Western PA Local News category, Page 1634
Vandergrift officer once suspended over alleged racial incident retires
A Vandergrift police officer suspended last year for his conduct on the job involving a patron at a local restaurant is no longer on the force. Officer William Moore submitted his retirement to council Feb. 7. “Council accepted it (retirement) at the last meeting. I have no details,” Vandergrift Mayor...
Pittsburgh region’s Ukrainians, supporters decry Russian attack, condemn ‘evil’ Putin
Dan Czmola of Penn Hills was expecting to have a Zoom call with someone in Ukraine on Thursday but, after a few days of being in touch, could not get a reply from him. He said he believes it’s because of Russia’s bombing of Ukraine’s communications facilities as part of...
Police: Driver taken to hospital after crashing car into Pittsburgh warehouse
One person was taken to the hospital Thursday after a car crashed into a warehouse along Washington Boulevard in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood. Emergency responders found a car had crashed through a wall at the warehouse when they were dispatched to the 1000 block of Washington Boulevard around noon. Police said...
Unity man sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for role in meth distribution ring
A 35-year-old Unity man was sentenced this week to federal prison on charges of violating narcotics trafficking laws, U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung said. Alan “Mugs” Masecar, currently in the Allegheny County Jail, was sentenced to 51 months in prison, followed by three years supervised release by District Judge Robert...
UPMC doctor involved in research to treat pulmonary hypertension with cancer medicines
Allison Dsouza was unable to walk a short distance without becoming winded. The Munhall resident’s trouble breathing led to a diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, high blood pressure in the blood vessels in the lungs. Pulmonary hypertension is a rare, incurable lung disease. She has what’s called “idiopathic” pulmonary hypertension, which...
A step ahead: Bodiography celebrates 20 years of dance
When Maria Caruso returned to her dance studio Bodiography on Sunday after a month away in Brazil, she played a recording of Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.” It’s the song she’s been rehearsing for a solo to celebrate her company’s upcoming 20th-anniversary celebration. But she didn’t take a step. She looked at...
Pittsburgh officers appear before grand jury investigating death of man tased by policeVideo
Three Pittsburgh police officers and a former one appeared Thursday morning before an Allegheny County investigating grand jury hearing evidence related to the death of a homeless man who had been tased multiple times by police in October. The panel, which sits at the Dormont municipal building, is hearing evidence...
Greensburg police arrest 2 in Christmas Eve burglary case after tip from Somerset County
When Windber police this month nabbed two Johnstown men on charges of stealing firearms out of storage units in the small Somerset County borough, little did they know their case would be the gift Greensburg police needed to solve a Christmas Eve pawn shop burglary. City police used a tip...
Greensburg Salem thespians resume in-person performances with ‘Les Miserables’
Greensburg Salem returns to the theater to perform its high school musical beginning Friday, with an abridged version of “Les Miserables.” The production also can be streamed from home. “Everyone is excited to have live theater coming back,” said Sue Glowa, who is directing the musical. Because of concerns related...
Murrysville area: Easter drive-thru, new school offices, art show entries, more
Submit news, briefs and event listings to pvarine@trib live.com. Murrysville to host Easter drive-thru Murrysville Recreation Department will host an Easter drive-thru from 3:30-5:30 p.m. April 13 at the municipal building on Sardis Road. Families can wave to the Easter Bunny and Yellow Chick and receive a treat bag while...
New Kensington closes downtown parking garage following structural evaluation
Concerns over the condition of New Kensington’s downtown parking garage have prompted the city to close it. The city last year hired a structural engineer to assess the condition of the Kensington Plaza Garage on Fourth Avenue at Seventh Street. Dedicated in December 1979, the garage has seen usage fall...
Portion of Sharpsburg’s Main Street to close through March
A long-term closure of Main Street in Sharpsburg is expected to begin Tuesday. Road construction will begin at 6 a.m., with crews working to install sanitary and stormwater sewer lines, PennDOT announced. Specifically, traffic will be detoured between Sixth and Eighth streets. Work is part of a $3.8 million improvement...
