Local category, Page 1408
Johnstown Inclined Plane work still on schedule for 2023 reopening
JOHNSTOWN — The Johnstown Inclined Plane, which has been closed and under rehabilitation since early this year, is still on schedule to be running by next summer, CamTran officials said Friday. Almost all the ties have been replaced. Vegetation has been put into place and water redirected to help with...
State AG accuses used car dealer of selling unsafe cars with useless warranties; owner denies wrongdoing
The state Attorney General’s Office has taken legal action against a Sharpsburg used car dealership accused of knowingly selling numerous vehicles that weren’t roadworthy and came with worthless warranties. Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Friday announced his office has filed a lawsuit against JK Motor Cars at 1214 Main St....
Crews clear crashed rig, fuel spill, traffic restrictions on Turnpike near Irwin
Westbound traffic restrictions on the Pennsylvania Turnpike were cleared at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, more than four hours after a tractor-trailer crashed into a barrier at the Irwin interchange. No injuries were reported in the wreck, which occurred shortly after 6 p.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. The...
McKeesport men charged in robbery, assault of 90-year-old Elizabeth Township woman
Two McKeesport men are accused of robbing a 90-year-old woman in a home invasion early Thursday in Elizabeth Township, and one of the suspects is charged with assaulting her. The woman told township police she was sitting in her living room watching television when her cable service went out and...
ATV fire in South Buffalo sends 1 to burn center
A four-wheeler all-terrain vehicle caught fire Friday afternoon in South Buffalo, sending one person to a regional burn center. The fire was reported shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Freeport Road. First responders said the fire was out when crews arrived, but a patient suffered minor burns to his legs. He...
Judge rules intent to harm supports murder count in Derry Township homicide
Westmoreland County prosecutors will be allowed to seek a first-degree murder conviction against a Unity man who, police say, shot into a Derry Township home and killed a woman as she slept. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger, in a 20-page opinion issued Friday, rejected a defense request that claimed there...
Penn Township man charged in double homicide found competent to stand trial
A Westmoreland County judge has ruled a Penn Township man charged with the 2021 killings of his father and aunt is competent to stand trial. Police contend Neal M. Hubish, 42, killed his father, Arthur Hubish, 71, and aunt Maria Puskarich, 76, inside their Burrell Hill Road home Nov. 9....
State trooper justified in fatal Mount Pleasant Township shooting, DA says
Washington County’s top prosecutor on Friday said a Pennsylvania State Trooper was justified when he opened fire and killed a passenger during a May traffic stop in Mount Pleasant Township. The trooper, who authorities have not identified, will not face criminal charges. The shooting, which stemmed from the stop of...
Man convicted in 2018 Penn Hills home invasion
A Penn Hills man charged in a violent home invasion in which he beat a man to death was found guilty Thursday of second-degree murder. Charles Pershing, 40, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kelly Bigley on Oct. 18. He faces a mandatory prison term of life...
‘That was my last day,’ Quecreek miner says of rescue date after 30-year career
Ron Hileman’s last day underground as a coal miner was July 28, 2002. Being trapped 240 feet below the surface in Quecreek Mine for 77 hours with eight other miners was enough to make him retire. “That was my last day,” he said. Hileman, 69, of Gray, had spent almost...
Penn State increases tuition costs for some, not all, students
Penn State University’s board of trustees approved a tuition increase of 5% for in-state University Park undergraduates and 2% for their commonwealth campus counterparts. That’s the university’s largest tuition hike in 12 years, but it comes with a caveat: In-state and out-of-state students who have a household income of $75,000...
Pennsylvania-owned universities hope to increase financial aid, graduation rates
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is starting the final stage of its plan to rethink how it manages state-owned schools. PASSHE’s board of governors approved the third phase during a meeting this week. Among numerous goals, it aims to increase financial aid and graduation rates for students at...
Security agents catch 13th gun this year at Pittsburgh International Airport
Security agents stopped a Swissvale woman with a loaded gun and package of ammunition at a checkpoint Thursday at Pittsburgh International Airport, a Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman said. The 9mm handgun was loaded with two rounds and packed alongside a container of 35 other bullets, said TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein....
