New Kensington murder suspect given deadline to decide on plea deal ahead of August retrial
A New Kensington man has just hours to decide whether to accept a plea deal involving the 2020 murder during a botched robbery and the unrelated shooting of four others a year earlier. The combined plea offer comes just weeks before the scheduled retrial of Latresse T. Williams, 34. Prosecutors...
Proposed Heinz History Center expansion clears Pittsburgh Planning Commission
The Pittsburgh Planning Commission on Tuesday approved plans to expand the Senator John Heinz History Center. The museum, located in the city’s Strip District, is tearing down four buildings on Penn Avenue to expand its facility. Additions include a new theater, exhibition space and classrooms. The history center owns the...
Pittsburgh’s Astrobotic snags NASA contract for solar array as it shoots again for moon landing
A leaky valve in January 2024 may have scuttled a Pittsburgh-based space company’s mission to become the first private enterprise to complete a lunar landing. But Astrobotic’s leaders made the most of its Peregrine mission despite the equipment failure. “So, we had a day that wasn’t quite what we wanted....
Natrona Heights woman tries to retract manslaughter plea at sentencing
Brook Lynn Lank pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on June 11 — admitting she shot her boyfriend three times before dumping his body in a McKees Rocks alley. In preparation for sentencing, she wrote a letter to the court acknowledging what she called her mistakes, and saying, “I take full...
Parking for Millvale short-term rental property could create spaces for public use
Millvale and the developer of a proposed short-term rental property are considering an agreement that would provide parking for the building’s guests as well as the public. Amagu Homes, based in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood, wants to place 11 units in the building at 141 Evergreen Ave. Previously a care...
Friends, family paint portrait of a kind, talented artist during celebration of life for O’Hara woman
Rendered in soft oil pastel textures and vibrant hues, the landscapes of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Martha’s Vineyard, New Mexico, Italy, Spain, Singapore and more filled the walls of the North Hills Art Center, where friends and family gathered July 12 to celebrate and remember local artist Patricia “Patty” Mae Young of...
‘Unforgivable’: Final defendant gets life sentence in starvation death of Oakmont girl
Throughout her prosecution for killing a 3-year-old girl, Alexis Herrera blamed her actions — starving, assaulting and torturing the child — on her sister, Laura Ramriez. It was Ramriez who hated Bella Seachrist, a child born from her husband’s affair. It was Ramriez who first started abusing the child in...
Fence fight: CMU orders students’ anti-Trump message painted over ahead of president’s visit
Hours before President Donald Trump was scheduled to arrive at Carnegie Mellon University for an energy summit, the school administration early Tuesday ordered the painting over of a provocative anti-Trump message written by student Democrats on The Fence, a century-old campus landmark that serves as a free speech message board....
Motorcycle crash in Armstrong Tunnel kills teen rider
A 19-year-old man was killed in a motorcycle crash in the Armstrong Tunnel early Tuesday morning, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. The crash occurred on the inbound side of the tunnel in the city’s Bluff neighborhood near Downtown just before 12:25 a.m., police said. The motorcyclist was taken in critical...
Pittsburgh expands limited archery season in various city parks
Pittsburgh officials are expanding a limited archery season to cull the deer population in various city parks. The city is selecting archers to hunt white-tailed deer in Frick, Riverview, Emerald View, Schenley, Highland and Southside parks, Hays Woods, Hazelwood Greenway and Seldom Seen Greenway. Nearly 200 deer were culled during...
New Latrobe city manager hired, $120K starting salary set
Greensburg resident Susan Trout is set to take on a familiar role in a new community after Latrobe council voted unanimously this week to hire her as its new city manager. Mayor Eric Bartels said Trout’s long experience in municipal government, including a past stint as Greensburg’s city administrator, made...
PennDOT rejects Lower Burrell’s request to outlaw jake brakes on stretch of Route 56
The loud roar of diesel trucks using brake retarders will continue to be heard on Route 56 between Hillcrest Drive and Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell. City officials in April had requested that PennDOT look into outlawing brake retarders, commonly known as jake brakes, on that stretch of road after...
