Western PA Local News category, Page 1701
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...
Lower body of Twin Lakes drained to fix retaining wall, to be refilled by trout season
Water in the lower lake at Twin Lakes Park will remain low for most of the winter as crews repair a retaining wall and restore walkways that wind around the lake, officials said. The water level was dropped by about 6 feet when the project began in late November, allowing...
Thomas Jefferson’s Bryan a football and early education standout
Shortly after signing his National Letter of Intent to play center for the NCAA Division 1 Kent State Golden Flashes on Dec. 15, Nick Bryan headed to the Thomas Jefferson High School cafeteria where a surprise awaited him. Youngsters ages 2 ½ to 4 from the TJ nursery school lined...
Kiski Township woman accused of shooting man she thought stole pistol from her SUV
Kiski Township police accused a woman of kicking a man out of her vehicle and shooting him because she thought he stole one of her handguns. Patricia Marie Kettering-Pierce, 55, of Clarks Hollow Road, Kiski Township was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault, which includes a count of...
12-year-old boy, 2 women killed in Pittsburgh’s Homewood remembered in tearful vigil
Friends and family members gathered Monday night in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood to remember the 12-year-old youth football player the neighborhood knew as “Buddy Business.” “He was the first up at the field and the last to leave,” said Mubarik Ismaeli, president of the Homewood football team, the Bulldawgs. Denzel “Buddy”...
Zumba, great blue herons and hiking among winter attractions at North Hills parks
Nesting great horned owls, outdoor Zumba dance and fitness classes and hitting the trails are among the winter offerings in North Park and Hartwood Acres. As more people frequent the county parks in record numbers seeking refuge from the pandemic, they continue to visit during the colder months, said Andy...
Port Authority services impacted by covid cases as 7th transit driver dies from virus
A seventh Port Authority employee has died, officials announced, as covid-19 and its omicron variant continue to take a toll on the transit service in Allegheny County. The employee, a five-year bus driver, died Jan. 3, according to Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph. Nearly 30 employees of the transit service...
Former Pirates pitcher’s appeal of sex conviction rejected by Westmoreland judge
The conviction of former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, who was found guilty last year in the sexual assault of a 13-year-old Scottdale girl, will stand — according to a ruling from a Westmoreland County judge. Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears, in a 78-page opinion, ruled evidence presented during a...
GoFundMe set up for Tarentum hit-and-run victims
A Tarentum woman is fighting for her life after being left in critical condition from a Dec. 30 hit-and-run crash, according to her family. Lyric Manley Jackson and her 9-year-old daughter Symia Jackson were struck by a vehicle while walking along East Seventh Avenue, near the Tarentum Bridge. The driver...
