Local category, Page 2115
Allegheny County inks 35-year deal to use hydropower generated in Emsworth for government buildings
The power used by the Allegheny County Courthouse, jail and other government buildings will be generated by hydroelectric energy harnessed from the Emsworth Lock and Dam, county Executive Rich Fitzgerald said Thursday. Fitzgerald was joined by Paul Jacob, CEO of Boston-based Rye Development, which has an office in Downtown Pittsburgh,...
Pitt sues former wrestling coach, claims he manufactured discrimination lawsuit
A former University of Pittsburgh wrestling coach who lost his racial discrimination lawsuit against the school is now being sued by the university, which is seeking to recoup attorneys’ fees and other damages allegedly caused by the “frivolous” claims. Jason Peters served as the university’s head wrestling coach from 2013-17....
Westmoreland Sheriff’s Office, Park Police receive covid vaccines at courthouse clinic
About 40 members of the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office and a dozen Park Police officers received their first covid-19 vaccine doses Thursday at the courthouse. “We looked and looked and looked for doses, and finally we heard about this pharmacy in Washington County that had some,” Sheriff James Albert said....
Pittsburgh leaders encouraged by Biden memo to correct Black housing inequities
When Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District was redeveloped to make way for the Civic Arena more than 60 years ago, thousands of people and hundreds of businesses were displaced. More recently, people have been displaced by upscale development in the city’s East Liberty and Lawrenceville neighborhoods, partially spurred by demand from...
Allegheny Conference charts recovery after pandemic year, announces first female chair
Despite challenges that included a 17% unemployment rate and loss of more than 200,000 jobs at the height of the coronavirus pandemic last year, the leaders of the Pittsburgh region’s primary development agency are optimistic for a rebound and excited for the future. “This has been a deep human tragedy,”...
Murrysville-area criminal charges filed, Jan. 28, 2021
The following charges are filed with Export District Judge Charles Conway. All persons charged have the right to a preliminary hearing and are innocent until proven guilty or pleading guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • Jessica L. Cochran, 45, of Jeannette with possession...
New Kensington faces deadline on grant funding for demolitions
New Kensington has a May deadline to get half of the 10 houses on its current demolition list torn down, according to city Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti. New Kensington’s redevelopment authority is now seeking bids for the demolition of 10 dilapidated residential properties across the city. The city is using federal...
Pennsylvania proposes more species for Sunday hunting in November
The Pennsylvania Game Commission proposed three Sundays in November when licensed hunters will be able to harvest permitted game, repeating the Sunday hunting schedule introduced last fall. New this year, the commission plans to expand the species that hunters can target on two of those dates. During its January meeting,...
Penn-Trafford-area criminal charges filed, Jan. 28, 2021
The following charges are filed with Penn Township District Judge Helen Kistler. All persons charged have the right to a preliminary hearing and are innocent until proven guilty or pleading guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • James S. Kaylor Jr., 28, of McKeesport,...
Feds: Bridgeville man accused in Capitol riot said he would do it again
A Bridgeville man who is charged with participating in the U.S. Capitol riot said in messages recovered on his cell phone that he felt the need to kill people, including President Joe Biden, an FBI agent said Thursday. FBI Special Agent Mark Brundage also testified during a detention hearing that...
Covid cases in Westmoreland County continue to decline
Westmoreland County on Thursday added 88 additional covid cases and 7 deaths, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The newly-reported deaths now bring the county’s death toll to 586. Of the 88 new cases reported, 58 are confirmed and 30 are probable. The total number of cases in Westmoreland County...
Pitt, Carnegie Mellon join global network to expedite research
Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh are joining 19 other leading research institutions around the world in an effort to accelerate research in the next five to 10 years on global health issues such as cancer and infectious disease. Spokesmen for Wellcome Leap, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization armed with...
2019 Monroeville Mall shooter apologizes, sentenced to up to 5 years
A man who pleaded guilty last year to firing more than a dozen shots into a Monroeville Mall entrance during a fight told an Allegheny County judge on Thursday he regretted his actions and he would do whatever he could to turn his life around. Brandon Noel, now 23, was...
