Local category, Page 2212
The Stroller, Nov. 14, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your church or organization going to host a community holiday event? Send information to The Stroller as soon as possible to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Applications being accepted from veterans for free Christmas groceries Westmoreland County Marines will provide Christmas groceries to local veterans’ families in...
Homestead heroin dealer caught laundering drug money while behind bars
A former Homestead man has been sentenced to an additional three years and five months in prison for scheming to launder drug money while behind bars on a prior heroin trafficking conviction, federal prosecutors said Friday. Thomas Hopes, 29, already was serving a decades-long sentence when he was caught committing...
Grand jury indicts Pittsburgh man accused of extorting minors for nude photos
A federal grand jury has indicted a former Pittsburgh resident who confessed to threatening to kill the families of minors around the country unless they sent him sexually explicit photos via Instagram. Markell Smith, 24, formerly of the city’s Hill District faces charges of child sexual exploitation and making threats...
Week in review: Top stories from around the Monroeville area for the week of Nov. 9Video
Here’s a brief summary of some of the top stories from around the Monroeville area this past week. • Steel City Con has been postponed a third time amid concerns over the covid-19 pandemic. The rescheduled convention, which is one of the largest in the country and exclusive to the...
Student news: Change in free meal pick-ups, Fox Chapel Area accolades
Fox Chapel Area School District has changed the pickup location for free meals that are distributed Wednesdays. Food should be picked up at the high school entrance 14, near the receiving area. Pickup times are from noon to 1:30 p.m. All students in the district are currently eligible to receive...
Nov. 13: Here is covid-19 data from selected Western Pa. colleges
Western Pennsylvania is home community to several colleges and universities, attracting students from around the state and country. During the coronavirus pandemic, many are tracking the number of positive covid-19 cases as they emerge on campus. University of Pittsburgh Enrollment: About 30,000 students New cases: There were 118 student cases...
1 hospitalized after van strikes Port Authority bus in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
A minivan crashed into a Port Authority of Allegheny County bus Friday night in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, sending the van’s driver to the hospital in serious condition, officials said. The crash happened shortly before 6:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of Liberty Avenue, a couple blocks from the 16th Street...
Rep. Davis to chair Allegheny County Democratic Delegation; Rep. Miller to helm Pa. House Caucus
State Rep. Austin Davis said Friday that after addressing the pandemic’s impact, he plans to prioritize investing in infrastructure and economic development in his new role as chair of the 2021-22 Allegheny County House Democratic Delegation. The 31-year-old, third-term lawmaker from McKeesport told the Tribune-Review that he will focus on...
Washington Township nursing home reports at least 112 cases of covid-19 among residents and staff
The number of covid-19 cases among residents of a Washington Township nursing home has more than doubled since Monday, climbing from 30 cases to at least 75, facility officials said. There are also at least 37 cases among the staff at Quality Life Services, for a total of 112 cases....
Back to the Foodture restaurant expanding to Pittsburgh’s South Side
The “Buggie” is two 8-ounce burgers in between two grilled cheese sandwiches with two layers of egg, bacon, tomato, lettuce and sauce. And an extra slice of bread in between. The signature item on the Back to the Foodture menu in Pitcairn might expand one’s waistline. Sales of the burger...
Braddock Community Library to receive $750,000 for major renovationsVideo
The Carnegie Library in Braddock is so old it predates its counterpart in Oakland, which just turned 125 on Nov. 5. Braddock’s branch is 131. And in need of repair. On Thursday the Braddock community received good news: The library’s major renovation campaign has been selected to receive a $750,000...
Expansion approved for Indian Creek Water Treatment Plant
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will spend $18 million to expand its Indian Creek Water Treatment Plant near Connellsville, which supplies water to about half of the agency’s more than 121,000 customers. Authority officials said the construction project, expected to begin this spring, will allow an additional 10 million gallons...
4 libraries in Westmoreland, Allegheny counties will split $2.3 million in state grants
Four local libraries received a helping hand in their renovation efforts thanks to $2.2 million in collective grants from the state Department of Education. “We’re just so excited about this grant, we’re over the moon,” said Jamie Falo, executive director of Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, which received $748,145. The money...
