Local category, Page 1914
Hempfield Area passes final budget with no tax hike
Hempfield Area School District residents won’t see a tax increase for the third consecutive year. The district’s budget, passed unanimously by the school board Monday, includes $98.9 million in revenues and $99.7 million in projected expenditures, according to budget documents. The $769,100 deficit, incurred by the adoption of a new...
Greensburg man charged with sexually assaulting girl
A Greensburg man in a probationary program on child endangerment and cruelty to animals charges was arraigned Sunday, charged with sexually assaulting a girl, according to court papers. John Harry Patak III, 30, is charged with aggravated indecent assault of a child, corruption of minors and related offenses. City police...
Harris touts administration’s plans to help families, organized labor
Vice President Kamala Harris made it clear Monday to a receptive audience on her first visit to Western Pennsylvania: there’s a new sheriff in town as she touted the expanded child tax credit and took her case for the Biden administration’s battle for an expansive infrastructure program and stronger labor...
Summer films, CARE workshops and more in Sewickley’s Nonprofit Corner
Editor’s note: The Nonprofit Corner is a new weekly listing of the Sewickley area’s nonprofit events and fundraisers. To have your information listed, email Sewickley Herald editor Katie Green at kgreen@triblive.com. Sweetwater Center for the Arts 200 Broad St., Sewickley. 412-741-4405. sweetwaterartcenter.org. Art classes Summer registration is open. Sweetwater Center...
The Stroller, June 22, 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. Plum Summerfest set for Larry Mills Park The annual Plum Summerfest will be from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, 5 to...
Penn Hills School District’s summer program begins, alumni to visit
Penn Hills School District’s summer program, designed to help students recover from learning loss during the pandemic and mingle with successful alumni, has begun. About 500 students in K-12 registered for the opportunity to improve their skills both in-person and online through the district’s cyber academy. “It was like the...
Irwin Sunoco gets OK for expansion
The owner of a Sunoco gas station-convenience store in downtown Irwin will be allowed to expand his building to add walk-in coolers. By a 2-0 vote Monday, the Irwin Zoning Hearing Board approved a request by store owner Robert Dobariya for a variance to expand the non-conforming commercial use of...
Oakmont adds new firefighter, borough office staff
Oakmont officials have welcomed a new volunteer firefighter and added a couple of office workers. Joey Luciana, 25, was sworn in by Mayor Christopher Whaley during council’s June 21 meeting. The borough businessman said he is excited for the opportunity to make a difference in his community. “I want to...
Franklin Regional’s 2021-22 budget includes maximum allowed tax hike
Franklin Regional school directors approved a 2021-22 budget with a tax hike of just over 3 mills Monday night. The $63.6 million budget includes $375,000 from a district fund dedicated to state-mandated pension contributions, and just over $1 million from a fund being used to gradually phase in debt service...
Judge denies Bowers’ motion for government to produce evidence that it monitored his online activities prior to Tree of Life shooting
A federal judge on Monday denied a defense motion seeking evidence the government monitored Robert Bowers’ anti-Semitic activity online leading up to the 2018 Tree of Life shooting that killed 11 people. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose said the information Bowers is seeking is irrelevant. “The government...
Juneteenth celebrations roll right into Black Music Festival this week in Pittsburgh
For hip-hop music fans who have been around since the genre first got its start in the late 1970s, the WPA Juneteenth concert on June 19 was quite the event. The evening saw two icons of early hip-hop — Rakim and Big Daddy Kane — taking the same Steel City...
Republican National Committee lambastes VP Harris for visiting Pittsburgh instead of border
The Republican National Committee on Monday reacted to Vice President Kamala Harris’ Pittsburgh visit regarding “Child Tax Credit Awareness Day” and President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan. “Border facilities are critically overcrowded, but President Biden and his border manager — Vice President Harris — refuse to visit the scene,” Keith Rothfus,...
Norwin lifts mask mandate as of June 28
People attending events and activities at Norwin School District, including students and employees involved in the summer camps, will no longer have to wear masks as of June 28. The decision Norwin announced on Monday is in line with the state’s Department of Health’s directive that the order requiring the...
