Western PA Local News category, Page 1982
Pittsburgh animal control officer charged with felony animal cruelty
A Pittsburgh animal control officer dragged a dog through a parking garage on a control pole so violently that one witness said it looked like he was “mopping the floor” with the dog, according to charges filed Thursday. James Genco III, 46, is charged with one felony count of aggravated...
Victim of fatal New Kensington apartment building fire identifiedVideo
The cause of a fire that claimed the life of a New Kensington woman Wednesday evening remained undetermined Thursday, a state police fire marshal said. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office on Thursday identified the woman as Deborah Kapalka, 63. “She was a sweet girl. She’s always been a sweet girl,”...
Man found guilty in 2017 fatal shooting in Hill District
A Uniontown man was convicted of first-degree murder on Thursday for a 2017 fatal shooting in a Hill District housing community. Tevin Patterson, 27, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski on Oct. 7. First-degree murder carries a mandatory life prison term in Pennsylvania. According...
Pittsburgh’s URA, SEA boards approve project at former Civic Arena site
The proposed redevelopment of part of the former Civic Arena site in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District cleared another hurdle Thursday, when the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority approved a series of actions that will allow the first part of the project to move forward. But the URA board, which includes city...
Former Butler Health System COO, husband sentenced for embezzling $1.3 million
The former chief operating officer for Butler Health System, and her husband, a former detective, are going to federal prison on charges that they embezzled more than $1.3 million from her employer over a period of six years. The money taken by Stephanie J. Roskovski, 51, and her husband, Scott...
Pittsburgh Passport makes pitch to keep college students in region
A bevy of organizations and businesses made their initial pitch Thursday to college students in the Pittsburgh region to encourage them to stay here. The pitch was part of the kickoff the third year of the Pittsburgh Passport program, led by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. The program provides...
Irwin shop seeks rainbow paintings for Big Brothers Big Sisters benefit
A rainbow after a storm is a sign of hope. At Irwin’s Feathers Artist Market and Gifts, owner Tracy Alaia is hoping to spread some peace, love and joy through the second annual Project Rainbow art show and auction. People are invited to purchase a canvas for $2 at the...
Norwin area happenings, June 10, 2021 and beyond
Wreaths Across American to hold craft fair A craft and vendor show featuring handmade crafts for sale, homemade treats and an ice cream truck will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 26 at the J.Howard Snyder Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 781 at 100 Billot Ave., North...
Coxcomb Hill Road reopens in Plum
Drivers in the Alle-Kiski Valley area have one less detour to deal with. Coxcomb Hill Road in Plum reopened Thursday afternoon, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said. That is a day earlier than had been expected earlier in the week. Coxcomb Hill had been closed to traffic between Logans Ferry and...
News and briefs in the greater Murrysville area for the week of June 10, 2021
Here are just some of the things happening in the Star’s coverage area in the coming weeks. To submit an event or a news brief, email pvarine@triblive.com. Delmont shifts council meetings back to borough building Delmont officials will move the monthly council meetings back to the borough building, after a...
Cheswick Generating Station, Allegheny County’s only coal-fired power plant, to close
Allegheny County’s only coal-fired power plant is set to permanently close in September. Houston-based GenOn Holdings LLC said Thursday it plans to close Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale by Sept. 15. The company said it also plans to close coal-fired power plants in Avon Lake, Ohio, and Newburg, Md. In...
Pittsburgh’s Yeshiva Schools to buy former St. Rosalia school and convent
A new school is set to move into the former St. Rosalia School and convent in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood – the Yeshiva School’s boys’ campus. Yeshiva School leaders announced the purchase and move Thursday, noting that the renewed campus will be ready for the fall school year. The boys’ school...
Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Edgewood celebrates 2021 graduatesVideo
Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Edgewood celebrated their 2021 graduates on Thursday. Graduates began their morning with a class photo and a graduation walk through the campus prior to a commencement ceremony scheduled for 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium. Students, faculty and staff lined the halls to...
