Western PA Local News category, Page 2213
Man took puppy while owner was walking the dog in Frick Park, police say
A four-month-old dog was taken from its owner while they were walking Tuesday night in Frick Park, Pittsburgh police said. Daphne, a 4-month-old mixed breed with black and white fur, was reported stolen shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday along the 2000 block of Beechwood Boulevard in Squirrel Hill, according to...
New 12-unit housing development proposed in Oakmont with some homes over $1 million
A new housing plan has been proposed in Oakmont with some properties expected to cost more than $1 million. Oakmont Place, a 12-unit one-floor patio home development off Hulton Road by Eleventh Street, was introduced to council at Tuesday night’s workshop meeting. Landscape architect Steven Victor of Victor-Wetzel Associates and...
Export council looks at tightening up rental inspections
Export officials want a clearer picture of who’s moving in and out of town, particularly when it comes to rental properties. Borough council on Tuesday asked solicitor Wes Long to bring back language tightening up the requirements for occupancy permits and rental inspections. Council President Barry Delissio said only about...
PWSA donates $250K to nonprofit as part of lead violation settlement
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is following through on a settlement it reached in July to resolve violations of Pennsylvania’s Safe Drinking Water Act. As part of the settlement, PWSA agreed to donate $250,000 to Women for a Healthy Environment, a nonprofit that will use the money to offer free...
Plum Community Library has a new director, online programs
Plum Community Library enters the new year with a new director and more virtual programming. Pam Calfo of Pittsburgh’s North Side has taken over for Marilyn Klingensmith, who retired as director little more than a month ago. Calfo was welcomed to the library in November and formally took the reins...
Emergency grants available to Armstrong County businesses forced to close in December
Armstrong County businesses that were forced to close last month because of restrictions imposed by Gov. Tom Wolf could be eligible for emergency grant money under a program announced Tuesday. Armstrong County Commissioners said $250,000 is available through the county’s Covid-19 Emergency Business Grant Program. Eligible businesses can receive a...
Hempfield woman pleads guilty in fatal overdose of Greensburg man
A Hempfield woman tightly clutched her young daughter and sobbed as she stood before a Westmoreland County judge to admit she provided the drugs that killed a Greensburg man. Hollie Ann Schreiber, 40, could face up to 40 years in prison when she is sentenced. On Tuesday, she pleaded guilty...
Troopers say Virginia Beach man linked to 2019 bicycle bank robbery in HempfieldVideo
A Virginia Beach man with ties to Allegheny and Westmoreland counties this week proclaimed he is innocent of a 2019 bank robbery in Hempfield during which the scofflaw fled on a bicycle. Ronald D. Sever, 57, was extradited from Virginia on robbery and other charges filed by state police in...
Police: Man stabbed Arnold woman, then called 911 for help getting belongings from her home
A New York man accused of attacking his girlfriend with a knife in Arnold was arrested Monday after he called 911 asking for help getting his belongings from her house, police said. Police said Thomas H. Smith Jr., 29, of Amityville, N.Y., stabbed and cut his girlfriend after they got...
UPMC employees get 2nd dose of covid vaccine, describe ‘first step’ toward ending pandemic
Fifteen UPMC employees received covid-19 vaccines Tuesday, 10 of whom became the first employees to receive a second dose and complete the full course of the vaccine. “I feel like it’s the first step in ending this,” said Alli Okonak, a certified registered nurse practitioner who has been working at...
Calls for Gateway school board member to resign come after racially charged text message
A Gateway School Board member who is the subject of a federal lawsuit has doubled down on his innocence as calls for his resignation grow louder. Paul Caliari, 46, of Monroeville is currently serving a two-year term on the Gateway School Board. A federal lawsuit filed Jan. 1, which also...
Hempfield considers virtual lessons in place of snow days
Snow days could be a thing of the past for Hempfield Area students — at least for the rest of this winter. District officials are considering a plan to have classes conducted online instead of being canceled when a weather event prevents normal classes from being held. School board members...
