Western PA Local News category, Page 1699
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...
Beaver County men get 30 days behind bars for their participation in Capitol riot
Two Beaver County men who roamed around inside the U.S. Capitol for 25 minutes during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots and bragged about smoking marijuana in the building will serve 30 days behind bars. Mitchell P. Vukich, 26, of New Brighton, and Nicholas Perretta, 27, of Baden, were sentenced in...
Pine-Richland considers segregating masked, unmasked students
Faced with soaring coronavirus cases and a decision by the Pine-Richland school board to make masks optional for staff and students, district officials are now considering a plan that would segregate masked and unmasked children in classrooms. Citing the state Supreme Court ruling that the Pennsylvania Department of Health overstepped...
Hempfield taps 3 veteran firefighters as assistant chiefsVideo
Three longtime members of Hempfield’s volunteer fire service will serve as assistant fire chiefs, new positions that will bring the responsibility of establishing command at fire and emergency scenes. Don Thoma, Dan Thoma and Jay Wilkinson took their oath of office Monday during a supervisor’s reorganization meeting. “We’ve made history...
Award-winning pastry chef joins WCCC culinary program faculty
Award-winning Chef William Racin has joined the Westmoreland County Community College School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality as a full-time baking and pastry instructor. With more than 18 years of experience in fine dining restaurants and boutique hotels, Racin comes to WCCC from the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, where he...
Former Congresswoman Melissa Hart announces bid for governorVideo
Former Congresswoman Melissa Hart outlined her campaign priorities Wednesday as she formally launched her bid to become Pennsylvania’s first female governor. Hart, 59, of Bradford Woods, is entering a crowded field of more than a dozen GOP candidates who so far have declared their candidacies for the state’s highest office....
1 dead in Norvelt house fire, victim identifiedVideo
A state police fire marshal was attempting to determine the cause of a fast-moving fire Wednesday that killed a woman and destroyed a two-story home in Mt. Pleasant Township. The fire was reported just before 11 a.m. at 814 Arbor Lane in the village of Norvelt. Westmoreland County Coroner Timothy...
Food Podcast: 2021 at the food bankVideo
On this week’s episode of the Food Podcast presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union on the TribLIVE podcast network, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank looks back at 2021. Right now, 1 in 7 people in southwestern Pennsylvania are facing food insecurity. Rising grocery prices, job loss and the aftershock of...
