Local category, Page 1979
Letter to the editor: Thank you to volunteers for another successful Jack Sedlak Memorial Clean Up Day
Although we are still in the grip of the covid pandemic, we need to thank the 452 volunteers who donated their time to clean Monroeville’s roadways and parks for the 26th Annual Jack Sedlak Memorial Clean Up Day. The volunteers picked up more than 1,000 bags of litter, 40 tires,...
Honor society inductions, nursing pinnings and more for Sewickley area students
QVMS students win writing competition Quaker Valley Middle School students were encouraged to participate in the Waldmann International Arts and Writing Competition this year. This competition allowed students to expand on the themes of the QVMS seventh-grade social studies curriculum, utilize primary source documents, practice online researching skills and respond...
Greensburg’s Summer Sounds concert series may resume in late summer
Summer Sounds, the popular Greensburg concert series, could make a return to St. Clair Park, the founder said. The nonprofit Summer Sounds board of directors may decide within the next two weeks on resuming the Friday night concerts, said Gene James, the founder and board president. “The city is OK...
New Kensington-Arnold yet to decide on property tax increase in 2021-22 budget
The New Kensington-Arnold School Board will decide in June if there will be any property tax increase for next school year. The school board approved a $40.05 million proposed budget Tuesday that currently carries no tax increase. The district’s millage rate is 88.27 mills. With revenue of $39.62 million, the...
3 Republicans in contention for 2 Fawn supervisor seats in primary election
Three Republicans are facing off in the May 18 primary for two seats on Fawn’s board of supervisors. The seats up for election this year are held by the current chairman, Republican David Montanari, and Democrat David Norris. No candidates will appear on the Democratic ballot. Norris withdrew from the...
The Stroller, May 8, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
If your organization or community is planning a Memorial Day event, please send the information in as soon as possible to: Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084; e-mail cpinto-smith@triblive.com or fax 724-226-4677. Auditions next week at Freeport Theatre Festival The Freeport Theatre Festival will hold...
Pittsburgh Parking Authority adds apps for payment convenience in the city
With more people using mobile apps to pay for parking, the Pittsburgh Parking Authority says it wants to make parking in the city more convenient. The Flowbird mobile app and the Meter Feeder app are being added to the Go Mobile PGH app as payment options for a total of...
4 challengers face 3 incumbents in Greater Latrobe School Board primary
Seven cross-filed candidates are vying for four seats on the Greater Latrobe School Board. Among those seeking nominations in the May 18 primary are incumbents Bill Palmer, Heidi Kozar and Cathy Sarraf. Steven LoCascio is not pursuing a second term. The field of challengers includes Ryan Scarton, Andrew Repko, Tom...
Pine-Richland superintendent issues letter, district moving on with new coaches
Pine-Richland Superintendent Brian Miller has informed district families that they will be moving on with new football coaches despite weeks of public outcry over the firing of head coach Eric Kasperowicz and his staff. Miller did so in the form of a letter to families Friday. The school board recently...
Residents, pets escape blaze at Adamsburg apartment building, but 8 people left homeless
A fire investigator is looking into the cause of a Friday evening fire that extensively damaged an Adamsburg house containing three apartments. An outdoor grill may have been involved, as flames spread from a rear porch into the two-story house, according to Adamsburg Fire Chief Donald Thoma. Thoma said the...
Pittsburgh police: 11-year-old struck by bullet in Upper Hill neighborhood
An 11-year-old boy was struck by a bullet in Pittsburgh’s Upper Hill neighborhood Friday, Public Safety officials reported. Officers were dispatched around 5:45 p.m. to the 700 block of Anaheim Street for calls of shots fired in the area. Authorities said bullet shells were recovered, but no victim was located....
Pittsburgh Youth Chorus creates original piece, ‘Under One Sky,’ to wrap up year of virtual singingVideo
It’s been over a year of challenges for anyone who spends time singing in public. The Pittsburgh Youth Chorus is no exception, but its members are finishing 12 months of virtual rehearsals with an original song. The nonprofit PYC premiered its newest virtual choir video, “Under One Sky,” composed by...
