Western PA Local News category, Page 2158
Westmoreland County reports 66 new covid cases, no deaths
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 66 additional cases of covid-19, below the seven-day average of 77 cases. Of the new cases, 32 are confirmed via 141 new PCR tests. The county has seen a total of 25,668 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. Of those, 18,338 were confirmed via PCR...
Seward woman charged with child endangerment
A Westmoreland County woman was charged this week in Indiana County with four counts of child endangerment after state police said she overdosed in a Brush Valley home with four young children nearby. Kayla Jo Harnett, 29, of Seward, was found unresponsive in a residence along Route 56 just before...
Fox Chapel, O’Hara police investigating recent burglaries
There have been a total of five burglaries in Fox Chapel and O’Hara over the past two weeks, according to police in the two communities. Fox Chapel police Chief David Laux said the burglaries in the borough all happened the same night, Jan. 29, along Fairview Road. Laux said his...
Pitt researchers find Black Americans nationwide must travel farther to get covid vaccine
A study from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Pharmacy shows that Black residents in many regions of the U.S. will have farther to travel to receive a covid-19 vaccine — creating a potential accessibility issue. “Pharmacies should be easy to access, but in some places there’s low...
New bronze Abe Lincoln statue coming to Wilkinsburg
President Abraham Lincoln, who was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Hodgenville, Ky., would have been 212 years old Friday. Two years ago, when he was a mere 210, the Wilkinsburg Historical Society announced plans to raise $70,000 to build a bronze, life-size statue of the 16th president of the United...
Allegheny County adds 252 new covid cases; 7-day average continues to drop
The seven-day average of covid-19 cases in Allegheny County on Friday continued to drop as 252 additional cases were reported, according to county and state health department data. The seven-day average of 270 is the lowest since early November. It peaked at more than 1,300 in December. Of the newly...
Freeport Area approves remote learning program to possibly nix snow days
Snow days may be a thing of the past for Freeport Area School District students. The district was approved by the state for the Flexible Instructional Day Program, which allows schools to engage in remote learning rather than canceling and rescheduling school days because of factors like hazardous weather, damage...
Ex-journalist from Sewickley finds purpose in retirement from California as novelist
When Reg Henry left the newspaper industry and retired in an unincorporated town in California’s Big Sur region, he couldn’t escape his craft. Instead, he reinvented it. Henry, 73, a former nationally syndicated columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, retired from the company in 2014 and quit writing the column in...
Chartiers Valley welcomes new principal to primary school
Chartiers Valley School District welcomed a brand new addition to its primary school on Feb. 1. Emily Mather, 38, of Pine Township, will serve as the school’s academic principal, a position that was recently created to help younger students transition to higher learning levels. The school district places students into...
‘Lady Gaga of Vietnam’ finds a home in PittsburghVideo
She is known as the “Lady Gaga of Vietnam.” Her name is Mai Khoi (pronounced “my coy”) and she is a successful Vietnamese pop star turned activist who was forced to leave her home country after being harassed and silenced by the Vietnamese government. The 38-year-old Khoi has found refuge...
Police say driver crashed into gas station in effort to steal ATM
A man crashed a pickup into a Hill District gas station Friday morning trying to steal an ATM machine, Pittsburgh police said. Police and medics responded to the report of a vehicle into a building in the 2300 block of Centre Avenue shortly after 7 a.m. Officers found a large...
Squirrel Hill’s Amazing Books & Records to write a new chapter with moveVideo
Eric Ackland’s love of books came from before he was born. “I feel like I’ve been reading since the womb,” said Ackland, standing in the newest location of Amazing Books & Records in Squirrel Hill on Thursday. “My mom was an English teacher. I was reading by age 3. I...
North Huntingdon woman to run for Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts
A North Huntingdon woman said her experience as a crime victim will be an asset needed to run the Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts office. Dorey Stabile McCarron, 46, a Republican, announced her candidacy this week to run the courthouse office that oversees the filing of criminal court records and...
Route 356 reopens after crash took out pole, closed road
A stretch of Route 356 between Route 56 and Freeport has reopened after a crash that brought down a pole and wires Friday morning, a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher said. The one-vehicle crash happened shortly after 5:30 a.m. when the driver of a pickup was pulling into his own driveway,...
Fish fries during Lent in the Alle-Kiski Valley
To have your non-profit organization’s Fish Fry added to this list send information to The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084 or email vndnews@triblive.com. Fish fries are scheduled Fridays during Lent throughout the Valley, including: Allegheny Township Markle and Vandergrift No. 1 volunteer fire departments, 470...
The Stroller, Feb. 12, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Grants available...
Volunteers needed for this weekend’s Great Backyard Bird Count
The 24th Great Backyard Bird Count is set for Friday through Monday. Volunteers from around the world are invited to count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. Participating counters need only internet access to enter their bird checklists at...
Unity officials eye comprehensive plan update, handicapped access for recreation
Unity officials are set to improve access to a walking trail as they look to address the need for handicap-accessible recreation as part of the township’s comprehensive plan update. Supervisors learned Thursday township engineer Dan Schmitt is preparing trail project documents for review by county officials. “We expect within the...
South Fayette officials hire Latrobe firm as township’s new engineer
South Fayette officials have tapped a Latrobe-based firm to provide engineering services. Commissioners voted 4-0 Wednesday to hire Gibson-Thomas Engineering. Commissioner Joe Horowitz was absent. Township Communications Director Andrea Iglar said they received 13 engineering proposals and five companies were interviewed for the position. Gibson-Thomas’ cost is estimated at $120...
Police: Monroeville man facing multiple sexual assault charges involving child
A Monroeville man was arrested last week on multiple sexual assault charges stemming from the early 2000s, according to Pittsburgh police. Raymond Dixon Jr., 36, was arrested Feb. 4. He faces charges of unlawful contact with a minor, two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, two counts of...
Hempfield students participate in project benefiting cancer patients
Lining the hallways of Hempfield’s Wendover Middle School, seventh-graders are getting a lesson in math while preparing packs that will benefit cancer patients. As part of the Chemo Comfort Care Totes Project, students are helping to fill totes and backpacks with supplies that will help cancer patients through chemotherapy sessions....
UniSound launches Black teaching artist-in-residence program
An initiative to support the musical and professional development of Black teaching artists in the Pittsburgh area has been launched. The Black teaching artist-in-residence (BTAR) program is supported by UniSound, which bills itself as an alliance of organizations dedicated to creating a more accessible youth music ecosystem in Greater Pittsburgh....
Zoning change clears way for housing on Unity portion of former Valley Green golf course
Unity supervisors have granted a zoning change that helps clear the way for a proposed residential development on a portion of the former Valley Green Golf & Country Club. The supervisors Thursday approved a shift from an agricultural zone to a suburban residential zone for the 116-acre section of the...
Glassport man accused of child sex assault at church, during volunteer work
A Glassport man allegedly sexually assaulted two teenage girls he met through church and volunteer work, abuse that police said took place over several years, according to the criminal complaint filed against him. Dominic Muscante, 46, is charged with indecent assault, child endangerment, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with minors...
John Fetterman: ‘Race played no role’ in shotgun-wielding chase of Black jogger he mistook for criminalVideo
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Thursday rebuffed criticism stemming from a 2013 decision to grab his 20-gauge shotgun and chase after someone he thought might be a shooter on the run but turned out to be an unarmed jogger. The incident resurfaced this week with the ambitious, progressive Democrat’s newly...
