Western PA Local News category, Page 154
Point Park to help Ohio students hit by university program cuts
Students at public universities across Ohio are seeing their majors and programs disappear amid state-mandated restructuring and budget cuts. In response, Point Park University in Pittsburgh is stepping in to help. A new transfer scholarship, the Buckeye Fresh Start Scholarship, will support displaced Ohio students through additional funds and academic...
Greensburg’s Kristallnacht speaker to reflect on growing antisemitism, hope through kindness
When Shawn Brokos speaks Monday at Seton Hill University’s Kristallnacht Remembrance Interfaith Service, she plans to discuss antisemitic incidents in the region. “We have seen a consistent increase in antisemitic activity since 2020,” she said. In 2024, nearly 300 antisemitic incidents were reported in Pittsburgh, Brokos said. In 2018, it...
U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson works getting new hot strip mill
U.S. Steel announced Tuesday that its Edgar Thomson Works is getting a hot strip mill, part of a $14 billion investment package across all company facilities from new owner Nippon Steel. In a 17-page report on its integration with Japan’s largest steelmaker, U.S. Steel described the planned mill as “state...
Through the years: Dick Cheney’s visits to Western Pa.
Western Pennsylvania has seen many appearances from former Vice President Dick Cheney over the years. Cheney, who served as as defense chief under President George H.W. Bush and then as vice president under Bush’s son, George W. Bush, died Monday at age 84. During the early 2000s, he made several...
Local artists ‘raccoonize’ creative uses for Rainbow Raccoon Park in Millvale
Artists, performers, DJs and dancers from across Pittsburgh gathered Oct. 18 to welcome Millvale’s tallest resident with a big party. The 12.5-foot-tall, 5,000-pound steel raccoon was installed the week before in Rainbow Raccoon Park, a former junkyard off Route 28. After the long-awaited arrival of the statue, it was up...
New Kensington sewage rates to rise; Lower Burrell also considers hike
Lower Burrell residents could see an increase as high as 5% in their sewage bills next year because of a rate increase from the Municipal Sanitary Authority of the City of New Kensington. The authority, which serves customers in Lower Burrell, Arnold, New Kensington and parts of Plum, is increasing...
Attack on UPMC Altoona employee causes cracked skull, brain bleed
A Blair County man is in prison after what UPMC officials deemed a “horrific attack” on one of their employees in Altoona. A patient care technician in the UPMC Altoona emergency department was attacked on Saturday, according to a statement released by UPMC. Bradley S. Lloyd, 40, of Tyrone was...
Irwin officials balk at paying more for office project
As Irwin Borough faces almost $170,000 in additional costs from contractors and a designer to convert its century-old building into a modern first-floor government office, council members Monday balked at some of those estimated bills. The project started this year at $1.1 million. The proposed bills for new change orders...
Morning Roundup: 6 injured in Greene County mine incident; thieves target Hyundai, Kia vehicles
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025: 6 injured in Greene County mine incident Six people were taken to the hospital late Monday night after an incident at a Greene County mine. TribLive news partner WTAE reports that first responders were called...
The Stroller, Nov. 4, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Entries sought for annual...
Westmoreland finalizes state loan, threatens more job cuts as budget impasse continues
Westmoreland commissioners voted Monday to accept an $11.6 million state loan, a move they say is necessary to fund essential social service programs through the end of the year. Even in doing so, more furloughs of county staff and partial closures of the county courthouse could follow as early as...
Hebron Church in Penn Hills, which dates to township’s founding, marks 175th anniversary
During an era of churches closing and congregations merging, church elder Dan Brown said Hebron Church in Penn Hills is still going strong. The church celebrated its 175th anniversary with a banquet attended by 193 congregants Oct. 12. “Many churches have either closed up or certainly shrunk. I mean, we’ve...
Election Day storylines: What to watch
About a third of Western Pennsylvania’s voters were expected to cast ballots in today’s election, deciding key races for local, county and state office. Polls opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 8 p.m. Allegheny County spokeswoman Abigail Gardner said there was one report of a delay in opening. Pittsburgh...
