20th annual Kecksburg UFO Festival promises update on 1965 crash
Sixty years ago, a December day changed the course of history for Kecksburg, a small community in Mt. Pleasant Township. People in seven states and Canada reported seeing a fireball in the night sky on Dec. 9, 1965, according to an article that appeared in the Tribune-Review. “Back in ’65,...
MAWC pauses refinancing plan amid concerns over economic downturn
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will pause a plan to refinance more than $150 million in existing debt. The authority board of directors have concerns that deteriorating economic conditions could result in a reduction in potential savings for the water and sewer agency. Authority administrators and private financial advisers have...
Walmart mural in Harrison portrays Burtner House, other township highlights
Artist Jenn Hartzler lives nearly three hours from Harrison but her newest mural, displayed at Walmart in the township’s Natrona Heights section, perfectly captures the best parts of the community. The 18-by-11-foot design depicts the Burtner House, Harrison Hills and people enjoying bike trails and waterfalls. “I searched a lot...
Flash flood warnings are being issued in W.Pa. at their fastest rate in 20 years
Western Pennsylvania has been awash in flash flood warnings this year. The National Weather Service has issued 112 such warnings so far in 2025, Alicia Miller, hydrologist at the weather service in Moon, said Thursday. That’s more than the past three years combined and more than any year since 2003....
Cowboy Andy’s quick-draw antics and more at the Derry Township Ag Fair
The Derry Township Agricultural Fair is being held this week on the fairgrounds in New Derry. Events include the traditional arts and crafts, baked goods and animal showmanship traditional to the fair. The fair continues through Saturday with events including horse showmanship and a tractor pull at 3 and 4...
$5,000-per-plate dinner with McCormick at Carnegie museum spurs backlash
A private event billed as a dinner and fireside chat featuring U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick and his wife at the Carnegie Museum of Art has generated backlash and raised concerns about the propriety of the museum offering space for such a gathering, which cost $5,000 to attend. The dinner occurred...
Flash flood warnings are being issued in W.Pa. at their fastest rate in 20 years
Western Pennsylvania has been awash in flash flood warnings this year. The National Weather Service has issued 112 such warnings so far in 2025, Alicia Miller, hydrologist at the weather service in Moon, said Thursday. That’s more than the past three years combined and more than any year since 2003....
Richland Volunteer Fire Department thrilled with turnout during annual open house
“I feel that this year’s open house was attended by more residents than last year. We enjoy meeting our residents and feeding them also. Smiles on kids’ faces say we are doing things right in teaching them about what firefighters do,” Chief Dave McWilliams said. One of the live demonstrations...
Parents sue Hampton school district over athlete’s injury on baseball field
The parents of a junior varsity baseball player are suing the Hampton Township School District for negligence, alleging that poor conditions on the baseball diamond led to a season-ending injury for their son. Jason and Joy Midgley claim their son, Holden Midgley, was hurt while playing second base during a...
Man charged with stabbing victim up to 40 times in Downtown Pittsburgh heads to trial
An Ohio man is headed to trial on charges that he stabbed a 65-year-old man dozens of times on a Downtown Pittsburgh sidewalk last month. A district judge Thursday sent the case of Christopher Leroy Harris Jr., 30, of Sidney, Ohio, 40 miles north of Dayton, to Allegheny County Common...
Ligonier DUI crash that injured 3 motorcyclists nets Washington County man prison sentence
John Creasy has had a long road to recovery after he and two motorcycle riders traveling along Route 30 in Ligonier were hit by a drunk driver. “I’ll be handicapped for the rest of my life,” Creasy said Thursday following a sentencing hearing for a Washington County man who prosecutors...
PennDOT reopens Penn Hills exit ramps closed for Rodi Road paving
PennDOT is planning to close Rodi Road this weekend, beginning at 9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday. Milling and paving operations will take place, weather permitting, between Maple Lane and William Penn Highway. The work also will require the complete closure of the eastbound I-376 ramp to Penn Hills/Rodi...
