Local category, Page 1570

Flying with gifts? The Transportation Security Administration recommends packing gifts in gift bags or gift boxes rather than wrapping them. If a wrapped gift triggers an alarm, it will have to be opened, meaning the gift wrap has to be removed. If the gift is in a bag or box,...

A Fayette County man was ordered held in the county jail without bond after he was arrested by state troopers on 40 felony counts of sexually abusing four young girls who he befriended over the last six years. David A. Straitiff, 47, of North Union, was arrested Saturday by troopers...

A man was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital after being struck by a car Monday morning in Jeannette. The crash occurred at about 6:15 a.m. on the Claridge-Elliott Road, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatch supervisor. The man, who is in his 50s, was struck near the Elliott Group...

Westmoreland County Prison Warden Bryan Kline said that as of Monday there are 21 current coronavirus infections at the jail but no additional cases have been reported since late last week. Kline said the last inmate to test positive for the virus was on Dec. 17. “It’s getting better,” Kline...

Timothy Treganowan, who has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, became addicted to heroin at age 27 after he broke his back and was prescribed opioids. In 2017, while incarcerated for burglary and receiving stolen property — crimes committed, he said, to fuel his habit...

City Council on Monday continued debate about a measure that would prohibit Pittsburgh police from pulling people over for minor, secondary violations. Though council was originally scheduled to vote on the legislation Monday, members delayed the final until next Tuesday at the request of Councilman Anthony Coghill, who has repeatedly...

Nearly two years after the fact, Westmoreland County’s senior executives, department heads and other top administrators will receive bonuses for their work in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioners on Monday unanimously approved retroactive pandemic pay for about 60 county officials for 10 days of work between March...

Dan Gilman, who served as Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff, announced Monday that he will be taking on a new role at Duquesne University when Peduto leaves office in January. Gilman will serve as a senior advisor to Duquesne University President Ken Gormley and will move into the chief...

City Council on Monday approved the spending plan for the fund holding the money collected through the Pittsburgh’s new parks tax. This will be the first year the city has the dedicated fund to use for park projects. The trust fund is projected to contain $10.8 million at the start...

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim of a fatal shooting in Tarentum last week as Arquwonna Wright, 30, of Tarentum. According to police, Wright was shot late Thursday night along Main Street near the apartment building where she lived with her two children, 4 and 6 months....

Moments before the start of a court hearing Monday for a Latrobe councilman and a former city firefighter accused of stealing department funds to pay private legal fees, defense attorneys met privately with the prosecutor and resolved the criminal case. Assistant District Attorney Leo J. Ciaramitaro emerged from the chamber...

Westmoreland County on Monday signed up to be part of a proposed $26 billion national settlement with three major drugmakers to end a lawsuit over the ongoing opioid epidemic. The county and its 11 largest municipalities would receive up to $22 million over the next 18 years, commissioners said. “This...

State flags at government buildings across Pennsylvania will fly at half-staff until sunset Wednesday by order of Gov. Tom Wolf, in honor and memory of late Mt. Pleasant mayor and fire chief Gerald “Jerry” Lucia. He died unexpectedly Dec. 17 and will be buried Wednesday. Lucia had responded to a...

Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey on Monday introduced new members to his transition committee as he prepares to take office next month. The announcement came virtually after he said he tested positive for covid-19 Monday morning. “This is a robust group of people that came together here,” Gainey said of his...

Cindy Love of Latrobe can remember delivering a holiday meal to a family in need last year, and the look on a little boy’s face as it arrived. “It really broke my heart,” said Love, a volunteer who helped deliver more than 450 meals cooked by the staff at Sharky’s...

Average gasoline prices continue to fall as cases of the covid omicron variant surge, leading oil demand and prices to stall, an industry analyst said Monday. “The decline in gas prices will likely continue until new covid cases slow down,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for price-tracking...

Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey announced during a virtual press conference Monday that he has tested positive for covid-19. Gainey said he tested positive after taking a rapid test in the morning. He was holding a virtual press conference to announce his transition team. Gainey said he was exposed to the...

Pittsburgh City Council on Monday approved a measure that gives them some oversight in the process of hiring assistant and deputy directors for the city. The legislation affords City Council the opportunity to interview people who are appointed to those positions. City Council previously did not get to approve or...

A Russian national was sentenced to time served for his role in an international money laundering scheme on Monday. Maksim Boiko, 31, pleaded guilty on Dec. 17, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The case was prosecuted in Pittsburgh because the funds that were attempted to...

A rich history, varied landscape and welcoming community have drawn director Scott Cooper back to Southwestern Pennsylvania to film his upcoming adaptation of “The Pale Blue Eye” for Netflix. “It’s an incredibly pleasant place to shoot,” said Cooper, “and it works exceedingly well for the 1830s Hudson Valley.” Cooper and...

After a local farm was named the American Dairy Association North East’s among its Dairying For Tomorrow award winners in the Community Outreach category, its owners immediately lived up to the title. Maple Bottom Farm, with facilities in Scottdale and Dawson, Fayette County, donated their Dairying For Tomorrow award to...

When Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 59 of 2020 into law, one of its elements was mandatory police officer training to include harm-reduction components such as de-escalation, defensive and control tactics. For Chief T.J. Klobucar of the Delmont Police Department, that was as simple as a quick phone call to...

The best cookie bakers aren’t always grandmothers in flour-dusted aprons. A group of young bakers showed their kitchen competence Sunday during the fourth-annual Great Birthday Bake hosted by Beverly’s Birthdays at Antonelli Event Center in Irwin. Their creations scaled the heights of culinary creativity with original recipes and presentations worthy...

A state association says the president of Trafford council is tops when it comes to leading his community. The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs honored Kristopher “Kris” Cardiff with its Outstanding Council Member of the Year Award. Cardiff, 44, who has served on council since January 2014, has been president...

Hebron Community Center plans a community celebration to ring in the new year. The event will be held Dec. 31 at the Barclay Building of Hebron Church, 10460 Frankstown Road in Penn Hills. Families with young children can attend 5:30-7:30 p.m. and welcome the new year at 7 p.m. Adults...