Western PA Local News category, Page 1566
North Huntingdon man accused of creating, uploading child porn
A North Huntingdon man accused by state police of creating child pornography and putting it online was arrested Thursday and jailed without bail. James C. Gockel, 39, is charged with numerous counts of child pornography and related offenses. Troopers said they were notified by the National Center for Missing and...
Sharpsburg seeks nearly $25 million in federal grant money to aid private developer
Sharpsburg officials have applied for a $24.4 million federal grant to help with transportation infrastructure for the Allegheny Shores development. Council unanimously voted at a special meeting April 9 to seek the grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s RAISE program, which stands for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and...
Hempfield man gives back to Westmoreland County with food, book donations
Jeremiah Washburn loves taking walks and going on car rides. Now, he gives back to the community while enjoying these pastimes. Washburn, who has an intellectual disability and autism, gathers used books and nonperishable food items and donates them to Little Free Libraries and food pantry drop-offs throughout Westmoreland County....
2 years into pandemic, the Brackenridge Salvation Army still churning out free meals
The lunch menu Thursday at the Brackenridge Salvation Army was far more elaborate than its grab-and-go description. Fresh out of the oven was a nutritious meal of baked tilapia with garlicky lemon butter, mac and cheese, and green beans. It was free and waiting for the first 100 people to...
Greensburg orders new Seagrave fire truck
The Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department will soon have a new fire truck, replacing a 25-year-old apparatus at the city’s Hose Co. No. 6. Council members on Monday unanimously approved the purchase of a Seagrave model TB50CT Marauder Pumper for $779,114. “It’s a better truck all around, something that definitely we...
Jeannette native killed in Phoenix; police charge husband with homicide
Police in Arizona arrested the husband of a Westmoreland County native, accusing him of fatally shooting her at their Phoenix home last month, according to police and news accounts. Investigators said family members of Amy Jo Jacobelli Malobicky, 54, reported she and Paul A. Fratella, 43, had been involved in...
Proposal would create formal partnership between Pittsburgh, school district
Legislation introduced to Pittsburgh City Council would form an official partnership between the city and Pittsburgh Public Schools in an effort to address the learning gap resulting from the covid-19 pandemic and the pre-existing racial achievement gap in the city’s schools. The legislation explains that the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission...
Westmoreland commissioners settle federal lawsuit filed by jail nurse
Westmoreland County commissioners have agreed to settle a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by a former nurse at the county jail. Commissioners unanimously approved a $8,500 payout to Sophie Puskar, who sued the county and Wexford Health Sources, the private medical provider at Westmoreland County Prison. Puskar contended she was sexually...
Pittsburgh claims damages exemption for cop who beat up teen caught smashing pumpkins
The state Supreme Court must decide if the City of Pittsburgh should be responsible for paying a $75,000 jury award against an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer who chased down and assaulted a teenager who had been smashing pumpkins in his neighborhood nearly 10 years ago. The appellate court heard arguments...
Lawmaker calls on state to again reject application to draw water from Big Sewickley Creek for fracking
A lawmaker is once again asking Pennsylvania’s top environmental official to turn down a plan by PennEnergy Resources to draw millions of gallons of water a day from Big Sewickley Creek and one of its tributaries for fracking. In July, state Rep. Robert Matzie, D-16th, sent a letter to state...
Allegheny County, Pittsburgh launch hygiene kit drive for Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has created shortages of just about everything in many parts of the besieged country, including items used for basic personal hygiene. But now, with a nod toward the region’s vast Ukrainian heritage, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials have jointly announced a hygiene kit drive to help...
New Pittsburgh Zoo CEO wants to make Somerset conservation space more welcoming
SOMERSET — Since its debut 15 years ago, Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium’s International Conservation Center near Fairhope has often made great strides with little fanfare toward the preservation of the African elephant. Somerset County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ron Aldom noted Wednesday that people often don’t believe him...