Girl’s fall from Leechburg Bridge under investigation, officials say
Leechburg officials said Tuesday they’re still investigating after a girl fell from the Leechburg Bridge on Monday night. First responders were dispatched to the Leechburg Bridge at around 7:30 p.m. for a juvenile who had fallen from the bridge and onto the shoreline along the Kiski River. It’s unclear at...
Lower Burrell’s Kotecki Park to include space for dogs
Lower Burrell police Officer Derek Kotecki’s legacy will be remembered in the city in a new way. Council approved plans for a dog park at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park. The dog park will be located past the outfield of the ballfield, closest to where people pull in to...
Morning Roundup: 5 people injured in Allegheny County shootings
Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Tuesday, July 15: Shooting injures 3 in Perry South Three people sustained gunshot wounds Monday night near East McIntyre Street in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. Pittsburgh police were alerted to three ShotSpotter notifications just...
The Stroller, July 15, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Tarentum Summer Concert series...
‘A superpower for energy’: Homer City power station developers to present site plans
Developers will present plans Wednesday for a $10 billion, 3,200-acre, natural-gas power plant in Indiana County. The former Homer City Generating Station, once a coal-fired plant, is being proposed to provide the electricity required for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Members of Homer City Redevelopment Group will host an open...
Girl falls from Leechburg Bridge onto shoreline of Kiski River
A girl was taken by medical helicopter to a local hospital after falling off the Leechburg Bridge and onto the shoreline along the Kiskiminetas River Monday evening. Lower Kiski Ambulance Service confirmed the incident via its Facebook page. The post said crews responded to the scene at the bridge, along...
Monroeville police arrest driver, say child was in his lap while he led officers on high-speed chase
A Penn Hills man was arrested on child endangerment and other charges Monday after police say he led them on a high-speed chase through part of Allegheny County while holding a 2-year-old boy on his lap. Monroeville police said Daniel S. Chisolm, 40, reached speeds of up to 70 mph...
Traffic to begin using partially completed interchange revamp at Route 51, I-70
Traffic that crosses over Interstate 70 on Route 51 will switch to a new pattern beginning Tuesday morning, as PennDOT partially opens the new diverging diamond interchange under construction there in Rostraver. Route 51 traffic will continue to flow in a single lane each northbound and southbound, but those lanes...
Cat rescue in Bethel Park rehomes felines after car crashes into building
A Bethel Park cat rescue had to scramble to find homes for several felines after a car crashed into the charity’s community room on Monday. In a Facebook post Monday evening, Cali Cats Rescue said that its power had been shut off after the accident, making it impossible for cats...
Man in stable condition after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood
A man has been hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said city police responded to two ShotSpotter alerts at about 2:50 p.m. Monday along the 7200 block of Race Street. About 13 shots were fired, according to the report....
Westmoreland prison inmate misses hearing after refusing to remove yarmulke, attorney claims
A Mt. Pleasant Township man accused of trying to kill his mother missed a court hearing Monday because he refused to remove his yarmulke, his attorney said. Defense attorney Tim Andrews said Westmoreland County Prison officials would not take his client, Kort Noel Eckman, on the 3-mile car trip from...
Harrison Commissioner Chuck Dizard, credited for much township revitalization, resigns
Harrison Commissioner Chuck Dizard hand-delivered his annual newsletter to more than 900 homes in the First Ward on Friday, calling it his grand finale. Dizard plans to resign July 31 after 10 years on the board. “We need some young leadership,” he said. “We need new people coming to the...
Hip surgery to force GOP’s Moreno off Pittsburgh mayoral campaign trail for 1 month
Tony Moreno, the Pittsburgh Republican mayoral hopeful, will be off the campaign trail for up to a month following an upcoming hip surgery. Moreno, a retired Pittsburgh police officer who first ran for mayor in 2021, said the “minimally invasive” surgery will attempt to stem the effects of degenerative arthritis...
