Local category, Page 1522
Pennsylvania garden centers, landscapers begin phasing out newly banned plants
The latest round of plants added to Pennsylvania’s noxious weeds list reads like a directory of popular landscaping options. Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), callery or Bradford pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) and Ravenna grass (Saccharum ravennae; Tripidium ravennae) have been staples of urban and particularly suburban landscaping for decades. All three...
Twin Peaks Restaurant brings ‘sports lodge’ concept to Western Pa. locations
The Pittsburgh area is known for its sports teams, sports fans and, to a lesser extent, its sports bars. And it looks like Western Pennsylvania will be making room for yet another one of the latter with a bit of a twist. The Twin Peaks Restaurant chain based in the...
O’Hara to spend more than $1 million to pave 9 streets this year
Nine O’Hara roads expected to be rebuilt this year as part of the township’s road paving program. Council unanimously voted April 12 to award an estimated $1.284 million contract to Wampum-based Youngblood Paving. Engineer Charles Steinert said it was the lowest of four bidders, and it did paving in the...
Tarentum Recreation Board touts exciting summer lineup
Tarentum Recreation Board has released its summer lineup, with a schedule of events aimed at drawing people to the borough’s riverfront park and beyond. “They have something for everyone,” resident Cathy Fajbik said. “The fact that it’s free helps a lot, but, really, to look out at the boats and...
Police: Harrison woman tries to bribe officers after DUI arrest
State police say a Harrison woman offered to pay troopers $60 if they’d take her home instead of to jail after arresting her for driving under the influence Sunday, April 17. State police said Tabatha Mae Jack, 33, of Village Green Drive resisted arrest that morning, injuring herself and a...
Crash injures 1, temporarily closes section of Route 8 in Shaler
One motorist was seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash reported shortly after 3 p.m. Monday in Shaler, according to township police. A section of Route 8 was closed for about two hours as investigators gathered evidence at the scene in front of a McDonald’s restaurant at Pennview Street, police Chief...
Democratic Senate candidates square off in 2nd prime-time debate
The second prime-time debate in Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senate primary featured many of the same well-trodden agreements among Democrats, but candidates also took several opportunities to draw contrasts with, and even criticize, their primary opponents over electability, past controversies and energy policies. Unlike the first televised debate, this contest at Dickinson...
Hempfield 9th graders may consolidate under 1 roof
Leaders in the Hempfield Area School District are proposing to move ninth grade students to a middle school building beginning in fall 2023 as the district prepares for its high school construction project. The proposal would permanently consolidate sixth, seventh and eighth grade students into Wendover and West Hempfield middle...
Candidates for 17th Congressional district debate in virtual forum hosted by RMU
Candidates running in the 17th Congressional District in the upcoming May primary outlined their platforms on various topics during a virtual debate hosted by Robert Morris University and the League of Women Voters. Republican candidate Jeremy Shaffer did not participate in the event. Republicans Kathy Coder and Jason Killmeyer and...
Lou Christie returns to Pittsburgh for ‘Rock ‘n Remember Live!’
The sounds of the swinging ‘60s will fill Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center on Saturday, as the artists who sang many of the era’s hits take the stage in Rock ‘n Remember Live! Allegheny County’s own Lou Christie will headline shows at 4 and 8 p.m., along with Gary Puckett & The...
Trump to rally with Dr. Oz at Westmoreland Fairgrounds
Former President Donald Trump is slated to return to Westmoreland County on May 6 for a rally where he is expected to share the spotlight with Republican senatorial candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz. Earlier in April, Trump endorsed Oz in the latter’s bid to represent Pennsylvania in the Senate. Trump has...
Avalon man faces charges after marijuana, THC-laced items found during traffic stop in Richland
A man from Avalon faces a felony drug charge after more than an ounce of marijuana and a variety of other cannabis products were discovered in his car during a traffic stop. In addition to a felony charge of possession with the intent to deliver drugs, Zachary Robert Bolen, 32,...
