Local category, Page 2187
Valley Points YMCA closes Allegheny Valley branch after positive covid case
Valley Points Family YMCA announced that its Allegheny Valley branch in Harrison will be closed through Sunday because of a covid-19 case. The organization made the announcement on its Facebook page late Thursday night. In the post, the YMCA said it was notified Thursday evening of a positive covid-19 case,...
The Stroller, Dec. 4, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your church or organization going to host a community holiday event? Send information to The Stroller at vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Santa needs help: You can ‘adopt’ senior for Christmas Concordia Lutheran Ministries has again opened its Adopt-A-Resident Program to the community. Individuals, businesses and congregations...
Pa. Veteran Farming Project joins initiative to plant 10 million trees
An additional 10 million trees could soon adorn Pennsylvania’s landscape, thanks to an effort led by several organizations across the state. The goal, officials said, is to plant trees that will help filter and absorb polluted runoff that impairs rivers and streams. The trees will also help stabilize stream banks,...
Pittsburgh police: Man in stable condition after being shot in Arlington neighborhood
A man was hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in the stomach in Pittsburgh’s Arlington neighborhood Thursday. Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews said city police responded to a ShotSpotter alert and 911 call for a shooting around 6:10 p.m. along the 200 block of Rothman Street. Officers located the...
Plum High School toy drive going drive-thru, no students this year
Plum High School’s sixth annual Stuff-a-Bus toy drive will be in a different format this year due to the covid-19 pandemic. The event is still set for 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday in the high school parking lot at 900 Elicker Road. However, there will be no hot chocolate...
SouthBridge EMS asks Bridgeville, Cecil and South Fayette townships for financial help
SouthBridge EMS, the ambulance service provider for Cecil and South Fayette townships and Bridgeville, is in some financial distress due covid-19. Executive Director Daniel Miller said patient transports dropped by 40% in March and April. Calls also went from an average of 230 per month to about 150, and transportation...
Walter Williams, conservative economist, columnist, dead at 84
Nationally syndicated columnist and George Mason University economics professor Walter Williams, whose work appeared regularly in the Tribune-Review, died on Wednesday at the age of 84. Over the course of his career, he was praised for his rigorous research on minority groups and government policies affecting African Americans. Williams, a...
Frazer supervisors approve first property tax increase in at least 25 years
Property owners in Frazer are going to see their township real estate taxes go up by 76% next year. It’s the township’s first property tax hike in at least 25 years, officials said. Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously passed a $1.3 million budget for 2021 that includes a 1.08-mill increase. The...
AHN nurses featured in new Marvel comic book: ‘The Vitals’
When Allegheny Health Network nurse Andrew Cleary was growing up, he loved Spider-Man and identified with the character in the way that many children do. But he never imagined one day being on the same Marvel comic book pages as his favorite superhero. Until now. On Thursday Marvel Comics unveiled...
Leechburg Area to resume in-person instruction next week
Leechburg Area School District plans to return to in-person instruction on Monday despite the state deeming there to be a “substantial” risk of covid-19 transmission in Westmoreland and Armstrong counties. The school board approved the move in a 7-1 vote Wednesday following a lengthy discussion. All students in grades pre-k...
EPA grant will go toward electric Port Authority buses in Allegheny County
The Allegheny County Health Department has received a grant of more than $5.5 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help the Port Authority purchase battery-electric buses. “This is a small but important step toward cleaner air for all,” Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said. The Port Authority will...
Westmoreland County to award additional pandemic grants
Westmoreland County will award a final round of covid-relief grants next week to small businesses, while nonprofit agencies and local volunteer fire departments will receive awards later this month. Commissioners on Thursday increased grants handed out last week to Penn and Washington townships to cover coronavirus-related costs incurred by their...
Virtual meeting set to update public on Laurel Valley road project in Unity
PennDOT will hold a virtual meeting this month for the public to review and comment on plans for the northern section of the proposed Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project. The project proposes an alternate, improved alignment for 11 miles of the Route 981 corridor, between Route 819 in Mt. Pleasant...
