Western PA Local News category, Page 1715
Drive-up food distribution to remain at Pittsburgh Mills through March
A free drive-thru food distribution for Alle-Kiski Valley families will remain at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer through March. The giveaway is hosted by Harrison-based Allegheny Valley Association of Churches (AVAC) and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. It’s a shift away from plans to return to the empty Rite Aid...
Hempfield passes budget without raising taxes for 32nd consecutive year
Hempfield property owners will continue to see steady tax rates after supervisors approved an almost $15.1 million budget that does not raise taxes for the 32nd consecutive year. Supervisors unanimously voted on the balanced budget Monday, keeping property taxes at 3 mills, a rate held since 1990. “We just spend...
Man who died after being tased by Pittsburgh police pleaded for medical help but got none, report says
Jim Rogers reportedly asked for help at least 13 times as he sat in the back of a Pittsburgh police vehicle after being stunned with a taser eight times on Oct. 13. For 17 minutes, Rogers banged his head off the seat and repeated, “‘I need a hospital, I can’t...
Pittsburgh City Council puts effort to create food justice fund on hold
An initiative to allocate about $1.8 million for a food justice fund has been put on hold, though the councilwoman who spearheaded the proposal said a revised version will likely be reintroduced early next year. Councilwoman Deb Gross last week introduced a measure that would allocate $1.8 million in federal...
Tarentum taxes remain steady; water and garbage rates increase
Tarentum residents will pay the same in taxes next year but costs for water use and garbage collection will increase. Council approved the borough’s $11 million budget with a vote of 5-0. Members Lou Ann Homa and Adam Blythe were absent. The property tax rate will remain at 5.48 mills,...
Troopers: Derry Area student to be charged after social media post referencing school violence threats
A 14-year-old Derry Area High School student will be charged with making terroristic threats and disorderly conduct for a statement state police said she made Friday regarding a nationwide string of threats on social media made against school districts. The girl, who was not identified, allegedly made a statement on...
Pennsylvania casinos continue to shatter records, generate $432 million in revenues in November
Pennsylvania casinos again shattered monthly records, generating more than $432.5 million in November, state regulators said. That was nearly $6.5 million more than October, which set a revenue record at nearly $426 million, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. In addition, revenues last month were up 52%, or $148...
Pittsburgh pauses vaccine mandate as officials negotiate with unions
Pittsburgh officials announced Tuesday that they will not enforce a city-issued vaccine mandate set to take effect Wednesday for at least the remainder of the week as they negotiate with unions representing the city’s police and firefighters. Mayor Bill Peduto announced Nov. 1 that all city employees without medical or...
P-R grad named Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference
Pine-Richland High School graduate Zach Riggins of Wexford is one of 53 Baldwin Wallace University fall sports student-athletes to be named Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference. He is a member of the men’s cross country team, majoring in biology. In order to be selected as Academic All-OAC, a student-athlete must be...
Westmoreland happenings: live Nativity, church services and New Year’s hike
Church events • Latrobe United Methodist Church, 440 Main St., will host a free live Nativity display from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the church. There will be music and refreshments. Details: 724-537-8141. • Fairview Church of God will have a Christmas Eve worship service at 7...
C_Shoemaker Custom Clothier brings bespoke menswear to Ligonier
If clothes don’t make the man, they certainly make the first impression. And if the clothes look good, the wearer feels good, too. That’s the aesthetic Cindy Shoemaker is bringing to Ligonier with her recently opened business, C_Shoemaker Custom Clothier. The shop specializes in custom-made suits, tuxedos, sport coats, trousers,...
Fire damages commercial garage in North Huntingdon; cause under investigation
North Huntingdon firefighters and police are investigating the cause of a blaze that extensively damaged a commercial garage and destroyed a skid loader that was parked inside, firefighters said. The two-bay garage at 13421 Ardara Road was reported at 9:11 a.m. William Hardy, chief of the Larimer Volunteer Fire Department,...