Utilities working to restore power to thousands after Monday storms
Strong storms and a couple inches of rain dropped trees, caused sporadic flooding and led to tornado warnings being issued across parts of the region Monday evening. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for southeastern Allegheny County, western Westmoreland County and portions of Fayette and Washington counties...
Vandergrift man pleads guilty to sexually assaulting 2 girls
A Vandergrift man pleaded guilty Monday to sexually assaulting two girls, avoiding trial. Eric Jermain Emory, 35, will be sentenced June 28. Westmoreland County Assistant District Attorney James Lazar said Emory waived a presentence investigation. Prosecutors are recommending a state prison sentence for Emory, who has been jailed since July....
Leechburg man gets probation in crash that seriously injured woman
Life hasn’t been the same for Helen Shaw after her car was forced off the road in Allegheny Township by an unlicensed driver. She can’t do some her favorite activities, like swim or take her dog for a walk, because the pain becomes overwhelming. Mostly, she stays at home. “The...
New Kensington man pleads guilty to homicide by vehicle in death of woman
A New Kensington man pleaded guilty Monday to driving drunk when a woman died in 2017 after falling from his moving pickup in Lower Burrell. James Jay Jenniches, 55, formerly of Vandergrift, pleaded guilty to charges of homicide by vehicle and driving under the influence, avoiding a trial. He is...
Former Derry Borough mayor expected to testify in own defense at trial
Jurors are being asked to determine what former Derry Borough Mayor Kevin M. Gross’ intent was in 2019 when he pulled out a handgun at a playground during an altercation among three teenagers. Westmoreland County Assistant District Attorney Pete Caravello said Monday during opening statements that Gross, 40, pointed the...
Penn Hills Council Meeting canceled
The Municipality of Penn Hills canceled its June 21 council meeting today in light of the severe weather forecast, according to a post on municipality’s website. The council’s June 21 agenda will be moved to the next scheduled meeting on July 19. Visit pennhills.org. for more information....
New Night Market in Oakmont draws crowd, set to return in July and August
A new initiative from the Oakmont Chamber of Commerce designed to help artists and vendors recover from the pandemic brought in hundreds of people below the borough tracks. The old Oakmont Bakery lot along Allegheny Avenue, and even the lower part of Maryland Avenue, was packed with patrons June 18...
Boy, 16, shot outside Greensburg apartment; police make 2 arrestsVideo
A 16-year-old boy was shot Sunday outside a Greensburg apartment complex, and police arrested two people Monday, according to Capt. Shawn Denning. Officers were called to Eastmont Estates about 1:30 p.m. Sunday for a reported shooting involving several people. The teen was shot in the leg and hand and is...
Weekend crash could delay reopening of Tarentum Bridge
A weekend crash in the work zone on the Tarentum Bridge could delay the span’s reopening, a PennDOT spokeswoman said Monday. A couple of pieces of equipment were damaged severely when a car drove across the closed lanes from New Kensington toward Tarentum, crashed and caught fire shortly before 10:30...
Police: Walls, floor of New Kensington apartment where woman was stabbed were covered in blood
New Kensington police said officers responding to a reported fight Saturday night at Central Towers found a large amount of blood on the floor and walls of an apartment when they arrived. Police said Cheyenne Nicole Preves-Taranovsky, 21, had cut and stabbed a woman in the altercation. A criminal complaint...
Loyalhanna Brewfest returns with added vendor variety, 2 admission levels
Loyalhanna Watershed Association’s brewfest is back. Dubbed Loyalhanna Brewfest 2.1, the event is set from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the association farm off West Main Street, just outside Ligonier Borough. This is the second year for the association to present the evening of food, live music and tastings...
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh challenges kids to read 5 books this summer
The idea of having an entire summer to relax and read five books probably sounds pretty appealing to most adults. However, it might be a little more of a challenge to coax kids to do it, especially when they’ve been itching to get out and run, swim and jump around...
