Local category, Page 1644
Judge denies motion to suppress statements made by defendant in Tree of Life case
Antisemitic statements made by the man accused of killing 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue three years ago can be used against him at trial. In a 32-page opinion issued Thursday, Senior U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose denied a motion by Robert Bowers to suppress statements that he made...
Wolf joins Pittsburgh leaders to tout Pennsylvania’s fiscal improvementsVideo
Gov. Tom Wolf joined Pittsburgh leaders Thursday at an event to promote fiscal improvements the state has seen during his tenure. Wolf joined Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald at the Energy Innovation Center in the Hill District — a site that Fitzgerald hailed as a...
Port Authority to settle lawsuit over death of Pitt student struck by bus
The Port Authority board is expected to approve a $500,000 settlement over the death of a University of Pittsburgh student who was struck and killed by a bus two years ago in Oakland. The authority’s oversight committee recommended the settlement, and it is expected to be voted on at a...
Feds: New Kensington resident serves federal prison time for illegally receiving pandemic jobless benefits
A New Kensington man served six months in a federal prison after he was convicted of receiving pandemic unemployment compensation that he didn’t qualify for. Erick Woods, 23, of New Kensington was sentenced to time served (six months) and a two-year term of supervised released, after he was convicted of...
Charter Oak garbage complaints prompt request for hauling contract in Unity
Unity supervisors are being asked to consider contracting with a single garbage hauler to serve the township — an idea that has not been popular with residents in the past. The request comes from Chris Buchheit, a board member with the Charter Oak Civic Association. He told the supervisors at...
North Allegheny School Board’s in-person-only comment period began Jan. 19
The North Allegheny School Board allowed only in-person public comments at its meeting Jan. 19 as it returned to its pre-pandemic procedures for meeting location and public comment periods. Those procedures allow only people attending school board meetings in-person to deliver public comments. Some North Allegheny residents expressed their concern...
Seven Springs daily snow report with stumbling skier goes viral
Daily snow reports posted by ski resorts often can be boring, simply listing the amount of fresh snow, ski conditions, temperatures and the number of open slopes. A report posted Thursday by Seven Springs’ narrator Abbey Way via Twitter hit it big, garnering attention across the country with a slipping,...
Norwin area: Night at Races fundraiser, appointments, more
IC Church sets Night at the Races Immaculate Conception Church at 308 Second St., Irwin, will hold a Night at the Races fundraiser at 6 p.m. Feb. 5 at Our Lady’s Plaza, the church’s social hall. For a $20 admission ticket, participants will receive a horse and jockey for the...
Pittsburgh officials say 50 trucks still cleaning snow and ice
After a winter storm brought several inches of snow to Western Pennsylvania Sunday, Pittsburgh crews were still clearing roads and combating icy road conditions as of Thursday. City officials said Monday that they had hoped to have all city roads cleared by Tuesday’s morning commute. Though many major roads seemed...
Parents sue Upper St. Clair School District over lifting of mask mandate
A group of families of medically disabled children is suing Upper St. Clair School District in federal court after the board there reversed its mandatory mask mandate earlier this month. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of five medically fragile students who are unnamed in the complaint, seeks a temporary restraining...
Freeport lands $11 million grant to pay for most of new sewage treatment plant
Freeport officials have landed a huge state grant — $11 million — to help pay for a new $16.9 million sewage treatment plant. The borough’s 50-year-old plant discharges partially treated sewage during heavy rains into Buffalo Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River. The plant needs upgrades to meet state...
The return of ‘Gen. Grant,’ tax help, historical society meetings, more in Murrysville area
‘Grant’ returns to Murrysville library next month Living historian and Gettysburg resident Ken Serfass will once again portray former Civil War general and U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant on Feb. 9, presenting “The Surrender of Robert E. Lee.” The program will focus on events leading up to Confederate Gen. Robert...
