Western PA Local News category, Page 14
Pressure at the pump builds as gas prices reach 4-year highVideo
Many in Western Pennsylvania braced themselves as they pulled up to the gas pump on Thursday. That’s because U.S. gas prices have soared this week to their highest levels in four years — about $4.30 per gallon nationally. Though prices for regular unleaded in the Pittsburgh region haven’t reached the...
Verona man wanted in connection with road rage incident
Verona police have issued an arrest warrant for a Verona man following a road rage incident that occurred earlier this month. In a post on the department’s Facebook, police asked for information on Keith Watson’s whereabouts. Police said they were dispatched to the intersection of South Avenue and School Street...
Zappala threatens charges against bank linked to problematic West Mifflin apartment complex
After 14 months with little progress addressing deteriorating living conditions at the Mon View Heights housing complex in West Mifflin, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said he is prepared to take a more aggressive approach. The complex, which has failed repeated inspections, is infested with raccoons, skunks,...
Assault charge against Knoch teacher dismissed
Assault and harrassment charges against Carly Miller, a former Knoch Primary School teacher, were dropped Thursday, more than a year after she was charged. Miller, 36, of Hampton had been charged with simple assault and harassment for a November 2024 incident, during which police said she struck an autistic student...
Vandergrift native Sade Taylor, a PennWest student, to serve on State System of Higher Education board
Sade Taylor, a Vandergrift native and Pennsylvania Western University student, has been named to the State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors. “I’m here to serve,” said Taylor, 20 and an early childhood education major at PennWest Edinboro. “I take this role very seriously. I’m committed to making students...
Some Banksville residents ‘furious’ over plan to house federal inmates in FOP building
Deb Wiley lives about half a mile from a property on Banksville Road that could soon house federal inmates, a prospect that leaves her unsettled. “Having criminals in our neighborhood is difficult for everybody,” Wiley, 68, of Banksville, told TribLive. Wiley, a member of the Banksville Civic Association, has been...
Proposed Hampton Township schools budget raises taxes 3.47%
Hampton school officials will consider a proposed budget that raises taxes 3.47% next year. The proposed $68.8 million spending plan would increase the school district’s millage rate from 23.93 mills to 24.75 mills, said Jeff Kline, co-director of administrative services. A home at Hampton’s median assessed property value of $176,500...
Heinz History Center offers glimpse inside newly underway expansionVideo
The Strip District’s Senator John Heinz History Center — the largest history museum in Pennsylvania — is now in the process of getting even bigger. Officials broke ground Thursday on a massive new expansion that sports sterling new features aimed at carrying the museum into the future. The moment comes...
IUP’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine gets state system approval
Indiana University of Pennsylvania has cleared another hurdle in establishing an osteopathic medicine college. IUP announced Thursday that its doctor of osteopathic medicine degree program was approved by Christopher Fiorentino, chancellor of the Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. It’s part of the process for any state system university to...
New Kensington Spring Fest to focus on artisansVideo
New Kensington will host a new art festival, Spring Fest, on May 9. Michelle Thom, Voodoo Brewing manager and Olde Towne Overhaul operations manager, said the new festival will be similar to Fridays on Fifth, but instead of being food-focused, the purpose is to engage with local art and creatives....
Public hearing set for new development on Westinghouse site in Churchill
Churchill officials will host a public hearing Monday for a set of zoning amendments that would pave the way for a walkable mixed-use development complex at the site of the former Westinghouse Research and Technology Park. The development project by Commonwealth Commercial Real Estate, dubbed Legacy Crossing, was first presented...
Police charge 4 in brazen gunpoint heist at Wilmerding vape shop
Four suspects have been charged — but only one apprehended — for armed robbery after stealing $25,000 worth of merchandise from a Wilmerding vape shop earlier this month. Police said the group — Israel Creath, 19, of North Versailles; Jaamayl Crosby, 20, of Pittsburgh; Jaamar Crosby, 17, of Dayton, Ohio;...