Allegheny County reports 135 new covid deaths, points to state backlog for large increase
Allegheny County on Thursday reported 135 new coronavirus deaths, the highest number of deaths reported on a single day since the pandemic began last spring. The previous highest number was 74 deaths reported on Jan. 13. The county said in a release that a backlog at the state resulted in...
Monroeville Council appointments: Conflict of interest or symptom of widespread lack of civic duty?
Three Monroeville Council members now have spouses serving in paid and unpaid positions on boards, and though it might appear as a potential conflict, many say it simply isn’t and instead point to a larger issue of a waning sense of civic duty. Michael Gaydos – councilwoman Linda Gaydos’ husband...
Stamp honoring August Wilson will be dedicated through virtual ceremony
A Forever stamp honoring award-winning playwright August Wilson will be dedicated today by the U.S. Postal Service. The virtual ceremony can be viewed starting at 11:30 a.m. on the postal service’s Facebook and Twitter pages. “August Wilson was an American trailblazer and literary genius who richly deserves this recognition as...
Penn Hills Library eyeing switch to nonprofit status
The Penn Hills Library might become its own organization, the municipality announced Jan. 25. The library, currently a municipal department, has worked with the Allegheny County Library Association since March to explore the option of becoming a nonprofit. The move, said Kim Dawson, the Library Advisory Board’s president, could mean...
Next round of bids eyed for Keystone State Park sewer line, trail project
The Derry Township Municipal Authority has inked easement and lease agreements and is seeking a second round of bids for a project to update sewage facilities serving Keystone State Park and install a recreational trail. The trail would follow the path of a sewer line connecting the park to the...
New portal sign welcomes visitors to Blawnox
A new portal sign erected in Blawnox will greet visitors and help boost curb appeal. Visitors entering the borough along Freeport Road from Harmar or Oakmont might notice the blue and gold greeting at the end of town just beyond the Sunoco station. “It’s a way to welcome people,” Manager...
Unity to update comprehensive plan, considers easing billboard restriction
It’s time for Unity officials to update the township’s comprehensive plan and supervisors say they want to look at ways to support business development and encourage modern signage along Route 30 while improving infrastructure and access to recreational facilities. This will be the third review of the plan, which assesses...
Police deploy gas to get man barricaded inside East Liberty apartment building to surrender
Pittsburgh Police were able to safely evacuate residents from an East Liberty apartment building when an armed man threatened responding officers before barricading himself inside. Officers from the city’s Zone 5 station were dispatched to the 600 block of Collins Street shortly after 10 p.m. on Wednesday after receiving a...
Dollar Energy Fund takes its Cool Down for Warmth fundraiser online
Downtown visitors won’t spot the traditional ice house in Pittsburgh’s Market Square today, as they have for the past six years in January. The annual Dollar Energy Fund’s Cool Down for Warmth will still host its 7th annual event — only virtually this year — because of the pandemic. The...
19-year-old woman fatally shot in Hazelwood, man wounded
Pittsburgh police responding to a Shotspotter alert in the 300 block of Flowers Avenue in Hazelwood on Wednesday night were stopped on the way by a vehicle carrying two people suffering from gunshot wounds, according to authorities. Officers from the city’s Zone 4 station were alerted to the gunfire shortly...
Pittsburgh to honor local jazz musicians virtually for Black History Month
Pittsburgh jazz legend Roger Humphries marches to his own beat. The musician from Pittsburgh’s North Side began playing the drums at the age of 3. He wanted to be like his older brothers. “Music is in my blood,” said Humphries, who turns 77 on Saturday. “I recall lying on the...
Excela Health sees drop in covid hospitalization, keeps eye on new variants
Hospitalizations of covid patients at Excela Health facilities are decreasing and Westmoreland County appears to have missed any potential surge in coronavirus cases from the holiday season. But now the system’s chief medical officer has something else to worry about — more infectious variants of the virus that are making...
