Western PA Local News category, Page 1625
West Deer police standoff ends with house fire
A man is in custody after holding police at bay in West Deer and setting his home on fire Wednesday, according to authorities. Police had much of the 3500 block on Huntertown Road blocked off and fire crews were called to extinguish the smokey fire shortly after noon, according to...
Ashes to go, Bible study and more around Sewickley area churches
Divine Redeemer Parish Eucharistic Adoration at St. Mary, 444 Glenfield Road, takes place 8-9 p.m. Wednesdays. At St. James, 200 Walnut St., it takes place from 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Mondays, 3-7 p.m. Wednesdays, noon-4 p.m. Fridays and on Saturdays after 9 a.m. Mass. Walk-ins and signups are welcome. Parishes throughout...
Ashes to Go draws people for mobile blessings
Lexie Vigna of West Leechburg has a jam-packed academic schedule as a college student. Home this week on spring break, she found time to observe Ash Wednesday in front of CoCo Coffeehouse in Leechburg, receiving “Ashes to Go.” “It’s very convenient to do this while I’m here studying at the...
Closures of I-70 west in Rostraver planned as emergency bridge repairs continue
Part of Interstate 70 in Rostraver will be closed two nights next week, as well as the following weekend, as crews continue emergency work to repair a bridge damaged by an over-height vehicle. The westbound side of the highway will be closed from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Tuesday and...
Phipps Conservatory unveils long-term ‘Tropical Forest Hawai’i’ exhibit
Nature, history and culture intertwine in “Tropical Forest Hawai’i: Aloha ‘Aina,” a new long-term exhibition in the Tropical Forest Conservatory at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh. The major redesign of the 12,000-square-foot, 60-foot-high space is the result of a multi-year process of research and planning that took Phipps...
Pittsburgh City Council honors Michelle Gainey, Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials Coalition
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday recognized First Lady Michelle Gainey and the Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials Coalition for their contributions to the city. While reading a proclamation honoring Michelle Gainey, Council President Theresa Kail-Smith acknowledged Gainey’s work to bring local Black artwork into City Hall and her efforts to “promote...
Riverview string bass player selected for All-State Orchestra
Riverview High School sophomore Riley Russell, who plays string bass, has been selected to participate in the 2022 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra Festival. The festival is scheduled for April 6-9 at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in the Poconos and will include rehearsals, sectionals, clinician workshops and...
Gov. Wolf tours Pittsburgh company working to send cargo to the moon
Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday toured Astrobotic, a company on Pittsburgh’s North Side that is working toward sending unmanned vessels to the moon. Astrobotic CEO John Thornton told reporters that the company is scheduled for a lunar launch this year and another in 2023. If Astrobotic is able to beat...
Hampton High School students win Shakespeare contest
Hampton High School junior Kai Suyama and sophomore Andrew Kaehly placed first in the Upper Division Scenes in Pittsburgh Public Theater’s 28th annual Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest. Kai and Andrew performed a scene from “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” More than 400 area students from 60-plus schools competed in the...
State trooper in New Stanton charged with possessing child porn, jailed on $500K bond
A state trooper assigned to the turnpike detail in southwestern Pennsylvania remains in jail after investigators allege he possessed dozens of computer files containing child pornography, including on a personal cellphone he was carrying when arrested Tuesday at the New Stanton station. Sean R. McKenzie, 37, a corporal, is charged...
Family programs scheduled at Oakmont Carnegie Library
Oakmont Carnegie Library is offering family-oriented programs on weekdays, with no registration necessary. STEAM After School Program is from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursdays. Elementary-age children and their families can stop by the library and make a craft. Themes are STEAM Rocket Pulleys, March 10; Lucky Leprechaun Binoculars, March 17;...
Get ready for spring cleaning with Monroeville waste collection day
Household hazardous and electronic waste collection days are scheduled at the Monroeville Public Works Building, 200 Starr Drive. The collections are open to everyone, and the next event will take place starting at 9 a.m. April 16. Accepted chemicals include paint and workshop products, automotive products, cleaning products, lawn and...
