Plum Borough School District to begin using weapons detection units
Plum Borough School District students and visitors will be greeted by a new set of weapons detection systems in the district this school year. According to Plum Assistant Superintendent Ashley Boyers, the district has recently purchased two additional OpenGate weapons detection units, similar to the ones used at professional sports...
ESPN signs Penn State grad Katie Feeney to create social media, digital content
Sports and lifestyle influencer Katie Feeney is headed to ESPN. A Penn State University grad, Feeney, 22, will be a sports and lifestyle content creator for the sports giant. She will serve as a weekly contributor on “College Gameday,” “Sunday NFL Countdown” and “Monday Night Countdown,” as well as the...
Manor man captured hiding in Herminie house after eluding law enforcement
A Manor man was captured late Wednesday night while trying to hide in a Herminie house bedroom after eluding law enforcement for about eight hours when an attempt was made to serve him with an arrest warrant at an ice cream shop in North Hempfield, the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department...
‘The public in jeopardy’: Experts react to RFK Jr.’s cancellation of vaccine research
Pittsburgh-area science experts are warning that the public’s health could be in jeopardy after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the sudden cancellation of 22 federally funded vaccine projects. The halted projects focused on next-generation vaccines designed to generate stronger and longer-lasting immune responses. On Tuesday, the Department of...
‘The greatest guy’: Coraopolis mourns resident killed in hit-and-run crash
Ulises Montalvo plodded daily along Coraopolis’ sidewalks pushing a lawn mower, carrying his trusty weed-whacker and looking for work. On Wednesday, a symbol of that drive to work — Montalvo’s well-worn, black boots — sat empty at the foot of a makeshift memorial to the Coraopolis man, killed Sunday in...
Greensburg man accused of trafficking teen girl for sex
A Greensburg man is accused of trafficking a teen girl for sex, according to court papers. City police said Samuel D. Oglesby, 30, exchanged explicit photos and videos with the girl through Snapchat in the fall before they had sex in November, according to court papers filed Wednesday. Detectives said...
Wildfire smoke mostly missing Western Pennsylvania so far
Wildfire smoke has returned to Pennsylvania, but its impact on air quality so far is far less severe than what the region experienced during the summer of 2023. Chris Leonardi, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon, said as of Wednesday, Southwestern Pennsylvania is seeing some “very modest haze...
Students for Justice in Palestine fights suspension imposed by Pitt
Attorneys for Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Pittsburgh are urging a federal judge to find in their favor and lift a six-month suspension imposed on the club by Pitt officials before the start of the school year. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which represents...
Students from Shaler Area, Pine-Richland participate in Habitat for Humanity youth triathlon
After tackling the Pittsburgh Kids Marathon in May, a group of Shaler Area and Pine-Richland students steeled themselves for another challenge. More than two dozen students began preparing in June for the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh’s annual youth triathlon, which was held July 19 at North Park in...
Leechburg Area School Board makes controversial hire, members face backlash
School boards usually get applause for hiring more teachers, but Leechburg Area School District directors are getting public criticism for who they didn’t hire. During a special voting meeting July 30, the board hired Makenna Goldinger as an emotional support teacher for kindergarten through second grade students. The vote was...
Millvale considering zoning change for short-term rentals on Howard Street
Millvale residents will have a chance next week to voice their opinions on a proposed rezoning on Howard Street. Council will hold a public hearing on changing 127 Howard St. from residential to commercial when it meets at 6 p.m. Aug. 12 at the borough building, 501 Lincoln Ave. The...
Westmoreland happenings: Pollinator event, barbecue chicken lunch, reunion news, more
Fundraisers • West Newton Little House Association will sell takeout barbecue chicken lunches from 11 a.m. until sold out Aug. 9 in Vine Street Park in West Newton. Menu: half barbecued chicken, applesauce, homemade roll, chips and water, $10. Details and tickets: 724-872-7937. • Westmoreland Historical Society will host its...
