Western PA Local News category, Page 2184
Allegheny County’s most recent vaccination appointments filled for age 65, older
Two hours after announcing additional covid-19 vaccination appointments for people age 65 and older in Allegheny County, the registration had been filled to capacity. The newest appointments were made available on Feb. 9 and 13 by the county Health Department. But at around 7 p.m., a Trib reporter logged into...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission approves Alcosan, Mt. Washington school projects
A new parking garage and lab that will allow the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority to meet a 2036 deadline to upgrade its facilities was approved Tuesday by Pittsburgh Planning Commission. Alcosan presented plans for the parking garage and environmental compliance building to the commission earlier this month. “We are pleased...
Norwin High School to close Wednesday
Norwin High School will be closed Wednesday, as required by the state when a school has six confirmed covid cases within a 14-day period, the district said. Under the district’s hybrid education model, no students were scheduled to be in the building on Wednesday. From Jan. 18-26, Norwin reported that...
Man identified who was fatally shot outside a Family Dollar in Washington, Pa.
A man who was fatally shot in a Family Dollar parking lot in Washington County has been identified. Darnell Steven Brown, 41, of Washington was killed shortly before 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, the coroner’s office reported. The shooting took place outside the store at 130 Highland Ave. in Washington. City police...
Developer plans apartment building at former gas station site in Oakland
A Chicago-based developer Tuesday presented plans for a 10-story, 300-unit apartment building at the now-vacant site of a former gas station on Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. Pittsburgh Planning Commission members heard from Jessica Leo of CA Ventures, the developer of the project, and Jay Silverman of Dwell Design...
McKeesport man ordered to serve 12-year prison sentence for failure to register as sex offender
A McKeesport man will serve up to another 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Tuesday in Westmoreland County court for failure to register as a convicted sex offender. Eric Michael Britt, 53, was originally convicted in 2007 of sexual assault and was sentenced to serve three to six...
Wolf frustrated with covid vaccine supply in Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday called on President Biden to speed up the covid vaccine distribution process, which has frustrated residents statewide. Wolf blamed the Trump administration for asking states to add people 65 and older to their top covid-19 vaccine priority group when there weren’t enough available doses. “The...
DNA evidence results in more charges against New Kensington man suspected in 2 shootings, 1 deadly
New Kensington police said DNA test results led them to file additional gun and drug charges against a city man accused of fatally shooting an Arnold man last January and firing shots at four people the month before that. The new charges against Letresse Tareke Williams, 30, stem from his...
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....