Don’t mess with momma: Hays bald eagle defends nest against intruderVideo
Dining on a meal of Monongahela fish just after 6 p.m., the Pittsburgh Hays bald eagle mom fed her three eaglets. Then — bam! A large predatory bird swooped the nest and the Hays’ mom sprang into action. She outstretched her wings, which can span six feet or more, over...
Mattress Factory names Pittsburgh curator as new executive director
Following a five-month, nationwide search, the Mattress Factory found its next executive director close to home. David Oresick, the current executive director and chief curator of Silver Eye Center for Photography, will begin his new role May 16 at the contemporary installation art museum in Pittsburgh’s North Side. ”David exemplified...
Police: Tarentum couple accused of child abuse after 5-month-old found to have broken bones
A Tarentum couple has been accused of child abuse after a doctor treating their 5-month-old son for a shoulder injury told police the boy suffered 10 previous fractures for which he did not receive medical treatment. Ryan Scholl, 22, and Breanna Airgood, 26, of the 400 block of West Ninth...
Quaker Valley School District to raise real estate taxes 2.9%
Quaker Valley School District property owners should expect to see an uptick in real estate taxes of 2.9% as a result of next school year’s budget. Board members unanimously voted to approve the 2022-23 proposed final budget on April 12. Its formal adoption is scheduled for May 18. The budget...
Fox Chapel Area Adult Education adds tech lessons to help eliminate digital clutter
Fox Chapel Area Adult Education has a perfect class this spring for tech novices who accumulate thousands of emails or for people who yearn to shoot better photos with an iPhone. Private lessons for Apple devices, taught by Plum resident Emily McNeil, are part of the spring offerings that launched...
Pittsburgh region’s economy rebounding from pandemic more slowly than other metro areas
The Pittsburgh region has the slowest employment growth coming out of the pandemic among the nation’s 40 largest metropolitan areas, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Pittsburgh’s labor force participation remains nearly 5% below what it was before the pandemic and is well below the U.S....
Northern Regional Police department promotes first woman to rank of sergeant
It was on one of their first calls together when Northern Regional Police Chief John Sicilia knew he had a keeper in Jennifer Abbondanza. Sicilia was a sergeant at the time, and Abbondanza was new on the job, the last officer he trained before becoming captain. They were looking for...
Google says it will invest $15M in Pa. this year, including Bakery Square expansion in Pittsburgh
The tech giant Google said it will invest more than $15 million in Pennsylvania this year, including plans to add another floor at its Bakery Square campus in Pittsburgh’s East End. The company said it plans to invest $9.5 billion in offices and data centers across the country this year,...
Clean air group asks for more Allegheny County Health Department oversight over Neville Island scrap yard
One year after a fire at the Metalico plant on Neville Island, residents from the area delivered a petition to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald asking for increased health department oversight over the scrap yard. The April 2021 fire at Neville Recycling burned for hours before crews brought the flames...
Former Armstrong County high school softball coach charged with sexual assault of teen
Last month, Pennsylvania State Police filed sexual misconduct charges against a former high school softball coach. She was arrested by state police in Kittanning on Wednesday. Jane Woodside, 29, is a former coach at West Shamokin High School in Armstrong County and was accused of having sexual contact with a...
Sewickley-based Esmark makes second donation to help Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia
Esmark Inc. chairman and CEO James P. Bouchard and his long-time friend Martina Roda have made a second donation of $25,000 to aid and support Ukrainians seeking refuge in Košice, Slovakia. This is the Sewickley-based company’s second donation to City of Košice to aid Ukrainians fleeing to Slovakia. As of...
Bloomfield Starbucks becomes 1st unionized location in Pennsylvania
Workers at the Starbucks on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood unanimously voted to form a union Wednesday. The Bloomfield store was the first of the chain’s locations in the Pittsburgh region to file to unionize — and the first in the state to vote in favor of unionizing. Workers...
The Stroller, April 14, 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. TryLife Center to sponsor Walking for Babies fundraiser The annual Walking for Babies event that benefits the TryLife Center in Lower...
