Local category, Page 2119
All Allegheny County air quality monitors meet federal standards, a first in 2 decades
For the first time since air-quality standards were set more than 20 years ago, Allegheny County’s eight monitors have met federal air quality standards, the county said Tuesday. The accomplishment means that the region is now within the desired benchmarks for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone and particulate matter (PM2.5,...
Netflix founder gives $3 million to Robert Morris University for minority scholarships
Netflix founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings is donating $3 million to underwrite 20 full scholarships at Robert Morris University, adding the Allegheny County school to a growing list of colleges and universities profiting from philanthropy aimed at boosting the future of minorities. The four-year scholarships —including money for room, board...
Saint Vincent College staff get covid-19 vaccine as spring semester nearsVideo
Many faculty and staff at Saint Vincent College received initial doses of the covid-19 vaccine about a week before students are set to return to campus for the spring semester. The college partnered with Mainline Pharmacy Group’s Blairsville Pharmacy on Tuesday to provide the Moderna vaccine to registered members of...
Shaler Area agrees to sale of former elementary school to real estate company; township believed it was buyer
Shaler commissioners were blindsided this week by the announcement that Shaler Area School District reached an agreement to sell the former Jeffery Primary building. The township believed it had a verbal agreement for the acquisition, Manager Tim Rogers said. “The district never advised us that they had retracted the offer...
Youngwood man charged with possession of ‘large amount’ of methamphetamine
A 29-year-old Youngwood man accused of selling “large quantities of methamphetamine” out of his mobile home was hiding under a bed as state troopers raided his residence last week, according to court documents. Kyle A. Bumbalough was arraigned Saturday on charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession and delivery...
Jeannette woman’s appeal of murder conviction rejected
A three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court rejected the appeal of a Jeannette woman sentenced last year to serve up to 30 years in prison for the third-degree murder of her 19-year-old boyfriend. Crystal Belle, 41, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury for the June 2016 beating death...
Vaccine doses coming to Pa. hospitals ‘don’t match up’ to increased demand, health leaders say
Vaccine allocations to Western Pennsylvania hospitals aren’t enough to inoculate all who are eligible, health care leaders said Tuesday. State officials last week expanded phase 1A of the distribution plan beyond health care workers and long-term care residents – to include people older than 65 and people with various health...
Troopers accuse Mt. Pleasant man of stealing car, resisting arrest
State police accused a Mt. Pleasant man of fighting with troopers and resisting arrest as he was being taken into custody on car theft charges over the weekend, according to court documents. An area man drove to the Sherwin-Williams paint store in the Countryside Plaza in East Huntingdon around 10...
Penn-Trafford, Jeannette region sees 44 new covid cases
The Penn-Trafford-Jeannette area had 44 confirmed new covid cases in the last week, continuing a downward trend after the holiday surge, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Since the pandemic began in March, the six ZIP codes covering most of the three communities have seen a total of 1,593...
State money to support Fayette ATV trail network, outdoor projects in other counties
Volunteers will have an easier time maintaining and expanding a network of ATV trails in Fayette County thanks to a $54,900 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Indian Creek Valley ATV Club will use the money to buy a Bobcat Toolcat, a utility work machine,...
State Rep. George Dunbar elected caucus chair
A fellow Westmoreland County lawmaker has been elected to fill the Republican caucus leadership post left vancant by the death of state Rep. Mike Reese. Rep. George Dunbar, R-Penn Township, will serve as majority caucus chair for the 2021-22 legislative session, a caucus spokesman said Tuesday. Reese, 42, of Mt....
North Huntingdon police say traffic stop yielded same drug linked to overdoses
North Huntingdon police report that during a traffic stop this week they discovered stamp bags of drugs that have been linked to numerous overdoses and deaths in the area. Police arrested Moziah Sharron Harris, 29, of Jeannette after discovering 246 stamp bags — 11 of which had the specific “Chucky”...
