Western PA Local News category, Page 1477
Westmoreland County Transit Authority to buy 20 new paratransit vehicles
Westmoreland County Transit Authority is updating its fleet of paratransit vehicles as it reports seeing ridership numbers for the door-to-door, shared-ride service recover after slumping during the covid-19 pandemic. The authority on Thursday approved buying 20 new paratransit mini-buses to replace similar vehicles. Executive Director Alan Blahovec said the authority...
Readers share photos of Thursday’s eye-catching clouds
People watching the skies above Allegheny County and surrounding areas Thursday evening for signs of potential thunderstorms instead were treated to vistas of clouds resembling fluffy cotton balls. Known as mammatus clouds, they are a rare example of clouds that form in sinking air instead of rising air, according to...
Oakmont Greek Food Festival returns with bigger layout and menu than last year
The Oakmont Greek Food Festival is returning with a more substantial layout and menu. This marks the 48th year for the festival, presented by the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church at 12 Washington Ave. Food will be served from noon to 9 p.m. June 24-26. Live music and...
Fire damages home in New Kensington
Firefighters from multiple departments responded to a house fire in the 300 block of New Kensington’s Fifth Avenue on Thursday night. The fire at 324 Fifth Ave. in the Parnassus section of the city was reported shortly before 8:30 p.m. Crews used three ladders to get to the second floor...
Infant who died in Upper St. Clair after being left in vehicle for hours is identified
A 3-month-old boy died Thursday after police said he was left inside a vehicle for several hours in Upper St. Clair. Allegheny County Police Lt. Venerando Costa said in a statement Friday that it will be up to District Attorney’s Office as to whether charges are filed in the child’s...
Comfort Inn in Wilkins evacuated after small fire in laundry room
Burning rags led to the evacuation of the Comfort Inn in Wilkins on Thursday afternoon. Volunteer firefighters from several communities responded to the hotel off Rodi Road shortly before 3:40 p.m. “We were alerted by management to smoke in the building in a three-story hotel,” Wilkins Fire Chief Jason Davis...
Volunteers brave heat to assemble bicycles for Westmoreland County kids in need
Maj. Scott Flanders, director of the Salvation Army location in New Kensington, knows having a bicycle on long summer days is one of the joys of growing up. Thanks to volunteers and the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, 100 kids will be well-equipped to ride. About 50 volunteers braved the...
Oakland Planning and Development Corp. board members resign in clash with director
Several board members of an influential community development group in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood resigned Thursday, citing differences with the group’s executive director, according to a letter obtained by the Tribune-Review. In the letter to Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, Jake Oresick, the now-former board president of the Oakland Planning and Development...
Bethel Park High School graduates Class of 2022
Bethel Park High School held its 113th annual commencement at Black Hawk Stadium on June 3, under a beginning with a moment of silence to honor the late Jon Gentile, a history teacher at the school who passed away the week before. The 320 members of the Bethel Park High...
Medical examiner releases identity of pedestrian hit, killed on Route 286 in Plum
Authorities have released the identity of a man who died after being hit by a vehicle along Route 286 in Plum last Monday night. Nicholas Edward Witucki, 36, of Pittsburgh was struck shortly after 11 p.m. June 6 while walking along Golden Mile Highway in the borough’s Holiday Park section....
Murrysville creates ‘do-not-knock’ list for residents to opt out of most types of soliciting
Murrysville residents now can opt out of most types of solicitation through a “do-not-knock” list that will be given to anyone applying for a solicitation license. Council voted 7-0 to approve an updated version of its peddling and soliciting ordinance to give residents the ability to restrict who can walk...
Hampton-area happenings: Farmer’s market, garden tour, more
Farmer’s market held Wednesday afternoons The Township of Hampton Farmer’s Market is held from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through mid-October in the lower parking lot of the Hampton Community Center, 3101 McCully Road. Vendors for 2022 include Bates & Hayes Concessions, Carlos Aviles Farms, Cindy Munchies, Cunning House Supply...
