Local category, Page 2103
Heinz Field could be covid-19 vaccine distribution site, but not enough doses available yet
Heinz Field has been offered up as a possible site for a mass covid-19 vaccine distribution — but there are no imminent plans to do so as Pennsylvania scrambles to get enough vaccine doses to people in top-priority groups. “We previously offered Heinz Field for use as a vaccination site...
Voters to decide fate of reducing governor’s emergency powers
Pennsylvania voters will be able to decide in the May 18 primary election the fate of the Republican-backed proposed constitutional amendment to rein in the governor’s power to extend future emergency disaster declarations beyond 21 days without approval by state legislators. The General Assembly on Friday gave its final approval...
Upper Burrell Fire Co. teams with Port Vue for $15,000 cash ‘Luck of the Irish’ drawing
As the pandemic continues to hammer traditional fundraising, Upper Burrell Volunteer Fire Company is teaming up with a fire company from Allegheny County for a Luck of the Irish raffle offering a $15,000 cash prize. “The pandemic has caused us to find new and innovative ways to do business,” said...
Derry Area School Board probes member Sean Kemmerer’s compliance with policy
A Derry Area school board member is under scrutiny by his elected colleagues. The board voted 8-1 this week to have its solicitor investigate whether Sean Kemmerer has violated board policy and confidentiality. The board moved to have solicitor Ned Nakles investigate Kemmerer’s conduct “to collect information bearing on the...
Route 65 to be shut down for hours after tree topples onto tractor-trailer near Sewickley
A stretch of Route 65 near Sewickley reopened Friday night after being closed for about 6½ hours because of a tree that toppled onto a tractor-trailer. The southbound lanes of the busy highway parallel to the Ohio River reopened at about 9:30 p.m., while the traffic on northbound lanes was...
Troopers say man threatened Hempfield woman with a sword during assault
State troopers arrested a Greensburg man on charges including simple assault and strangulation following an incident Thursday at a Hempfield home that involved a sword. Troopers said they were dispatched for a report of a domestic disturbance and were met by a woman who reported that Nicholas J. Germano, 26,...
Route 22 high-speed chase in Salem nets New York man jail time
A New York man federal investigators said was a heroin supplier to a drug gang based on Pittsburgh’s South Side pleaded guilty Friday to leading police on a high-speed chase two years ago on Route 22 through Salem. Holiday L. Vaughn, 36, formerly the Bronx, was sentenced to serve up...
2nd gun spotted this year at Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoint
A Beaver County man with a loaded handgun was stopped Thursday at the main security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport, but Allegheny County police determined he’d inadvertently left the weapon in an inner coat pocket. County police said they don’t expect to charge the Aliquippa man, who had a concealed...
‘Farm-to-table’ project a hit with Acmetonia Elementary students
There appears to be a consensus among sixth-grade students at Acmetonia Elementary in Harmar — Mrs. Emerick’s classroom is the most fun. After all, there is food growing there. McCall Emerick, a sixth-grade science and social studies teacher, is the force behind it. She obtained grant money through Allegheny Valley...
Upper Burrell Planning Commission grants conditional approval for Dollar General
The Upper Burrell Planning Commission has granted conditional approval for the development of a Dollar General store at Route 780 and Dewey Drive. Township supervisors will have to grant final approval for the project to proceed. But first, the store’s developer will have to address several issues raised by township...
Visiting therapist coerced woman into sex, New Kensington police allege
A visiting therapist twice took a woman to a New Kensington hotel where he coerced her into having sex, city police allege. William Francis Denney, 62, of North Huntingdon was arraigned Thursday on charges of institutional sexual assault and criminal coercion. He was released on an unsecured $25,000 bond. Denney’s...
2 Greensburg councilmen announce reelection campaign
Two Greensburg city councilmen are getting an early start in their campaigns to keep their seats, this week announcing a joint re-election bid. Gregory Mertz and Donnie Zappone — both Republicans — are in the final year of their first term on council. The pair plan to start circulating petitions...
