Western PA Local News category, Page 1553
Westmoreland transit garage construction costs $3 million under budget
Westmoreland County Transit Authority board members this week awarded more than $7.4 million in contracts to build a new bus storage facility in Hempfield. Officials said the price tag for the project came in more than $3 million below estimates. “We were planning for a higher number,” said Authority Executive...
New guiderails coming to Sun Mine Road in Fawn
Traffic along Sun Mine Road in Fawn could be affected in coming weeks after the township supervisors approved installation of new guiderails. “We already paved it; this is just putting the finishing touch on certain sections,” Township Secretary Pam Ponsart said. Canonsburg-based Interstate Enterprises was awarded the contract at the...
Survey gives Vandergrift residents opportunity to weigh in on borough issues, set priorities
Vandergrift officials and volunteers are seeking public input as they work to create a new outdoor community initiative for the borough. The Vandergrift Community Improvement Project (VCIP) is a new group formed this year specifically to finalize and produce a survey for the public to weigh in on what’s important...
New business carteBlanche Home & Design opens in Aspinwall
A new home and design business has opened in Aspinwall. Located at 347 Freeport Road, carteBlanche Home & Design offers decor and home furnishings curated by owner and creative director Rachel Schaffer. Schaffer, 44, was raised in Brookline in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. She earned degrees in French and...
Alle-Kiski Historical Society premieres video of beloved New Kensington cobbler Gene Montemurro
Gene Montemurro, a beloved New Kensington cobbler who retired after 66 years, is immortalized in a documentary produced by the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society and videographer John Bailey. An armed robbery and some family health issues caused Montemurro to close Gene’s Shoe Service on Fifth Avenue in 2015. He has...
Pittsburgh’s Girls of Steel competing at World Championship for robotics
They are Rosie the Riveters 2022 edition. A strong woman from the 1940s, Rosie was a pioneer who represented females in non-traditional jobs. She is the inspiration for the group Girls of Steel Robotics. They wear red bandanas with white polka dots — a recognizable pattern from classic photos of...
Flyers Field fishing derby reels in young anglers with bountiful trout
With sunny skies and highs in the low 80s, kids reeled in trout Saturday during the second annual Fishing Derby in Pucketa Creek next to Flyers Field in Lower Burrell. “I’ve seen 50 to 60 fish caught, and we still have the afternoon to go,” said organizer Chris Lowe, an...
For 2nd straight day, family and friends attend funeral for teen killed in Pittsburgh Airbnb party shooting
Bonnie McLain recalled pitching baseballs to her great-nephew when he was 6 years old. “I can see him right now in his grandmother’s backyard,” said McLain, as she sat inside the Coston Funeral Homes’ East Liberty location on Saturday morning. “He batted lefty. He could really hit that ball.” That...
From Korea to Greensburg, from mission translator to nun, life keeps evolving for Sister Hyeon Lee
When it came time to profess her vows Saturday morning, there was no doubt Sister Hyeon Lee was ready for the lifelong commitment. “I am so resolved,” she said with emphasis, to laughter of about 100 friends, family and fellow sisters who had gathered at Caritas Christi in Greensburg to...
Out & About: Westmoreland Walks event celebrates passion for fashion
What’s the latest in spring fashions? About 100 guests got ideas for updating their warm-weather wardrobes during the Westmoreland Walks Passionately Pink Fashion Show, a Saturday lunchtime event in the new Westmoreland County Community College Event Center in Hempfield. From togs for trendy tots, to weekend golf wear, to gowns...
All genders show concern for domestic violence and Walk a Mile in Their Her His Our Shoes in Greensburg
All kinds of feet in all kinds of shoes gathered Saturday in downtown Greensburg’s St. Clair Park for Westmoreland County’s 11th annual Walk a Mile in Their Her His Our Shoes, an event that raises awareness of gender-based violence. Formerly called Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, the event was...
Firefighters help get resident out of burning house in Sewickley Township
Firefighters helped a Sewickley Township resident get out of a burning home Saturday morning before extinguishing the flames. Herminie Fire Chief Eric Kline said the blaze, in the 500 block of McClerge Avenue, was reported just before 11 a.m. The chief said it appeared to have started on the home’s...
Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School alum shares her experience growing up biracial in her children’s book
Growing up, Melinda Suzensky knew right away she was different from her peers. A biracial girl in the predominantly white Allegheny Valley School District, she was bullied for looking different. She described it as being “a chocolate chip within marshmallows in a bowl.” “It was something they weren’t used to...
Teacher: Westmoreland Online Academy ‘a powerful choice’ for students
The covid-19 pandemic had several unplanned lessons for U.S. educators, who were required to adapt to a wide variety of “classroom settings” that blended in-person, virtual and asynchronous instruction. For some students and parents, learning from home was a stressful, unproductive experience that showed them the value of in-person education....
First ‘Fresh Express’ distribution for food bank clients coming to New Kensington
A drive-thru distribution for food bank recipients in the New Kensington area will be held outside United Presbyterian Church in New Kensington on Monday. Grab-n-Go Fresh Express, previously known as Operation Fresh Express, is an invitation-only distribution that will run from 3:45 to 5 p.m., said Lea-Ann White, program coordinator...
Overcoming the odds: Born premature, baby at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in need of a liver
His eyes light up when you say his name. He smiles when he’s being held, when visitors talk to him, and definitely when his family members kiss his forehead. Chance William Kacin Halloran is 15.2 pounds of happy infant — despite his challenging arrival into this world. “There were several...
The Stroller, April 23, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events, fundraisers 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. Golf outing to benefit Leechburg Education Foundation The Leechburg Education Foundation/NexTier golf outing will be June 4 at the Links at...
Westmoreland County poised to scale back mail-in ballot drop boxes
Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to scale back the use of regional drop boxes for mail-in ballots in next month’s primary election. A special meeting of the county’s Election Board is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday when commissioners will vote on a proposal to place just one drop box at...
Explosion levels house in Plum, neighbors describe the harrowing scene
Residents in Plum’s Holiday Park ran to help as smoke, embers and screams filled their neighborhood Friday night. People living around the house at 5021 Hialeah Drive reported hearing a loud boom that shook their homes. A man living nearby thought his own hot water tank had exploded; a woman...
Alle-Kiski Valley’s only remaining Pearl Harbor survivor celebrates 100th birthday
George Pann smiled as he reached out a hand to pet a large, white sheep. Ryan Maglione, owner of Little Blessings Farm and Mobile Zoo, jokingly asked Pann if he wanted to take the sheep back to his room with him. Pann just laughed, marveling at the animal. It was...
Overcoming the odds: Born premature, baby at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in need of a liver
His eyes light up when you say his name. He smiles when he’s being held, when visitors talk to him, and definitely when his family members kiss his forehead. Chance William Kacin Halloran is 15.2 pounds of one happy infant — despite his challenging arrival into this world. “There were...
Police seize handguns, drugs while arresting 16-year-old boy in Stowe shooting
Allegheny County Police have arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with the April 13 shooting in Stowe Township that wounded a 15-year-old boy. Lamont Charles Thomas of McKees Rocks is charged with aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and possession of a firearm by a minor. The shooting was reported...
Pittsburgh receiving $1.76 million from state Multimodal Transportation Fund for new link in pedestrian, bike trail
Pittsburgh has received $1.76 million from the state to establish a pedestrian and bicycle path linking the city’s Hazelwood and Greenfield neighborhoods with the job centers in Oakland and elsewhere. Announced Thursday, the project is one of 56 highway, bridge, transit, bike and pedestrian projects in 28 counties that will...
A Pa. teacher’s aide disappeared without a trace 15 years ago. Detectives haven’t given up searching for her
Karen Adams was single, but she had a dog at home that she wasn’t likely to leave behind. She was 54, a teacher’s aide and a cashier who called Independence Township home. And, for the past 15 years, she has been a case that detectives, in Beaver County and with...
Arnold Palmer airport, Adelphoi among Westmoreland recipients of $14M in state funds
Proposed expansion of the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport terminal, improvements at three industrial parks and a new facility at the Adelphoi main campus in Latrobe are among seven projects in Westmoreland County set to receive more than $14 million in combined funding through Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. Announced Friday,...