Junior Council people sought in McCandless
High school seniors and juniors in McCandless can now apply to serve as junior council members for the 2022-2023 school year. McCandless is accepting applications up to July 5. Junior council members are non-voting positions, but they can be involved in town matters in largely with projects of their choice,...
Westmoreland group plans Juneteenth programs in 3 communities
Greensburg’s Unity in the Community group has added Jeannette as a third Westmoreland County venue for its second annual weekend of programs celebrating the Juneteenth holiday. The Celebrating Freedom events begin Friday in Greensburg, with speakers and activities scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Westmoreland County YWCA headquarters,...
Sealing proposed jury questionnaire in Tree of Life case just the latest document hidden from public view
Attorneys for the government and defense in the criminal case involving the mass shooting at Tree of Life synagogue filed a joint motion this week to submit their proposed jury questionnaire under seal. The motion was docketed at 11:13 a.m. Monday. The judge granted the request less than six hours...
North Huntingdon delays decision on waiving building permit fee for Norwin
Norwin school officials will have to wait another month before finding out whether North Huntingdon will waive a $15,575 building permit fee for a school roofing project. The township commissioners on Wednesday tabled making a decision until July on the requested waiver. The move comes a week after a majority...
Rostraver commissioner accepted to enter ARD program in harassment case
Rostraver Township Commissioner John J. Lorenzo was permitted to enter a probationary program Thursday and a judge ordered that his in-person participation in some board meetings be restricted. The order was part of an agreement with the state Attorney General’s office, which prosecuted accusations that Lorenzo used fictitious Facebook accounts...
State police seeking information in theft of 8,000 golf balls in Somerset County
Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information that leads to the arrest of the persons responsible for stealing 8,000 golf balls from a Somerset County golf course. State police in Somerset report that the Oakbrook Golf Course located at 251 Golf Course Road in Jenner Township reported this...
Monroeville chiropractor to help athletes, caddies in Senior Open
A Monroeville chiropractor will be part of a volunteer team of professionals ready to treat players and caddies of the 42nd U.S. Senior Open. Brent Shealer, 44, of Gibsonia plans to shut down his practice along Northern Pike for about a week as he heads out to Saucon Valley Country...
South Side artist creates colorful cleats for Steelers, other pro players
Matt Speck is an artist. But you won’t find his work in a gallery. It will be walking or running around. The South Side resident paints footwear, specifically cleats. “I think athletes sometimes get dehumanized, so these cleats help them express themselves on the field,” Speck said. “It shows their...
Blawnox woman presents story of her parents, Holocaust survivors, June 30 at Fox Chapel library
Kurt and Edith Leuchter spent their childhoods in Europe hiding from Nazis during World War II. That they survived the war was one miracle. That they found one another again in the United States was another. Their daughter, Debbie Leuchter Stueber of Blawnox, plans to present her parents’ story June...
Police find drugs, missing teen girl in North Huntingdon motel; man arrested
An Ohio man was found in a North Huntingdon motel Wednesday with marijuana, a gun and a 16-year-old girl who had been reported missing, according to court papers. Robert Easley, 40, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, drug possession, corruption of minors and related offenses. He was being...
Death penalty option remains against man accused of killing Uber driver
A judge on Thursday ruled against the Allegheny County Public Defender’s office in its bid to prohibit the district attorney from seeking death against the man accused of killing an Uber driver in February. The public defender’s office, which is representing Calvin Crew on homicide charges in the Feb. 10...
Penn Trafford happenings: Free concert, Claridge Fair, bingo
Concordia at Cabot to host concert The Concordia at Cabot Haven Apartments will host a free concert at 4 p.m. June 26 by Penn-Trafford Community Band. The two hour concert will be held at the Haven II Patio, 148 Marwood Road, Cabot. In case of inclement weather, the concert will...
Pine-Richland hires Hernandez as new high school principal
Pine-Richland High School’s new principal won’t need to spend the first days on the job finding his way around the building or getting to know the staff and students. Frank Hernandez, the assistant principal since joining the district in August, was appointed principal by the school board on June 6...
