Local category, Page 2132
Pandemic exposes weakness in Pa. counties without health departments, like Westmoreland
When Kim Ward was sworn in as a Westmoreland County commissioner in 2008, one of her first questions was: Who oversees the county’s health department? The former respiratory therapist was stunned to learn there wasn’t one. Westmoreland, like 61 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, leaves the issue of public health to...
Former Best Buy store in Frazer renovated, has 2 new tenantsVideo
Two stores have moved in and are open for business at the site of the former Best Buy at the Village At Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer. Township Zoning Officer/Building Inspector Edward Crates said the former consumer electronics store that closed in 2018 was renovated to accommodate multiple tenants, two of...
Not in my nest: Bald eagle pounces on intruder at Pittsburgh Hays aerieVideo
An immature bald eagle rooting around the Pittsburgh bald eagle’s nest was quickly shoved out by the resident male, which pounced on the intruder and chased the young bird away. A live webcam sponsored by PixCams and the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania caught all the action on Jan. 9....
Diamond Theatre of Ligonier presents its postponed play ‘The Christmas Eve Diner Dilemma’
After being postponed for about a month, Diamond Theatre of Ligonier is presenting its original play “The Christmas Eve Diner Dilemma” this weekend. The show, written and directed by Leigh Ann McCulty and her son, Lanigan, is set in the 1950s. It follows Louise, Al, and their two young daughters...
Forbes Road residents shocked gobbler ‘Butterball’ shot by game wardenVideo
Forbes Road residents remained stunned this weekend after a state game warden gunned down Butterball, a free-roaming, friendly turkey that some had come to consider the unofficial mascot of this Salem Township village. “People are in shock. It was a pet,” Josh Nuttall, 35, said Saturday of the dark-feathered turkey...
Jamison Farm to close, ending 35-year run of supplying lamb to top restaurantsVideo
John and Sukey Jamison are bidding farewell to the business they’ve enjoyed for 35 years at their farm in Unity. The couple is phasing out their highly regarded Jamison Farm line of grass-fed lamb products, a decision prompted in part by the covid-19 pandemic. “We had been thinking about retirement...
Snow band moves through Pittsburgh area; mid-30 degrees expected Sunday
While a snow band racked up an inch or two in the Pittsburgh area by early afternoon and up to four inches on the ridges, the region is forecast to be done with any substantial snowfall this weekend. Expect the same old winter gray days for Saturday afternoon into Sunday...
Westmoreland County posts 173 covid-19 cases, 3 new deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 173 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, as hospitalizations and case counts decline in the area. The county’s total cases are at 23,039, which is an increase of more than 1,400 cases from last week’s 21,622. The week before had...
1 man dead, 1 in critical condition in 2 Pittsburgh shootings; victim identified
A 22-year-old Pittsburgh man was fatally shot late Friday night in the Crafton Heights section of Pittsburgh, police said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Martell Good of Crafton Heights. Medics transported him to a local hospital, where he died. Police said they received a report...
Allegheny County reports 526 coronavirus cases; 38 new deaths
Allegheny County on Saturday recorded 526 new coronavirus cases, as recent numbers continue to drop below the 1,000 case mark. Reports haven’t reached 700 cases in more than a week. The county has reported nine days of at least 1,000 new cases, but hasn’t posted one in the last two...
Man killed in Homewood shooting
A man was killed in a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood early Saturday morning, Pittsburgh police said. The victim, who was not identified, was found at about 2:55 a.m. with multiple gunshots in his torso and legs in the 6600 block of Frankstown Avenue, police said. Medics transported him in...
Historic National Opera House in Homewood wants to be heard
Jonnet Solomon wants to hear voices bellow from the stage again. “I want to give people access to music once again,” said Solomon, of Mt. Washington, referring to the National Opera House, formerly known as the National Negro Opera House, in Homewood. The iconic building sits empty at 7101 Apple...
