Western PA Local News category, Page 2175
Month in review: A look at the top stories from the Verona area in JanuaryVideo
Here is a look at what happened in Verona this past month. • Trish Hredzak-Showalter was unanimously appointed to fill the vacant seat of former council president Pat McCarthy, who resigned due to health reasons a few weeks ago. Hredzak-Showalter is the chairwoman of the parks and recreation board and...
Ex-Plum star, NFL punter Pat McAfee gives Nesbit’s Lanes fundraiser big boost
A GoFundMe effort to help Nesbit’s Lanes in Plum exceeded its $100,000 goal with the help of an athletic alumnus. The page was created Jan. 29 by Verona bowler David Poremba, who heard about how the covid pandemic had caused league games to be canceled and hundreds of players to...
2nd Allegheny County vaccination clinic could open in Ross Township by March 1
A second covid-19 vaccination clinic could be up and running at the Ross Community Center by March 1 if Allegheny County and township officials can hammer out an agreement. Brian Dunbar, a deputy county solicitor for the county, attended the board’s online meeting on Feb. 1 to outline the proposal...
Streets for this year’s Plum paving project announced, contract to be awarded Feb. 8
Plum officials plan to repair more than 20 streets and alleys as part of this year’s paving program. Bids are expected to be opened Thursday and a contract awarded at Monday night’s council meeting. The borough budgeted about $900,000 for paving. Assistant borough manager Dave Soboslay said they were hoping...
Franklin Regional wants to improve high schoolers’ experience during 2nd semester
Ron Suvak, principal at Franklin Regional Senior High School, said his goal for 2021 was simple: To ensure students’ second semester experience is better than the first, educationally, socially and emotionally. Suvak presented school board members with the results from a recent survey of high school students, focused on their...
Norwin to expand in-class elementary teaching
Norwin plans to give its 1,850 elementary school students the option of returning to school four days a week beginning Feb. 15, which doubles the number of in-class instruction days under the hybrid instruction model Norwin has used since school began. Superintendent Jeff Taylor said students in the four elementary...
Shenango River named Pa. River of the Year; Buffalo, Loyalhanna creeks finish in Top 5
Although the 82-mile-long Shenango River in Northwestern Pennsylvania earned recognition as Pennsylvania’s 2021 River of the Year, promoters of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Buffalo and Loyalhanna creeks said they were happy to see their waterways finish in the Top 5. Sponsored by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the River...
Kennametal quarterly earnings up
Strong sales for the October through December quarter combined with savings from its restructuring and modernization initiatives helped to boost the quarterly net income of Kennametal Inc. to $20.2 million and earnings to 23 cents per share, a turnaround from losses a year ago, the metalworking toolmaker said Monday. Pittsburgh-based...
Peduto bill to be introduced making Juneteenth a Pittsburgh holiday
Juneteenth is a step closer to becoming an official holiday in the City of Pittsburgh. Mayor Bill Peduto is introducing a bill to the City Council following up on his pledge to make Juneteenth an official holiday. Last August, Peduto announced his intentions at a Black Voting Rights Forum at...
Man arrested after bomb threat prompts evacuation of Federal Building in Pittsburgh
One person is in custody after a bomb threat prompted police to evacuate the federal building in Downtown Pittsburgh Monday evening, officials said. Albert Henard Morris, 60, was arrested at a house in Homewood and is charged with terroristic threats and a threat to use weapons of mass destruction, according...
Upgrades underway at Cribbs Field in Verona
Upgrades are underway at Cribbs Field in Verona. Plum-based Pampena Landscaping & Construction demolished the old pavilion, and excavation was done in preparation of the new building. The park is off Second Street and South Avenue. “It’s really exciting. It’s long overdue,” said Janet LoAlbo, councilwoman and parks and recreation...
Lawsuit alleges bedbugs at East Liberty’s Hotel Indigo
An Indianapolis man is suing Hotel Indigo in East Liberty after he claimed he got bedbugs when he stayed there on a work trip. Christopher Carlson filed the complaint against the hotel in Allegheny County Court on Monday. It also names as defendants the former general manager of the North...
