Local category, Page 1609
Northbound Route 28 in Aspinwall to have single-lane restriction during the day starting Monday
Lane restrictions will start Monday on northbound Route 28 in Aspinwall, PennDOT announced. Single-lane and shoulder restrictions are planned between the on-ramp from the Highland Park Bridge to the Delafield Avenue exit starting Monday, weather permitting. Officials said they will continue as needed weekdays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m....
Cocaine, fentanyl, guns, body armor found when cops raid New Kensington house; 2 people arrested
Investigators say crack cocaine, fentanyl, guns, body armor and other evidence of a drug-dealing operation were discovered Wednesday when they raided a home in New Kensington. Markus Jaquell Bryant, 28, and Khadijah Wright, 27, were taken into custody when officers from the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and state narcotics...
Westmoreland commissioners hire help to create new human services department
Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday hired a consultant to forge a newly created office that consolidates all county human services programs into one department as the search for its permanent director continues. The effort to hire a full-time human services director has been ongoing since last summer after commissioners adopted findings...
Sinkhole opens up along Route 136 in west Hempfield
A sizable sinkhole opened up on Thursday afternoon along the 3200 block of Route 136 in Hempfield. “My employees spotted it and let me know about it this morning,” said Joe Maher, owner of West Hempfield Self Storage. “There’s an old mine shaft about 25 feet down. This area was...
Audit: Norwin mistakes cause state’s $101,255 overpayment for busing
Norwin may lose about $101,250 in future transportation reimbursements for overreporting the busing of about 260 nonpublic and charter school students from 2016-2020, a state audit found. The school district got the extra $101,255 reimbursement in transportation funds beginning in the 2016-2017 school year and continuing though 2019-2020, because of...
Men charged in shooting outside Greensburg bar treated city street ‘like it was the O.K. Corral’
A 24-year-old man said he dropped his cane and tried to get to safety upon hearing gunshots as he left The Rialto bar in Greensburg last month but was struck by a bullet. William Piscar testified he was leaving the establishment at the intersection of West Otterman Street and North...
Search for new Westmoreland elections director stalls
The Westmoreland County commissioners have indefinitely halted a search for a new election bureau director. The department has been without a top executive since the commissioners fired the former director last summer after she served 10 months on the job. Since June, it has been operated with two interim directors...
Volunteers sought to help clean up fire scene at Mt. Pleasant Township Christian camp retreat
The arduous task of cleaning up a maintenance building destroyed by fire at Laurelville Retreat Center will get underway Monday with the help of volunteers and heavy machinery. “It’ll definitely be messy, dirty work,” said Jeanette Lahm, director of the Mt. Pleasant Township Christian camp retreat. The center’s maintenance building...
After pandemic break, Burrell Bowl-a-thon returns this weekend to benefit education
After taking off two years during the pandemic, Burrell Bowl-a-Thon rolls again Sunday at Wildlife Lanes in Lower Burrell. The fundraising event is from 1 to 4 p.m. and is open to Burrell School District families and friends. Prizes and a 50-50 raffle will add to the festivities. Four-person teams...
Allegheny Township renames Community Hall after longtime political watchdog
It’s not often that political figures or municipal officials want to honor someone who kept them on their toes. But Allegheny Township supervisors this week voted 3-0 to rename the municipal building’s Community Hall to the Mable V. Mazza Community Hall in memory of the longtime community activist and historian....
Highlands superintendent makes staff health, wellness a priority
Highlands teachers will be pampered Friday with yoga sessions, gourmet coffee and some love from four-legged friends. A Health and Wellness program spearheaded by Superintendent Monique Mawhinney is meant to uplift spirits and refresh well-being. The program is built into a professional development day. There are no classes for students...
Pittsburgh Public Schools to launch national search for new superintendent
Pittsburgh Public Schools is looking to hire consultants to help it conduct a national search for a new superintendent. Former PPS superintendent Anthony Hamlet resigned in October after the district received criticism over in-person schooling decisions related to the pandemic and the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission found Hamlet violated the state’s...
Murrysville area: Art show, library programs, wellness checks, more
Submit news, briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Franklin Regional fined for chemical discharge The Franklin Regional School District recently paid a $7,000 fine to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, after mop water containing floor finish and floor-finish stripper was poured down a janitorial sink connected to the stormwater...