Chartiers Valley School District inoculates 120 staffers with covid-19 vaccine
Chartiers Valley School District’s head janitor showed up about 10 minutes before the district’s first wave of covid-19 vaccines were administered on Friday. Richard Parenti, 67, of Bridgeville has been with the district for around 40 years. He’s swept the hallways, cleaned the classrooms and knows just about everything there...
A trip to Stippy’s in Blawnox is a sweet treatVideo
Something sweet has sprouted along Freeport Road in Blawnox. Stippy’s Sweet Treats, an old-time candy store, is stocked with all sorts of goodies from gumballs to guava soda to grab-and-go bags of gobstoppers. “Any adult that opens up a bucket of Bazooka and takes a big whiff, I guarantee the...
Deputies find fugitive hiding in closet in Unity mobile home
After three months on the lam, a Latrobe fugitive is back in custody now that Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies tracked him down — hauling him from a small crawl space in a bedroom closet of a Unity mobile home. Deputies arrested both Collin A. Quakenbush, 24, and Katelyn Stevens, 25,...
Port Authority asks to stay injunction permitting Black Lives Matters masks while it seeks appeals
The Port Authority of Allegheny County on Friday filed a motion seeking to stay a federal court injunction while it appeals the decision that found prohibiting employees from wearing Black Lives Matter masks was unconstitutional. In the filing, the agency wrote that the court “disregarded Port Authority’s interest in protecting...
Little Free Pantry at Sharpsburg Community Library will help combat hunger
A new little pantry in Sharpsburg will help combat hunger and provide necessities that people might not be able to afford. The free food box will be erected at the Sharpsburg Community Library along Main Street. Filled with canned soup, boxed meals, beverages or basic toiletries, the pantry is expected...
Air, water concerns voiced over proposed South Huntingdon coal refuse reclamation
Nearby residents and environmentalists are worried a proposed project to reclaim coal refuse in South Huntingdon could negatively impact local water and air quality. They aired their concerns this week at a virtual meeting about Robindale Energy Services’ plan to remove usable fuel from the Soberdash coal refuse pile on...
Westmoreland County reports 62 more covid cases, 9 deaths
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 62 more cases of the coronavirus, dropping the seven-day average to 79. That’s the lowest the average has been since early November. The total reported cases in the county is 25,130, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Of the new cases, 29 are confirmed...
Allegheny County’s 7-day covid case average continues to fall
Allegheny County on Friday reported 334 additional cases of coronavirus, the highest daily tally in a week. But the county’s seven-day case average continues to trend downward, according the latest data released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The seven-day average sits at 286, the lowest since mid-November. Of the...
Getting covid vaccine doesn’t mean losing your mask, experts say
As covid-19 vaccination efforts ramp up, health experts are urging people not to skimp on mitigation measures even after they receive the vaccine. Optimism about the vaccine is warranted, but that doesn’t mean vaccinated people should disregard mitigation efforts like mask wearing and social distancing, said Dr. Graham Snyder, UPMC’s...
Sharpsburg eyes roads for summer paving, seeks volunteers to fill human rights commission
Sharpsburg council has released the list of roads to be targeted in this year’s road paving program. Members are eyeing five streets for improvement, with bids accepted this month. If approved, the project will include 15th Street from Main to South Canal, Church Street from Main to Penn, Short Alley...
Murrysville council authorizes purchase of new $1.5 million ladder truck
The ladder truck for Murrysville Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 is affectionately referred to as “Diane.” But firefighters will have a new “woman” in their lives when August 2022 rolls around. Murrysville council approved the $1.5 million purchase of a new 2022 Sutphen aerial platform truck. “Sutphen met our need...
Western Pennsylvania sportsbooks bracing for Super Bowl action
The Steelers might not be in the Super Bowl this year, but that’s not stopping Pittsburghers from placing wagers on which team might take home the Vince Lombardi trophy. Bets are rolling in at local casinos ahead of Sunday’s game pitting the favored Kansas City Chiefs (-3, at most sportsbooks)...
Greensburg hires contractors for new public works garage
Work is nearly ready to begin on Greensburg’s new public works garage, and city officials hope to move in by this fall. By then, it will have been about two years since the fire that destroyed the city’s old garage. “It’ll be two years in October from when the fire...
