Aquinas Academy teams win 1st place in diocesan LitFest competition
Middle school students at Aquinas Academy shared first place and a love of reading at LitFest. LitFest encourages students in grades four through eight to engage with literature in a way that goes beyond typical classroom reading. Coordinated by the Diocese of Pittsburgh, it was held May 1 at Ave...
Full steam ahead: Whiskey Throttle Fair on tap for Westmoreland Fairgrounds this weekend
Westmoreland County natives Mike Morelli and Justin Lilienthal are throwing the biggest party of their lives this weekend. They are planners of the first-ever Whiskey Throttle Fair — featuring bands, car and bike shows, tattoo artists and food vendors — at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in Mt. Pleasant Township this Friday...
Pine-Richland approves purchase of new computers, auditorium updates
Some Pine-Richland School District students and teachers will have new computers when they return to classes in the fall. The school board at its June 23 meeting approved spending about $561,200 to buy Chromebooks for students, laptops for teachers and classroom computers from Bluum and MacBooks from Apple. Money for...
Ross police issue warning over ‘check washing’ tied to McKnight Road post office
Police in Ross are warning people against leaving checks in the mail boxes outside the McKnight Road post office. In a social media post Wednesday, Ross police said they have taken several reports from residents who had personal checks they had written to various debtors cashed by other parties for...
Housing for foreign high school students could be coming to Oakmont
The former site of the Oakmont Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation could become a student housing center for private school students from Europe and Asia. A petition to obtain a special exemption to use the property as dormitory-style housing for high school students was passed in a 2-0 vote by...
Pittsburgh Zoo receives $10 million donation
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium received a $10 million donation Wednesday that will pay for new zoo facilities and programs. The donors have decided to remain anonymous, according to a statement from the zoo. “This tremendous gift really serves as a catalyst for other gifts and growth at the Zoo,”...
Man dies after falling down open stairwell in Downtown Pittsburgh apartment building
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the man who died Wednesday after police say he apparently fell multiple stories in an open stairwell of a Downtown apartment building. The victim was Michael Mongelluzzo, 52, of Pittsburgh, according to the medical examiner’s office. Pittsburgh police responded around noon to...
Riverview School District introduces robotics initiative for 2025-26
Cathy Favo wants her students to be equipped to explore any job they might want to pursue when they get older. In her sixth grade STEAM classes at Riverview School District, Favo teaches her students about topics such as coding, engineering and design. “(The class) is meant to give the...
‘Your choice destroyed this family’: Man gets life for killing ex-girlfriend
The defendant spent 13 minutes telling the court how much he loved the victim, how much he loved her family, how grateful he was to have been a part of it. And how he never intended to kill her. But that statement, read from handwritten notes that went on for...
Freeport sports card shop headed to Buffalo Township
After three years in Freeport, G&T Sports Cards Plus will soon have a new home a few miles north. Specializing in sports trading cards and collectibles, the shop is set to relocate to 309 South Pike Road (Route 356) in Buffalo Township, according to owner Tyler Huth. The reason for...
Giant Eagle buys prescription files from another 15 Rite Aid stores, completing buying spree
Giant Eagle has purchased prescription files from another 15 Rite Aid stores as part of a fourth and final wave of transfers from the bankrupt pharmacy chain to the Cranberry-based grocer. Altogether, Giant Eagle has bought files from 83 Rite Aid stores across Pennsylvania and Ohio since late May. The...
Pittsburgh Diocese to welcome 2 new priests
Deacons Alec Scheuer and Daniel Roberts didn’t imagine they’d end up dedicating their lives to the Catholic church. Though he was raised Catholic, Roberts, a 1997 graduate of North Hills Senior High School, said he started out as a “freelance actor” in Los Angeles and thought his path would lead...
Buffalo Supervisors mull limits to public comment at meetings
At an early morning special meeting on Wednesday, Buffalo Township Supervisors tabled a resolution that would place limits on public comment at meetings amid recent community objections to proposed solar farms. A public hearing for the farms earlier this month took several hours as around 35 residents voiced opposition to...
Westmoreland happenings: History program about electricity, flea market, more
Fundraisers • The used bookstore at the YWCA of Westmoreland County, 424 N. Main St., Greensburg, has added evening hours on Mondays. Hours are 4 to 7 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and the first Saturday of each month. Proceeds benefit YWCA programs. •...
O’Hara book-lover turns the page on a new job post-retirement
Karen Fornari grew up walking herself to the public library in her hometown of Indiana, Pa. “From childhood, I was a reader. Nancy Drew was my favorite,” Fornari said. “I always looked for the brand new books and it was exciting.” Her love of books continues post-retirement with a part-time...
1.7 million window AC units recalled nationwide
With extreme heat plaguing Western Pennsylvania, window air conditioners are working overtime across the region. But residents should double check their model. Midea recently recalled about 1.7 million U and U+ window air conditioners nationwide for risk of mold exposure, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Included in...
Computer/video game museum relocates from Baltimore to former Penn Hills municipal building
Brendan “The Everything Guy” Becker lost four board members when he chose to relocate the Bloop Museum from outside Baltimore to Pittsburgh. And he doesn’t regret it. The Pittsburgh address is 12245 Frankstown Road — the old Penn Hills Municipal Building. Becker, 45, said he couldn’t pass up a space...
Seneca Hills Village Singers present Memorial Day concert to honor veterans
The Seneca Hills Village Singers gathered for a special Memorial Day concert May 26 to celebrate veterans and honor the men and women who lost their lives while serving our country. The chorus staged a 45-minute concert for residents and visitors of Seneca Senior Living along Saltsburg Road in Penn...
New Castle voice coach accused of sexual communication with teen
A New Castle voice coach has been accused of making online sexual advances and requesting nude photos from a 15-year-old student, according to Pennsylvania State Police. According to a criminal complaint, the student began taking voice lessons from Justin Bryan’s New Castle home in 2019. During the covid-19 pandemic, Bryan...
Man killed in White Oak dirt bike crash
A man was killed early Wednesday after crashing a dirt bike into a guard rail in White Oak, according to Allegheny County police. At 1:18 a.m., police were called to the 1200 block of Long Run Road, where officers found a man lying in the road, according to police. The...
The Stroller, June 25, 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. Monthly Fridays on Fifth...
Pickleball popularity presents sustainability problems with plastic balls
When pickleball exploded in recent years as America’s favorite sport, the pastime came with collateral damage — plastic neon-colored balls piling up in landfills. More than 500 million pickleballs are manufactured each year, seemingly with nowhere to go, said Jeff Pepper, an avid player from Verona. “The number is huge,”...
Carnegie’s Civil War symposium grows as plans take shape for 2026
In April, more than 200 Civil War and history enthusiasts from across the United States and Canada converged on the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie for our annual Civil War symposium. With an all-star lineup of historians speaking on the Maryland Campaign and the Battle of...
Hear ye, hear ye: Hanna’s Town seeks reduced speed
Motorized vehicles and paved roads didn’t exist when Historic Hanna’s Town was settled in 1773. Fast forward 252 years and the modern transportation environment is juxtaposed against the centuries-old historic site that was Westmoreland County’s first
government seat. The contrast is causing problems for thousands of visitors who must cross...
Westmoreland County launches grant program to increase access to online services
The Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to launch a grant program this week to provide funding to help low-income residents access the internet. Commissioners are slated to vote Thursday on the proposal to establish a digital technology grant program. They also are expected to award three $15,000 grants to local...