Hampton Middle School redesignated as School to Watch
When Hampton Middle School unveiled its flexible and interactive Learning Pavilion this summer, the initiative underscored the school’s continued efforts to engage students in innovative ways. In November, the efforts were affirmed by the school once again being named as a School to Watch by the Pennsylvania Association of Middle...
Hampton, water authority recognized in Banner Community program
Hampton has been designated as a 2022 Banner Community by the Allegheny County League of Municipalities, as has the Hampton Shaler Water Authority. This marks the 10th year of the program, which recognizes municipalities and municipal authorities that show a commitment to professional development, prudent fiscal management, transparency, accountability and...
Easter Bunny hops back to Hampton April 9
For many Hampton youngsters, the Easter Bunny is but a distant, hazy memory, or one they don’t have at all. Because of the covid-19 pandemic, it’s been a few years since everyone’s favorite furry friend was able to visit. That changes April 9, when the township’s traditional egg hunt returns...
Pittsburgh-area steelworker Joseph Burgess gets front-row seat at State of the Union address
You’re minding your business, going to your job at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works, and the next thing you know, you have a front-row seat for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. How does that happen? For Joseph “JoJo” Burgess of Washington, Pa., it started with an...
1 suspect in check theft, ‘washing’ scheme jailed; police still looking for 2nd in $10K case
A McKees Rocks man accused in a check “washing” scheme was jailed Tuesday. Bryan. A. McGraw, 30, was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail. State police announced last week they were searching for McGraw and Michael G. Machay, 35, of Butler, in connection with a check...
County official: Prevention is a key to controlling blight in Latrobe
Preventing properties that are in fair condition from deteriorating is among recommended strategies for Latrobe to tackle blight. A recent Westmoreland County inventory of the city’s 3,912 properties indicated that 57, or 1.4%, are rated in poor condition, while 368, or 9.4%, are in fair condition, according to Brian Lawrence,...
New Kensington-Arnold School District makes face masks optional
Face masks are now optional in the New Kensington-Arnold School District. At a school board meeting Tuesday night, Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said the change was effective immediately. The school board did not have to vote on the change, as it was already outlined in the district’s health and safety plan....
Court throws out school mask lawsuits by Upper St. Clair, North Allegheny
The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday dismissed as moot two lawsuits against local school districts over mask mandates. The court said in its order that the complaints against the Upper St. Clair and North Allegheny school districts no longer present a controversy because Allegheny County isn’t deemed...
State trooper responding to wreck on Route 28 accuses driver of carrying gun illegally
State police from the Kittanning station charged a man with felony gun possession after he got into a crash along Route 28. Naszer Simmons-Christopher, 20, of Duquesne, was charged with carrying a firearm without a license along with carrying a loaded weapon, driving under the influence and traffic violations, according...
Pittsburgh man pleads guilty for role in Downtown protests over George Floyd’s death
A man from Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes pleaded guilty Wednesday to obstructing law enforcement during Downtown protests over George Floyd’s death on May 30, 2020. Jordan Coyne, 26, agreed to an 18-month federal prison term in exchange for his plea. He will be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Arthur...
Hempfield leaders approve rezoning of former Cherry Creek Golf Course
Hempfield supervisors this week granted a zoning change that could pave the way for residential development at the former Cherry Creek Golf Course. The zoning status will change from agricultural to suburban residential for about 100 acres of the golf course, which closed in 2015. While site plans for possible...
Monroeville, Pitcairn named Banner Communities
Monroeville and Pitcairn have been designated as 2022 Banner Communities by the Allegheny County League of Municipalities. This marks the 10th year of the program, which recognizes municipalities and municipal authorities that show a commitment to professional development, prudent fiscal management, transparency, accountability and proactive communications to engage community stakeholders....
Read Across America Day: Western Pa. organizations find creative ways to encourage reading
When children learn to read, the skill “opens the world to them,” according to Amber Power, executive director of Bella Terra Stables in Murrysville. Bella Terra Stables is one of many local organizations that offer unique ways to encourage children to read. “If you can make reading fun for kids...