State Rep. Summer Lee tests positive for covid-19
State Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, was absent Tuesday from Harrisburg, where she should’ve been sworn in for her second term, after a positive covid-19 test. Lee announced her positive covid-19 result on Twitter, writing that she was watching the ceremonies in Harrisburg from home while she isolates as she recovers...
Pennsylvania House holds moment of silence for the late Mike Reese, who was to have been sworn in today for 7th term
State Rep. Mike Reese was memorialized on the floor of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday, the day he was supposed to have been sworn in to his seventh two-year term. A black cloth, framed photograph and what appeared to be a jersey with his last name and H59...
History Center, Fort Pitt Museum to reopen following temporary closure
The Senator John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum in the Strip District and the Fort Pitt Museum at Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, will reopen at 10 a.m. on Saturday. They were temporarily closed because of state covid-19 restrictions. “We are excited to welcome back visitors...
GOP seizes control of Pa. Senate floor, blocks Brewster from being seatedVideo
The Pennsylvania Senate devolved into chaos Tuesday as Republicans, the majority party, refused to seat Democrat Jim Brewster of McKeesport to his third term in office. The state certified Brewster as the winner of the Nov. 3 election in the 45th District, which includes parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties....
Unity auditors freeze roadmaster pay, cite hardship among township residents
Unity’s supervisors will not receive a raise this year in the wages they earn for their work as roadmasters. Citing economic hardship among many township residents, Unity’s elected auditors on Tuesday approved a pay freeze for John Mylant, Michael O’Barto and Ed Poponick. “We realize it’s been a tough year,”...
Covid cases continue at schools in North Hills as changes to instructional models approach
School districts in northern Allegheny County continue to report new active covid-19 cases among students and as they prepare to transition from all-remote learning in the coming weeks. North Hills The North Hills School District reported 15 new cases between Dec. 16 and Jan. 3. Four students and a staff...
Pittsburgh Public Schools announces new equity task force, lays out plans for return to buildings
Pittsburgh Public Schools on Tuesday announced the development of a new task force to recommend and influence policies that combat racial disparities in school safety. “I can share with you with great certainty that our district will not bring Black students back to live and learn under the same racially-biased...
Allegheny County argues Crack’d Egg can’t hide from covid restrictions under bankruptcy filing
A federal judge must decide if a bankruptcy case filed in his court can stop the Allegheny County Health Department from pursuing action against the Crack’d Egg, a Brentwood restaurant that has continued to operate despite an order in August shutting it down for violating state-mandated covid-19 mitigation orders. The...
Fox Chapel Presbyterian asks people to Fill-a-Truck for local food pantries
An annual food collection at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church will help local food banks bridge the gap between the holidays and spring time drives, pantry leaders said. The Fill-a-Truck event in early February, split between the Bread of Life in Etna, St. Vincent de Paul in Sharpsburg and Council of...
Hempfield Area orders more Chromebooks, still waiting for order placed in July
The Hempfield Area School Board is adding more Chromebooks to its collection as students continue to attend classes through a mix of in-person and virtual learning. During Monday’s board meeting, members voted unanimously to purchase 750 Chromebook laptop computers, which will be split between high school freshman and elementary students....
Westmoreland County adds 228 new coronavirus cases, 8 deaths
Westmoreland County added 228 new covid-19 cases and eight new deaths, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported on Tuesday. After topping the 20,000 mark on Monday, the total number of cases in the county now stands at 20,393 with 15,247 confirmed and 5,146 probable since the first cases were reported...
Demolition of Hempfield’s Ramada underwayVideo
Demolition of Hempfield’s Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center is underway, paving the way for construction of a new home improvement store. According to Patrick Karnash, director of planning and zoning for the township, “demolition has started and is moving along quite quickly” on the 42-year-old hotel. Leveling...
Brighton Rehab claims it is immune from lawsuit in federal court filing
Attorneys for a Beaver County nursing home where more than 70 residents died of covid-19 claim it has immunity from civil liability — even as a judge in the same jurisdiction has previously said, in a separate case, it does not. In a motion to dismiss filed Monday in federal...
