Western PA Local News category, Page 1485
Anti-gun violence rally set for Saturday evening in Greensburg
A mother whose son was murdered in Jeannette in 2019 is among those planning to speak at a rally Saturday evening at St. Clair Park in Greensburg to raise awareness about the importance of stopping gun violence. Taunja Greer Williamson of Jeannette is the mother of murder victim Mariell McGowan....
Pittsburgh man gets up to 40 years prison for 2019 fatal Arnold shooting
Shawden L. Ross told a Westmoreland County judge Friday he understood the pain his victim’s family members experienced as he endured the same kind of loss. Ross, 36, of Pittsburgh was ordered to serve 20 to 40 years in prison for the third-degree murder of 27-year-old Lamont Simmons on April...
Westmoreland certifies final results from May primary
Westmoreland County’s election board on Friday approved a final certification of the May primary for seats on the local Republican and Democratic committees. Results from those races had been delayed as county election officials counted thousands of write-in votes cast this spring. Election officials earlier this week broke ties in...
Former NFL player Brandon Short announces foundation for students impacted by gun violence
Brandon Short knows first-hand the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. The McKeesport native and former NFL player’s 26-year-old daughter Karli was shot and killed last September in the Christy Park section of McKeesport. She had been shot in the head and was dead at the scene....
Pittsburgh leaders brace for busy weekend amid ongoing violence
Pittsburgh city and police officials held a catch-all news conference Friday afternoon to discuss safety measures this weekend on the North Shore and South Side, though they declined to give updates on any high-profile ongoing investigations. Violence on the city’s South Side, particularly in the East Carson Street entertainment district,...
Lease deal fills Jeannette Industrial Park
The Jeannette Industrial Park is sold out. The Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. this week approved a 5-year deal to lease a more than 50,000 square-foot space in the park to Scott Electric. “Obviously, we’re very excited to bring Jeannette Industrial Park to full occupancy,” said Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust drops masking requirement
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will no longer require masks at its theaters and facilities starting next week after the number of covid-19 cases in Allegheny County dropped below a high rate of transmission. Beginning Tuesday, guests are not required to wear masks at indoor events. The announcement came after the...
Pilots will push jets to their limits at Westmoreland Airshow
When Air Force pilot Capt. Aimee Fiedler hits the skies this weekend above Westmoreland County, she will be 100% on her game. Seated behind the controls of an F-16 Viper flying above thousands of spectators at the Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow, Fiedler will be making sure she’s executing maneuvers...
Juneteenth marked by music, dance and art at Allegheny RiverTrail Park in Aspinwall
A series of events at Allegheny RiverTrail Park will mark Juneteenth with music, dance and art. The celebration begins June 17 with a dance class by Afro Love, a Sharpsburg-based group whose mission is to build bridges by sharing African culture. Events culminate June 19 with a free concert by...
Allegheny County Democratic Party chair not running for re-election
Eileen Kelly, the chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, announced Friday that she is not running for re-election, forecasting a shift in leadership for the Pittsburgh region’s largest Democratic Party organization. Kelly helmed the committee for that last four years and said she is proud of her tenure. She...
Judge accused of bias in Greensburg woman’s appeal of sentence for 2010 torture slaying
The former Greensburg woman who was the first person convicted in the 2010 torture murder of a mentally disabled woman contends a Westmoreland County judge abused her discretion late last month when she imposed a prison sentence of 60 years to life. In an appeal filed Friday, Angela Marinucci, 29,...
Westmoreland Museum plans Pride Prom, Queer Artist Pop-up Market
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will celebrate Pride Month with a Pride Prom on June 25. Running from 6 to 9 p.m., the event will feature a dance party, a special performance by dance-pop singer-songwriter Bryce Bowyn, a “Prom-enade” fashion show in which attendees are the models and a...
Bill to ban fracking in Allegheny County parks gets additional support
Allegheny County Council held a public meeting Thursday about a bill that proposes banning natural-gas drilling, aka fracking, in the nine county parks. The hearing was met with great fanfare from local environmental activists. The bill was first introduced in 2021, and the effort has increased its support since then,...
