Local category, Page 2019
Volunteers gather to clean up, plant at Tarentum’s community gardenVideo
For the first time since the covid pandemic broke out over a year ago, volunteers gathered to clean up Tarentum’s community garden and begin planting for the season. While individuals came out throughout 2020 to keep the Greg Blythe Friendship Community Garden going last year, group events like Saturday’s spring...
Leading the class: Seton Hill, Saint Vincent found ways to bring students back safely
Jessie Delio was thrilled when she learned Seton Hill University would welcome students back to classrooms at its hilltop campus in Greensburg last fall. Like millions of other college students across the country, the Erie woman gathered her books, packed her bags and headed home in spring 2020 when schools...
The Stroller, April 11, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, events and fundraisers in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Drive-through food distribution set for Tuesday at Pittsburgh Mills Allegheny Valley Association of Churches and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will host a...
Vandergrift considering its options in getting a borough website up and running again
Vandergrift officials are hopeful they will fix ongoing website woes. The borough hasn’t offered a functioning website for the public since February. Visitors to the site encounter an oversized message stating the site is no longer being updated or maintained. “We’re hoping we can move forward on getting this website...
Westmoreland municipal leaders awaiting answers on expected pandemic relief money
Part of the recently passed $1.9 trillion federal pandemic relief package includes a good chunk of money intended for local governments — with up to about $2.4 billion for municipalities in Pennsylvania. Like elsewhere in the state, many in Westmoreland County still are wondering just how much they will get...
Woman hurt jumping from window to escape Hill District fire
A woman was hurt when she jumped from a window to escape a fire in the Hill District Saturday, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. The fire in the 900 block of Memory Lane was reported around 3 p.m. According to police, firefighters fought the blaze mainly in one row house,...
Witnesses say truck driver had little time to react to oncoming train in Springdale
Two men who witnessed a train colliding with a tractor-trailer at a crossing in Springdale on Friday said the truck driver had little time to react to the oncoming train. Chad Cochran of Springdale and Ken Trim of West Deer said they were leaving work at R.I. Lampus shortly after...
Cokeville memories: Former residents, hikers revisit ghost of Derry Township villageVideo
Ron Ross remembers the demise of Cokeville. His family’s property served as sort of a passageway for homes that were trucked out of the Derry Township village in the early 1950s — an exodus forced by the building of the Conemaugh Dam. Ross, 77, estimated he watched 50 homes be...
Norwin Elks to host Military Share Food Distribution program
Norwin Elks is set to host a Military Share Food Distribution program next month. The event, scheduled for May 13, is the first program of its type to be hosted by the Norwin Elks, according to Don Rohac, chair of veterans affairs for the organization. It is being held in...
Lifelong Sharpsburg resident, current mayor, seeking magistrate position
Sharpsburg Mayor Matt Rudzki is seeking a higher office which would allow him to serve a wider majority of the Lower Valley. Rudzki, a lifelong Sharpsburg resident and graduate of Fox Chapel Area High School, is seeking election for Magisterial District Judge. The office serves six municipalities that include Aspinwall,...
Student news: Fox Chapel Area music accolades, art awards and science and engineering fair
Ten Fox Chapel Area School District students won awards at the virtual Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair (PRSEF), and two students qualified for an international science and engineering fair. Junior Zoe Lakkis and sophomore Arvind Seshan were named two of seven overall winners and qualified to participate in the...
Student news: Shaler Area music accolades and Japanese speech contest winners
Four Shaler Area High School seniors were recognized by the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) as some of the top instrumentalists in the state by being selected for its All-State ensembles. They are: • Adam Braughler: Ranked among the best French horn players in the state, Braughler has been a...
Pandemic stress causing spike in emotional shopping sprees
With the stress of the covid-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions, it’s no surprise that people are looking for ways to cope. For many in Pennsylvania — and across the country — shopping has become one of those coping mechanisms. Nearly half of Pennsylvanians admitted to “emotional spending” during the pandemic,...
