Local category, Page 1611
The Stroller, Feb. 17, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Reservations being...
McKees Rocks man accused of courthouse theft
A McKees Rocks man is accused of stealing two credit cards, a debit card and about $140 in cash from the purse of a trial witness at the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh, the county sheriff’s office said. The suspect, Aaron Hicks, 28, allegedly stole the cash and cards on...
Many Alle-Kiski residents experience delay in receiving free at-home covid tests
Almost a month since the Biden administration launched a website for every American household to request free covid-19 tests, many across the nation are still waiting for theirs to arrive. An informal survey of some Alle-Kiski residents showed the patchwork results. Announced on Jan. 18, the website covidtests.gov lets people...
Briefs from Fox Chapel Area High School
Fox Chapel Area High School’s speech and debate team participated in the annual North Catholic High School Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament, held in-person on Dec. 11. Senior Patrick Alexander won an Outstanding Performance award by finishing in the top five. Approximately 270 students from 27 public and private high...
Quaker Valley School District makes masks optional when county is in ‘moderate’ covid transmission levels
Quaker Valley School District officials have updated their health and safety plan to make masks optional at all schools provided certain criteria are met. Board members voted 8-1 to have masks be recommended and not required when Allegheny County reaches what is considered to be in “moderate” transmission. Danielle Helkowski...
Police: Pine man charged with felony after going to hospital with self-inflicted gunshot wound
Northern Regional Police filed felony gun charges against a Pine man after they say he showed up at a hospital suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. James Brady Thompson, 48, of the 100 block of Fieldview Drive, was charged with two counts of illegal possession of a firearm in connection...
Crews respond to Fox Chapel gas leak
First responders from Fox Chapel and Aspinwall, along with crews from People’s Gas, responded to shut off natural gas to a home on Delafield Road in Fox Chapel on Wednesday, Feb. 16, officials said. Fox Chapel Assistant Fire Chief Brian Zimmerman said workers apparently damaged a gas line. The house...
Students ‘no longer members’ of Winchester Thurston after video mocking George Floyd
Multiple students no longer attend Winchester Thurston School in Pittsburgh after the social media posting of a viral video mocking the death of George Floyd, according to a letter from the head of the school. A video, filmed inside Winchester Thurston’s upper school campus in Shadyside, was posted two weeks...
Municipal authority taps federal program to keep water flowing in Westmoreland homes
More than 100 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers have received nearly $31,000 since the start of this year from a new federal program to help low-income residents pay delinquent water and sewer bills. The Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program was authorized last year and funded through two federal bills,...
Pittsburgh activists, officials hope legislation will end ‘systemic racism’ in traffic stops
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday heard input from local activists and the Philadelphia councilman whose legislation spurred Pittsburgh to ban traffic stops for minor, secondary violations. Pittsburgh in December passed legislation sponsored by Councilman Ricky Burgess to stop police from pulling over drivers for having a burned-out brake light or...
Group of Fox Chapel Area School District parents continue push to make masks optional
Protests against masks for Fox Chapel Area School District students continued Wednesday outside of the administrative offices, marking the third such gathering against the district’s policies this month. About 13 protesters, including two children, gathered along Field Club Road about 2:30 p.m. during dismissal at the high school. They later...
Allegheny County’s covid-19 stats ‘headed in a favorable direction,’ health director says
All of the covid-19 metrics in Allegheny County right now are “headed in a favorable direction” as average daily case counts, testing positivity rates and hospitalizations tick downward after a particularly deadly January, county Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said Wednesday. “As we come out of the omicron surge,” she...
High crude oil price, rising demand boosting Pittsburgh region gas prices
Gasoline prices are increasing in Western Pennsylvania as crude oil stays above $90 per barrel, according to AAA East Central’s gas price report. The average price in Western Pennsylvania this week was about $3.63 per gallon, which is a 3-cent increase from last week. That’s also 82 cents higher than...
Parkway East reopened after police pursuit, crash in Squirrel Hill Tunnels
The Parkway East in Pittsburgh was closed both directions Wednesday afternoon in the wake of a police pursuit in which the suspect crashed his car in the Squirrel Hill Tunnels. Allegheny County dispatch said the incident began near the Tunnels shortly before 12:40 p.m. According to a state police release,...
Input sought from Jeannette business owners
Two Jeannette councilwomen are hoping to learn more about the needs of city businesses during a session next week. Councilwomen Robin Mozley and Michelle Langdon said the forum planned for 6 p.m. Monday at city hall will give business owners a chance to discuss how they are doing and what...
Pennsylvanians bet $68 million on Super Bowl, a 26% increase over 2021 wagers
Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry is off to a strong start after Super Bowl LVI set a record for wagers in the Keystone State, according to preliminary figures from state regulators. Pennsylvanians wagered more than $68 million on Sunday’s game, which saw the Los Angeles Rams overtake the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20....
Repairs to Port Authority bridge likely to take up to 3 months, cost $2M
Repairs to Port Authority of Allegheny County’s bridge over Saw Mill Run Boulevard in Pittsburgh could take up to three months and cost more than $2 million, transit officials said Wednesday. An engineer discovered part of the bridge structure had shifted earlier this month, causing an “abnormally large gap” at...
Greensburg finalizes $1 million loan that will be dedicated to public safety
Greensburg officials this week finalized a $1 million loan that will bolster funds dedicated to public safety that traditionally came from the now-closed J. Edward Hutchinson Parking Garage. Council members unanimously approved an ordinance related to the almost $1.1 million loan. “We wish we didn’t have to do it, but...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey scraps shuttle portion of Mon-Oakland Connector project
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said Wednesday that the proposed Mon-Oakland Connector project will no longer include a shuttle program, which was widely considered the most controversial part of the infrastructure project that seeks to connect research hubs in Oakland and Hazelwood. The Mon-Oakland Connector initially included a proposed roadway that...
Lifeguard certification classes offered for Allegheny County pools
Lifeguard certification classes begin Feb. 25, and will continue throughout the next few months for those interested in working as a lifeguard at one of Allegheny County’s four swimming pools, including North Park. The first set of classes will be Feb. 25-27 at Upper St. Clair Recreation Center, followed by...
More incidents of ‘Grandparent Scam’ being reported in region despite Westmoreland arrests
Arrests last year of four men accused of running what state police described as a “Grandparent Scam” in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties apparently has not stopped others from trying the scheme in the region. Trooper Cliff Greenfield said Wednesday that at least 12 reports have been received over the past...
Police: Allegheny Township woman charged with felony for shoplifting $12 pair of leggings
Allegheny Township police charged a woman with a felony count of retail theft after, they say, she stole a $12 pair of leggings from the Family Dollar store along Hyde Park Road, according to her arrest papers. Barbara Ellen Sanders, 48, of the 1100 block of Route 356 in Allegheny...
Buckle up for weather roller coaster in Western Pa.
It’s going to feel like the weather is at the end of a yo-yo string over the next seven days or so in the Pittsburgh area. The National Weather Service is calling for high temperatures near 60 for Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a brief cold snap for the beginning...
Food Podcast: Why is the Black community experiencing higher rates of food insecurity in the Pittsburgh region?Video
On this week’s episode of the Food Podcast presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union on the TribLIVE podcast network, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank celebrates Black History Month by learning more about food insecurity and race in the Pittsburgh region. “African Americans are three times more likely to experience food...
Customs agents helped guarantee pest-free petals for Valentine’s Day
Earlier this week, people who received a bouquet of flowers for Valentine’s Day were typically looking for the card. But earlier this year, when Customs and Border Protection officers received them, they were looking for pests, because the U.S. has become more reliant on importing flowers from overseas growers in...