Nearly 120K OK’ed to vote by mail, absentee in Allegheny County; Tuesday marks deadline to apply
Allegheny County elections officials on Friday urged voters who want to vote by mail in the May 18 primary to do so as soon as possible so their applications can be received and processed by Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline. The county has approved 118,195 applications from voters seeking early ballots...
No one injured as fire rips through mobile home in Hempfield
A woman was left homeless Friday afternoon when flames spread through her mobile home in Hempfield. No one was reported injured in the fire, which occurred at the Sliver Dolphin Mobile Home Park. The woman who lives there wasn’t home when a maintenance man reported the fire just after 1...
‘Where is she?’: Defense wants police interview in Liberty man’s homicide case tossedVideo
For nearly an hour, Allegheny County homicide detectives pleaded with Douglas Berry to tell them where the body was. It had been 25 days since 67-year-old Elizabeth “Betsy” Wiesenfeld had gone missing, and weeks of investigation had pointed the detectives directly at Berry, a handyman who had worked for her....
Giant Eagle switches to walk-in covid-19 vaccinations
Appointments will no longer be needed to receive a covid-19 vaccination at a Giant Eagle in-store pharmacy. The Pittsburgh-based supermarket chain announced Friday that walk-ins will be welcomed, starting Monday. The covid vaccinations are open to people 18 and older. Eligible patients should bring a valid form of identification and...
UPMC covid vaccine clinic at Valley High School to be open to community
An upcoming covid vaccination clinic at Valley High School in New Kensington will be open to the community, acting Superintendent Jon Banko said Friday. UPMC will conduct the clinic from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday in the school’s gymnasium. In addition to residents, it will also be available to district...
Erie bait shop owner reels in record-breaking yellow perch
An Erie angler caught the heaviest yellow perch on record in the state, according to an announcement Friday by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Kirk Rudzinski, 63, of Erie, landed the record-breaking perch on April 9 in Lake Erie, Harborcreek Township, Erie County, near the Brevillier Village high-rise. The...
South Hills pain doctor charged with writing illegal narcotic prescriptions, insurance fraud
A South Hills doctor spent years prescribing narcotics to patients at his pain clinic who did not need them, sometimes giving patients injections against their wishes to line his own pockets, according to a 242-count indictment returned this week. John Keun-Sang Lee, 78, is charged with violating federal narcotics laws...
Slow reporting from labs can hinder coronavirus response, create doubt
More than a year into the covid-19 pandemic, some virus cases identified during the first outbreak across Western Pennsylvania only recently were reported in Westmoreland County. The cases were part of a data dump on Wednesday from one lab that included cases from March 2020 to March 2021, causing the...
Harrison supports nonprofit’s effort for kayak launch parking lot grant
An effort to get state money to build a parking lot for a kayak launch on the Allegheny River in Harrison will go forward. Township commissioners voted unanimously at a special meeting Wednesday to support the nonprofit Friends of the Riverfront, which will work with the township to apply under...
2 seeking open position to represent Fox Chapel Area School Board in Region 2
Editor’s note: The Herald is only spotlighting contested races in the primary election. Fox Chapel Area residents in Region 2 will see two nominees vying for one open position, according to the Allegheny County Office of Elections unofficial candidate list. Region 2 covers Fox Chapel Borough Districts 2, 4, and...
Phipps summer flower show delves into ‘The Hidden Life of Trolls’
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens delved deep into the forest, folklore and fairy tales for its new “Summer Flower Show: The Hidden Life of Trolls,” running through September. Guests are welcomed to the immersive, interactive exhibit by animatronic troll mascots named Fen and Ivy, who give tips on how to...
Laughlintown man earns local chapter of Trout Unlimited’s highest award
When Monty Murty returned to Westmoreland County after retiring from careers in the Army and as a business consultant in Washington, D.C., he rekindled his love of trout fishing and became more active in the local Trout Unlimited chapter. “In particular, I love fly-fishing,” said Murty, now 76. “I began...
Death row inmate decides to keep attorney; appeal coming soon in Greensburg torture killing
A death row inmate convicted of the 2010 torture and murder of a mentally disabled woman in Greensburg will stick with his court-appointed appeal attorney after previously attempting to fire him. Ricky Smyrnes, 35, formerly of North Huntingdon, told Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears he intends to keep Thomas Farrell...
