Western PA Local News category, Page 2152
Burgatory gets national nod among restaurants ‘primed for success’
Burgatory was named to QSR’s annual list of America’s Hottest Startup Fast Casuals, one of 40 restaurants in the nation to be recognized. QSR, a magazine that caters to the restaurant industry, launched the list in 2017. “Everyone wants to find the next big thing in restaurants,” Sam Oches wrote...
Penn man accused of assaulting woman during fight about bathroom use
State police say a Penn Borough man assaulted two people during a fight about who was going to use the bathroom at an apartment Monday, according to court documents. Dakota Scheetz, 24, was arraigned Tuesday on two counts each of harassment and simple assault filed by troopers after the 5...
Westmoreland DA says accused Ruffs Dale shooter has violent history with boyfriends
Just hours before Andrew Pristas was gunned down, the woman charged with shooting him — his former girlfriend — had a similar violent confrontation with her current boyfriend, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said on Tuesday. Meghan West, 30, of Ruffs Dale, is accused of killing Pristas but contends there is...
Hampton road crews prep for icy conditions as temperatures likely to dip
While the region received less snow this week than was predicted, steady downpours on Monday followed by temperatures that were expected to dip into the teens overnight was a cause for concern. Throughout the day on Tuesday, a stream of trucks from the municipality and the school district were loading...
Pittsburgh mayoral endorsements start to roll in as candidates begin drive for signatures
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has the support of four City Council members and several labor unions in his bid for a third term. But Peduto, 56, will not be seeking the endorsement of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee. Two of the candidates challenging Peduto will seek the party’s endorsement, state...
Smithton man charged by troopers with assault, cruelty to animals
State police say a Smithton man assaulted his girlfriend and abused her dog during an argument at the woman’s East Huntingdon apartment. Matthew W. Cathers, 47, is charged with cruelty to animals, harassment, terroristic threats and simple assault by state police after the 7:30 p.m. incident Sunday at Huntingdon Village....
Permanent glass recycling station now in Hampton
Hampton residents who shudder at the thought of their glass jars, jugs and bottles being buried in a landfill now have their own place to make sure it gets recycled. With the help of the Pennsylvania Resource Council, the township has set up a permanent glass recycling station near the...
4th gun in 12 days caught at Pittsburgh airport
Security agents at Pittsburgh International Airport on Tuesday caught the fourth traveler in 12 days trying to bring a firearm through the security checkpoint, officials said. It’s the fifth gun caught at the security checkpoint so far this year, according to Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. A Wexford man...
Driver charged in Parkway West crash that killed South Park woman
A man already in jail for his third DUI conviction was charged Friday in connection with a 2019 crash that killed a South Park woman. Aaron Hutchison, 20, of Carnegie, was under the influence of marijuana and morphine at the time, state police wrote in his criminal complaint. He is...
Highlands considers allowing students up to 4 days of in-person instruction
Highlands School District is considering allowing students to return to school four days a week, with reduced social distancing. The district is now using a hybrid schedule that has students separated into two groups, each of which learns in school two days a week and remotely three days a week....
Aspinwall’s Christ the Divine school holding take-out only fish fries
Spring fish fry fundraisers at Aspinwall’s Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy won’t resemble years past, but organizers said the Lenten events will forge on. The school along Brilliant Avenue will host two takeouts, Feb. 26 and March 26. Hungry diners can pick up meals from 11 a.m. to 1...
Covid deaths reported in Westmoreland County rival October numbers
Westmoreland County on Tuesday reported no additional covid-related deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. With no new deaths reported, the seven-day death total in the county is six, which is the lowest it has been since October. In the last seven days, there have been no deaths reported...
For those facing eviction in Pittsburgh, hope might be on the way
Pittsburgh leaders on Tuesday said they want to help residents who are facing eviction because they can’t pay their rent during the pandemic. But they don’t want to give “false hope” by enacting something that won’t withstand legal challenges, city council President Theresa Kail-Smith said. “We all want to help...