Westmoreland County sees lowest number of new reported covid cases since October
There were 52 new covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County on Tuesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That number represents the lowest amount of new reported cases this month and the least since Oct. 11, when 52 cases were also reported. Tuesday’s figures bring the seven-day covid case...
Pandemic unemployment program reboot creates confusion in Pennsylvania
When the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry announced state residents were eligible to file for an additional 11 weeks of Unemployment Compensation, thousands flocked to the online portal. But they didn’t have much luck there. With a new federal CARES Act extension in place, payments for the Pandemic Emergency...
Bridgeville man arrested, charged in riot on U.S. Capitol
A Bridgeville man who livestreamed himself in the Crypt underneath the U.S. Capitol rotunda during the Jan. 6 attack there was arrested Tuesday morning. Kenneth Grayson, 51, is charged with five federal counts, including knowingly entering a restricted building; disorderly conduct that impedes government business; disruptive conduct in the Capitol...
Volunteers needed to help showcase ‘Best of Blawnox’
From shoveling walkways to picking up trash and litter, a new volunteer group in Blawnox is pledging to showcase the borough through good deeds. Best of Blawnox was launched in January “to recognize the greatness in our community and that through working together we can bring programs to the residents,”...
Feds seek to boost pandemic student nutrition card benefits by 15%
The federal government plans to issue Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to eligible schools and students beginning in early spring, following President Joe Biden’s executive order last week boosting those benefits by 15%. Through P-EBT, eligible students receive temporary emergency nutrition benefits loaded on EBT cards used to purchase food....
New Allegheny County covid case averages compare to November numbers
Allegheny County on Tuesday reported 282 new covid-19 cases and one new death, according to the county Health Department. These new reported figures bring the seven-day case average (371) and seven-day case count (2,597) to the lowest the statistics have been since mid-November. Patients hospitalized for covid-19 in Allegheny County...
Jeannette man posts bond after drug arrest
A man who police accuse of dealing crack and cocaine out of a Jeannette home posted $50,000 bond Monday, according to online court records. Michael Larrell Jackson, 29, of Jeannette, was arrested Friday on drug and related charges after, police say, they made an undercover drug purchase at a North...
Man stabbed, another injured at East Liberty Sunoco station
One man was stabbed and a clerk was injured in an altercation Tuesday morning at an East Liberty gas station, according to Pittsburgh police. The incident happened around 8 a.m. at a Sunoco station on North Highland Avenue, Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said. The station is across the street...
Pittsburgh officials condemn Jan. 6 Capitol attack
Pittsburgh officials were united Tuesday in formally condemning the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and affirmed there is no place in Pittsburgh for the views that led up to the Washington insurrection. Council members Erika Strassburger and Corey O’Connor sponsored the will of council that condemns what happened...
Bell woman charged with endangering children
A Bell woman was jailed Monday after state police said they found two children outside her home this month in cold weather. Police said Melissa Ann Chaya, 41, reportedly ingested prescription medication and yelled at the children, who fled outside to hide. She is charged with two felony counts of...
New videos explain recycling at Westmoreland Cleanways center in Unity
If you’re not sure what electronics you can recycle at Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling, the Unity-based nonprofit has a video for you. As Westmoreland Cleanways Executive Director Ellen Keefe notes in one of four new informational videos posted on the organization’s website, among the most frequent calls received at its...
Latrobe officials debate fee for garbage bag stickers; quarterly collection rate set to rise
Latrobe Council is considering a 2% increase in residential rates for household trash collection, but city officials are divided on whether to also raise the cost of stickers required for garbage bags. Council is expected on Feb. 8 to vote on a revised schedule of various city fees, including the...
Hempfield leaders table rezoning vote on former Valley Green propertyVideo
Hempfield supervisors tabled a vote Monday night to rezone the former Valley Green Golf & Country Club. The rezoning from agricultural to suburban residential would pave the way for a new housing development at the site, of which 144 acres is located along Valley Green and Albrights Lake roads in...