Social ‘climate,’ lagging pay could be fueling decline in municipal police applicants
Some local police chiefs are having a tough time finding officers to join their forces. Jeannette recently advertised seeking candidates to take a civil service test. It received three applications. Irwin had five applicants for its test — all of whom were already part-time officers in the borough. After receiving...
New play equipment coming for New Kensington’s Summit Street Park
A New Kensington neighborhood park that was cleared out recently won’t remain empty for long. New play equipment is coming to Summit Street Park, city Councilman Dante Cicconi said. The park in the city’s Mount Vernon neighborhood is one of the city’s five neighborhood parks. One of the others, JFK...
Riverview High School teacher pens 5th book with help from educators around the globe
When Riverview High School teacher Rachelle Poth needed artwork for her books a few years ago, she got help from one of her young learners. Freshman Hann Morrissey worked on the covers of “In Other Words” and “Unconventional: Ways to Thrive in EDU.” So when it came to art for...
Despite pandemic, region sets record for organ, tissue transplants in 2020
Correction: Susan Stuart is CEO of the Center for Organ Recovery and Education. Her name was incorrect in original version of this story. Despite the covid-19 pandemic and all of the hospital restrictions that came along with it, the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) experienced a second record-breaking...
Sharpsburg taxes hold steady; officials eager for Main Street improvement project
Sharpsburg residents will pay the same real estate taxes to the borough in 2021, despite the lingering pandemic and its economic impacts. Council approved the borough’s $2. 5 million budget, holding the property tax rate steady at 7.5 mills. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000 will again pay...
The Stroller, Jan. 16, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s meetings, fundraisers and community events in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Christopher’s Light seeking volunteers Children’s charity Christopher’s Light is seeking casual volunteers to help with the organization’s daily activities. Volunteers must commit to...
2 Leechburg Area students test positive for covid
Two students in grades 6-12 at Leechburg Area High School have tested positive for covid-19. Students and staff returned to face-to-face instruction Monday, Jan. 11. In an email to district families Friday, Superintendent Tiffany Nix outlined the latest covid-19 updates for all students in grades K-12. Nix said because the...
Man police say is connected to child sex case arrested in Bellevue
A man who police say is connected to a child sex case was arrested Friday. Joshua A. Pollard, 29, was arrested at a house in the 100 block of Lincoln Avenue in Bellevue around 8:30 pm. by members of the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, fugitive squad and the Bellevue Police...
Police: 2 people struck by vehicle in Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood
Two people were hospitalized in stable condition after being struck by a vehicle in Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood Friday evening. Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri said the pedestrians were walking along the 700 block of Brookline Boulevard around 5:45 p.m. when they were hit. They told medics the crash gave them...
Hempfield elementary school closed Tuesday due to covid-19
An elementary school in the Hempfield Area School District will be temporarily closed early next week after covid-19 cases were reported in the building. Fort Allen Elementary School will close Tuesday, Jan. 19, after three active cases were reported in the building, according to a letter from Superintendent Tammy Wolicki....
Holocaust survivor Sam Weinreb dies at 94
Sam Weinreb, a Holocaust survivor who raised his family in McKeesport, passed away peacefully Friday at Hebrew Senior Life Rehabilitation Center in Roslindale, Mass. He was 94. While he was only in his mid-teens, Weinreb somehow managed to live through some of the worst mental and physical abuse the Nazis...
Dispatch: 2 people taken to hospital following I-70 crash
Two people were taken to the hospital following a crash on Interstate 70 in New Stanton Friday evening, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Crews responded to the two-vehicle crash, which closed the eastbound lanes of the highway at the on-ramp to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, around 6:30 p.m. The scene...
$2.2 billion to be allocated to school districts, charter schools across Pennsylvania
Additional federal money is being allocated to school districts across the state to help with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday said he is dedicating $2.2 billion in federal stimulus funds to K-12 school districts and charter schools. The money can be used to support...