Penn-Trafford news: Huron tribe lesson, tornado relief effort, more
P-T students learn from Native American A group of Trafford Middle School eighth grade history students spent a day with an area Native American of Huron descent, shared stories and artifacts about the attire, traditions and customs of the tribe, which lived in what became Pennsylvania. The program by Todd...
Tom Hanks returning to Pittsburgh region to film ‘A Man Called Ove’
Tom Hanks is set to return to the Pittsburgh region to film another project after having portrayed the late Fred Rogers in the 2019 “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” The U.S. adaptation of “A Man Called Ove” will film in Western Pennsylvania this year, Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn...
Hempfield woman arrested after wanted man found hiding in laundry basket
A Hempfield woman is behind bars after police said she claimed a wanted man was not at home, but authorities found him hiding in a laundry basket, according to court papers. Emmaly Bridge, 30, is charged with receiving stolen property, hindering apprehension and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. Westmoreland...
Food Bank cancels distribution event in Wilkinsburg
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has canceled a Saturday drive-up food distribution event in Wilkinsburg. Predicted frigid temperatures expected this weekend forced the organization to cancel the event. People in need of food can contact the food bank through their website or at 412-460-3663 at extension 655....
Short-term solution announced to New Kensington’s downtown ‘food desert’Video
A short-term solution to the food desert in downtown New Kensington is on the way, Mayor Tom Guzzo said. The city is partnering with Oasis Grocery Direct to launch a system in which residents can order groceries online and get them two days later at a pickup point. Volunteers would...
Tax help available from AARP in Westmoreland County
The AARP Tax Counseling for the Elderly program will begin in February with volunteers from Westmoreland County Community College’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) helping to prepare simple tax returns for lower income, elderly residents and people with disabilities. It’s part of the AARP Tax Counseling for the Elderly...
Highlands school board votes to make masks optional
Highlands students are not required to wear masks in class, or elsewhere on district property, after the school board on Wednesday night reversed a previous mandate. The policy extends to staff and visitors, though the new mask-optional guidelines will limit outsiders in the building. The board voted 6-3, with members...
Erie man charged with returning to Frazer Walmart to steal 2nd big-screen TV
Frazer police charged an Erie County man with multiple felonies after, they say, he stole a large flat-panel TV from a Walmart store and then returned several weeks later and stole another one. Joseph Arciuolo, 35, of Millcreek Township, faces one count of burglary and two counts each of receiving...
Hempfield school officials, bus company working to lessen impacts of driver shortage
A shortage of substitute school bus drivers is impacting some routes in the Hempfield Area School District. First Student bus company “has an occasional morning in which a substitute bus driver cannot be secured,” according to Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. While efforts are made to cover impacted routes through other means...
Report cites water quality issues in hundreds of miles of Allegheny, Westmoreland waterways
Sections of Loyalhanna Creek and several of its tributaries, as well as some streams in Salem, are among bodies of water in Westmoreland County that are considered impaired for various uses, according to a new statewide integrated water quality report from the Department of Environmental Protection. In neighboring Allegheny County,...
Tarentum approves seed money for West Seventh Avenue renovation plan
By this time next year, Tarentum’s West Seventh Avenue business corridor could look brand-new with updated facades on many of the storefronts. That’s the hope of council, which last week agreed to put up seed money for a redevelopment plan by Faith Community Partners (FCP). The nonprofit has worked a...
Environmental group opposes Rustic Ridge Mine permit renewal
A Fayette-based environmental organization is opposing a coal mine company’s request to renew its permit for the Rustic Ridge No. 1 Mine in the Donegal area. The Mountain Watershed Association, which monitors the environmental impact of Rustic Ridge No. 1 Mine, prefers “that the mine is not permitted” for renewal,...
Westmoreland municipal authority, CNX reach deal to reforest reservoir site
Thousands of new trees will be planted around the Beaver Run Reservoir as part of a $1.8 million plan finalized Wednesday to reforest about 140 acres where more than 50 gas wells have operated over the past decade. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members signed off on the reforestation...
