Western PA Local News category, Page 1391
Remember When: Railroads and their functioning structures left visible stamp on Alle-Kiski Valley
One of the key routes in the nation’s era of industrial prosperity cut through the Alle-Kiski Valley. The Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad, founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1897, carried iron ore and coal from Conneaut, Ohio, to East Pittsburgh. It fed Carnegie’s Mon Valley steel mills with raw materials....
Highlands looks to combat poor student attendance with rewards, repercussions
Highlands High School Principal Laura Burns said students find greater success in the classroom when they attend school regularly. But getting kids to school appears to be a problem. Administrators are fighting to buoy dismal attendance rates at the high school, as data show that only about 70% of the...
Ukrainian refugee and her daughter find a home in Sewickley
When Russia began its war with Ukraine six months ago, Katerina Boyko thought it would be over in three days. She could not have imagined that the war would still be raging half a year later, and that she and her 13-year-old daughter Alexa would end up living half a...
PennDOT to unveil plans for rehab of historic Youghiogheny River bridge in West Newton
PennDOT will hold an in-person meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 31, to display plans for rehabilitating the Route 136 bridge that crosses the Youghiogheny River in West Newton. According to project planners, the proposed rehabilitation is intended to maintain the historic significance of the metal truss bridge, which was built in...
In-depth look at Route 30 corridor key to Hempfield comprehensive plan
Hempfield leaders are taking a closer look at the Route 30 corridor running through the center of the township as they move forward with updating a comprehensive plan. Supervisors this week approved creation of the Central Westmoreland Economic District Corridor Committee, or the HT30 Committee. The group will create a...
Nature hike in Pine man’s memory to support cancer survivors group
A 3K nature hike in North Park will be held in memory of a young Pine man who died from cancer a year ago. Christian Cochran was 23 when he died Sept. 1, 2021, a little over a year after he was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the...
Westmoreland happenings: Tree and shrub sale, tea, yard sale
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to Carol Pinto-Smith at cpinto-smith@triblive.com or mailed to Briefly Speaking, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks before the event. Each announcement is printed once; there...
Students in southern Butler County set to begin school year at district with new name
Students in six south Butler County communities will return to classes Thursday for a new school year under a new district name. More than a year ago, officials in the South Butler County School District began the process of changing the district’s name to Knoch School District. School officials said...
2 motorcyclists seriously hurt in Indiana County crash
Two motorcyclists were seriously hurt in a crash Saturday in Indiana County, not far from the Westmoreland County border. State police said Bruce P. Kunkle, 59, of Saltsburg and Joseph Ross, 60, of New Alexandria were traveling north on Route 286 in Conemaugh Township at 1 p.m. when Kunkle’s hat...
Pittsburgh firefighter treated for heat exhaustion at house fire in Allegheny West
A Pittsburgh firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion after battling a fire that broke out early Wednesday at a home in Allegheny West, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Fire crews responded shortly after 12:40 a.m. to the 900 block of Western Avenue, according to Allegheny County emergency dispatchers. The...
Sewickley Academy puts an emphasis on security for the new school year
The first day of school for students at Sewickley Academy is Sept. 1. Over the summer, the pre-K through grade 12 private school put a hard emphasis on student and faculty safety. “In response to national events, Sewickley Academy has utilized the summer months to evaluate and upgrade our security...
The Stroller, Aug. 24, 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. Super bingo to benefit Gilpin K9 officer A super bingo to benefit...
4 bridges on Route 711 targeted for replacement
Motorists on Route 711 may run into temporary detours during the 2023 construction season, when PennDOT expects to replace four bridges along the road in Westmoreland and Fayette counties. Plans for all four bridges may be viewed online through Aug. 31. Visit PennDOT.pa.gov/District12 and click on “Public Meetings/Studies” under the...
