Local category, Page 2076
Baldwin-Whitehall uses app to communicate more efficiently with Nepali speakers
Families who speak Nepali as their primary language in the Baldwin-Whitehall school district now have a better way to communicate with teachers — and vice versa — thanks to a mobile app. The district launched “Talking Points” as a pilot program designed for the 654 families who speak Nepali. Essentially,...
McKees Rocks man sentenced to federal prison for role in drug trafficking
A McKees Rocks man was sentenced Wednesday to 46 months in a federal prison for his role in drug trafficking activity in the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh, according to prosecutors. Lamont Benton, 24, was ordered to spend three years on supervised release. He pleaded guilty in October to a...
Cash 5 winning ticket worth $825,298 sold in Bridgeville
Someone who bought a Pennsylvania Lottery ticket in Bridgeville is going home richer. A winning Cash 5 ticket worth $825,298 was sold Feb. 20 at CoGo’s along Station Street, according to Lottery officials. The ticket matched all five numbers — 8-24-34-39-43. Store owners will get a $5,000 bonus for selling...
Sinkhole partially swallows Shaler street sweeper
A sinkhole partially swallowed a street sweeper in Shaler Plaza early Thursday, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. Roads have since reopened in the area where a waterline break happened about 2 a.m. and caused water to gush along Butler Street and Saxonburg Boulevard. The street sweeper was in a...
Vandergrift Borough’s website no longer being maintained
Vandergrift Borough’s website went offline sometime last weekend, but there are no concrete plans at this time to replace it. Visitors to the site will now see a message in huge font reading, “This site is no longer being updated or maintained. If you have any questions or suggestions, please...
The Stroller, Feb. 25, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s meetings, Easter events and fundraisers in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Free food distribution set in Leechburg A free drive-thru food distribution will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Leechburg Fire Hall grounds,...
Bonds, scars remain 30 years after missile struck Hempfield’s 14th Quartermaster unit in Gulf WarVideo
A sudden blast jolted Neal Gouker awake. The explosion from an Iraqi Scud missile slammed him against a wall in his barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. “The place was on fire, and bullets were going off,” recalled Gouker, 50, formerly of Glassport. “For 5 miles around, there were broken windows....
Letter to the editor: QV secondary students need better
Recent letters to the editor address the Quaker Valley School District’s decision to build a new high school. The District is off-target. Considering the financial investment and return on investment, this decision is ludicrous. Mr. Meier and Ms. Kipp’s op-eds (in the Feb. 18 issue) summarize the arguments opposing a...
Certain grade levels at Plum School District allowed to return to full-time, in-school classes
Plum School District students in select grades were able to return to full-time, in-person instruction the last week of February. The district operated on a hybrid model for most of the school year due to the covid pandemic. Students were split into two groups with each one in classrooms two...
Penn Hills marketplace helps specialty vendors, crafters thrive during covid pandemic
An indoor marketplace where specialty vendors and crafters can sell their wares sits atop a small hillside overlooking a major roadway in Penn Hills. Some motorists along Rodi Road might not realize what they’re passing because it’s located on the second floor of Penn Hills Lawn and Garden at the...
Penn Hills School District changes graduation requirements for incoming freshmen
Penn Hills School District officials have adjusted graduation requirements to help make future high schoolers more well-rounded learners. The school directors unanimously voted Feb. 24 to increase the graduation requirements from 23 to 24 credits. They must include at least one online class and community service through the Penn Hills...
South Hills man busted by FBI wiretap gets year in prison for selling heroin, fentanyl
A South Hills man will spend a year and a day in prison for scheming to sell heroin and fentanyl as part of a drug ring linked to a neighborhood gang, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said Wednesday. Jonathan Laur, 37, of Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood was among nearly two dozen...
Franklin Regional students prepare for ‘Into the Woods’ with a scaled-down audienceVideo
Franklin Regional Senior High School students might be performing Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” but when it comes to health and safety, they certainly aren’t out of the woods yet. That means this year’s spring musical attendance will be restricted to the families of cast and crew members. But for...
