Local category, Page 1553
Weather service confirms tornado with gusts of 120 mph hit Armstrong County
A tornado with peak wind gusts reaching up to 120 mph traveled a 9-mile path in Armstrong County on Thursday, the National Weather Service confirmed. The EF2 tornado — a strong system with winds between 111 mph and 135 mph — traveled for almost 10 minutes, damaging several trees and...
World War II veteran from Hempfield honored for his service as he turns 100
Joseph Folino, a World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, never expected the community to rally around him as he celebrated his 100th birthday. Saturday afternoon, however, Folino found himself draped in a red, white and blue knit blanket as members of the Army, those...
Schramm Farms in Harrison City holds auction after closing popular market
Some of the first pieces of farm equipment from Schramm Farms & Orchards in Harrison City were auctioned off Saturday morning, marking an end to the Schramm family’s four generations of plowing fields and planting crops in Western Pennsylvania. Despite being a chilly spring morning, more than 300 bidders registered...
Police say man in critical condition after South Side Flats shooting
A man is in critical condition after an overnight shooting in Pittsburgh’s South Side Flats neighborhood, police said. Officers with the Zone 3 station were flagged down shortly before 1:30 a.m. Saturday for a shooting in the 2000 block of Sarah Street, said Pittsburgh Public Safety Spokeswoman Cara Cruz. Responding...
Carnegie Mellon to build Moonshot command center to monitor space missions
Anyone old enough to remember those static shots of the men in button-down shirts and ties sitting in front of computer screens during NASA’s Mercury and Apollo endeavors likely understands the importance of having a mission control for space flights. Carnegie Mellon University certainly does. That’s why the school is...
Franklin Regional Fly Fishing Club works with Trout Unlimited to promote conservation
Eleven students from the Franklin Regional School District found themselves wading into Loyalhanna Creek last week, learning about fly fishing courtesy of the Forbes Trail chapter of Trout Unlimited. “It’s our opportunity to recruit our replacements,” said chapter member Larry Myers. “We need someone in the future to continue with...
$4.3M federal grant helped 60 Westmoreland County fire departments recruit, train volunteers
More than 470 new volunteer firefighters were recruited across Westmoreland County over the past four years thanks to a $4.3 million federal grant that came to an end this month. The 23% increase in recruits drastically surpassed the original goal of 300 new volunteer firefighters laid out in the SAFER...
Arnold building demolitions could create room for new development
The demolition of 10 buildings this spring could lead to new developments in Arnold. The city is seeking bids to tear down the buildings. Most are located on Third and Fourth avenues, with one on Leishman Avenue and another on Victoria Avenue. All are vacant residential buildings except for 1905...
The Stroller, April 2, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Prom gown give-away planned in Harmar Free prom gowns will be available from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9...
Excela Health receives $1.5 million donation toward Latrobe Surgical Institute
Excela Health Latrobe Hospital has received a $1.5 million donation toward its recently established Surgical Institute, the health system said Friday. The Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation made the donation, the foundation’s largest single grant to Excela. The donation will help Excela relocate its lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancer programs...
In brief: News from Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, O’Hara and Blawnox
Blawnox Easter Egg hunt The Best of Blawnox hosts its annual Easter egg hunt April 10 from 1-3 p.m. at Blawnox Community Park on Center Avenue. The free, family-friendly event will feature games, refreshments, balloon art, refreshments and cookie decorating. The Easter egg hunt is sponsored in conjunction with Howard...
Retail incubator in Pittsburgh’s Hill District showcases minority-, women-owned businesses
A retail incubator is allowing local entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Gallery on Centre, part of the Avenues of Hope initiative, was launched with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday. “The Gallery on Centre is something we should all be proud of and will serve as a model...
Building assessment to be made of two North Allegheny schools
A comprehensive facilities assessment beginning in April will help determine whether North Allegheny’s intermediate and senior high schools need upgrades or should be replaced. On March 23, the North Allegheny School Board selected the firm of Weber Murphy Fox, which provides architecture, interior design, land development and construction management services,...
