Local category, Page 1651
Ministry eyeing February opening for Brackenridge homeless facility
By this time next month, a former Brackenridge personal care home will be nearly ready to welcome new residents. The owner of the building, Allegheny Valley Association of Churches (AVAC), is performing minor construction to reconfigure the site as a homeless facility. “We are hoping to be ready to house...
Westmoreland Republicans disappointed with current redistricting proposal
If State Rep. Bob Brooks, R-Murrysville, wants to continue representing the 54th Legislative District, he may have to move to southeastern Pennsylvania to do it. Under the proposal for redistricting House seats in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Brooks’ hometown of Murrysville would be split in two. It would be absorbed...
Mt. Pleasant man pleads guilty to police altercation, burglary charges
A Mt. Pleasant man was sentenced to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty this week to charges in two separate cases related to an incident with police last year and an unrelated burglary of a home a year earlier. Daniel Sebulsky Jr., 37, pleaded guilty in connection with...
‘Walk the line’ to The Palace in Greensburg for Johnny Cash tributeVideo
He wears the clothes and he sings the songs, but James Tamelcoff isn’t trying to be the Man in Black. He just fronts Cash Unchained: The Ultimate Johnny Cash Experience, coming to The Palace Theatre in Greensburg at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22. “I’m not going to get up onstage and...
N Stuff Music in Blawnox expands with Next Door Cafe and Little Lesson House
The beat goes on for the Sarra family. Bob Sarra and his two sons, Jason and Justin, are co-owners of N Stuff Music, a music instrument store at 468 Freeport Rd. in Blawnox. The business recently expanded to the two buildings on either side of it, which were remodeled into...
Retired Fox Chapel surgeon puts down scalpel and picks up welding torchVideo
Robert Quinlin spent the better part of the past two pandemic years toiling away with sheet metal and geometric shapes. The retired bariatric surgeon from Fox Chapel handles a welding torch like a scalpel, cutting triangles, cubes, dodecahedrons — a circular-type structure with 12 flat faces — and other “golden...
Allegheny Health Network to require people wear surgical-type masks in all facilities
Allegheny Health Network officials announced changes late Friday to mask requirements for all facilities. AHN now requires all patients, visitors and care teams to wear a surgical-type, N95 or KN95 face mask. Such masks will be provided to those who do not have one. Officials said cloth face masks were...
UPMC insurance sets covid test reimbursement guidelines
UPMC Health Plan announced procedures Friday night for employers and individuals covered under UPMC insurance to get reimbursed for eligible home covid tests. The Pittsburgh-based health insurer said that it will take requests for reimbursement by mail and also is creating an online system. The health plan, associated with UPMC’s...
Rostraver animal shelter destroyed by fire; other groups step in to help
Animal lovers have come to the rescue of a Rostraver woman who lost about a dozen cats early Friday when her house, which also served as an animal shelter, was destroyed by fire. About two dozen of her cats and eight dogs survived the fire that destroyed Wendi Kraemer’s home...
Westmoreland jail inmate charged with making over 200 calls to victim demanding she drop charges
A New Kensington man awaiting trial on charges of ramming a car with two young children inside is now accused of making more than 200 calls from the county jail to the woman driving that car, asking her not to testify against him, according to county detectives. Jamar L. Freshley,...
Meteorologists say predicting this particular storm is tricky stuff
Preparing for a storm is tough, but predicting one is even harder. Just ask a meteorologist. But WPXI-TV ’s chief meteorologist, Stephen Cropper, isn’t complaining. In fact, he loves the challenge of predicting the kind of severe weather we’re expected to have this weekend. “We’re looking at the temperature, the...
Police: Baldwin man charged in connection with Stowe bar fight shooting
Allegheny County Police said a Baldwin man was responsible for a Thursday night shooting in Stowe that left another man hospitalized. Sedrick Riddick, 22, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and taken to the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh on Friday. Charges stem from a shooting around 7:30...
Allegheny County corrections officer suspended amid allegations of assault on inmate
An Allegheny County Jail corrections officer was escorted out of the building and suspended pending potential termination Friday following allegations that they assaulted an inmate. Warden Orlando Harper provided little other detail on the incident during a news conference Friday afternoon. Harper said a jail employee received a phone call...
