Local category, Page 1665
Robert Morris president leaving for Arizona State
Robert Morris University’s president is leaving the Moon Township-based school next month to become a top official Arizona State University, which is trying to create a national university, Robert Morris officials said Tuesday. Chris Howard, who has been RMU president since February 2016, will join Arizona State as the executive...
Jefferson Hills holds the line on real estate taxes with new budget
Jefferson Hills property owners will not have to reach deeper into their pockets to pay real estate taxes this year. Council passed its 2022 budget and maintained the millage rate at 5.66 mills at a December meeting. The tax rate includes 5.225 mills for general purposes, 0.355-mill for fire protection...
Sewickley Council is under new management
Sewickley Council has a new president, vice president and several new members. Borough elected officials picked their leaders at a reorganization meeting Jan. 3. Cynthia Mullins and Julie Barnes were named council president and vice president, respectively. Tom Rostek was named president pro tempore. Sworn in were newly-elected members Brian...
Verona officials raise real estate taxes, cut street paving to make up for accounting error
Verona property owners will pay more in real estate taxes as council approved an estimated 24% tax hike as part of this year’s budget. Council approved raising the millage rate from 7.8 mills to 9.7 mills, which is a 1.9-mill hike. It means a tax increase of just under $96...
Requiem for the Blue Streak and the memories of Conneaut Lake Park
In the Pittsburgh area, we celebrate summertime fun at places like Kennywood and Idlewild. For those who live an hour or so north of the three rivers — think of them as Yankee Yinzers — there also was Conneaut Lake Park. It pains me to type the “was” part. Located...
Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh to close for 5 days due to staffing shortages
Carnegie Science Center will be closed for five days as a result of staffing shortages, officials announced Tuesday. The closure will run from from Monday, Jan. 10 through Friday, Jan. 14. “Like many other organizations, Carnegie Science Center is managing staff shortages,” officials said via news release. “This short period...
‘Monticello Lights’ raises more than $20,000 for Delmont VFD and Project Bundle UpVideo
Delmont Volunteer Fire Department Chief Don Kline didn’t pull any punches when asked about his annual budget. “The budget is whatever I’m able to raise,” Kline said. “We have two gun bashes each year, but we’ve lost a lot of events to covid, and we don’t receive borough money.” That...
Man who sought mental health treatment gets 14 to 30 years in prison for Homewood beating death
The day before he beat a man to death in Pittsburgh’s Homewood in 2020, Marlon Johnson sought help for homicidal and suicidal tendencies at an area outpatient mental health treatment facility. Instead of referring him for in-patient care, like he had received twice before, Johnson was allowed to leave soon...
Interim Westmoreland election chief handed bonus as search for new director restarts
The search to fill the vacant director’s job at the Westmoreland County Election Bureau will begin anew as work in advance of the 2022 primary will continue to be overseen by the county’s public works head. Commissioners this week gave a $5,000 bonus to Greg McCloskey, who since last summer...
Charleroi man gets state prison for Baldwin DUI crash that killed his brother
A Charleroi man will serve at least two years in state prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to a drunken driving crash that killed his younger brother. Bryan Devon Harris, 24, pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence and related counts stemming from the Jan. 11, 2020, crash...
Eat’n Park to close Squirrel Hill location
Murray Avenue, in the heart of Squirrel Hill’s business district, is known for its stretch of popular eateries. But lately the number of them is dwindling — especially for breakfast options. The restaurant chain Eat’n Park announced on Tuesday that it is permanently closing its Squirrel Hill location at 5...
Season’s 1st winter snowfall headed to Western Pennsylvania
Just when it seemed like the region was headed for the winter that wasn’t, the first significant snowfall of the season is expected to arrive later this week. Up to 2-3 inches of accumulation is predicted for Thursday, with 4-6 inches in the higher elevations, according to meteorologist Pat Herald...
Former Jeannette councilwoman appointed as controller
Nancy Peters isn’t quite ready to leave Jeannette city government. After losing re-election for council, she opted to take another job at city hall — controller. Peters, 74, was the only person who submitted a resume and letter of interest for the post after the winner of a 30-way tie...