Pittsburgh’s annual holiday market to relocate amid Market Square upgrades
The annual holiday market that pops up in Pittsburgh’s Market Square each winter will have a new home this year. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership on Thursday announced the Peoples Gas Holiday Market will relocate to the Cultural District because of ongoing construction in Market Square. The holiday market, which will...
Jayhawk Commons retail space planned at former Monsour Medical Center property along Route 30
Work on a commercial space at the former Monsour Medical Center property in Jeannette is expected to begin next year, officials said. The retail complex would be accompanied by more than 30 nearby town homes, a project city officials hope will spur additional development. Developer Don Tarosky Jr., chief operating...
Murrysville area: Fairview Park picnic, senior-care talk and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Fairview Park Old Fashioned Picnic The historic Fairview Park, which was once home to the region’s only amusement park that catered to Black families, will hold its 23rd annual Old Fashioned Picnic on Aug. 16. This year will also mark the park’s...
Plum Council denies liquor license at convenience store in split vote
Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel, for the first time, broke a council tie when he voted to deny a liquor license transfer in the borough to the location of Plum Convenience on Saltsburg Road. Members of borough council were split, 3-3, on the resolution that would have permitted the store to...
Penn State Master Gardeners will host Hempfield open house
Penn State Master Gardeners invite the public to a free open house at their demonstration gardens in Hempfield. The open house will be 9 a.m. to noon July 19 at the Penn State Extension’s Donohoe Center, 214 Donohoe Road in Hempfield. Visitors can walk through more than a dozen demonstration...
Florida man sentenced for role in string of burglaries
A Florida man was sentenced to two-and-a-half to 20 years in a state prison this month in connection with a spree of distraction burglaries in the area, including two in Westmoreland County. Steve Nichols, 57, previously pleaded guilty to burglary, theft and related charges in connection with seven burglaries in...
Supermarket squabble: Richland Shop ‘N Save sues neighboring Walmart over grocery sales
When Walmart was planning its Richland location in 1998, the company agreed it would not operate a full-service grocery store there — at least in part to try to protect the Shop ‘N Save store adjacent to it in Richland Mall. But in 2008, Walmart sent a letter offering to...
Bat cam: Streaming video reveals secret life of colony at Land Trust site in Hempfield
They only come out at night. Still, the Westmoreland Land Trust has shed some light on the lives of close to 50 bats that inhabit an old barn at its Hempfield nature park — thanks to some flexible cameras and ultrasonic detectors provided by trust board member Bill Powers. For...
Urgent care facility on tap in Allegheny Township
Allegheny Township residents soon won’t have to drive far for emergency medical care. Township supervisors Chairman Jamie Morabito said a walk-in, urgent care facility is in the works for 48 Towne Center Drive, near the magistrate’s office. “I’m real excited about it,” said Supervisor Mike Korns. “It’s in a good...
Pittsburgh councilman mulls checkpoints, private security to quash East Carson Street chaos
A Pittsburgh councilman is exploring the use of checkpoints along a stretch of the South Side’s East Carson Street to counter the pandemonium that has rocked the entertainment district in recent weeks. The idea would be to regulate pedestrians and possibly vehicles on weekend nights and require anyone entering the...
More than 4,000 without power in Leechburg/Kiski/Hyde Park
More than 4,000 homes and businesses are without power in the Leechburg/Hyde Park/Kiski area, according to West Penn Power. The cause is under investigation, according to the utility website. Crews are on the way to assess the area. A person who answered the phone at the Leechburg municipal office said...
Tuition increase approved for state-owned universities for 1st time in 7 years
Tuition for state universities is set to increase by 3.6% for students this fall, but that figure could decrease if state funding increases, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education said Thursday. In-state undergraduate tuition for this academic year will increase by $139 per semester, to $3,997 per semester, according...
Franklin Park votes to place government commission study question on November ballot
A vote to place a government commission study question on the ballot in November’s general election for Franklin Park residents, passed 4 to 2, after a vote at the July 16 council meeting. Voting yes were Ward 1 representative and council President Uday Palled, Jiang Li of Ward 1, Laura...
