Local category, Page 1662
Geyer Road in Shaler to close through January
Motorists who travel along Geyer Road in Shaler will need to find a detour. The road is expected to be closed through late-January, beginning Thursday, PennDOT announced. The shutdown impacts the section from Mt. Troy Road to Babcock Boulevard. Contractors will be on site for drainage repairs which will close...
Harmar candy store gets innovative while figuring out how to stay afloat
A year ago, Oh How Sweet It Is owner Robert Wyant was unsure of his candy store’s future in Harmar. Wyant had to close the store for two months in March 2020 during the beginning of the pandemic. While the store was closed, Wyant missed out on his busiest holidays,...
The Stroller, Jan. 6, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Start the new year off right! Publicize your events, club meetings and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Spaghetti dinner to benefit New Ken fireman A spaghetti dinner to benefit lung cancer patient Chris...
Bus driver shortage causing ’emergency’ in Woodland Hills School District
A covid-related bus driver shortage in Woodland Hills School District is creating an emergency for student transportation, officials said. The district is without at least 10 drivers, a situation that creates a hardship for about 665 students in district communities, district spokesman Andrew Chiappazzi said. “We provide transportation not just...
Kiski Area bus driver shortage could force district into remote learning
A shortage of school bus drivers continues to wreak havoc on transportation routes in the Kiski Area School District. In a post Wednesday to the district’s Facebook page, officials described the problem as “extreme.” The driver deficit has resulted in frequent morning and afternoon bus route pickup cancellations and delays....
Greensburg Salem officials see shift to smaller enrollment class as a plus for district athletics
Greensburg Salem’s Golden Lions will compete against teams from schools with smaller enrollments beginning next fall, a move down that school officials say should be a good one for district athletics. Greensburg Salem will drop from Class 4A to 3A in football, Class 6A to 4A in boys basketball and...
Sharpsburg mayor, council members sworn in to office
Sharpsburg has a new mayor, council president and vice president. Brittany Reno was sworn in as mayor by District Judge Matthew Rudzki at a reorganization meeting Jan. 3. Reno then swore in council members Karen Pilarski-Pastor and newcomers Kayla Portis, Carrie Tongarm and Sara Ishman. Adrianne Laing was named president,...
Oakmont has new mayor, council president, vice president and some new council members
Oakmont has a new mayor, council president, vice president and some new council members. Sophia Facaros was sworn in as mayor by notary Jill Springer at a meeting Monday night. Facaros then swore in incumbent Councilman John Arnold and newcomers Tracey Holst, Jamie Leonardi and Amanda Pagnotta. Lindsay Osterhout was...
Pittsburgh police: Boy in stable condition after head grazed by bullet
Pittsburgh police are investigating after a boy was found with a “graze-type wound” to his head after a shooting Wednesday night, officials said. Crews responded to the 5500 block of Penn Avenue near the city’s Garfield and Friendship neighborhoods around 8:45 p.m., said Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz. First...
Diet-conscious couple offers healthy meals to go at new Latrobe storefront
Healthy eating has long been a way of life for Kaitlin and Ricky Weiers, and now it’s their local business venture. The spouses will hold a grand opening from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the new storefront location of R. Klean Meals, 1307 Ligonier St., in Latrobe. The Derry...
Police investigating after man shot in North Versailles
Allegheny County Police are investigating after an unidentified man was shot in North Versailles on Wednesday night, officials said. North Versailles police responded to the 1400 block of Greensburg Pike around 8 p.m. for reports of the shooting. According to county police, the victim drove from the scene. He was...
Westmoreland 911: No injuries reported in Unity house fire
No injuries were reported after a fire broke out in a Unity home Wednesday evening, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Firefighters responded to 487 Donohoe Road shortly before 10 p.m. where they found the house and a few small structures in the back on fire. The fire was under...
Employee airlifted from ATI Vandergrift after suffering burns
An ATI employee was flown by medical helicopter from the company’s Vandergrift facility Wednesday after suffering burns, officials confirmed. According to spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie, the employee was performing operational maintenance when the person was burned. “Out of an abundance of caution, the employee was ‘life-flighted’ for treatment, receiving the care...