Meals on wheels: Yak Diner makes journey to new North Apollo home as Dolly’s DinerVideo
Local history was made in only 10 minutes Tuesday morning when a semitractor-trailer picked up the former Yak Diner in North Apollo and plunked it down one-third of a mile along River Road. The classic 1955 stainless steel dining car will begin a new life, after some renovation, as Dolly’s...
Unity auditors raise pay for supervisors/roadmasters to $31.40
Unity supervisors are planning an aggressive road paving program this year, and they will be earning more as they oversee that work in their dual roles as roadmasters. Township auditors Ed Saxton and Gus Matta on Tuesday granted the three supervisor/roadmasters a raise of $2.40, bringing their hourly pay to...
3 accused of abandoning pet ferrets at county park in Hempfield
Westmoreland County Park Police cited three people Tuesday with animal cruelty-related charges, saying they abandoned two pet ferrets at Twin Lakes Park in Hempfield, according to court records. Sonia Hermann, 40, of Delmont and Danette Hermann and Jesse Lucas, both, 21, of Little River, S.C., were cited for animal cruelty...
Freeport council names leaders while seeking new members before next meeting
With four vacant seats and one member out sick, the Freeport Borough Council meeting Monday was about as long as a commercial break in Monday night’s Steelers game. With the lack of a quorum preventing an official meeting to be held, the only business conducted was appointing a president and...
Police say 15-year-old charged with felony for Snapchat threat that locked down Leechburg Area schools
Police charged a 15-year-old boy in connection with a threat made on social media Monday that resulted in all Leechburg Area School District buildings being placed on lockdown for a portion of the day. Parents were notified about the lockdown by an automated voicemail message sent out by Superintendent Tiffany...
Tamburitzans add Italian, Nordic numbers for Greensburg show
For the first time, the Tamburitzans are performing songs from Italy and the Nordic countries. The additions to their staple repertoire of Eastern European folk music and dance are displayed in the troupe’s current tour, “Symbols: The Awakening.” It’s the perfect time to make the additions, said Marianna Hurrell, a...
Westmoreland County Prison inmate accused of threatening guard with razor
A 65-year-old Westmoreland County Prison inmate was arraigned Monday on charges of threatening a female guard with a razor blade, according to court documents. County detectives charged Dale E. Baum of Derry Township with two counts of aggravated assault in connection with the alleged Dec. 6 incident. Baum, who was...
GOP state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe won’t seek reelection
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe announced Tuesday he will not seek reelection this year. The Republican from Cranberry is in his 12th term representing a district that encompasses part of Butler County, including Adams, Clinton, Cranberry, Forward, Middlesex and Penn townships and Callery, Mars, Seven Fields and Valencia boroughs. “After family...
How to stay in touch with Peduto now that he’s no longer Pittsburgh’s mayor
Former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto says he wants to stay connected with his former constituents … sort of. On his first full day out of office after eight years of running the city, Peduto posted a tongue-in-cheek “Top Ten ways we can stay connected” on his website Tuesday. Number 8...
Man who killed Pitt student Alina Sheykhet to get hearing on effectiveness of former attorney
A man who pleaded guilty to killing a University of Pittsburgh student to avoid a possible death penalty will get a hearing to try to prove his attorney was ineffective. The state Superior Court ruled Monday in favor of Matthew Darby, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Oct. 17, 2018,...
Jeannette police seek help to identify woman seen leaving home just before suspicious fire
Jeannette police are trying to identify a woman seen leaving a home on Magee Avenue over the weekend just before a fire there, according to Chief Donald Johnston Jr. The blaze was reported at 5:20 p.m. Saturday. Authorities said it is suspicious. Firefighters extinguished the flames quickly because someone spotted...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey names 1st appointments to his administration
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Tuesday announced the first appointments to his mayoral administration, naming Jake Pawlak as deputy mayor and state Rep. Jake Wheatley as chief of staff. Pawlak, who served as Gainey’s transition director, will be appointed as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. He...
