Local category, Page 1995
Western Pa. health experts: Relaxed mask rules ‘long overdue’
Health experts in Western Pennsylvania said it’s no surprise outdoor mask-wearing is no longer part of federal health guidance. From the beginning of the pandemic, data has shown outdoor transmission of covid-19 to be a rare event. “I think that this was a long overdue step, but it was completely...
Norwin High School closed because of covid cases
Norwin High School will be closed Wednesday because of a sixth positive covid case at the high school within a 14-day rolling period. The closure will allow contract tracing to be completed and for sanitizing the building, the district said Tuesday afternoon. The school was closed upon the recommendation of...
Real ID deadline extended again
The Real ID has again been postponed — until 2023. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced the extension of Real ID enforcement from Oct. 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023. The decision was based on “circumstances resulting from the ongoing covid-19 pandemic,” the DHS said in a statement....
Police accuse St. Clair Township man of threatening sheriff’s deputies serving a PFA
A St. Clair Township man is in the Westmoreland County Prison, charged with threatening to shoot two county sheriff’s deputies as the officers were attempting to serve a court order. Gregory Lee Clark, 54, was arraigned on three counts each of simple assault and terroristic threats and one count of...
Pittsburgh police release 2020 annual report; chief pledges transparency, accountability
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police released the department’s annual report on Tuesday, a 169-page document giving a breakdown of everything from the race and gender of the city’s victims and offenders to the number of lawsuits filed and settled against the department and individual officers. Chief Scott Schubert called 2020...
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro condemns Vandergrift police officer’s conduct
Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement official condemned Vandergrift police Officer William Moore’s conduct during a police call this month, saying the officer “should not be trusted” to carry out the duties of his job. Footage of the April 17 incident that started inside G&G Restaurant was taken by a Black patron...
Pittsburgh officials seek authority to set lower speed limits
Finding ways to get motorists to slow down on residential streets has been a longtime issue in Pittsburgh. City council members Tuesday took action to lobby for more authority to decrease speed limits in some neighborhoods. It’s something they’re not allowed to do under state law. “We know that slower...
Franklin Regional school board primary includes 10 candidates
Unlike the 2019 primary, when the Franklin Regional School District’s Sloan “elementary campus” project dominated much of the election discussion, the 10 candidates seeking open school board seats in 2021 cited a wide variety of reasons for running. They range from emphasizing fiscal responsibility and maintaining the district’s reputation for...
ATI changes contract proposal following expiration of offer to United Steelworkers
As promised, Allegheny Technologies Inc. has changed its contract offer to the United Steelworkers after the striking union did not accept the company’s proposal by a Monday deadline. ATI had given the union until 5 p.m. Monday to accept the four-year offer made April 20 or else it would replace...
Covid-19 cases prompt 2-day closure of Derry Area secondary schools
Derry Area School District on Tuesday began a two-day closure of its high school/middle school complex triggered by covid-19 cases. In a letter posted on the district website, Superintendent Eric Curry reported, as of Monday, there were six positive covid cases at the secondary building over the past 14 days....
South Fayette officials award street repair contract to Youngblood Paving
South Fayette commissioners recently awarded this year’s street paving program to Wampum-based Youngblood Paving. Township documents show the company was the lowest of five bidders at about $1.4 million including three alternate streets added to the base repair list. The project includes about 30 streets and several alleys. “They did...
Pittsburgh region jobs rise in March, still behind 1 year ago
The seven-county Pittsburgh region added 9,000 jobs in March, but the economy still has 76,500 fewer jobs than a year ago, just before the pandemic took hold, according to state labor data released Tuesday. The Pittsburgh region — Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties — saw the...
Hempfield No. 2 becomes 2nd chartered member of township fire department
A month after the North Hempfield fire station became the first chartered member of the Hempfield Township Fire Department, a second station has followed suit. During a township meeting Monday evening, supervisors accepted the declaration of intent for the Hempfield No. 2 station, meaning the township will acquire the Thornton...