Westmoreland deputy sheriff suspended after out-of-state arrest
A veteran Westmoreland County deputy sheriff was suspended with pay on Monday after he was charged with crimes following an incident last week in another state. Police in Louisville, Ky., charged Samuel D. Pilato, 59, of Hempfield with public intoxication and disorderly conduct in connection with a incident outside of...
Mt. Pleasant Township woman accused of hitting man with SUV
A Mt. Pleasant Township woman was jailed over the weekend after police said she struck a man with her SUV, sending him to the hospital for treatment of arm injuries. Cynthia M. Janos, 33, was released from the county prison Sunday on $10,000 recognizance bond. She is charged with aggravated...
Enjoy nature at Allegheny Land Trust’s Barking Slopes Conservation Area in Plum
Technology and a walk in the woods tend not to mix. “We usually promote putting your phone away while hiking,” Lindsay Dill said, ready to produce hers as she traversed a tree-canopied trail. “But sometimes it can help.” Her stroll led her through the lower reaches of the Barking Slopes...
Westmoreland commissioners say costs, not politics, behind regional drop box cuts
Republican commissioners in Westmoreland County said it is money, not politics, that’s behind a decision to eliminate regional drop boxes for mail-in ballots in next month’s primary election. Commissioners Doug Chew and Sean Kertes voted Monday to install one drop box at the lower park Pennsylvania Avenue entrance to the...
Oil market volatility brings end to declining gas prices, analysts say
A jump in oil prices has brought an end to a more than month-long decline in the national average price of gasoline, industry analysts said this week. But while the national average is up, the average in the Pittsburgh area came down slightly in the past week, according to price...
Pittsburgh awarded $56.8M for parks, infrastructure, affordable housing
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Monday announced that the city was awarded $56.8 million in state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funds, which will be used to improve city parks and recreation centers, expand affordable housing and upgrade infrastructure. The community development grants from the state will go towards a total...
Longtime Pittsburgh police commander leaving city to head Duquesne University police
A longtime Pittsburgh police official will end his 25-year career with city police next month to take over as head of public safety at Duquesne University, school officials said Monday. Cmdr. Eric Holmes, who serves as the bureau’s chief of staff, will begin as chief of the university police department...
Sharpsburg dedicates new playground equipment
The late business man Norman E. Gottschalk Jr. would often talk about Sharpsburg and how it influenced him, said his wife Patricia. “He always said the lessons he learned in his youth in Sharpsburg made him the businessman he became,” she said. Sharpsburg officials dedicated new playground equipment on April...
No injuries reported in kitchen fire in Greensburg
Greensburg firefighters responded to a kitchen fire Monday afternoon on Arch Avenue in the city, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatch supervisor. The fire was reported about 2:40 p.m., the dispatcher said. First responders at the scene said there were no apparent injuries as firefighters worked to quickly douse...
Pittsburgh implements new parking zones for delivery drivers
Pittsburgh on Monday launched its first smart loading zones, which aim to make it easier for delivery drivers and others to find on-street parking spaces outside of businesses. The pilot program is being funded through a $100,000 grant from Los Angeles-based Automotus, which is implementing the program in Pittsburgh and...
Mother describes ‘nightmare’ after blast destroyed her family’s Plum home
It was a normal Friday night for Laura Petty and her family at their new home on Hialeah Drive in Plum. It was shortly after 11 p.m. She was sleeping, and her husband, Jake Rabb, had fallen asleep in the living room. Of their three sons, Dean, 2, and Colin,...
Vandergrift woman’s murder trial ends with plea deal to lesser charge
A Vandergrift woman pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree murder, putting an end to her homicide trial during which prosecutors claimed she intentionally fired three shots, killing her cousin in 2018. Ashley Marie Croft, 38, will serve a 15- to 30-year prison sentence under terms of the plea deal. Croft did...
4 charities receive Mellon Foundation grants to assist Ukrainian refugees in Pittsburgh
Four Pittsburgh nonprofits with experience helping resettle refugees will receive nearly a half million dollars to assist Ukrainians fleeing their war-torn home country. The money – about $499,999 – comes from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and will be divided among the Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh, Hello Neighbor, the Holy...