Robots are on the move at Carnegie Science Center
“Warning, warning Will Robinson!” is how B-9, the robot from “Lost in Space,” might put it. The Carnegie Science Center’s Robot Hall of Fame, of which B-9 is a member, has been permanently moved from the second floor to the ground level lobby of The Rangos Giant Cinema. In addition,...
Kiski Area students take top prizes in billboard contest to combat distracted driving
Two Kiski Area High School seniors took top spots in this year’s contest to design billboards with messages against distracted driving. Seniors Jack Coleman and Amber Coutch placed first and second, respectively. They were recognized Friday during a ceremony held at the high school. The contest was sponsored by State...
$1M scratch-off lottery ticket sold at Lower Burrell store
A Lower Burrell shopper is $1 million richer after purchasing a winning scratch-off lottery ticket at a local supermarket. Pennsylvania Lottery officials said Friday the $1,000,000 Cash King ticket was sold at the Community Supermarket in the Hillcrest Shopping Center off of Leechburg Road. $1 million is the top prize...
Out & About: The Westmoreland gives curator Barbara Jones diner-style send-off
In museum circles, Barbara Jones is known for her curatorial expertise in the areas of 19th- and 20th-century art. Less well-known is her interest in a niche area of popular culture — diner food. That interest was celebrated at a retirement luncheon in Jones’ honor on Friday, the end of...
Woman pleads guilty to 2019 kidnapping, murder of Penn Hills toddlerVideo
Nalani Johnson’s family wants the world to know that the not-quite-2-year-old was smart and rambunctious with a contagious laugh. “She was surrounded by a village that adored and doted on her. She was loved and cherished,” said her grandmother, Lisha Logan. “She was not a piece of garbage to be...
Man to stand trial for Hempfield arson that caused $1 million damage, killed 3 dogs
The day before a Hempfield family departed for a Christmas vacation to the Caribbean, a Greensburg man who did household chores for them showed up unexpectedly “with a plate of brownies” as a departing gift, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing Friday. State police allege 9 days after the...
Worker accused of assaulting Ligonier Township resident
A 24-year-old man is accused of assaulting a man who hired him to do work inside his home, according to court documents. Demtris D. Spottedbear, 24, whose last known address was in the Latrobe area, was arraigned on charges of aggravated assault, harassment and simple assault after the incident about...
Conor Lamb votes for federal marijuana decriminalization, after opposing it in 2020
U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, voted Friday to support a bill that would decriminalize marijuana on the federal level and allow for some marijuana-related convictions to be expunged. It’s a change of course for Lamb, who in 2020 was one of only four House Democrats to vote against the...
‘We appreciate you guys’: Custodial staffers honor Bethel Park students
Some of the more conscientious students at Bethel Park’s William Penn Elementary School received some words of gratitude. “Thank you for the hard work you do,” they were told recently by George Reganick. “You might not think much of it, but I do.” Mr. George, as the youngsters know him,...
Grammy-nominated Rhonda Vincent brings bluegrass to the Lamp TheatreVideo
Rhonda Vincent learned to play the drums at age 6, the mandolin at 8, and the fiddle all before reaching her teenage years. She’s been recording bluegrass music since she was 5, with her family on “The Sally Mountain Show.” She is the fifth generation of her Missouri family to...
Allegheny County judge scolds double homicide suspect for firing 6 attorneys in 7 years
An Allegheny County judge scolded a man who has gone through a half-dozen defense attorneys in the five years he’s been awaiting trial on double homicide charges, saying he could find himself in the position of having to represent himself in a death penalty case. “Words get around quickly,” Common...
4 men arrested after search of Arnold recording studio, residence
Four men were arrested after federal, state and Westmoreland County authorities say they found drugs worth more than $8,000 and a gun Thursday morning while searching a recording studio and residence in Arnold. Agents of the state Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, working with the Westmoreland County Drug Task...
