Western PA Local News category, Page 1521
Cooper unseats incumbent Silvis; Dunbar wins in landslide
Former Westmoreland County Republican Committee Chairwoman Jill Cooper unseated first-term incumbent Rep. Jason Silvis in the GOP primary for the redrawn 55th state House district. Two years ago, Silvis, 47, defeated Democratic incumbent Joe Petrarca in 2020 to win the legislative seat that was previously based in Derry. A redistricting...
Lori Mizgorski defeats Jake Roberts in GOP primary in state Senate 38th District race
Unofficial election results from Tuesday’s primary election show Lori Mizgorski has won the Republican nomination in the state 38th Senatorial District race. With 97.2% of the votes counted at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Mizgorski, 55, of Shaler had 15,673 votes and Jake Roberts, 31, of Ross had 7,375 votes. Mizgorski will...
Mandy Steele defeats Tristan McClelland for Democratic nod in 33rd District House race
Mandy Steele of Fox Chapel has won the Democratic nomination for the 33rd District state House seat. She defeated Tristan McClelland of O’Hara to represent the district, which stretches from Sharpsburg to Fawn. Unofficial results from the Allegheny County Elections Department showed Steele won with 5,313 votes to McClelland’s 2,954...
Wilmington Area High School music teacher accused of inappropriate relationship with student
A Wilmington Area High School music teacher is accused of having a sexual relationship with a student. Olivia Ortz, 26, of Hermitage was charged Tuesday with unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of a communication facility and two counts of institutional sexual assault. Charges stem from an investigation that...
‘Come and have a good time’ at free-membership Plum Community Center
With his Fender Stratocaster strapped to his shoulder and plugged into his amplifier, Dennis Cunningham is carrying on a tuneful tradition. “Plum Community Center has had volunteers playing music with guitars and singing for 20 years,” he said. “It started with older guys. They retired.” Apparently, the founders of the...
Police: 17-year-old Unity girl returned home to mother
A 17-year-old Unity girl who left home with her boyfriend last month and had not been seen since has returned home to her mother, according to state police in Greensburg. State police had put out an alert Tuesday about the missing teen, Kylie Madison Germello, 17, of Crabtree, after the...
Liberty Bridge in Pittsburgh reopens after garbage truck fire
The Liberty Bridge reopened by 6:30 p.m. after a garbage truck fueled by natural gas caught fire on the span, according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. No injuries were reported in the blaze, the dispatcher said. The bridge closed around 2:30 p.m. and remained closed while it was inspected....
Fetterman pacemaker surgery successful; Corman serving as temporary Lt. Gov.
Lt. Governor and U.S. Senate primary candidate John Fetterman underwent successful surgery Tuesday to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator, his spokesman said. The procedure came four days after Fetterman’s campaign announced the former Braddock mayor had suffered a stroke. “John Fetterman just completed a successful procedure to implant a...
AHN, county create ‘ecotherapy trail’ in North Park
Sometimes doing things to stay fit helps with bit of encouragement. So, Allegheny County is teaming up with Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield to help give visitors to North Park a little mindful motivation by creating an “Ecotherapy Trail.” The project, announced at an unveiling earlier...
Panther Prowl in Aspinwall a festive fundraiser for Christ the Divine students
Bubbles, hula hoops and music filled the grounds at Allegheny RiverTrail Park in Aspinwall for the third annual Panther Prowl fundraiser. Hosted by Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy, a private school along Brilliant Avenue, the event has become a favorite tradition of students. Held May 13, it brought in...
Former manager of Salem discount store charged in theft of $18K
A man accused of stealing $18,097 earlier this month from a Dollar General store where he worked in Salem apologized for the thefts to other employees in the store, according to state police. Austin M. Rider, 23, of Jeannette, was charged with receiving stolen property and theft in connection with...
Shaler residents take the Polar Plunge for charity
Mother Nature was kind to the Shaler residents who participated in the annual Polar Plunge on May 14 at the Crawford Pool in Kiwanis Park. The warm and sunny day helped those jumping into the chilly waters. Each person who participated paid a $3 fee, but was rewarded with free...