5 Republicans seek party nod for special election in 59th state House district
Five Republicans — four from Westmoreland County and one from Somerset County — are seeking the party’s nod to run in the May 18 special election to fill the vacancy in the 59th District State House seat created by the death of Mike Reese. The 42-year-old Republican from Mt. Pleasant...
New Baldwin High School musical director preps ‘Once Upon a Mattress’
Baldwin High School musical director and choreographer Joe Joyce understands the impact a show can have on a young person. The Seton LaSalle grad was a freshman in the 1970s when his drama teacher, Ted White, changed his life forever by casting him in “Hello, Dolly!” Seton LaSalle partnered with...
Jeannette hires code enforcement officer, hopes to tackle blight
Code violators in Jeannette beware. A full-time code enforcement officer is coming onboard, and city officials hope the move will bring in more revenue and reduce dilapidated properties. “This is a good next step for the city,” City Clerk Nathan Bish said. “It’s a good way for us to combat...
Pittsburgh’s Miss Freddye nominated for several music awards
A song published 120 years ago, “Wade in the Water,” is making waves for a local singer today. Freddye Stover, known in the regional music scene as Miss Freddye, debuted her version of “Wade in the Water” as her latest single. ‘I grew up in church listening to ‘Wade in...
Suspected Bethel Park shoplifters caught after dozing in car full of stolen goods
Two suspected serial shoplifters in Bethel Park were caught after one of them fell asleep in the car alongside $1,300 in stolen merchandise, authorities said. Police responded Feb. 9 to the parking lot of the Bethel Park Home Depot for a report of a woman passed out in a car,...
Allegheny County reports 1 new covid death; trend continues of low deaths reported
Allegheny County reported one additional covid-related death Tuesday, according to the county Health Department. The individual was in their 80s and died Sunday. That continues a trend in recent days where no or few covid-19 deaths have been reported. In the past four days, four deaths have been reported, with...
Lawsuit: Man says Raccoon Township cop terrorized him with gun during false arrestVideo
A Beaver County man claims in a federal lawsuit that a Raccoon Township officer pulled a gun on him, punched him repeatedly, used racial epithets and then discharged his gun inches from the man’s body. The lawsuit contends that the state police then helped to try to cover it up....
Derry Township man jailed on charges of child assault
A Derry Township man is accused by state police of giving a child a bloody nose and bruises in a beating before school last week, according to court papers. Christopher Dominic Hilty Sr., 33, is being held without bond at the Westmoreland County Prison. He is charged with strangulation, harassment,...
Fox Chapel Area teen earns honors for mental health advocacy
Fox Chapel Area senior Abby Rickin-Marks has emerged as a change-maker in teen mental health advocacy, winning the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Keystone Pennsylvania Youth Award. Given to youth leaders who shift perceptions and spearhead change in mental health education, the NAMI honor comes with a $500 scholarship....
Stormwater project closes Kittanning Street through early March
A stormwater project along Kittanning Street in Etna finally is underway after multiple hiccups delayed the work. The PennDOT project includes gas line relocation and drainage upgrades between Snyder and Greismere streets, and requires a portion of Kittanning Street to be closed around-the-clock to through traffic. Construction is expected to...
Highlands community rallies to help 2 Tarentum families burned out of homesVideo
The Highlands community is rallying to support two Tarentum families whose homes were destroyed by fire on Monday. A GoFundMe campaign to help the Lott family had exceeded its $10,000 goal by Tuesday afternoon. The fire is believed to have started in the Lott family’s home in the 200 block...
District Court, Feb. 16, 2021: Assault, firearms among charges handled by Monroeville Judge Jeffrey Herbst
Monroeville District Court Judge Jeffrey Herbst handled these cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Charges were filed by Monroeville police. Held for court • Keira Linsenbigler, 29, of Pittsburgh on charges of carrying a firearm without a license, recklessly endangering...
