Western PA Local News category, Page 1971
Norwin happenings: Tobacco use ordinance, chicken barbecue and more
North Huntingdon bans tobacco use in parks North Huntingdon wants to put an end to people using tobacco products in the township’s parks. Commissioners on June 6 authorized advertisement of an ordinance that would prohibit the use of tobacco products in township parks and would allow police to cite violators....
Woman diagnosed with mental illness sentenced to 18 months for Pittsburgh bank robbery
On June 26, 2020, Gloria Anderson, who had a long history of mental illness, made her way to Point State Park and told a police officer on bike patrol she was going to rob a bank. She also said she was going to kill herself. Officers took the 36-year-old homeless...
Live! Casino Pittsburgh to host craft beer, wine and music festival
Officials with Live! Casino Pittsburgh are gearing up to host their first festival as a celebration of the start of summer. Summerfest Live! is scheduled from 2 to 6 p.m. June 26 in a parking lot adjacent to the Hempfield facility at Westmoreland Mall. The festival will feature craft beer,...
Penn-Trafford happenings: Super Seniors meet, retirements set
Super Seniors to meet in Harrison City The Super Seniors of Westmoreland County will meet at noon July 6 at the Community United Methodist Church, Route 130, Harrison City. Ventriloquist Cindy Speck provide the entertainment. Lunch will be $6 and non-members must make reservations by calling Linda at 724-744-3993. Reservations...
Write-in votes create potential race for Sharpsburg Mayor
Sharpsburg residents could have a choice for borough Mayor in the November election. The two-way race for the Democratic nomination between Brittany Reno and Joe Simbari, both current council members, went Reno’s way. The vote count was 380-287, according to the Allegheny County Elections Department. Simbari, however, won the Republican...
Westmoreland commissioners restructure election bureau; director’s job in limboVideo
Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday overhauled the county election bureau to add a layer of management, increased pay for staff and, for the first time, acknowledged a potential change in leadership of the department. The move comes a month after numerous operational and administrative issues plagued the bureau the days before...
Quaker Valley High School sophomore part of team that won 1st place in CGI I.T. Girls Challenge
The idea of creating an app to help students connect with each other virtually helped two students win scholarship money from a competition in early May. Paige Frank, a Quaker Valley High School sophomore, and Oluwatomisin Olaore, a Pittsburgh CAPA junior, won first place in the CGI I.T. Girls Challenge...
Greensburg police getting 2 new dogs
Two new police dogs are being added to the Greensburg Police Department’s roster. City council on Monday unanimously approved the purchase of the dogs, which will cost $11,000 plus $2,800 for shipping. The purchase will be covered by funding received from the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office, officials said. According...
Wexford Garden and Pond Tour back in bloom with 11 inspiring sites
After a two-year hiatus, the Wexford Garden and Pond Tour is blooming again. Discover the rich landscapes created at 11 outstanding properties during self-guided tours on July 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A bonus night tour of three select properties will be held from 8 to 10 p.m....
Concerns over removal of Harvison Road bridge unlikely to save Penn Township span
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will remove the bridge on Harvison Road in 2023, a move Penn Township residents and emergency responders oppose. The bridge, which crosses over the turnpike and connects to Pleasant Valley Road, will be eliminated as part of the commission’s $300 million Total Reconstruction and Widening Project....
Household hazardous waste will be accepted at special Westmoreland Cleanways collection
Registration is open for a June 26 household hazardous waste collection event at the Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling site, but those planning to drop off items should first check the lists of materials that can and can’t be accepted. “The things we do not take include explosives, like flares, medical...
Greensburg Salem debates use of pandemic funding to restore librarians
Greensburg Salem School District officials are debating using federal pandemic relief money to temporarily cover restoration of recently eliminated librarian positions, which aren’t otherwise provided for under the 2021-22 budget, set to be approved Wednesday with no tax increase. According to district Business Manager J.R. Dzurica, Greensburg Salem received about...
Vice President Kamala Harris to visit Pittsburgh next week
Vice President Kamala Harris plans to travel to Pittsburgh on Monday, White House officials announced. Harris will be joined during her visit to Western Pennsylvania by U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, the former Boston mayor who became the final department secretary of President Biden’s cabinet to be confirmed on March...
