Western PA Local News category, Page 2039
Norwin team wins county Envirothon competition
A group of Norwin High School students took first place in this year’s Westmoreland County Envirothon, which was held virtually for the first time in 35 years. The Norwin team will compete in the Pennsylvania Envirothon, which also will be held virtually, over a period of several days this month,...
Murrysville recreation department gears up for a busy summer
Following a summer full of postponements and cancellations — fueled by uncertainty over what type of events could be safely held amid the covid-19 pandemic — Murrysville recreation officials are ready to help the region’s children get out and about. “We just wanted to plan as many outdoor activities as...
Franklin Regional French teacher earns ‘Global Educator’ designation
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Bushy Run Battlefield president strives to keep history alive
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Well-traveled Spanish teacher at Norwin honored with global educator award
A Spanish teacher at Norwin who established the Global Scholars Program at the high school has been recognized by a statewide language organization as furthering intercultural understanding and global competence in students. “This recognition has only been possible with the contributions that all Norwin educators have made in their daily...
Wilkinsburg’s new Abraham Lincoln statue will go up in June
The wait for a new Abraham Lincoln statue to return to its familiar perch in Wilkinsburg is almost over. Wilkinsburg Historical Society President Anne Elise Morris said that the new Lincoln statue will be erected in June at the intersection of Penn Avenue and Ardmore Boulevard. The newly sculpted, life-size...
Police: Teen shot outside his Penn Hills home
A 17-year-old boy was shot during the evening hours May 5 as he walked out of his Penn Hills home, police reported. Chief Howard Burton said the shooting took place around 6:30 p.m. along the 200 block of Pelone Drive. Shots were fired from a vehicle outside the home. Burton...
Mt. Lebanon police find that ‘suspicious’ package left in front of offices of legislator, Social Security, not dangerous
Mt. Lebanon police evacuated a building along Washington Road on Wednesday evening that houses offices for state Rep. Dan Miller, D-Mt. Lebanon, and the Social Security Administration after police were called to the scene of a suspicious package. According to the department’s Facebook page, police responded to 650 Washington Road...
Murrysville recreation officials bring back revamped summer playground program
After taking last summer off due to covid-19 concerns, the Murrysville Recreation Department is hoping to bring back a revamped version of its annual summer playground program. The primary changes to the program — which has hosted children ages 6-12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at a rotating schedule...
2 men sentenced for distributing drugs in Pittsburgh’s South Side as part of DS44 gang
Two Pittsburgh men who police say were high-ranking members of a street gang that sold drugs in Pittsburgh’s South Side have been sentenced in federal court to long prison terms. Christopher Highsmith, 28, and Anthony Jetter, 32, pleaded guilty to related drug charges and were sentenced by U.S. District Judge...
Jobless want state to end backlog, pay benefits now
Jobless workers upset over the state’s delay in ruling on their unemployment compensation claim are expected to join forces with a group of state legislators in a protest Thursday in downtown Pittsburgh. They will gather outside the governor’s regional office to demand they get benefits while awaiting a decision on...
Sen. Toomey pledges in Pittsburgh to find out why U.S. Steel nixed $1B Mon Valley projectVideo
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey said Wednesday that he wants to get to the bottom of why U.S. Steel nixed its planned $1.2 billion Mon Valley Works project last week, even as indicators point to the pandemic-battered economy “roaring back” and bipartisan support builds for a nationwide infrastructure infusion. “Steel prices...
Republican Sen. Kim Ward endorses covid vaccine for return to normalcyVideo
State Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward is encouraging constituents to get the covid-19 vaccine. The Hempfield Republican, who has been at odds with Democratic leaders over the covid-19 shutdown for the past year, went public with her endorsement in a radio interview with 90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh’s NPR news station. “It’s...
Pittsburgh residents, council members take up issue of Black flight from city
Pittsburgh’s Black community is shrinking and some who remain in the city say they are fed up with generations of neglect by city officials, systematic racism and development projects that have caused departures. Between 2014 and 2018, U.S. Census data shows, Pittsburgh’s Black population dropped by about 10% — or...
Tarentum planning fourth contract for building demolitions
Tarentum is looking to award a fourth contract for building demolitions. Council approved seeking bids to tear down buildings at 243/245 W. Seventh Ave., 339 W. 11th Ave., and 532 Third Ave. Earlier this year, council awarded contracts to Eveready Contracting, Minniefield Demolition Services and Siegel Excavating to tear down...
Allegheny County officials cite equity and hesitancy as barriers to vaccinations
Vaccine hesitancy, equity and general access remain barriers to getting Allegheny County residents inoculated against covid-19, Dr. Debra Bogen, health director, said at a Board of Health meeting Wednesday. State data shows that 445,578 people in Allegheny County are fully vaccinated, but with around 1.2 million residents, Bogen said there...
Ex-West Penn employee pleads guilty to secretly recording patients, coworkers
A Canonsburg man pleaded guilty Wednesday to hiding video cameras inside West Penn Hospital and filming dozens of employees and female patients. Guy Caley, 53, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Bruce Beemer on Aug. 16. He pleaded guilty to 89 criminal counts. Caley was charged last...
Allegheny County officials support lifting of restrictions, tackle covid vaccine mythsVideo
A day after Gov. Tom Wolf announced the imminent removal of covid restrictions in Pennsylvania, Allegheny County officials said it was right move. “That’s really good news as we start to get back to normal,” County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said at a virtual news conference. “Everybody has been eligible for...
Penn Hills dog owners enjoy time with pets
Erin Thomas of Penn Hills took her dog, Yuri, to the Penn Hills Dog Park on a cloudy May 5 to blow off steam. Other dog owners, such as Tyeler Bohlayer, also of Penn Hills, joined. His 1-year-old Basset Hound joined in on the fun. The Penn Hills Dog Park,...
Allegheny Township man pleads guilty to rape of teen
An Allegheny Township man will serve up to eight years in prison for the repeated rape and sexual assaults of a teenage girl. Kevin Carl Williams, 53, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and sexual assault for five incidents police said occurred in 2017 and...
Astrobotic space museum planned for Pittsburgh
Museums are generally known as places where historic objects are stored and displayed. But a new museum dedicated exclusively to space is as much about the future as it is the past. Space robotics company Astrobotic announced Tuesday it is opening the Moonshot Museum, which it says is Pennsylvania’s first...
Prantl’s hit with health citations for opening Squirrel Hill bakery without permit
The Allegheny County Health Department has shut down and cited Prantl’s Bakery for opening a new location in Squirrel Hill without a health permit, department records show. The bakery’s new location on Forbes Avenue was shut down by health inspectors April 28 for operating with a health permit, failing to...
New Kensington Council rejects use of office building for counseling services
New Kensington Council has denied a nonprofit’s request to use an office building on Industrial Boulevard for its outpatient mental health and substance abuse counseling services. Southwest Behavioral Care, an affiliate of Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services, sought the city’s permission to use the vacant building at 400 Industrial Blvd., about...
Leechburg Memorial Day Parade is back on
Leechburg’s Memorial Day Parade will happen after all. The borough had announced it was canceling the annual parade for the second year in a row because of the covid-19 pandemic. But following Tuesday’s announcement that Gov. Tom Wolf plans to ease gathering restrictions in time for the federal holiday, borough...
Activists call for Pittsburgh to cancel bid for supplies of less-lethal weapons
Activists on Wednesday called on Pittsburgh officials to cancel a bid seeking supplies of “less-lethal” weapons like the ones deployed against protesters in Pittsburgh and other cities during civil unrest. “These munitions are turned on people fighting for the rights of Black and brown community members,” said Joshua Friedman, of...