Police rescue trafficked Louisiana runaway, 13, from North Side basement
A phone call about a missing teen near Baton Rouge, La., led an investigation involving authorities in three states to the basement of a Pittsburgh home last week, where the 13-year-old runaway was found hidden in a sheet-covered box. Police on Friday arrested Ki-Shawn Crumity, 26, of the city’s Brighton...
Allegheny County announces winter shelter program for homeless
As temperatures drop, Allegheny County has announced its winter shelter plan for the homeless community. The Allegheny County Department of Human Services said Monday that the plan will be in effect from Nov. 15 through April 30. On Nov. 15, the county will open a winter shelter — which will...
Study says long-term melatonin use may pose heart risks
For many, a good night’s sleep is hard to come by. More than 30% of Pennsylvanians sleep fewer than seven hours a night, according to data from the United Health Foundation. In an effort to fight insomnia and get adequate rest, many turn to over-the-counter sleep aids or supplements like...
Attorney General’s Office sues Hempfield contractor
The state’s Attorney General’s Office has filed a civil lawsuit seeking to bar a Hempfield home improvement contractor from doing business in Pennsylvania. A three-count lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County accuses A&S Contracting and Roofing, LLC and its owner, Stephen Spallone, of violating Pennsylvania’s Consumer Protection Law and Home Improvement...
Smallsgrass jam session in Millvale brings together bluegrass aficionados of all skill levels
On Wednesday nights in Millvale, the sound of banjos, fiddles and mandolins drifts across the patio outside Mr. Smalls Cafe. That’s where the Smallsgrass Bluegrass Jam has become a weekly tradition, drawing pickers of all ages and skill levels. “It just feels like a group of friends hanging and playing...
Giant Eagle doesn’t plan on another penny collection
The turnout was massive, with long lines of customers at Giant Eagle stores across the region carrying containers, boxes and shopping carts full of pennies. But it appears that Saturday was the only event of its kind at the grocery chain — at least for now. Giant Eagle’s double-your-money offer...
Man to stand trial on charges he torched McKeesport home over $200 drug debt
A man set fire to a McKeesport home in September after a couple who had lived there failed to pay him $200 for heroin, police said. After a preliminary hearing Monday, Arthur Franklin, 32, now heads to Allegheny County Common Pleas Court for trial. Video footage showed Franklin walking toward...
3rd annual Diwali celebration shines light on Indian holiday, collects food for local pantries
LED tealights flickered between vibrant garlands and flowers Nov. 2 at the Baierl Family YMCA in Franklin Park. More than 300 guests, many clad in bright saris and kurtas, attended the third annual celebration of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, hosted by state Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-McCandless. Diwali —...
Victims in fatal Buffalo Township crash identified
Local authorities have identified the two people who died in a Buffalo Township crash on Saturday. Bonnie Grove, 78, died at the scene of the accident at the intersection of South Pike (Route 356) and Younkins roads. Douglas Frosch, 72, died several hours later after being airlifted to UPMC Presbyterian...
Effects of SNAP cuts are wide-reaching
Madison Shtur lined the shelves of her pay-what-you-can thrift store in Jeannette on Thursday, Oct. 30 with the latest shipment of groceries from the Westmoreland Food Bank. It wasn’t enough. A shipment from the food bank typically lasts about three weeks on Shtur’s shelves. But last week’s shipment lasted just...
12th annual Trick or Trot raises nearly $40,000 for North Allegheny Foundation
Sprinting for sweets would have been a good motto for the 12th annual North Allegheny Foundation Trick or Trot 5K Race and 1-Mile Fun Run. There were 671 registered participants this year, according to William Mascari, district liaison and the foundation’s communications coordinator. “Guests enjoyed a morning of running, jogging,...
Carnegie Mellon president launches advisory board to review student mental health, well-being
A new advisory board at Carnegie Mellon University will evaluate students’ mental well-being and their academic experience. President Farnam Jahanian announced the university will roll out a President’s Advisory Board on Student Well-Being, Mental Health and the Academic Experience. Jahanian, in a letter to campus, said the board will review...
