Western PA Local News category, Page 1954
Bethel Park Girl Scouts earn Gold Awards
Three Girl Scouts from Bethel Park were among the 56 who earned their Gold Awards in the past year. The girls were recognized June 19 at the Pittsburgh Marriott North in Cranberry. The Gold Award is one of the highest achievements in Girl Scouting. According to a news release, while...
The Espy Post and First Bull Run, 160 years later
Later this month — July 21, to be exact — we will mark the 160th anniversary of the first major land battle of the Civil War at Bull Run. It was on the fields around Manassas, Va., only 25 miles from Washington, D.C., that some 60,000 Union and Confederate soldiers...
Point Park University requiring covid vaccine for students attending in-person classes this fall
Point Park University will require students to be vaccinated against covid-19 if they want to attend in-person classes or participate in activities this fall, officials announced. University President Paul Hennigan said the decision to require vaccinations is “based on on the success of the covid-19 vaccinations now widely available, and...
Man critical after being shot near the Allegheny Commons in Pittsburgh
A man was in critical condition early Wednesday after Pittsburgh police say he arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the back. Pittsburgh police officers from Zone 1 responded to reports of gunfire in the area of East Ohio Street at Allegheny Commons around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, according...
Chartiers Valley School District raises taxes, plans facility upgrades as part of 2021-22 budget
Chartiers Valley area property owners will have to pay a little more in real estate taxes next school year as part of next school year’s $72.1 million budget. School directors approved their 2021-22 spending plan with a tax hike of just under 3% in setting the new millage rate at...
Plum School Board passes 2021-22 budget: No tax increase or program cuts
Plum property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes, and students will not have to miss out on educational opportunities as a result of next school year’s budget. The Plum School Board voted 8-0 on June 29 to pass the district’s $65.7 million spending plan for...
Turtle Creek woman pleads guilty to dealing fentanyl with 2 siblings
A Turtle Creek woman confessed to helping two siblings run a fentanyl ring out of their home, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Marleka Robinson, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of drug trafficking for her role in acquiring and preparing to sell fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and marijuana as part of the...
Washington County man gets 28 years for child sex abuse convictions
A Washington County man has been sentenced to 28 years behind bars for documenting acts of child sexual exploitation and abuse, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Sean Houston, 48, of Centerville also must pay nearly $29,000 — $13,700 in victim restitution and a $15,000 fine to the court, Acting U.S. Attorney...
Westmoreland County election bureau director ousted
The Westmoreland County commissioners said Tuesday they will hire a new election bureau director. Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani was suspended with pay on June 8, and none of the three commissioners has disclosed reasons for that disciplinary action. Sebastiani, 63, was hired last August to run the department. She...
New Chase Bank coming to Bethel Park
A new Chase Bank is under construction in Bethel Park. The site is in the 5000 block of Library Road near Walmart. A. Martini & Co. of Verona is the general contractor. “We’re excited about Chase Bank coming to the community,” said Laurence Christian, Bethel Park municipal manager. “We always...
Pennsylvania bill to legalize cocktails to-go stalls, on hold for summer
Cocktails to-go will remain a no-go in Pennsylvania until at least the fall, when state lawmakers are scheduled to return from their summer break. The state Senate decided to shelve a measure regarding to-go drinks because the House removed a provision championed by state Sen. Mike Regan, R-York County, that...
Google launches new ‘Find Food Support’ interactive site
One in nine people in Pennsylvania face hunger, according to the Feeding America Network, which claims to be the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. With that in mind, Google has created a new site called “Find Food Support.” The site launched Monday. The idea behind it is to make it...
Extension eases application crunch for municipalities seeking pandemic relief
Some area municipalities were scrambling this week to submit applications for federal pandemic relief funding, with an initial deadline looming Wednesday. They got a break from that crunch when officials extended that deadline by a month. The state Department of Community and Economic Development “started urging municipalities to apply as...