Suspected cocaine found during I-70 traffic stop; 2nd arrest in as many weeks
A New Mexico man is behind bars after, state police said, about 17 pounds of suspected cocaine was found in the pickup he was driving west on Interstate 70 in Westmoreland County. Troopers said the driver of a GMC Sierra committed a traffic violation about 9 a.m. Tuesday near mile...
2 women face charges after police say 5 children left in unsanitary Vandergrift home
Two women are facing charges after Vandergrift police said five children were left alone for days without food or water in a home officers described in court papers as an “absolute disgrace.” Leslie Ann Keller, 69, of Parks Township and her daughter, Heidi Lynn Beer, 35, of Vandergrift were charged...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh police issue latest Downtown crime report; ‘Suspicious’ fire probed in McKeesport
Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Wednesday, Aug. 6: Pittsburgh police report latest Downtown crime numbers Over the past week, Police in Downtown Pittsburgh made 31 arrests and wrote 16 nontraffic tickets, according to statistics released from the agency. Five parking tickets were issued between...
Lack of fire hydrants in Harmar neighborhood concerns residents, fire chief
Residents of Harmar’s Werner Camp neighborhood, tucked along the Allegheny River, have great views of the water and little traffic. But it’s what they don’t have that should be of concern: fire hydrants. “It’s definitely not safe,” said Allegheny Valley fire Chief Jay Zangrille, following a weekend fire there. Harmar...
The Stroller, Aug. 6, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. HS marching bands plan...
Convicted Greensburg cop is still collecting a pension, raising questions
More than two months after a former Greensburg police officer was sentenced in a federal drug case, she is still collecting a pension, and city officials continue to wait on documents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Attorney Lee Demosky, solicitor for Greensburg’s police pension committee, said Tuesday he’s requested documents...
Judge Bononi honored for creation of program that helps keep families together
In her Westmoreland County courtroom Tuesday morning, Judge Michele Bononi saw firsthand a positive result from a program she started to help reunite families. A person involved in a child custody case was allowed to progress from supervised to unsupervised visits, a direct benefit from the program that makes the...
Apartment-style classroom to teach North Allegheny students how to live on their own
A new apartment at the North Allegheny Senior High School will be an important educational tool for any student wanting to increase their independent living skills. The real-life living quarters will feature all of the elements of an actual apartment within the walls of the senior high school in McCandless....
Victim identified in fatal crash on Route 51 in Brentwood
A portion of Route 51 in Brentwood has reopened following a fatal crash Tuesday night. Borough police said the multi-vehicle crash happened on Route 51 between Marylea Avenue and Towne Square Way just after 7:15 p.m. The road was closed for about five hours late Tuesday as police reconstructed the...
Tarentum police find spiked ‘caltrops’ on Brackenridge streets
Tarentum police received reports — and later discovered — small spiked “caltrops” scattered in Brackenridge on Tuesday. Police said they confirmed reports that the caltrops — multi-spiked metal objects designed to puncture vehicle tires — were found in the area of First Avenue as well as Brackenridge Avenue. Police said...
2 transported from motorcycle crash in New Stanton
One person was flown by medical helicopter and another was transported by ambulance from a motorcycle crash Tuesday evening in New Stanton, according to emergency officials. First responders were called to South Center Avenue in New Stanton around 6 p.m., according to Westmoreland County 911 officials. Mutual Aid Ambulance spokesperson...
Westmoreland will install 2nd Liberty Bell replica in Murrysville as part of semisesquicentennial
When the United States marks its 250th anniversary in 2026, replicas of the iconic Liberty Bell will be installed all across Pennsylvania, each with a different theme created by local artists. And while the goal was to place at least one in each county, Westmoreland County already has two in...
Witnesses link New Kensington man to 2020 murder of Arnold drug dealer
A New Kensington woman testified Tuesday that her former boyfriend confessed to his role in a fatal shooting of an Arnold drug dealer nearly five years ago. Shawnti Lee told a Westmoreland County jury that Letresse Williams made a frantic call to her in the late afternoon of Jan. 15,...