Leechburg Area trio volunteers to bring sports broadcasts to fans near and far
It’s lights, camera, action for three Leechburg Area High School students. Video Club members Eli and Nick Sherbondy and Tucker Spiering have been volunteering their time, broadcasting games on the district’s YouTube sports channel, in response to there being limited or no spectators allowed due to covid-19 restrictions. “We are...
GOP commissioners reject defective mail-in ballots
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners on Friday declined to vote on the status of 343 mail-in ballots that were not properly dated and a separate batch of 375 ballots delivered to the courthouse by the Postal Service nine minutes after the 8 p.m. deadline on Election Day. The move came during...
Westmoreland County opens up second round of covid-relief grants
The application period for Westmoreland County small businesses and nonprofit organizations seeking additional grants for reimbursements to cover coronavirus-related expenses opened Friday. Requests will be considered on a first-come, first-serve basis through the end of the year. County commissioners said small businesses will be first in line for grants of...
‘Welcome Everyone Westmoreland’ initiative aims to boost diversity, population in county
Westmoreland County’s population is dwindling, and members of a new initiative hope to help reverse the trend by making the region more welcoming to a more diverse group of people. “We are losing people, people are not coming into the county, and I fear it’s going to be the continued...
Pittsburgh Public Safety: 6 police officers have recently tested positive for covid-19
Six Pittsburgh police officers have recently tested positive for covid-19, a Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman reported Friday. Other officers are also in isolation or quarantining due to possible exposure. Spokesman Chris Togneri said the department continues to take steps to safeguard against the spread of the virus. Those measures include...
Kiski Area High School to close next week over covid concerns
Kiski Area High School will move to fully remote learning next week, following reports of seven cases of covid-19 among students and staff. The district said the school would follow a remote learning schedule from Monday through next Friday. Career Center Students will still report on days they’re scheduled to...
Documentary ‘Crutch’ about Pittsburgh native Bill Shannon has success in first weekVideo
“Crutch,” the documentary about Pittsburgh’s Bill Shannon, made the Top 10 list in the Arts & Culture category at DOC NYC, a documentary film festival. “We are so excited,” said Sachi Cunningham, the film’s co-director. “Tickets are selling fast.” Twenty years in the making, the 98-minute film premiered Wednesday. It...
Hempfield man accused of stealing Rostraver woman’s coin collection
A Westmoreland County carpet installer is charged with stealing a Rostraver customer’s coin collection valued at more than $1,000 while working in her home last month. Curtis Burkholder, 51, of Hempfield, is charged with theft and receiving stolen property by township police in connection with the theft that allegedly occurred...
Allegheny County elections board to hold hearing on provisional ballots
The Allegheny County Board of Elections will convene Saturday for a hearing on hundreds of provisional ballots challenged during review this week. In all, authorized observers from both parties challenged 705 provisional ballots out of the approximately 17,000 provisional ballots returned. Each ballot will receive a hearing, though ballots challenged...
Competition between Plum, TJ, Pine Richland high school students to be televised Saturday
Three Plum High School seniors represented the district in a competition against Thomas Jefferson and Pine Richland students. Joey Panichella, Lily Klucinec and Erica Taylor took part in KDKA’s Hometown High-Q contest earlier this month. It is scheduled to air at 11 a.m. Saturday and at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 21....
Pittsburgh Public Schools returning to all remote instruction next week
Pittsburgh Public Schools will close all school buildings and return to fully remote instruction next week, district officials confirmed. The district had reopened for in-person instruction — for a small number of students — on Nov. 9. Those students included those with special needs and English learners. The majority of...
New boutique shop opens in Freeport, featuring other local vendors
A Freeport woman said she wasn’t going to let the covid-19 pandemic stand in the way of her dream to open her own store. Nicole Saville plans to open the Emma + Jane Shoppe, a boutique on South Pike Road in Buffalo Township, on Saturday. “I had always wanted to...
