Western PA Local News category, Page 1861
Heinz Field Rib Fest returns along with Trib taste testVideo
Smoke from racks and racks of barbecue ribs filled the North Shore air once again. Chefs slathered sauce on slabs of meat – from mild to thermo nuclear – outside of Heinz Field Thursday on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Side dishes of coleslaw, baked beans, greens, macaroni and cornbread were served...
Board gets heated after Allegheny Co. jail contractor refuses to disclose background
A man hired to provide militaristic training to officers at Allegheny County Jail refused to answer questions about his military service or criminal history during a heated Jail Oversight Board meeting Thursday. “I never touted anything other than my 27 years of law enforcement experience,” said Joseph Garcia, who runs...
Latrobe dad, daughter develop song texting app for iPhone usersVideo
If you’re tired of texting words, photos and GIFs, a Latrobe father and daughter are hoping you’ll try a new app they developed that sends song clips. Lyritext launched Sept. 1 in the Apple App Store, offering brief clips from a catalog of more than 100,000 songs in numerous genres,...
Pa. Board of Game Commissioners meeting in Westmoreland County next week
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners is coming to Westmoreland County next week. The agency announced the board will meet Sept. 10 and 11 at the agency’s Southwest Region Office off Route 711 in Fairfield Township. The meeting on Friday, Sept. 10 begins at 2 p.m. The purpose of this...
New Leetsdale July 4 committee looks forward to fresh start
A new board for Leetsdale’s Fourth of July committee is ready to switch up things with the borough’s traditional Independence Day activities. Rebecca Gazda, the committee’s new treasurer, said the committee that consisted of members who volunteered for three decades decided to retire last year. The current committee consists of...
Migratory birds being helped on journey by Pittsburgh Lights Out program
As the calendar flips to fall, roughly a hundred thousand birds are passing over the Pittsburgh region as part of their seasonal migration. It’s not an easy trip and apparently the bright artificial light given off by the tall buildings that make up the city’s skyline isn’t helping. Migrating birds...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Sept. 3-6
It’s Labor Day weekend — the unofficial end to summer. Here are a few ideas of how to spend it. Ribs, music, football The Heinz Field Kickoff and Rib Festival is Friday through Monday at Heinz Field on the North Side. Hours are noon to 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday and...
Pittsburgh’s council, school board districts to be redrawn using 2020 census figures
If you like to look at and draw maps, crunch population and demographic numbers and you live in the City of Pittsburgh, there’s an unpaid gig that requires regular meetings for the next year or so. The process to redraw Pittsburgh’s city council and school board districts will begin later...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Sept. 3-6
Sunset at the fort Start the long holiday weekend with a Sunset Tour beginning at 7 p.m. Friday at Fort Ligonier. Guests at the 21-and-older event will take a guided tour of the site’s French and Indian War museum and then enjoy a wine and cheese reception and lantern-lit stroll...
The Stroller, Sept. 3, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Northmoreland Park Labor Day party planned The annual Labor United Celebration will be from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday and...
Fire destroys Guy’s Tavern building in Avonmore
Lisa Sturiale fought back tears Friday morning as she stood steps away from crews battling a fire that destroyed her family’s commercial building in Avonmore. Guy’s Tavern on Westmoreland Avenue erupted in flames around 2 a.m. Sturiale, who lives in Pittsburgh’s North Side, said the building was originally owned by...
Shooting in Pittsburgh’s East End leaves man with multiple wounds
A man was taken to a local hospital with multiple gunshot wounds following a shooting Thursday night on Frankstown Avenue, in Pittsburgh’s East End, a city Public Safety spokesman said. The man was alert and in stable condition, according to the spokesman. City police responded just before 10 p.m. to...
Freeport Area to comply with mask mandate; 18 covid cases and 88 quarantined kids since start of schoolVideo
Freeport Area School District officials will enforce the state’s mask mandate despite outcry from some parents imploring the school board and superintendent to ignore state Department of Health’s orders. “Let it be up to us,” parent Megan Sproat told board members at a committee meeting Thursday night. “Let us have...
Bethel Park man charged with homicide by vehicle in death of man in wheelchair
A Bethel Park man is charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence of a controlled substance in the July 15 death of a man seated in a motorized wheelchair in Homestead. Eric Walker, 50, also is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Anthony Donofrio, 72,...
Man in stable condition after shooting in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood
A man was taken to a local hospital in stable condition as a result of a shooting Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood, according to a city Public Safety spokesman. City police responded shortly before 2:30 p.m. to a Shotspotter alert in the 300 block of North Aiken Avenue. Officers...
Forget the farm: Family of turkeys find city living just fine during daily excursions
Life on the farm can’t compare to the freedom a family of wild turkeys has discovered in Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood. The rafter of turkeys — a tom, a hen and at least five chicks — have taken up residence in a wooded area along Woodbine Street. They take daily...
Derry Township chainsaw injury sends man to hospital via helicopter
A man was flown to a trauma center for treatment after being injured by a chainsaw Thursday in Derry Township, according to emergency responders. Bradenville firefighters were dispatched at about 4:30 p.m. to establish a landing zone for a medical helicopter in the middle of Laughlin Farm Road, according to...
Washington County woman gets prison for keeping disabled sister locked in cage
A Washington County woman pleaded guilty Thursday to keeping her developmentally disabled sister in a cage, according to the state Attorney General’s Office. She will spend just under two years in prison. Leona Biser, 53, pleaded guilty to abuse of a care-dependent person and neglect of a care-dependent person. The...
Faith-based nonprofit wants to use Brackenridge building to house homeless families
The Allegheny Valley Association of Churches in Harrison wants to convert a former personal care home in Brackenridge into a temporary refuge for homeless families. The Association of Church has an agreement to buy the former Applewood Personal Care Home in the 900 block of Morgan Street, said association Director...
Westmoreland courthouse gets purple treatment for National Recovery Month
The Westmoreland County Courthouse dome will be bathed in purple during September for National Recovery Month. Director of public works Greg McCloskey said the purple lights were to be turned on Thursday night. It was as a result of a request made by Tim Phillips, director of the Westmoreland Drug...
Pittsburgh could pave 120 more streets than initially planned
Pittsburgh officials are planning to use about $4.7 million to pave 120 more city streets this year, under legislation that cleared council’s standing committee Wednesday. The transfers are possible because the city is using $19 million of its $335 million federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to improve its recreation...
Harmar food pantry still helping hundreds of families a week
Although the reliance on food pantries has lessened for many people who have returned to work during the pandemic, a significant need for food from the pantries still exists, according to an Alle-Kiski Valley food distribution coordinator. “During the pandemic we were assisting about 350 families each week,” said Michelle...
Mixed-use retail, apartments proposed for Route 22 corridor in Murrysville
Murrysville officials are considering the second proposal for upscale housing in the Route 22 corridor in recent months. Chris Hamm of KDH Consulting Engineers this week showed council plans for Kistler Place. It’s a 5,800-square-foot building proposed on 3.6 acres near the intersection of Kistler Road and Route 22. The...
‘United 93’ re-release will benefit Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial
Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, AMC Theatres and Universal Pictures will re-release “United 93,” the story of passengers who prevented a third terrorist attack and forced the hijacked plane down in a field near Shanksville. Directed by...
Ex-Fayette law clerk accused by U.S. Attorney of improperly representing Capitol riot defendants
The acting U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., complained to a federal judge this week that a lawyer representing 17 defendants in Capitol riot cases improperly used a Fayette County man “who is not a licensed attorney” to represent his clients during court appearances. Defense attorney John Pierce of Los Angeles...