Student news: Quaker Valley kindergarten registration, scholarships and more
Student volunteer Tice Harkins of Sewickley was among the members of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine’s MD Class of 2024 who volunteered to help clean up downtown Scranton. Working in the rain, the students cleaned out the planters found in several blocks of Scranton’s downtown area and planted fresh flowers...
South Hills student news: National Merit Scholar finalist at Baldwin, dean’s list
National Merit Scholar finalist Each year, 1.5 million high school students enter the National Merit Scholar program. Of those, 50,000 are chosen as semi-finalists and 15,000 are selected as finalists. One of this year’s finalists is Baldwin High School senior Aidan Greenaway. “Aidan is the type of student who is...
Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and Prime Stage Theatre present ‘Miracle in Rwanda’
To commemorate Genocide Awareness Month, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and Prime Stage Theatre are teaming up to present an original production of the play “Miracle in Rwanda.” Saturday’s opening night features a livestreaming performance followed by recorded performances from April 16-26. The play is based on the life of...
Restaurant restrictions loosened, but workers hard to find in Western PennsylvaniaVideo
“Help wanted” signs at restaurants across the region are as noticeable as menus, as businesses scramble to hire enough workers to serve more customers under loosened indoor dining restrictions. Restaurant owners and managers have been challenged to find enough workers to stay open longer and feed customers in a timely...
ATI calls on Steelworkers union to let employees vote on contract offer
As a strike by the United Steelworkers union nears two weeks, Allegheny Technologies Inc. is calling on the union to allow employees to vote on the company’s contract offer. ATI spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie said details of the company’s proposal have not changed since March 29, the day before about 1,300...
The Stroller, April 10, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, events and fundraisers in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Household item collection to help local families Women of the Alle-Kiski Engaging, a division of the Alle Kiski Strong Chamber of Commerce, is sponsoring...
Apollo-Ridge shop classes go high-tech with help from foundationsVideo
It’s not your father’s wood shop. A CNC router is programmed to buzz through wood with any design created on a computer for the Industrial Math class at Apollo-Ridge High School. That’s just the beginning. Donations to buy new equipment for high school shop classes totaled about $75,000 in the...
Section of Elizabeth Road in Dravosburg to close for repairs Monday
Part of Elizabeth Road in Dravosburg will be closed Monday so crews can repair a support wall and guide rail damaged in a November car crash. Allegheny County Public Works officials said the closure will be between Scott Drive and Curry Hollow Road starting at 9 a.m. Traffic will be...
Bear spotted in Robinson, police say to stay away
Township police warned Robinson residents Friday to be on the lookout for a black bear that was spotted off Country Club Drive. Police issued the alert after 8:30 p.m. on the department Facebook page. “For everyone’s safety, it would be best if families keep their distance and try to avoid...
Elderly man taken to hospital after vehicle-pedestrian crash in Downtown Pittsburgh
A man was taken to a local hospital following a vehicle-pedestrian accident Friday evening in Downtown Pittsburgh, according to a Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman. The crash was reported just after 8:15 p.m. on Liberty Avenue at Wood Street. Responding officers found an elderly man with a cut to his head....
Only 10% of Allegheny National Forest fire in Tidioute contained; New Mexico firefighters arrive Saturday
A wildfire has scorched about 150 acres in the Allegheny National Forest in the Tidioute area, Warren County, since Thursday with only 10% of the fire contained Friday afternoon, said Wendy Andersen, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service, Allegheny National Forest. No one has been injured and all forest service...
Truck hauling building materials struck by Norfolk Southern train in Springdale, no one hurt
Norfolk Southern officials are investigating a train crash Friday afternoon along the 100 block of Colfax Street in Springdale. Borough Fire Chief Kevin Wilhelm said a tractor-trailer carrying bricks and building materials was struck at the crossing near the PPG Coating & Resins plant around 4 p.m. Friday. No injuries...