Defense seeks plea deal in 2019 death of East Huntingdon baby
The lawyer for a Fayette County man charged with first-degree murder of an 11-month old East Huntingdon child told a judge on Tuesday his client was ready to plead guilty to a lesser charge. Assistant Public Defender Jack Manderino said Derrick A. Bass, 31, of Uniontown indicated his desire to...
Area jobless rate down slightly; labor force shrinking
The Pittsburgh region lost 10,700 workers from the seven-county labor force in May and is 31,000 below May 2020 during the covid restrictions on the economy, a problem that continues to plague the region, according to economic data the state released Tuesday. “The labor force is not showing any rebound...
Dispatch: 4 people flown by medical helicopters after multi-vehicle crash in Washington Township
Four people were flown by medical helicopter to area hospitals following a multi-vehicle crash along Route 66 in Washington Township, according a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Crews responded to Route 66 at Hancock Avenue shortly before 4:30 p.m. Both lanes of Route 66 were shut down for about two hours. The...
Woman accuses Allegheny County judge of victim blaming at sentencing in sexual assault case
A woman who was sexually assaulted lashed out Tuesday at the Allegheny County judge who presided over her offender’s trial, saying his verdict and the language he used with her was victim blaming. “I came to trial hoping for and expecting justice for being assaulted,” she said at the sentencing...
Former Pagans leader ordered to report to state prison July 30
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday ordered the former leader of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club to report to a Somerset County state prison in late July to resume serving an 80-month sentence for a drug conviction based on a 2011 raid of his Hempfield home. Dennis “Rooster” Katona, 54, was...
Officials: Pool collapse causes propane leak in Fayette County
Several homes were evacuated in Fayette County Tuesday afternoon after an above-ground pool collapsed, pushing a 500 gallon propane tank into a neighbor’s home, causing a propane leak, officials said. Crews responded to Fords Hill Road in Redstone Township around 1:30 p.m., according to Rich Lenk, fire chief for the...
Catholic priest faces charges after being accused of sexually assaulting a child in 1998
A Catholic priest is facing multiple charges stemming from an alleged sexual assault on an 8-year-old boy on two occasions 23 years ago at a parish in Plum. The Rev. Robert Cedolia is charged by Allegheny County Police with aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors, two counts of indecent assault...
Hillcrest Presbyterian to observe July 4 with colonial reenactment of outdoor worship service
On the Fourth of July, the Hillcrest United Presbyterian Church will observe Independence Day with a colonial reenactment of an outdoor Presbyterian worship service on the Pennsylvania frontier. The 10 a.m. service will feature Dr. John Lolla’s preaching and psalms from the 1645 Scottish Psalter. Hillcrest’s celebration of America’s 245th...
Glen Oaks Girl Scouts wrap up camp
The Glen Oaks Girl Scout Community put its scouts’ problem-solving skills to test during the 26th annual day camp, June 22-25. The theme of the camp this year was “iSpy.” On the last day of camp, 135 girl scouts learned to play ultimate frisbee and performed skits they had practiced....
Vandergrift’s historic Casino Theatre to reopen SaturdayVideo
Vandergrift’s historic Casino Theatre soon will welcome theatergoers again. The 121-year-old theater, which describes itself as Southwestern Pennsylvania’s oldest operating theater, was shuttered last year because of the pandemic. The Trib previously reported that the venue lost more than $70,000 in booking and show revenue since the pandemic-related shutdown. “We...
State police seeking witnesses to fatal Route 30 crash in Hempfield
State police in Greensburg are seeking information on a multi-vehicle crash Monday along Route 30 in Hempfield that claimed the life of a Fayette County man. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s office reported the driver of one of the vehicles, Michael J. Yatsko, 69, of South Connellsville, died at Excela Health...
The Stroller, June 30, 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. Christmas In July party planned July 10 in West Leechburg The Small Town, Loud Voice dance party fundraiser to benefit the...