Researchers seek volunteers to gather, report firefly data this summer
When Ryan Reed, a resource program specialist with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, was taking wildlife courses at college in the 1990s, one of his professors accused certain animals of getting all the attention. “He called them ‘charismatic mega-fauna’ — bears, deer, elk, those types of animals,”...
Researchers: Fireflies are being threatened by artificial light, habitat loss
Growing up around Seattle, Ainsley Seago said she never saw a firefly until she visited Hershey as a teenager. These days, she watches in amusement as her 10-year-old son, Maxwell, enjoys catching lightning bugs and releasing them. “How can you not catch them?” asked Seago, associate curator of invertebrate zoology...
Marino’s American Eatery plans kitchen at Latrobe’s Four Seasons Brewing Co.
Sometimes you just want a pizza or plate of wings to go with your beer. The owners of Four Seasons Brewing Co. in Latrobe understand that and are working to satisfy customer cravings through a partnership with Marino’s American Eatery in Hempfield. They want patrons to be able to stay...
South Side shooter used stolen gun, victim returned fire, police say
One of two men critically injured in a shooting last weekend along busy East Carson Street instigated the incident, according to police, prompting one of the victims to return fire. Christopher Young, 27, used a stolen gun when he opened fire, police said. He is charged with attempted homicide in...
Parks Township police accuse woman of stealing nearly $10,000 from father’s bank accounts
Parks Township police charged a woman with multiple felonies after investigators accused her of stealing nearly $10,000 from her father by using his checking and savings accounts to buy merchandise, withdraw cash and forge checks without his permission. Jacqueline M. Kromka, 35, of the 3200 block of River Road, Kiski...
New patio at Casino Theatre in Vandergrift made possible by tourism grant
There’s now more room to roam for patrons visiting the Casino Theatre in Vandergrift. New patio furniture, including sponsored, personalized black and gray benches, were installed this spring on the terrace outside the theater, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. An $11,800 grant from the Westmoreland...
School safety, security symposium slated for Westmoreland County Community College
Education and public safety leaders will gather for a symposium on school security and safety on Monday. Learning how to assess threatening behavior, cyber security as a part of school security, and the challenges students and educators face in recovering from the impact of the covid pandemic, will be among...
Squirrel Hill Tunnel reopens after overturned truck cleared
Outbound traffic on the Parkway East resumed about 11:30 a.m. after a truck overturned in the Squirrel Hill tunnel that blocked both lanes, according to PennDOT officials. No injuries were reported in the crash that occurred about 9:30 a.m., but first responders shut down the outbound tunnel to clear the...
Blight woes, park upgrades focus of Greensburg plan update
Blight mitigation and enhancement of parks and recreation are two areas that have generated public interest as Greensburg updates the city’s comprehensive plan. A series of three public workshops generated more than 500 written comments. “People have expressed a desire for more public green space and improvements to park and...
Lawsuit: Allegheny Co. Jail gave poor care during woman’s pregnancy, miscarriage
A Wilkinsburg woman alleged that poor care by medical staff at the Allegheny County Jail caused her to lose her pregnancy and suffer a painful, days-long miscarriage, according to a lawsuit filed this week in federal court. A county spokeswoman declined to comment on the pending litigation. Kenya Harper and...
Suspended Somerset DA wants ‘wiretap’ statements tossed; state aims to include alleged previous ‘bad acts’
SOMERSET — Suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas wants recordings of conversations between him and a woman he’s accused of sexually assaulting to be excluded from his upcoming trial. The request is part of a lengthy list of motions filed by attorneys on both sides that could determine what...
State police searching for suspects who shot at vehicle along Route 28 in O’Hara
State police are seeking the public’s help in the search for two suspects wanted for shooting at a vehicle while driving along Route 28 in Harmar late last month. Investigators at the Kittanning station said a motorist reported that while driving near Exit 10 in O’Hara shortly before 9 p.m....
