Western PA Local News category, Page 2251
As pandemic wears on, more people are food insecure
As the covid-19 crisis continues to worsen, many more people are looking for help putting food on the table. That’s the message Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank president and CEO Lisa Scales gave during a Governing in Crisis virtual discussion this week. Scales told the Trib reservations for drive-up food...
Jail Oversight Board to investigate why high-ranking medical administrators keep quitting
When Janet Bunts was hired in August to be the new health services administrator at the Allegheny County Jail, she came to the position with 26 years in corrections. She only lasted three months before she quit in November. There’s a reason no one stays, Bunts said: “A lack of...
Christmas tree sales going well in Western Pa., but growers see scarcity of trees in futureVideo
John Fazio and family drove all the way from Swissvale to a tree farm east of New Alexandria this week so he and his son, John, could trudge up a hillside, where he got to lie down in 4 inches of snow and wield a bow saw to cut down...
Unity woman to seek district justice seat
A Unity woman who has worked for the last decade as a criminal justice liaison with the county’s mental health agency announced this week she will run to fill a potentially vacant district justice seat. Rebecca Salandro, 38, said she wants to serve as a judge on the local court...
Allegheny County lawyer Jill Beck launches Superior Court bid
A Squirrel Hill lawyer Friday fired the first salvo in the 2021 election, announcing her candidacy to fill a vacancy on the state Superior Court. Jill Beck said she is running to fill a vacancy on the state court that hears the first round of appeals in most civil and...
Week-in-review: Snow, Steelers stay undefeated among week’s top headlinesVideo
Snow on Dec. 1 isn’t a strange thing in Pittsburgh, but a Steelers game kicking off on a Wednesday afternoon is. A snowfall that topped meteorologists’ expectations and the Steelers keeping their undefeated season going with a win over the Ravens in a game rescheduled three times were among the...
Christmas tree program to benefit West Deer church, Deer Lakes suicide prevention program
A West Deer preschool teacher who loves Hallmark Christmas movies is hoping to build community spirit and foster generosity with township Christmas trees. The “Our Tree of Light” Christmas tree project will benefit Our Lady of the Lakes Parish and the hopefully soon-to-be implemented Hope Squad – a suicide prevention...
State police looking for Hempfield man accused of fleeing arrest, threatening girlfriend
State police this week obtained an arrest warrant for a Hempfield man wanted for threatening to harm his girlfriend and fleeing from police. Police are looking for Shawn P. McCune, 32, of Grapeville, on charges of driving on a suspended license, false imprisonment, fleeing and eluding, flight to avoid prosecution,...
Jupiter and Saturn to form ‘Christmas Star’ in sky this month
Two giant worlds are about to collide. Sort of. Jupiter and Saturn are meeting up this month. It’s something they do every 20 years, only this year the neighboring planets will appear closer to each other on the dome of our sky than at any point since the Middle Ages....
Hempfield to continue with remote learning through holidays
Students in the Hempfield Area School District will continue with remote learning until after the holidays. According to a letter posted on the district’s Facebook page, schools will reopen Jan. 4, following the Christmas break. The decision to keep schools closed came days after school board members reaffirmed that students...
Freeport Area School District to remain fully remote until January
Students at Freeport Area School District won’t return to in-person instruction until at least Monday, Jan. 11, the school board said Thursday. The district had previously decided to limit the amount of time students spent in the classroom around the holidays after a surge of covid-19 cases left more than...
AHN donors may have been exposed to data breach, officials say
Donors to Allegheny Health Network might have had their personal information exposed during a ransomware attack earlier this year on an IT company used by hundreds of hospitals, universities and other nonprofits, officials said Friday. Blackbaud, a global tech company, provides cloud computing services to a slew of institutions including...
Supreme Court sets date for state response in Mike Kelly election suit. Is it a day late?Video
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito late Thursday set a deadline for Pennsylvania officials to respond to a request to throw out the state’s mail-in voting results — or possibly the entire election. But the date set — Dec. 9 — is the day after the “safe harbor” deadline, the...