Hues and Harmony Festival celebrates student art, music in Hampton
Hampton Township School District showed off students’ artistic and musical talents with the Hues and Harmony Festival, opening on May 11 at the middle school. The event began at 5:30 p.m. with an art reception in the school’s main corridors, feature multiple media, paintings, pen and ink drawings and sculptures....
Jeannette man pleads guilty to homicide charge in 2019 shooting outside McKee Stadium
A Jeannette man entered a guilty plea Tuesday to third-degree homicide in connection with a 2019 fatal shooting outside McKee Stadium during the fourth quarter of a high school football game. Defense attorney Patrick Thomassey said entering the general plea was a difficult decision for Greg Harper, 43, to make....
Summer workshop to teach art, tech skills to Westmoreland high schoolers
A summer workshop will aim to broaden the STEM-related knowledge of creative high school students in Westmoreland County and parts of Fayette. From June to August, ArtTEK will offer classes focusing on videography, 3D printing and more at 462 W. Main St. in Mt. Pleasant. In its inaugural year, the...
Pittsburgh’s Page’s introduces ice cream pops
Margie Page-Prusia called her creative director Shannon Blanc with a sweet assignment. “She told me about some ice cream pops she saw (on social media) and asked me to help with product development,” said Blanc, the cake creator at Page’s ice cream shop on Pittsburgh’s South Side. “I love a...
Penn Hills School Board approves $2.28 million in bids for HVAC, plumbing work
Penn Hills School Board voted to approve two bids to improve the Penn Hills High School and Elementary School infrastructure at a special voting meeting on May 10. The cost of the bids amounts to a combined total of $2,281,200 and was based on the recommendations of Dodson Engineering Inc.,...
Judge orders hold on Pittsburgh’s rental registry
A judge has ordered a stay on Pittsburgh’s rental registry, a program that was struck down in court once before. This comes as the Apartment Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh is suing the city over the measure, which was set to go into effect on May 29. City Council in November...
Man hurt in Derry Township shooting; suspect arrested
A man shot outside a Derry Township home early Tuesday is expected to survive and the person accused of pulling the trigger was jailed, according to state police. Troopers said the suspect — Edward B. Hart, 57 — fired about a dozen rounds at the man at 2:30 a.m. after...
Primary updates: Polls are closed; 90K mail-ins processed in Allegheny County
Polls in Pennsylvania for the primary election have closed. Now candidates — and voters — must sit and wait for the ballots to be tallied. Several high-profile races are on the ballot, including the governor’s office and the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Pat Toomey. Toomey, a Republican, announced...
‘Fly Us to the Moon’ with Benny Benack III at Andrew Carnegie Free Library
Staff and board at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall are still walking on air following the grand opening of Library Park on April 23. Dreams really do come true! We had perfect summer weather for the opening. Earlier that week we’d had snow; temperatures plunged back to...
Leechburg Area School District needs to fill board vacancy following resignation
The Leechburg Area School Board needs a new member to fill a vacancy. Superintendent Tiffany Nix said board member Roxanne Thompson resigned from the board for personal reasons. The school board will make an interim appointment of a Leechburg-area resident to fill the open seat. The person will serve out...
Young musicians take stage at Riverview elementary concert
From Ludwig van Beethoven to Jack White, Riverview School District’s younger musicians covered a couple of centuries’ worth of the world songbook to wrap up the performance year for members of an enthusiastic audience. The May 12 Elementary Band and Orchestra Spring Concert featured first-year and advanced elementary orchestra students,...
Indiana Township police chief remembered as ‘excellent leader’
Indiana Township residents are mourning the loss of the township’s police chief. Timothy Michael died Monday afternoon, May 16, 2022 in a hospital, according to a statement on the township’s website. Michael was 57. He served in the police department for 28 years. He was promoted from patrolman to sergeant...
1 person taken to hospital from scene of 3-vehicle Harrison crash
A man was taken by ambulance to Allegheny Valley Hospital from the scene of a three-vehicle crash in Harrison on Tuesday morning. The crash on Burtner Road at the Route 28 interchange was reported around 6:50 a.m., an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said. The crash involved a minivan that police...