Police: Verona woman took daughter she didn’t have custody of to Illinois
A Verona faces woman kidnapping and other charges for taking a daughter over whom she did not have custody to Illinois, according to police. Brandi Bailey, 34, is charged with kidnapping, burglary, interfering with the custody of a child, concealing the whereabouts of a child and endangering the welfare of...
Hospital worker survey will help Gainey administration understand industry challenges
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s transition team plans to undertake a massive survey of Pittsburgh hospital workers, hoping the information gleaned will help the city lessen the challenges that are driving health care workers away from the bedside. Jake Pawlak, Gainey’s transition director and head of the city’s Office of Management...
Police: Mother charged for threatening student on Gateway school bus
A Monroeville woman is charged with terroristic threats and other crimes for allegedly threatening a Gateway elementary student on a bus. Jada Northcutt, 34, got on to a bus with Evergreen Elementary School students at the intersection of Garden City and SunnyField drives the morning of Jan. 27, according to...
Monroeville Public Library to hold event to educate on Medicare
A question-and-answer session regarding a basic understanding of Medicare will be held March 4 at the Monroeville Public Library. The hybrid event – being held in-person and on Zoom – will feature Kea Hardaway from Three Rivers Youth from 1-2:30 p.m. Hardaway has a background in health insurance, Medicare and...
Penn Hills School Board votes to remove plaques
Penn Hills School Board voted to remove plaques commemorating the school board members who were in office when Penn Hills High School and Penn Hills Elementary School were opened in 2012 and 2014. It was a move described by both board President Erin Vecchio and a resident opposed to the...
Police: Fayette County woman arrested in Arnold for trying to trade AK-47 for 2 bricks of heroin
Police say a Fayette County woman tried to trade an AK-47 rifle for heroin after a source tipped off agents from the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force who were conducting a drug sweep in Arnold. Jessica Sue Thorpe, 41, of Clinton Road, Saltlick, was charged with felony counts of illegal...
Norwin lifts modified lockdown over bomb threat
The Norwin School District Thursday afternoon lifted the modified lockdown that the school district had been under since early morning as a result of a bomb threat, Superintendent Jeff Taylor said in a message. The district did not release any details of the bomb threat, which it announced around 11:45...
Hampton council approves purchase of police body and dash cameras
Hampton council approved an initial purchase of body cameras and vehicle dashcams for the Hampton Township police department at its Feb. 23 meeting. Hampton Police Chief Thomas Vulakovich requested the approval to purchase the cameras and camera systems using $36,845 out of the Capital Improvement Fund budget. The total cost...
Motorists stop to assist driver of car that flipped on Route 28 near East Deer
State police are investigating the cause of a crash Thursday morning near the East Deer exit along Route 28, according to authorities. The accident was reported around 10 a.m. in the northbound lanes. Several passing motorists stopped to help the occupant of the vehicle get out before emergency crews responded...
Leechburg Area School Board lifts mask requirement for unvaccinated staff members
Unvaccinated Leechburg Area School District staff members will be able to choose whether to wear a mask in school buildings. The Leechburg Area School Board voted 5-3 Wednesday night to rescind its mask requirement. Members chose between voting yes to lift the requirement or no to hold off on a...
Highlands School District, teachers union agree to 5-year deal
Highlands School District teachers, who have been without a contract for more than seven months, have a five-year deal that runs through June 2026. The district and the Highlands Education Association announced the contract agreement Wednesday after the two sides ratified a plan that includes average annual pay increases of...
Highlands students create colorful community ‘quilt’ for library
Highlands Elementary second grader Stella Thiry slowly studied a box of markers before selecting her favorite colors. Classmate Isabella Malinsky chose ones that reflected bright rainbow hues. In a project aimed at fostering creativity and self-expression, the students collaborated on a colorful “quilt” to be displayed at the Community Library...
4 Pittsburgh chefs named James Beard Awards semifinalists
Four Pittsburgh chefs are semifinalists for this year’s prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards. Bethany Zozula of 40 North at Alphabet City on the North Side, Wei Zhu of Chengdu Gourmet in Squirrel Hill and Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski of Apteka in Bloomfield are semifinalists in the category of Best...