Norwin middle, high school students to stay in virtual learning mode through December
With covid cases rising in Norwin schools and high absenteeism among employees, middle and high school students will have virtual instruction for the remainder of December, the district announced Thursday. Elementary and intermediate middle school students will return to a hybrid mode two days of in-person learning and three days...
Hempfield school leaders take first steps toward feasibility study to rebuild or renovate high school
Hempfield school officials are moving forward with a feasibility study that will look into renovating or rebuilding the high school. Board members voted unanimously this week to advertise for requests for proposal to find a company to complete the study, which will determine what kind of project is possible at...
Ethics commission fines former Belle Vernon Area superintendent for violationsVideo
The Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission this week fined a former superintendent of the Belle Vernon Area School District $1,250 for numerous ethics violations. The commission said John Wilkinson, who resigned in 2018, borrowed several pieces of district equipment for his personal use, including a generator, circular saw and cement mixer....
Additional charges filed against Latrobe counselor accused of sexual abuse of minors
Five more former clients of a Latrobe therapist accused of inappropriate behavior during counseling sessions have come forward with new allegations, according to court papers. Gregory Patrick Miscik, 49, of Salem was charged Nov. 6 with trafficking, sexual abuse of children, child pornography, corruption of minors, indecent assault and harassment....
Pennsylvania’s Capitol Complex to close for covid concerns
Pennsylvania’s Capital Complex will close to the public once again, citing rising covid-19 cases. Starting Monday, the complex will disallow visits and events including rallies, school or group tours, performances, receptions and other public gatherings in all interior venues. The Capitol Complex includes the Main Capitol Rotunda, East Wing Rotunda,...
Latrobe man convicted of illicit contact with a minor accused of soliciting images from girl
A Latrobe man serving time at home on electronic monitoring for illicit contact with a juvenile in 2017 was arrested again Wednesday by state police on new charges of having a girl send him explicit images through social media. Cristofer R. Dowden, 21, was arraigned on two counts of indecent...
Pittsburgh ranked among top cities for LGBTQ inclusivity
Pittsburgh is among 94 cities across the country and four in Pennsylvania that earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2020 index ranking on LGBTQ inclusion. “We have continued to make strides toward being a more inclusive and welcoming city,” Mayor Bill Peduto said in a statement. “We...
Blawnox policeman receives ‘Top Gun’ award for DUI-related arrests
Blawnox police Officer Nickalas Hawk thwarted 28 people from driving drunk on borough roads in 2019. For his efforts, Hawk was honored with a “Top Gun” award from the Pennsylvania Driving Under the Influence Association. He is among 21 officers throughout the state to be lauded for their work to...
Gateway School District moves to full-remote learning through Jan. 4
Gateway schools will remain in remote learning through Jan. 4. The announcement came through a letter to district parents authored by Superintendent Bill Short. It was posted to the district’s website Dec. 2. “Based on the metrics and data associated with significant increases in covid-19 cases and positivity percentages, Allegheny...
Kiski Township man loves his train display so much, he custom-built his house to fit itVideo
Russ Fry built a house around his beloved hobby. Fry, 86, of Kiski Township, is a second-generation train display enthusiast. He designed and constructed a new home on his rural property in Armstrong County about 10 years ago. Key to the design was including a large, custom basement and storage...
Allegheny County passes 30,000 coronavirus cases
Allegheny County on Thursday reported 1,028 new coronavirus cases and 20 new deaths. The county has seen an average of 656 new cases per day over the past seven days, while adding 4,591 new cases in that time. It took Allegheny County 166 days to hit 10,000 cases of coronavirus...
Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese pays $19.2 million to settle 224 clergy abuse claims
Signaling an end to the latest chapter in the Catholic Church’s struggle to heal from scathing revelations of child sexual abuse in a 2018 grand jury report, an independent mediator for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced Thursday that it has completed two years of work and awarded more than...