Norwin approves budget; holds line on taxes
Property owners in the Norwin School District will not pay more in taxes for the 2021-2022 fiscal year under a budget that maintains the same rate for the first time since 2011 without cutting programs, services or furloughing staff, the district said. The $80.5 million budget the school board unanimously...
171-year-old Edgeworth home available for $1.55M
Willa Cather wrote about this historic home in Edgeworth. The celebrated novelist used the elegant home — known as “Braeface,” Gaelic for “the brow of the hill” — as a setting for her 1925 story “Uncle Valentine.” She was a frequent guest there of the Slack family when she lived...
Attorney Milton Raiford apologizes for leaving client’s case during Zappala dispute; seeks to be restored
A day after Milton Raiford, who is embroiled in a public dispute with Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., refused to represent his client in court, the defense attorney changed his mind. On Thursday, Raiford asked the court if he could return to Vanessa Williams’ case — telling...
BSHM and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects hired to design new Quaker Valley High School
Quaker Valley School Board voted unanimously to hire BSHM and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects to design the new Quaker Valley High School on June 8 during a committee meeting. “This is a major step forward for this project, which has been decades in the making,” school board president Jonathan Kuzma...
Basketball camp, senior meeting set in Penn-Trafford area
Lady Warrior basketball camp slated The Lady Warrior Basketball Camp, which focuses on skills training for girls in second through sixth grades, will be held at Penn-Trafford High School in Harrison City from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. June 30 and from 9 a.m. to noon July 1 and 2. Registration...
Ross commissioners nix change in construction hours for BJ’s Warehouse Club
Ross Township residents who live near the construction site of the new BJ’s Wholesale Club store need not worry about getting jarred out of bed by loud equipment earlier than do now. Developers of the store — a membership-only warehouse club chain similar to Sam’s Club and Costco — were...
Hempfield alumna to assume role as West Point Elementary principalVideo
The Hempfield Area School District has hired an alumna to serve as a new elementary school principal. Lindsay Scarpo will succeed Audrey Dell, who is retiring, as principal of West Point Elementary School. Scarpo will earn a salary of $118,953 during the 2021-22 school year. The school board voted unanimously...
Pennsylvania reports 17% drop in DUI arrests amid pandemic year
Pennsylvania State Police reported a 17% drop in DUI arrests in 2020, a year that saw weeks of stay-at-home orders and months of business shutdowns. According to a report released Thursday, state troopers made 18,412 arrests for driving under the influence in 2020. That’s down from 22,139 in 2019. Those...
Independent Marlin Woods to announce bid for Pittsburgh mayor
A 48-year-old East Liberty man who works as a benefits consultant will be announcing an independent run for Pittsburgh mayor Thursday evening. “Leadership is my product and I believe in it,” Marlin Woods said in an interview before his campaign kickoff, which is set for 6 p.m. at Highland Park...
For the first time, Idlewild park to offer beer during summer season
Idlewild & SoakZone will sell beer during its regular summer season for the first time, beginning this weekend. Beer will be available for patrons to purchase in one location initially 一 Mineshaft Kitchen in Hootin’ Holler 一 where it will “pair nicely” with Idlewild’s famous Potato Patch fries, said Jeff...
Watching the wheels: Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival cruises to 10th year
Tim Watson is a trail guide at the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival. He leads drivers through the woods, often on uneven terrain. When it came time to propose to girlfriend Kirsten, he knew the perfect location. “We have a love of Jeeps and a love of each other,” said Watson,...
Permanent glass recycling bin set to open in O’Hara
A permanent glass recycling bin at the O’Hara municipal building will open Saturday. A kickoff event will be 10 a.m. to noon in the township parking lot, 325 Fox Chapel Road. O’Hara, Aspinwall and Blawnox joined efforts to offer the dumpster after glass recycling was dropped from several municipal garbage...