Thomas Jefferson students gearing up for 1st shows in new theater
When Erin Kesser was pondering about the kind of musical to christen the new Thomas Jefferson High School theater, she could not come up with just one. The 1996 graduate and first-year director pitched a cabaret with numbers from the multiple shows performed at the district since 1986. “It’s going...
Pittsburgh council introduces legislation to help LGBTQIA+ businesses
Pittsburgh’s LGBTQIA+ business owners will be able to register on the city’s online procurement platform and will gain access to business development and trainings under legislation introduced Tuesday by city council members Erika Strassburger and Bruce Kraus. “This bill represents one more step in our march toward equity here in...
Covid vaccine clinic held at Westmoreland courthouseVideo
As many as 600 coronavirus vaccines were administered Tuesday at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg. The clinic, open to county employees, their families and the general public, was held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Hayden’s Pharmacy in Youngwood oversaw the operation. Hayden’s owner Ed Christofano said about 200...
Hempfield hires new director of finance
Hempfield supervisors Monday hired Lloyd Fait as the township’s director of finance. Fait is taking the place of current finance Director Melanie Phillips, who previously announced her retirement. Phillips served as the township’s first director of finance and has held the position for the past six years. She will remain...
Allegheny, Westmoreland covid hospitalizations down more than 15% from last week
Covid hospitalizations have been trending in a positive direction recently for the state and local counties. New covid data show that from last week to Tuesday, hospitalizations in Pennsylvania as well as Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have decreased somewhat significantly. Hospitalizations Pennsylvania saw a sixth consecutive day of decrease to...
42 new covid cases reported in Penn-Trafford area between April 19-26, 2021
New covid-19 cases reported in the Penn-Trafford-Jeannette area decreased over the past week compared to the week prior, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. In all, 42 new covid cases were reported between April 19-26 for the six ZIP codes covering most of the three communities. That’s...
Police say Irwin woman stabbed man after he took her vodka
An Irwin woman is accused by police of stabbing a man with a kitchen knife after he took her bottle of vodka. Donna L. Rich, 55, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment in the incident at an apartment in the 500 block of Walnut Street in the...
Hempfield casino and restaurant owners deny discrimination allegations
A spokesman for the owners of Live! Casino and Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar denied a former employee’s allegations of racial discrimination at the restaurant located inside the Hempfield casino at Westmoreland Mall. “Live! Casino Pittsburgh and Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar are proud of the jobs we...
Here come the 80s: Wild weather not unusual for April, experts say
The tail end of April has been both lion and lamb in terms of weather. A little less than a week ago, Southwestern Pennsylvania recorded more than an inch of snowfall and a low temperature of a balmy 32 degrees. About 1.6 inches fell, according to the National Weather Service,...
Drugs, tampering with evidence, among charges filed by Monroeville police April 13-15, 2021
The following charges were filed April 13-15 with Monroeville District Judge Jeffrey L. Herbst. Charges were filed by Monroeville police, unless otherwise noted: • Dream L. Whitehead, 18, of Turtle Creek with possession of crack cocaine and possession of marijuana. Charges were filed by Pitcairn police on April 13 in...
Assault, drugs DUI among charges handled April 12 and April 19, 2021 by Monroeville Judge Jeffrey Herbst
Monroeville District Judge Jeffrey L. Herbst handled these cases April 12 and 19. Defendants will have court dates set in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Held for court • Maurice Lincoln-Vason, 25, of Plum on charges of making a false identification to a law enforcement officer and driving...
Animal cruelty, DUI among charges handled by Monroeville Judge Jeffrey Herbst on March 22, 2021
Monroeville District Judge Jeffrey L. Herbst handled these cases March 29, 2021. Defendants will have court dates set in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. All charges were filed by Monroeville police unless otherwise noted. Held for court • Stephen Linn, 61, of Monroeville on two counts each of...
