “person of interest” in a Unity woman’s disappearance. Charges of attempted burglary, forgery and tampering with evidence stemming from arrests in 2018 and 2019 were withdrawn against Thomas Stanko, 52, of Unity this month. Those...
Man enters guilty plea related to 2017 Youngwood house fire
An Irwin man pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge stemming from a 2017 fire at his former home in Youngwood. Shaun Wallace, 41, was ordered to serve two years on probation and six months of house arrest for his involvement in the second of two fires police said were...
Westmoreland jury returns split verdict against man charged in incidents near school, police station
Jurors delivered a split verdict this week in two cases against a former Westmoreland County man who was charged in connection with November 2019 incidents outside a Derry Area School District elementary school and at the Kiski Valley state police station. Justin Juan De La Cruz Martinez, 42, of Illinois,...
Woman pleads guilty to running down, killing man she had been dating
A woman accused of running down a man she had been dating with a car in Homewood last year pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree murder. Ausha Dakisha Brown, 27, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Elliot Howsie on Nov. 28 and remains in custody. There is no...
