Local category, Page 2021

A Monroeville doctor was charged last week in federal court with nearly 100 counts of writing illegal oxycodone prescriptions, as well as Medicare fraud. An indictment returned Thursday by the federal grand jury said Joseph Dicroce, 64, wrote dozens of prescriptions for oxycodone to just three people from 2016 to...

South Greensburg’s police chief believes his 27 years in law enforcement best qualifies him to fill the vacant district judge seat in Hempfield. Scott Fanchalsky, 49, said he will cross-file and run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries May 18 for the position formerly held by District Judge Anthony...

Allegheny County continues to see a decline in the number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths associated with covid-19. The county added 394 new cases of coronavirus over the past two days, according to county’s Health Department. That’s more than 12% fewer new cases than a week ago (450) and...

North Huntingdon’s sewage authority is planning to spend $30 million to upgrade its plant near the Youghiogheny River. The project will allow the facility to treat more sewage, but it will not cause a rise in rates, the authority’s executive said. The authority is designing the upgrades to the Turner...

Allegheny CleanWays and Friends of the Riverfront invite people to participate in self-guided litter pickups. They will provide the necessary gear for safety. The next litter kit distribution event will be 10 a.m. to noon on Feb. 20 at the South Side Dog Park. Register at flipcause.com to request a...

Committee to meet Plum Republican Committee will meet Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at Palmieri’s Restaurant, 951 Old Frankstown Road. Guest speaker will be Frank Gamrat, executive director of the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. The meeting is open to all registered Republicans and serves as a forum to meet...

Bills for new stormwater fee mailed Jordan Tax Service, which collects taxes for Hampton Township, recently sent out bills for the new Stormwater Management Fee being levied to help pay for state and federally mandated work to control flooding and reduce water pollution. In January, Hampton residents were notified by...

Monroeville police arrested Marcus A. Niehenke, 41, on Feb. 7. Niehenke had been a fugitive from Indiana County and was wanted for a 2020 DUI and three violations against Protection from Abuse orders. He is in Allegheny County Jail and is scheduled for a court hearing in March. Student news...

Two students from Penn Hills, Wilkinsburg, Wilkins or Churchill attending St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa. have been named to the school’s dean’s list. To be named on the list, students must be full-time students and maintain a 3.5 GPA on 12 or more credits during a single semester. The...

Free tax prep is available through the North Hills Community Outreach. This is a seasonal program that helps low-income households who earn less than $57,000. The service is available through April 14. A fully virtual option through an IRS-approved website can be accessed at getyourrefund.org/nhco. Limited contact options are available...

Four metal emblems were stolen from veterans’ grave markers at St. Mary’s Cemetery in New Florence, according to state police. Three bronze World War II emblems were taken, along with a World War I emblem made of an unspecified metal. Police believe the theft happened within the last week. They...

Publicize your non-profit’s meetings, fundraisers and community events in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Highlands students to perform virtual talent show Highlands High School will present a virtual February Follies Talent Show at 7 p.m. Thursday online...

Grants available for West View Water customers West View Waste Water is offering assistance for customers who are delinquent and make at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines. Eligible customers can receive grants for $200 every six months. Contact the Dollar Energy Fund at 1-888-282-6816 or see...

Grants for West View Waste Water customers West View Waste Water is offering assistance for customers who are delinquent and make at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines. Eligible customers can receive grants for $200 every six months. Contact the Dollar Energy Fund at 1-888-282-6816 or visit...

The sites of former steel mills and other long-gone vestiges of the region’s industrial might from Homestead to McKeesport will be emblazoned with historical markers along the Great Allegheny Passage trail. Rivers of Steel, a nonprofit focusing on the region’s industrial history, awarded an almost $4,000 grant to the Regional...

Three members of the Vietnamese community in Westmoreland County who were returning home from a Lunar New Year Mass at a church in Pittsburgh were killed Sunday in a head-on collision along Route 30 in North Huntingdon, a friend of the victims said. The three women died after their eastbound...

A winter storm expected to dump several inches of snow across the region is spurring restrictions by PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, speed and vehicle restrictions will be mandated along the PA Turnpike in both directions from Breezewood to the Ohio border, the entire...

Allegheny County Health Department planned to continue dispensing covid-19 vaccinations Monday and Tuesday, despite a winter storm that is expected to drop snow and ice across the region. Clinics are expected to be open Monday in Monroeville and Tuesday in Monroeville and Castle Shannon — although the schedule of appointments...

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Aspinwall Riverfront Park got a little more lovely. Colorful, oversized letters that spell love were installed at the park entrance, near the playground’s imposing slide. Two large painted wooden hearts were erected in the western section and near the off-leash dog park, so that...

A man is in critical condition after a stabbing Sunday in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights section, authorities said. Police responded to a call just before 3:15 p.m. to the 3800 block of California Avenue. Officers found a man who had been stabbed in the neck. He was taken to the hospital...

Tarentum Council has approved holding a new craft beer festival at Dreshar Stadium later this year. But in addition to hoping the covid-19 pandemic has waned by late August, council will need to amend borough regulations that prohibit drinking alcohol on borough-owned property. Councilman Brian Snyder, who proposed and is...

After 16 years, Lower Burrell Councilman Joe Grillo said it’s time to go. He announced last week he would not seek reelection this year during a council meeting this week. “I’ve given it long and hard thought since 2018 when I had a cancer scare,” Grillo said. “Thank God, I’m...

Deer Lakes School Board is expected to consider a possible return to full-time, in-person instruction when it meets Tuesday. Last week, the district temporarily closed East Union Intermediate Center and Deer Lakes Middle School after multiple people tested positive for covid-19 at the respective schools. At a meeting last Tuesday,...

Despite numerous studies predicting the likelihood of racial disparities and a supposed focus on equity in the rollout, Pennsylvania’s data tracking race and ethnicity in vaccine distribution currently is lacking. More than a month into the state’s vaccine rollout, about 34% of race data as it relates to distribution is...