Cornhole game crafted, painted by Plum residents for community center revealed
Plum officials revealed a new cornhole game that was crafted by a borough business and painted by a high school art student. The effort was organized by Mayor Harry Schlegel so people at the Plum Community Center could have another recreational option to be played indoors and outdoors. Cornhole is...
Police: Man fired gun during dispute with neighbor who was honking horn in Polish Hill
A Polish Hill man fired four shots at another man who he said would not stop honking his horn and shouting outside his Herron Avenue home, police said. Brandon Jones, 28, is charged with assault for the Wednesday night incident. Pittsburgh police responded to a ShotSpotter alert near Herron Avenue...
Troopers accuse Export man of making false report of gas leak
A 21-year-old Export man will be cited for disorderly conduct and related offenses after making a false report to 911 Wednesday that a gas line leak was sending toxic fumes into his residence, according to state police at Kiski. Troopers reported the incident occurred at 2:23 p.m. along the 5700...
North Huntingdon to ask for ‘no left turns’ on Route 30 from 3 streets
North Huntingdon officials will ask PennDOT for permission to prohibit left turns onto Route 30 from three township streets. The commissioners Wednesday approved a request to PennDOT officials in Uniontown to post “no left turn” signs at Cherry, Shrader and Soltis lanes because of inadequate site distances for motorists making...
Penn Township man accused of assaulting, choking woman during argument
A Penn Township man is charged with assaulting and choking a woman during an argument Sunday. Tyler W. Higgs, 26, was arrested Tuesday after the woman fled his residence along the 7100 block of Mellon Road Sunday morning and telephoned police from a convenience store along Route 22. Higgs is...
Fox Chapel Area school taxes climb slightly
Fox Chapel Area residents will pay slightly higher school taxes in 2021-22. The school board on June 14 approved its $104 million budget, seeing the tax rate climb from 19.8 to 20.1 mills. It is a 1.3% increase. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000 will pay $2,010, up...
Fox Chapel Area High School among 2 in state to earn award for strength and conditioning program
Fox Chapel Area High School is being lauded for its strength and conditioning program, one which leaders said is a foundation for lifelong health and wellness. The high school earned the Strength of America Award to recognize its elite program. The honor comes from the National Strength and Conditioning Association...
Cruise Pittsburgh’s waters on the Rivers of Steel’s ExplorerVideo
Being aboard a boat on Pittsburgh’s three rivers can be both scenic and scientific. The Explorer riverboat’s “Uniquely Pittsburgh Sightseeing Tour” is a 90-minute excursion that offers guests views from the water while they learn the rich history of the city. The Explorer was built as a floating classroom. Owned...
South Hills Community Wellness celebrates grand opening in Bethel Park
South Hills Community Wellness celebrated its grand opening at 3047 Industrial Blvd. in Bethel Park with a vendor event on June 5. Grove Chiropractic, author and yoga instructor Bryan Tann, ONEHOPE Wine and GlyMed Plus Skincare were among the community vendors in attendance. Jacqueline Battaglia, founding member of South Hills...
Hunger campaign by Allegheny County lawyers raises enough for 113K meals
This year’s Attorneys Against Hunger Campaign, sponsored by the Allegheny County Bar Foundation, raised more money than ever before — enough to provide as many as 113,000 meals. From November through the end of the May, the program collected more than $146,000 — the most in its 28-year history —...
Water quality testing to continue at Beaver Run Reservoir in Bell Township
Water quality tests at the reservoir that supplies drinking water to about half of all Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers will continue for the next year. Authority board members this week approved a new contract with Indiana University of Pennsylvania to collect samples and analyze the water at Beaver...
Bridgeville author Susan Kimmel Wright draws inspiration from real-life cold case for latest novel
A Bridgeville resident took inspiration from a real-life cold case murder more than a century ago for her latest novel. Susan Kimmel Wright’s mystery “Mabel Gets The Ax” will be released July 5. The book follows Mabel, who tries to solve a 1939 double axe murder in the fictional town...