Pittsburgh Bus Rapid Transit project costs grow, undergoing scope revisions
Pittsburgh’s Bus Rapid Transit project is still set to upgrade stations and boost reliability of buses between the city’s two largest business districts - Downtown and Oakland - but officials now say the project is going to cost more than initially estimated, and some of its scope is shrinking. On...
Irwin man sentenced in stabbing now charged with hiding shank in cell
An Irwin man sentenced Monday for stabbing a man inside a borough bar was one of two inmates arraigned Friday on multiple charges of hiding shanks — homemade knives — in their jail cells, according to court documents. Joshua J. Robison, 26, of Irwin, and Jerome W. Thornton, 31, of...
Judge won’t move Capitol riot trials for ex-Shaler teacher, others
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Friday denied a motion to change venue for the former Shaler substitute teacher charged in the Jan. 6 riot, saying that he believed it was possible to select a fair jury in the nation’s capitol. Defense attorneys for Robert Morss and several of...
Greensburg Garden Center member pens song for annual butterfly release
Greensburg Garden Center’s annual butterfly releases will be extra special this year, with a song written especially for the event. Member J.D. Peterson of Greensburg will perform her composition, “The Life Cycle of the Butterfly,” as part of a brief, fun educational program she will present during releases at 11...
Allegheny County Controller O’Connor to use $50K grant to clear some juvenile records
Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor said that his office will use a $50,000 grant to clear the records of former juvenile offenders who have satisfied all other conditions of the judgments against them. Juvenile records typically are cleared at age 21 if all judgments are satisfied. If fines and fees...
Brighton Heights offers amenities, parks in walkable area: A Guide to Pittsburgh
Overlooking the Ohio River, Brighton Heights is the largest neighborhood in Pittsburgh’s North Side. “Brighton Heights is such a great neighborhood,” said City Councilman Bobby Wilson, who represents the area. “Once you get up the hill, it’s very walkable. You see a lot of people walking the neighborhood. It really...
South Buffalo family’s ice cream truck makes rounds in Alle-Kiski Valley
A South Buffalo family has a sweet new side hustle. Cup and Cone Ice Cream, which the family operates from a van, kicked off its inaugural route June 6 in Buffalo Township. Businessman Kent Snyder, 52, pitched the idea of an ice cream truck business to his wife, Mary, and...
Kiski Township supervisor/former treasurer files discrimination complaint against township
A Kiski Township supervisor, who is the former township treasurer, has filed a complaint accusing the township of gender discrimination. Sherry Tamski filed the gender discrimination complaint against the township with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Tamski was fired from her treasurer job earlier...
Gainey looks to increase diversity in Pittsburgh boards, commissions
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Thursday announced an effort to increase diversity on the city’s boards and commissions. As part of the initiative, the city launched an application available to all city residents who want to apply for a spot volunteering on a city board or commission. “City government must...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: July 22-24
Funky Friday The funky soul sounds of Joslyn & The Sweet Compression will fill Greensburg’s St. Clair Park on Friday, as the weekly SummerSounds concert gets underway at 7 p.m. Powerhouse vocalist Joslyn Hampton and her brass-heavy band play original music influenced by generations of groove music. Band member Marty...
Greensburg music studio strives for an inclusive, welcoming vibe
The Greensburg-based Practice Makes Perfect Music Studio offers an array of classes, from piano and strings, to reeds and brass, to voice and percussion — including the boomwhacker, a hollow plastic tube tuned to a specific musical pitch by its length. “The only thing we don’t have — and we’re...
‘A sticky weekend’: Temps in the upper 80s, 90s expected in Pittsburgh region
It’s going to get hot in the Pittsburgh region this weekend. As a heat wave sweeps across the nation, the area will see temperatures upward of 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures are expected in the upper 80s on Friday and Saturday and low-to-mid 90s on Sunday, according to Lee Hendricks, meteorologist...