17 from Western Pa. charged so far in connection with Capitol riot
The federal government has filed criminal charges against more than 725 people in connection with its ongoing, sprawling investigation into rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Of those charged so far, 59 were from Pennsylvania and 17 came from Western Pennsylvania. Eight of the Western Pennsylvania defendants...
Monessen man to serve prison sentence for sexual assault of child
A Monessen man will serve up to seven years in prison for the sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl. Damien R. Bryan, 21, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury in July of two felony charges of indecent assault of a person under age 13, corruption of minors and one...
Hospitals across Pittsburgh region brace as covid surge delivers more patients
Hospital systems across Southwestern Pennsylvania are braced for another surge of patients seeking treatment for covid-19 — though they are weathering the storm for now as cases increase and staffing shortages persist. The number of ICU covid-related patients at Allegheny Health Network hospitals is holding steady, though there has been...
McCandless Town Council reorganizes
McCandless Town Council unanimously elected Michael Tarle of Ward 3 as council president during its reorganization meeting on Jan. 3. “We all have an equal voice. We’re all here to work together to better the community. We may disagree but when we do we’ll do it with civility and respect...
Covid positivity rate in Allegheny skyrockets to 26% as omicron spreads
The covid-19 positivity rate in Allegheny County has skyrocketed over the past week as the omicron variant spreads, and Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said the fast-spreading variant likely makes up most of the county’s cases at this point. The seven-day average for positive PCR tests in the county is...
Whistleblower lawsuit filed against Ruffs Dale company
A former quality assurance director at a Ruffs Dale in-home care company contends in a federal lawsuit he was fired after reporting allegations that covid-relief funds were misappropriated and staff-training documents were falsified. Bryan Kantorczyk claimed Gene Cook Supports Inc. — the company where he worked for more than six...
Mark Patrick Flaherty, former Allegheny County controller, dies from covid complications
Mark Patrick Flaherty came from a well-known family of Democratic public servants. His father served as an Allegheny County commissioner and a state Commonwealth Court judge. His uncle was Pittsburgh mayor, deputy attorney general and later a county commissioner. It seemed inevitable then, that he would follow in their footsteps....
Allegheny, Westmoreland counties preparing for region’s 1st snowfall of year
The season’s first substantial snowfall appears to be heading for Western Pennsylvania, and the Allegheny and Westmoreland County public works departments want residents to know they’re ready. Snow is expected to begin Thursday night and continue into Friday morning with a total accumulation of about 1 to 3 inches, according...
Pittsburgh City Council must vote whether Wilkinsburg annexation will appear on borough’s ballot
Pittsburgh City Council must vote within three months to decide whether the city’s possible annexation of Wilkinsburg will be on the neighboring borough’s ballot later this year, a judge ruled Wednesday. The ruling came as supporters of the potential merger, in anticipation of the ruling, gathered outside the City-County Building...
Hospitals across Pittsburgh region brace as covid surge delivers more patients
Hospital systems across Southwestern Pennsylvania, including UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, are braced for another surge of patients seeking treatment for covid-19 — though they are weathering the storm for now as cases increase and staffing shortages persist. Nationally, some experts say the focus should be on the health of...
Kiski Township supervisors fire treasurer who became newest supervisor
The Kiski Township supervisors fired township Treasurer Sherry Tamski during their reorganization meeting this week. Like other municipalities across the Alle-Kiski Valley, Kiski Township held its reorganization meeting Monday night to swear in newly elected officials and appoint township professionals such as the solicitor, treasurer, township manager and others. Tamski,...
Pa. authorities cracking down on unemployment benefits fraud, some reported in Westmoreland
State officials are examining the source of a reported increase in efforts to steal unemployment compensation benefits, which they are trying to thwart by adding a new process for identity verification. Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier said the agency is working with law enforcement to investigate and...
