Western PA Local News category, Page 1430
The Stroller, July 23, 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. Bike ride to raise money for scholarships The Cody Allen Trim Scholarship...
Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh permits cup during Holy Communion, but parish reactions split
Churches within the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh now are permitted to make their own call when it comes to offering sacramental wine at Holy Communion. Bishop David Zubik announced June 24 the diocese will allow each parish’s pastor to assess whether the Communion chalice should be reimplemented during Mass. The...
North Allegheny student is top 10 scientist in challenge
North Allegheny incoming freshman Sritej Padmanabhan is a 3M Young Scientist Challenge Top 10 finalist for his study of hand tremors suffered by those with Parkinson’s disease. The grand winner of the competition in October wins $25,000 and is named 3M America’s Top Young Scientist for 2022. Parkinson’s disease is...
Springdale police accuse tree trimmer of failing to finish work after cashing check
Springdale police charged the owner of a tree trimming company with felony counts of fraud after a homeowner accused him of cashing a check for work that was never completed. John Francis Kotvas Jr., 38, whose last known address was in the 400 block of Short Street in Plum, faces...
Summer in the City attendees get chance to dunk Greensburg Salem school officials, more events Saturday
Greensburg Salem Night was the theme on Friday, the second day of Greensburg’s three-day downtown Summer in the City celebration. Greensburg Salem School District administrators were among volunteers who took their chances in a dunk tank that raised money to benefit the Greensburg police K-9 program. The teen Westmoreland Performing...
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...