Norwin area: Fish fry, pastor returns, more
St. Agnes Church fish fry slated St. Agnes Church at 11400 St. Agnes Lane, North Huntingdon, will hold its drive-through fish fry from 2 to 7 p.m. on six consecutive Fridays from March 4 through April 8. The menu consists of panko hand-breaded cod filet and parmesan-crusted baked cod loins....
Sewickley Academy launches scholarship program thanks to gift from Jardini Family Foundation
Sewickley Academy is able to launch a new scholarship program funded in part through a generous gift from Academy parents and dedicated community members David and Dawn Jardini. The David and Dawn Jardini Family Foundation has committed in excess of $240,000 in scholarships for four students while enrolled in grades...
Police: Teen charged in Squirrel Hill Tunnel crash had gun, marijuana
A teenager ran out of his shoes when he fled from state troopers after a brief chase and crash in the Squirrel Hill Tunnel on Wednesday, according to the charges against him. Cash Jones, 18, is charged with carrying a firearm without a license, fleeing police, driving under the influence...
Penn-Trafford area: St. Barbara bingo; P-T robotics win
St Barbara Parish plans bingo St. Barbara Parish at Ramaley Lane, Harrison City, will host its monthly bingo at 6:45 p.m. March 3. Doors open at 5 p.m. and paper packages start at $27. The games include a must-go jackpot. Monitors and number boards are used for player convenience. The...
Kiski Area considers dropping quarantines, contact tracing
With coronavirus cases dropping dramatically since September, the Kiski Area School Board is anxious to move on from the two-year pandemic crisis. The school board scheduled a vote for Monday, Feb. 28, to consider ending contact tracing and quarantines. Mask-wearing on buses, however, might have to continue a little longer....
Lower Burrell drafts vacant building regulations — with fines to come
Fed up with unsightly vacant storefronts and other vacant properties, Lower Burrell Council has unanimously agreed to create a vacant property ordinance. Council is expected to approve the ordinance in the next month or so. The ordinance will require owners of vacant properties — residential, industrial and commercial — to...
Firefighter reported injured battling blaze at Fayette County auto salvage yard, dispatcher says
One firefighter was reported injured Thursday morning battling a large fire at an auto salvage yard in rural Fayette County, according to a spokesperson with the county emergency management department. More than a dozen area fire departments including tankers from southern Westmoreland County have responded to the fire at Marsh...
The Colab in Monroeville Mall aims to elevate, feature Black entrepreneurs, small businesses
A Facebook post brought two Penn Hills entrepreneurs together to open a store in the Monroeville Mall that will help fellow entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. Donald Davis sent out a message in a Facebook group asking if anyone did pop-up shops. The 30-year-old received many responses before reaching out to...
Police: Shots fired in Downtown Pittsburgh road rage incident
An apparent road rage incident ended in gunfire in Downtown Pittsburgh early Thursday, authorities said. The incident happened about 12:20 a.m. near the intersection of Smithfield Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard, police said. A man told officers he was driving behind a red Chevy Impala that was blocking two lanes,...
UPMC opens primary and specialty care facility in Edgeworth
Sewickley area residents seeking primary and specialty care at a UPMC facility now have an option that’s closer to home. A new UPMC Primary and Specialty Care facility opened in Edgeworth, and the healthcare giant is excited about it. “This is what we call a UPMC outpatient center,” said Mark...
Gateway urged to focus on diversity as 5 administrators, 1 teacher resign
The Gateway School Board of Directors on Feb. 15 approved the resignation of six employees, including two assistant principals, resulting in a discussion regarding lacking diversity within district administration. John Fournier and Michael Barlak, both assistant principals at Gateway High School, are resigning from their positions. Barlak will leave the...
Greensburg fighter wins MMA title in Ohio Combat League
Greensburg got itself a mixed-martial arts champion in January. Mataeo Garner captured the Ohio Combat League’s light heavyweight championship Jan. 29, fighting in the amateur division at 204 pounds. The 24-year-old Greensburg resident won a unanimous decision in the third round against Dayton, Ohio, fighter Darryl Booker. At 5-foot-9, Garner...