Harrison church gets boost from Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Restoration at a nearly 100-year-old Harrison church kicked off this week with help from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church on Broadview Boulevard was among the foundation’s 2026 historic religious properties grant recipients, which totaled $125,000 in matching grant funds. The church will use its grant...
Dollar Tree coming to The Waterworks shopping complex
A new business is set to open at The Waterworks. A Dollar Tree will open in May in the former Famous Footwear space, joining 15 other Dollar Tree locations in the Pittsburgh area. A contractor working April 28 inside the store said renovations are progressing and the work is expected...
Family of Unity woman who died in sinkhole sues restaurant, U.S. SteelVideo
The husband of a woman who died after falling into a Unity sinkhole in late 2024 has filed a lawsuit against the restaurant where the sinkhole opened, as well as the corporation that owns the abandoned mine underlying it. Kenneth Pollard of Unity filed the suit in Westmoreland County Court...
Hempfield will auction items from new fire station propertyVideo
Hempfield officials will work with an auctioneer to clear out items left behind at a property they intend to use for a new fire station. The township supervisors have approved a proposal from Bill Anderson Auctioneers that calls for the auction house to collect 10% of the proceeds. Township Manager...
Penn-Trafford area: Election Day food drive, Safety Town, chicken barbecue, more
Election Day food drive The Lions Club will host a food drive to benefit the Manor Food Pantry on Election Day, May 19. The event will be held at the local polling place, located in the Borough Building Community Room, 44 Main St. Donations will be accepted from 7 a.m....
Police say Monroeville man chased shoplifters with his car, hit 1
Clairton police have charged a Monroeville man with assault, saying he chased down two juveniles with his car and hit one of them last week in Clairton. Ahmed Aziz, 60, of Monroeville was charged with four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault, reckless endangering and related traffic...
Morning Roundup: Investigation finds Allentown fire was intentionally set; IRS places lien on former Steelers player’s property
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, April 30: Investigation finds Allentown fire was intentionally set Officials investigating an April 19 fire in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood say it was intentionally set. The city’s Fire Investigation Unit is working to determine the cause of the fire,...
2nd fan sues Pirates over ‘belt-whipping’ incident in 2025Video
The second of two men involved in an altercation last year with a PNC Park security guard at a Pirates game has also filed a lawsuit against the team. Joshua Gardner was leaving the Pirates game on May 4, 2025, with friend Patrick Egan, when Gardner bumped into a food-service...
The Stroller, April 30, 2026: 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. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Food drive planned Saturday...
Personal care home to breathe life into vacant Tarentum building
A 63-bed personal care home is scheduled to open this summer in Tarentum in a four-story building that has been vacant since 2012. Tarentum Care, a brick building with a patio and outdoor garden at 416 E. Seventh Ave., is situated among single- family homes. It’s a good fit, administrator Lawrence...
11-year-old Murrysville soccer player will head to France to compete this summerVideo
Vera Sharan of Murrysville is accustomed to scoring goals with her club soccer team. But this summer, she’ll have to get used to hearing, “Elle a marqué un but” in place of “She scored a goal!” Vera, 11, was recruited to play in France with an elite preprofessional youth football...
3 students, 3 firsts: Pitt-Greensburg honors seniors carve historic pathsVideo
Satellite college campuses can sometimes feel like a distant outpost of the main school. In recent years, some have fallen on tough times, including seven of Penn State’s satellite campuses that are slated to close in spring 2027 because of declining enrollment and budget constraints. At the University of Pittsburgh...
Judge sets $250K bond for Penn Township man accused of injuring neighbor
A Penn Township man accused of seriously injuring a neighbor was granted a $250,000 bond Wednesday. Jake G. Stepansky, 29, had been in custody without bond since his arrest last month on charges of aggravated assault, strangulation and reckless endangerment. During a hearing Wednesday, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Christopher...