Greensburg man claims co-defendant’s plea deal hid from defense
The lawyer for a Greensburg man sentenced this week to serve life in prison for the 2017 murder of a Vandergrift woman claims prosecutors hid evidence of a plea deal offered to a co-defendant and key witness in the case. Defense attorney Tim Andrews contends Westmoreland County prosecutors suppressed evidence...
National Weather Service issues winter storm warning for region
A major winter storm headed for Western Pennsylvania might dump 6 to 11 inches of snow from mid-afternoon Sunday into Monday afternoon, according to the latest prediction from the National Weather Service office in Moon Township. The National Weather Service in Moon issued a winter storm warning Saturday afternoon. Snow...
Experts say too soon to tell what drop in covid counts means for Western Pa.
As some countries and major U.S. cities emerge from suspected omicron peaks, experts and health officials in Southwestern Pennsylvania say it’s too soon to say whether this region also has passed the worst of omicron. Cases have flattened in New York City, according to The New York Times, as well...
Derry man awaiting sentencing for attacks against 2 women named suspect in Florida sexual assault
A warrant was issued Friday for the arrest of a Derry Township man who had been free on bail while awaiting sentencing for the sexual assaults of two women. Westmoreland County prosecutors said in court documents Khachek Hamerski is being investigated in Florida in an alleged sexual assault that occurred...
Lifetime sex offender charged with failing to update address after moving from Tarentum apartment
A former Tarentum man who is on the state Megan’s Law list as a lifetime sex offender was accused by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office of failing to inform authorities when he moved out of his home last fall. James Edward Sundberg, 66, who lived in the 200 block of...
Pittsburgh riverfront building formerly owned by Mark Cuban could house apartments
A developer wants to transform a vacant riverfront building formerly owned by celebrity billionaire Mark Cuban on Pittsburgh’s Fort Duquesne Boulevard into an apartment building with more than 100 units. Douglas Development Corp. of Washington, D.C., bought the Downtown building at 642 Fort Duquesne Blvd. Terms of the deal, which...
Jeannette officials ready to start American Rescue Plan allocations
Another American Rescue Plan funding expenditure could be up for a vote by Jeannette council later this month, and the city could begin allocating its $900,000 as final rules regarding spending recently were released. Solicitor Tim Witt asked council to approve setting aside $130,000 for the repair of a manhole...
Loaded gun found in knapsack at Pittsburgh International Airport
A Ligonier woman was found carrying a loaded gun in her knapsack Friday at the Pittsburgh International Airport, officials said. According to the Transportation Security Administration, the loaded .380 caliber handgun was located after the bag went through a checkpoint X-ray machine. The woman told officers that she forgot she...
Pittsburgh officials say snow response will be better ahead of Sunday stormVideo
Pittsburgh officials said they’re planning for an improved response this weekend when a snow storm is expected to hit the region. Just days into Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration, the season’s first major snow event dropped between 1.5 and 2 inches of snow. Gainey joined Department of Public Works crews on...
Sewickley Public Library cancels children’s programs due to covid concerns, staffing issues
Sewickley Public Library has suspended all children’s in-person programs for the month due to rising covid concerns and staffing shortages. The library serves about 750 children a month through its programs and outreach services at various schools throughout the Quaker Valley area. “We’re just hoping to resume services in February...
Art, music mark Gallery Crawl’s returns to Pittsburgh Cultural District
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s annual winter Gallery Crawl returns Jan. 28 to the Cultural District, with more than 20 free events from 5:30-10 p.m. The 14 crawl stops include Trust galleries and other outdoor and indoor locations and public art places. “We have some very exciting events planned as we welcome...
A guide to Pittsburgh: Check out what Shadyside has to offer
On Pittsburgh’s East End sits a neighborhood with an abundance of sights, stores and places to grab a bite. Shadyside was labeled “Our Greenwich Village” by the Pittsburgh Press in the 1960s and ‘70s. A former railroad town, its name is derived from a Pennsylvania Railroad station’s “shady” lanes in...