Part owner of Donora convenience store fatally shot
A Donora man was fatally shot Wednesday while working at the Donora convenience store where he was part owner, the Washington County Coroner’s Office said. The victim, Nicholas Tarpley, 28, was shot at Lee’s Convenience Store, at 501 Allen Ave., where he was pronounced dead, Deputy Coroner Matthew Yarosek stated...
Lower Burrell community group planning short St. Patrick’s Day parade March 6
In a time when pandemic restrictions have canceled numerous parades and events, a Lower Burrell community group looking to spread a little cheer is planning a St. Patrick’s Day parade March 6. Featuring fire trucks and community groups, the parade route is less than a mile long. The stripped-down event,...
Hempfield robbery suspect details alibi, denounces confession in 3rd day of trial
A Scottdale man and his wife told a Westmoreland County jury they were at home and were visited by police at the same time a Blairsville woman claimed he robbed her at gunpoint at a Hempfield shopping center in late 2016. Norman Jack, 30, testified Wednesday in the third day...
Apollo to hold in-person council meeting at new location; vacancy ordinance to be considered
Apollo Council will hold its first in-person public meeting in months on Thursday, and one of the issues to be discussed will be a proposed vacancy ordinance. Mayor Cindee Virostek is among the happiest of meeting attendees at the new location, the spacious Apollo Volunteer Fire Company No. 2 Fire...
Federal judge denies Port Authority request for stay pending appeal on Black Lives Matter masks
A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by Port Authority of Allegheny County to stay his decision allowing employees there to wear Black Lives Matter masks at work. U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan ruled in January that a policy implemented last summer by the authority banning political speech...
One lane of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel closed in both directions until 5:30 a.m. Thursday
Drivers on the Parkway East could face traffic delays overnight Wednesday as the Squirrel Hill Tunnel closes one lane in both directions. PennDOT announced that the tunnel will be reduced to a single lane for Interstate 376 inbound and outbound drivers “as needed” from 7 p.m. Wednesday until 5:30 a.m....
Sunrise School students in Monroeville get surprise visit from Penguins’ Iceburgh, Chick-fil-A cowVideo
The winter doldrums were disrupted for a time Wednesday when students at Sunrise School in Monroeville got a surprise visit from some familiar faces. Iceburgh, the mascot for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Chick-fil-A’s “Eat mor Chikin” cow joined the school’s eagle mascot in the school’s playground yard to, simply put,...
Carrick man pleads to 2019 fatal crash in Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill neighborhood
A Carrick man pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter stemming from a 2019 crash in Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill neighborhood. Lila Tiwari, 47, of Carrick, will be sentenced for manslaughter and four counts of reckless endangerment by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kevin G. Sasinoski on May 20. According to the criminal...
Geneva Silverio celebrates 100th birthday with family from Monroeville, PlumVideo
Geneva Silverio said the secret to living to see 100 is being happy. “That’s important,” she said, smiling Feb. 24 on her 100th birthday. She said staying away from smoking, drinking and staying active through exercise and her faith helped, too. Silverio, originally from St. Augustine, Fla., now lives at...
Allegheny County officials ask for vigilance as 3 cases of UK variant identifiedVideo
Allegheny County officials said there are at least three cases of the U.K. covid-19 variant in the county — but they remain optimistic about overall case numbers and the increasing rate of vaccination. “We continue to see good levels of drop,” county Executive Rich Fitzgerald said. “There’s a lot of...
AHN covid vaccination clinic targets marginalized patients in New KensingtonVideo
Getting a needle stuck in her arm felt like normalcy coming back for Doris Hardy. Hardy, 69, of New Kensington was one of about 350 people who received their first dose of the Moderna covid-19 vaccine during a clinic Wednesday at Allegheny Valley Hospital’s outpatient center in New Kensington, the...
Irwin restaurant donates lunch for Westmoreland food bank volunteersVideo
Sam Murray believes in giving back. As the covid-19 pandemic got underway, he and his wife began making masks to sell, eventually raising $3,000 for the Westmoreland County Food Bank. Over the past couple months, the owner of Sam’s Salsa in Irwin also has been delivering free lunches to local...