No tax increase for Shaler residents
During its regular meeting held on Dec. 14, the Shaler board of commissioners passed the 2022 budget by a unanimous vote. Overall, the budget has increased revenues of 7.42% and increased expenditures of 13.9%. The total amount of general fund expenditures for 2022 is $14,598,841. The local property tax millage...
Powerball ticket worth $200K sold at Homestead GetGo
A Powerball with Power Play ticket worth $200,000 was sold in Homestead, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Tuesday. The ticket was sold at GetGo on East Waterfront Drive. It matched four of the five white balls drawn — 2, 13, 23, 34, 66 — and the red Powerball, 2, in Monday’s...
3 newcomers will join reelected incumbents on Vandergrift Council next month
Vandergrift Council will welcome three new faces when it first meets in 2022 on Jan. 3. Daisha Clayton was appointed Dec. 6 to fill a seat left vacant by the resignation of Karen McClarnon last month. Recently elected to four-year terms on council, Democrat Marilee Kessler and Republican Jody Sarno...
North Hills School Board president, VP will stay the same for 2022
The North Hills School Board held its annual reorganization meeting on Dec. 7. Current school board president Allison Mathis was unanimously elected for another term and will hold the position until December 2022. “It is both an honor and a great responsibility to serve as president of the North Hills...
Pittsburgh to direct parking tax to pension fund for 5 more years after accounting error
Weeks after extending the length of time Pittsburgh’s parking tax revenues are directed to the pension fund, City Council on Monday approved a measure to extend it by another five years. City Council recently removed a pension offset for nonunion city employees. In doing so, they dedicated an additional 10...
New Jersey man pleads guilty to throwing firecracker at Pittsburgh police during protest
A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Tuesday to throwing a firecracker at police officers during last year’s protests in Downtown Pittsburgh over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Nicholas Frank Lucia, 26, of Long Beach Township, pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh via video conference to a single...
Bald eagle cam goes live at U.S. Steel mill in West MifflinVideo
U.S. Steel Irvin Works in West Mifflin flipped the switch today on its first live webcam trained on bald eagles nesting on their property along the Monongahela River. The nest is believed to be the only one located at a working steel mill in the state. The birds built the...
Januscary Film Festival brings winter chills to Pittsburgh’s Harris Theater
Usually, the scariest thing about January is getting the Christmas credit card bill. To kick off 2022, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will offer more chills and thrills with the Januscary Film Festival, which will feature six new and classic horror films screening at the Harris Theater in downtown Pittsburgh. “Most...
Police arrest 1 of 4 suspects in Homestead robbery
Police have arrested one of four males they say was involved in fatally shooting a man during a robbery in July in Homestead. Munhall police arrested Enrique Alonzo Johnson, 20, of Homestead, without incident around 8:20 p.m. Monday, Allegheny County Police said Tuesday. An arrest warrant had been issued for...
First day of winter brings chilly temps but it won’t last
Winter arrived today and flurries are possible Wednesday morning. The winter solstice is at 10:59 a.m. Tuesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Frazier said. While the day began feeling like winter, with frost and temperatures in the mid-20s, it’s expected to warm into the low 40s, a few degrees above...
Embattled Freeport councilman resigns
A Freeport councilman who allegedly misappropriated nearly $100,000 in Freeport EMS funds and later paid it back has resigned. Justin DeAngelis stepped down from his elected post. Council accepted his resignation Monday night. He wasn’t at the meeting. In his resignation letter, DeAngelis wrote he plans to move out of...
Meat lovers feeling the sting of higher holiday season prices for beef
Instead of serving beef three days a week, the owners of Pershing Heights Senior Living in New Kensington now are providing beef one day a week to residents because of high meat prices. “People like me and different community organizations and churches I cook for are having a hard time...
Pittsburgh establishes Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs
Pittsburgh will now have an office dedicated to the city’s immigrant and refugee populations. The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs will help connect immigrants and refugees with resources and benefits offered throughout city, county, state and federal government and private organizations. It also will advise other city offices on...