Tarentum proposes several large projects, no tax increase in 2021 budget
Tarentum has identified nearly $500,000 worth of large projects in its 2021 preliminary budget, but the budget does not include a property tax increase. The proposed $8.8 million spending plan is up by about $468,000, or 5.6%, from the $8.3 million budget for this year. The property tax rate would...
Gilpin tree farm offers personal touch to help make Christmas a little brighterVideo
A rural family-owned and operated Christmas tree farm in Gilpin has served the Alle-Kiski Valley for more than 80 years. Habe’s Nursery co-owners and husband-and-wife team John and Janie Sterosky work overtime during December, making hundreds of homemade pine custom wreaths, grave blankets and kissing balls. “We make our own...
Shaler Area extends online learning model through Jan. 4
Shaler Area students will continue virtual learning a bit longer than expected. Superintendent Sean Aiken alerted families on Friday that the district will extend its remote learning model at least through the beginning of January. Officials had planned to resume in-person instruction the week of Dec. 14 but because of...
Irwin’s annual Festival of Trees altered because of covid restrictions
Irwin’s annual Festival of Trees, with the stores featuring decorated trees, will be yet another event that will be altered because of the pandemic covid-19 restrictions. To allow for social distancing, there will be a self-guided walking tour around downtown Irwin spread over six days. The event starts Dec. 4...
Mt. Pleasant Area School District will keep remote learning through end of semester
Students in the Mt. Pleasant Area School District will continue with remote learning until the end of the semester. According to a letter posted on the district’s website by Superintendent Timothy Gabauer, it will last until Jan. 21. The decision came as covid-19 cases continue to rise across Westmoreland County....
Greensburg plans inventory of blighted city properties
There are more than 6,000 parcels of land in the City of Greensburg, and Westmoreland County employees soon will examine all of them to figure out which are blighted. The city received a $10,000 grant from the Realtors Association of Westmoreland, Indiana and Mon Valley to partner with the county...
Crabtree race organizers run with ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater’ theme
Things are expected to get ugly Dec. 12 in the village of Crabtree. But that’s just fine with Julie Watkins and Kathy Kuhns. They’re organizing the second annual St. Bartholomew Church Ugly Christmas Sweater 5K and 2-Mile Walk for 11 a.m. that day. About 150 participants came from as far...
Gateway School Board elects new president, vice president
The Gateway School Board of Directors elected a new board president and vice president during its Dec. 1 reorganizational meeting. Brian Goppman will serve as the board’s president. He replaces Mary Beth Cirucci, who held the position for two years. Valerie Warning will serve as vice president, replacing Rick McIntyre....
New covid cases force 2 Westmoreland County courthouse offices to close
Two Westmoreland County Courthouse offices were shut down Friday as the coronavirus continues to surge. The Register of Wills Office, which processes estate documents and marriage licenses, was closed on the courthouse’s third floor along with the Public Defender’s Office on the fourth floor after staffers tested positive for the...
Etna approves non-discrimination ordinance to protect from bias in housing, jobs
Just after being elected to Etna council in 2019, Jessica Semler introduced an anti-discrimination ordinance to support marginalized residents. “I ran for council as an openly queer woman because representation matters,” Semler said. The ordinance prohibits bias based on race, sexual orientation, family status, age and other identifiers. It follows...
Drive-thru Holiday Light Festival in Penn Hills spreads cheerVideo
Children young and old marveled at the light display in the parking lot of the Penn Hills municipal building Dec. 3 — from their cars. The traditional Holiday Light Festival was redesigned this year to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Typically, about 100 families show up to usher...
West Jefferson school board keeps status quo on president, vice president roles
The West Jefferson Hills School Board retained its president and vice president, each beginning their fifth consecutive year in the respective roles. Brian Fernandes will continue on as president of the nine-member board. Suzanne Downer will serve as first vice president. Each member was first elected in December 2015. Fernandes...