Investigation continues for car pulled from Allegheny River in Oakmont
Oakmont police are trying to find out who owns an old model Pontiac Firebird — and how it got into the Allegheny River. The submerged sports car was discovered upside down Tuesday afternoon by kayaker Ian Simmers, 13, of Verona. Ian said he was out on the river with his...
Fetterman addresses union supporters at Pittsburgh rally, but avoids media questions
Hundreds of union members held a rally Tuesday at the United Steelworkers headquarters in Downtown Pittsburgh to support Democrats that the union endorsed, including congressional candidate Chris DeLuzio, state House candidate Dr. Arvind Venkat and U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman. It was one of Fetterman’s first public appearances in Pittsburgh...
East End Kids group performs ‘Sensational Sondheim’ in Monroeville, schedules auditions in Export
East End Kids, a service-performance group, is preparing to host auditions for the group’s winter season performances. Auditions will be held at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 28 at DeStella Dance Centre, 5800 Kennedy Ave., Export. Performers ages 12 to 18 are eligible to try out for the troupe. “You never know...
Bridge inspection scheduled in Marshall
PennDOT District 11 is announcing that southbound I-79 bridge inspection work in Marshall Township will occur Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 24-25 weather permitting. Single-lane restrictions will occur as needed on the southbound I-79 bridge over Route 19 for inspection activities. Restrictions will occur from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each...
U.S. senators request State Department declare Oakmont man jailed in Russia ‘wrongfully detained’
A bipartisan group of 10 U.S. senators, including both of Pennsylvania’s, signed on to a letter Tuesday requesting Secretary of State Antony Blinken designate Oakmont native Marc Fogel as being “wrongfully detained” under federal law. The Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act is named in honor of former...
Here is Pittsburgh’s end of summer pool schedule
Most of Pittsburgh’s outdoor public pools will stay open with their current hours of operation through Sunday, while some will remain open through Labor Day. According to Mayor Ed Gainey, the city opened 12 pools this summer, four more than last year. The Highland Park and Sue Murray pools closed...
Meta reveals future of realistic avatars at offices in Pittsburgh
The future of ultra-realistic human avatars has started, and technology for it is being developed in Pittsburgh. Meta, the Menlo Park, Calif.- based global tech company that operates Facebook, Oculus and other tech firms, provided a media tour of its Strip District offices on Tuesday. The company moved into the...
Oakmont Boy Scouts celebrate 75th anniversary
Boy Scouts of America Troop 854 is holding its 75th-anniversary celebration on Sept. 3 at the place where the group has met since 1947, when it was known as Troop 84: Oakmont Presbyterian Church, 415 Pennsylvania Ave. The event will feature guest speakers including Jim Hamilton, an Eagle Scout from...
Renovations underway at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel
Cooper-Siegel Community Library created such a buzz when it opened 11 years ago that it lacked ample parking from day one. At long last, the facility along Fox Chapel Road is expanding its parking lot thanks to the purchase of an adjacent property for $350,000 using funds from a bequest...
Ex-Shaler substitute teacher convicted in Capitol riots
The former Shaler substitute teacher accused of attacking a police line during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection was convicted by a federal judge Tuesday on several felony charges. Robert Morss, 29, of Glenshaw; Geoffrey William Sills, 31, of Mechanicsville, Va.; and David Lee Judd, 36, of Carrollton, Texas — were...
Man gets 3 to 6 years for fatal shooting over marijuana in Stowe
Peyton Wiser’s defense attorney described his client as a kind, gentle teen who took in injured animals and homeless friends when they needed help. But the prosecution said Wiser also sold marijuana and, when confronted for selling bad product, chose to shoot a man twice in the head instead of...
Verona’s Battle in the Borough 4 benefits first responders
An event to benefit first responders wrapped up, fittingly enough, in an ambulance. Verona’s Battle in the Borough 4 took place Aug. 20 at Cribbs Field, with the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance putting on a series of matches pitting “babyfaces,” as they call fan favorites, against villainous “heels.” Culminating the...