Greensburg area man’s frustration ends, finally gets unemployment benefits
Seven months of frustration trying to get the state to release thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits from last year ended for a Southwest Greensburg man this past weekend when he got a long-awaited check from the Labor Department. “I won’t have to worry so much,” Scott Flanigan, 58, said...
Dr. Abraham Twerski remembered as a ‘visionary’ in addiction field
With a twinkle in his eye, Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski dispensed timeless wisdom others used to solve life’s problems. “Every time he spoke, people listened,” James Troup, CEO of Gateway Rehab, a regional leader in treatment for addiction that Twerski founded, said Monday. “He just had this aura about him....
Nonperishables sought for Derry, Franklin Regional ‘souper bowl’ food collections
Derry churches and a Franklin Regional elementary school are among local organizations taking part in food drives timed in conjunction with the culminating contest of the NFL season. A Souper Bowl of Caring collection will take place noon to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Derry First United Methodist Church on...
Leechburg pizzeria, florist team up for heart-shaped pizzas, flowers for Valentine’s
A Leechburg pizza shop is spreading the love this Valentine’s Day season with heart-shaped pizzas and flowers and stuffed animals on the side. “With the pandemic, we’re thinking outside of the box because a lot of people are not going to be able to go out to dinners, and there...
Leechburg Area adds covid tracker to school district’s website
Leechburg Area School District added a covid case tracker to its website. In a weekly email update to district families Friday, Superintendent Tiffany Nix explained the reason for adding the new link. “This will be much easier for you to access any district information that you may need or want...
Westmoreland judge rejects bid to toss sex charges against suspended Pirates pitcher
A Westmoreland County judge denied suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez’s bid to dismiss sex and pornography charges, setting the stage for a trial scheduled to begin in March. Vazquez, 29, was charged in August 2019 after police in both Westmoreland County and Florida contended the Venezuela-born athlete had sexual...
Coronavirus spread continues to slow in North Huntingdon-Irwin area as of Feb. 1
The spread of covid cases in the North Huntingdon, Irwin and North Irwin areas dropped again over the past seven days, falling to just 47 new cases from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1, a 1.8% increase in total cases, according to data released Monday by the state Department of Health....
Pa. has administered more than 1 million vaccine doses
The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Monday that more than 1 million doses of covid-19 vaccine have been administered throughout the state. There are 811,555 Pennsylvania residents who have received the vaccine. Of them, 615,085 have received one dose and are partially covered. The other 196,470 are fully covered with...
Pittsburgh man charged by Penn Township police with sexually assaulting teenage girl
Penn Township police said a 23-year-old Pittsburgh man caught in the back seat of his car with a teen last month falsely claimed the girl was his relative and that she had suffered a medical emergency. After further investigation, Det. Brad Buchsbaum and Sgt. Joseph Lewis determined his story was...
School bus service halted as South Allegheny, Sun Coach Lines face off over contract
Late Friday morning, attorneys for South Allegheny School District sent a letter to the attorney representing their bus transportation company, praising progress they had made 10 days earlier in a dispute over $800,000 in back fees. Four hours later, the company, Sun Coach Lines, responded by saying they were terminating...
Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show set to open a month later than usual
The annual Duquesne Light Home & Garden Show is still on, officials said Monday. Show Executive Director John DeSantis said the 10-day event is planned for April instead of its usual March time slot. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the show is planned for April 9-18 at the David Lawrence Convention...
Pandemic causes Catholic churches to modify Ash Wednesday services
Covid-19 pandemic precautions have prompted area Catholic parishes to modify procedures for Ash Wednesday. The Diocese of Greensburg announced celebrants at its churches in Westmoreland, Armstrong, Fayette and Indiana counties will eliminate direct contact with parishioners during the services, to help protect the health of those attending. Similar changes will...
Arnold police accuse woman of stabbing man in the back with steak knife
A 36-year-old Arnold woman is accused of stabbing her boyfriend in the back with a steak knife when he tried to leave her apartment last month. Arnold police charged Ch-nelle Elaine Ross with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, child endangerment and drug offenses in connection with the Jan. 19 incident. Ross...
