Western PA Local News category, Page 1698
Deal reached on pay raises for key staff in Westmoreland controller’s office
After a monthslong stalemate, Westmoreland officials this week agreed to a salary restructure plan that awards pay hikes to key employees in the county controller’s office. The salary board, which includes all three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, unanimously approved raises for the director of accounting and two supervisors. The...
Advocates: Allegheny County Jail violating solitary confinement ban
A referendum banning the use of solitary confinement at Allegheny County Jail took effect Dec. 5. Yet, according to the Jail Oversight Board Segregation Report dated Wednesday and posted online, nearly 300 people were locked down in the jail throughout the month. Many of those people spent the entire month...
Gunfire at North Versailles custody exchange injures 2, including 6-year-old girl
A custody exchange in the North Versailles police parking lot ended in gunfire Wednesday, leaving one man and a 6-year-old girl wounded, according to police. Shawn Coles-Lundy, 29, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and five counts of reckless endangerment after police said he fired into an SUV...
Pittsburgh City Council reintroduces legislation on single-use plastic bags
Legislation calling for a ban on most single-use plastic bags was reintroduced to Pittsburgh City Council Tuesday. The measure, originally introduced by Councilwoman Erika Strassburger in November, did not pass before the end of the 2021 legislative cycle because council members were seeking to address questions about equity, enforcement and...
2 Pa. children found after police say biological parents took them from placement, fled state
Two children were found Thursday evening after state police said they were endangered when their biological parents removed them from a placement through Greene County Children and Youth Services. Trooper Forrest Allison said the children — ages 5 and 3 — were in the agency’s custody at a home placement...
Carnegie Mellon going to remote instruction for start of spring semester
With covid positivity rates in Allegheny County dramatically increasing as the omicron variant spreads, Carnegie Mellon University is going to “mostly remote instruction” for the first two weeks of the spring semester. The announcement was made Thursday in an email to students and staff from CMU president Farnam Jahanian and...
Real estate transfers for the North Allegheny area for the week of Jan. 9
Bellevue Matthew Catherwood sold property at 194 N Balph Ave. to Christopher and Tracey Hicks for $252,000. Bradford Woods Patricia Mirth sold property at 104 Saybrook Hbr to Mark and Heather Budnik for $322,500. Etna Anthony Ferraro sold property at 177 Dewey St. to Erin Kristin McCreary for $260,000. Estate...
Real estate transactions in the Fox Chapel area for the week of Jan. 9, 2022
Etna Anthony Ferraro sold property at 177 Dewey St. to Erin Kristin McCreary for $260,000. Estate of Harry Paradini Jr. sold property at 13 Sycamore St. Rear to Romero Development LLC for $90,000. Tara Irwin sold property at 181 Washington St. to Kathleen Marie and Jenna Salmon Mandis for $175,000....
Arnold Council reorganizes, continues with interim solicitor in place
Arnold will keep its interim solicitor through 2022, and two council members have swapped committee assignments. City council reorganized Tuesday following November’s municipal election. Two members — Democrat Deborah Vernon and Republican Adam Zweig — ran unopposed for reelection. Mayor Joe Bia swore them back into office. Vernon, who previously...
Hempfield man accused by police of fathering child with 2nd 15-year-old girl
A man arrested last month on state police accusations that he fathered a child with a Hempfield teen was charged Wednesday in connection with a child born to a 15-year-old Connellsville girl in 2020, according to court papers. Tristin Michael Huffine, 21, of Hempfield remains in the Westmoreland County Prison....
Export business owners get together to help promote the borough
Over the past several years, Export Borough has undergone a bit of a revitalization. Several once-empty storefronts along its downtown are occupied, and borough officials working with the Junior Hall Trust and the Export Historical Society have capitalized on the addition of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail by relocating Export’s war...
Maintenance work set for North Irwin Bridge; Irwin re-elects council president
Maintenance work set for North Irwin Bridge The bridge connecting North Irwin with the Sheridan Terrace section of North Huntingdon is one of several bridges in Westmoreland County set to have a new coat of epoxy placed on the deck and to have the joint seals replaced, PennDOT said. The...
Murrysville: Parks challenge, Christmas tree recycling and more
Submit news briefs and event information to pvarine@triblive.com. Recreation department hosts ‘12 for 12’ parks challenge The Murrysville Recreation Department is again issuing its “12 for 12” challenge to residents alongside the Westmoreland Conservancy, encouraging the public to explore 12 miles of parks, reserves and trails, log their miles and...
Ex-Norwin guidance counselor waives hearing on drug charges
A former Norwin Middle School guidance counselor accused of having illicit drugs on school property last year waived his rights to a preliminary hearing Wednesday in district court in North Huntingdon. Richard Wesley Kean, 54, of Verona was scheduled to have a hearing before District Judge Wayne Gongaware on charges...
Duquesne Light, HeroX launch contest to replace ‘Tree of Lights’ at Point State Park
Duquesne Light Co. and HeroX, a platform for crowd-sourced solutions, are looking for some bright ideas. The companies announced a competition called “Reimagining the Duquesne Light Company Tree of Lights” on Thursday. The challenge is for someone to design an iconic holiday light display to replace the “Tree of Lights”...
Glen Osborne native living in Colorado left homeless due to wildfire
Jim and Katie Sullivan celebrated their first wedding anniversary just days after Christmas. The Glen Osborne native turned Colorado resident met his future wife several years ago in the Centennial State and the couple tied the knot on Dec. 29, 2020. Their first anniversary was to be part of a...
Verona council has new president, vice president
Verona council has a new president, vice president and some new members to start this year. Dave Matlin was appointed head of the table, and Joseph Warren was appointed second in command. Matlin served as vice president last year. Warren was appointed in July to fill the seat vacated by...
4 members sworn into Hampton council
District Magistrate Tom Swan swore in four members into Hampton’s council during its reorganization meeting Jan. 3. Carolynn Johnson and Bethany Blackburn were both reelected to council. Johnson will serve as the council president and Blackburn will serve as council vice president. Newcomers Julie Fritsch and Richard Kernick were sworn...
Sewickley Music Club honors founder at end of centennial year
Board members from the Sewickley Music Club recently visited the Sewickley Cemetery over the holidays to place a wreath on the gravestone of their club’s original founder, former Sewickley native Olive Nevin. Music Club board president Tamey Zahrobsky felt it was an important gesture to mark the close of the...
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...
