Local category, Page 2260

Quemahoning Creek in Somerset County has a “rock snot” problem. The invasive algae didymo, also known as “rock snot,” was recently discovered in the creek, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission announced Friday. Somerset Conservation District employees found the algae about two months ago in a section of stream used...

Vice President Mike Pence will campaign in Western Pennsylvania on Wednesday, as President Trump’s reelection effort continues its focus on swing state voters. Pence is scheduled to appear at events in Murrysville and New Sewickley in Beaver County. The two stops, less than a week after Trump’s rally at the...

A hit-and-run crash Friday night left a Murrysville Medic One crew member injured when a pick-up truck crossed the yellow line and struck an ambulance that was traveling on Sardis Road, near Hickory Hill Road, according to the ambulance service. A post on the Medic One Facebook page said the...

In the wake of canceled concerts and postponed tours, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on Thursday announced a series of financial cutbacks to help sustain the organization through the pandemic. The 87 musicians have agreed to a 25% reduction in base salary. Additionally, 75% of the staff has been affected with...

Counties that make up the Outer Banks barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina have mostly been spared by the covid-19 pandemic, and Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday moved the state into the next phase of the tiered reopening plan. The next phase, beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, is...

Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link to The Stroller. Christopher’s Light charity accepting donations Children’s charity Christopher’s Light...

Local veterans are divided in their reactions to a report President Trump disparaged fallen service members, with some defending the president’s record and others condemning his attitude toward the military. “If he said that, and I don’t know if it’s true or not, but if he said it he doesn’t...

The state said it will start next week to distribute the $300 weekly checks the Trump administration approved as the replacement for the $600-a-week benefits the jobless received before that funding expired at the end of July. The money from the federal Lost Wages Assistance program will be distributed to...

Linda Gromley has operated her home business, “Fifty Shades of Cake,” out of her kitchen in Harrison’s Natrona section for two years, baking everything from pies and cookies to bread and, of course, cakes. She had hoped to grow beyond a home business by putting in a commercial kitchen and...

The legal battle among members of Vandergrift Council continues. Recent case filings show a back-and-forth between Councilwoman Karen McClarnon and her peers, and a refusal to drop a civil lawsuit filed in late May. The defendants, five other council members and other officials, filed to dismiss the suit in late...

The last months of 3-year-old Bella Seachrist’s life were spent stationary, allegedly forced to sit for so long on her training potty that her feet became swollen and purple, detectives testified Friday at a preliminary hearing for the three adults charged with her homicide. The girl’s father, Jose Salazar-Ortiz, his...

Western Pennsylvania is home 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: Approximately 35,000 students Number of new cases: There were 40 new...

A Scottdale landmark where generations of local kids learned to swim is on the auction block. Online bids are being accepted for the borough-owned swimming pool building through 4 p.m. Oct. 7, on the Municibid website. Constructed in the early 1970s by the local YMCA, the brick-and-block building is located...

When Export lost its post office in 2008, more than 200 people packed a public meeting to appeal for its return, which never happened. It was largely seen as a bad sign for the small Westmoreland County borough, which was once home to Thomas Mellon, father of industrial giant and...

Westmoreland County will hire as many as 1,800 poll workers for election day. Elections Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani said recruiting has been underway for the last several weeks to have each of the county’s 307 voting precincts fully staffed on Nov. 3. “We’re going to take as many poll workers...

Multiple crews were called to a dryer fire Friday in Youngwood that spread into the wall of a home, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. The fire on the 1000 block of Depot Street was reported at 2:25 p.m. No injuries were reported, the dispatcher said. Depot Street was...

For the first time, audits from the Westmoreland County Controller’s Office are available online. Controller Jeffrey Balzer said financial reports compiled by his staff will be made public, a departure from past practices that required formal requests under the state’s open records laws to review the department findings. “I have...

The debate about keeping chickens in North Huntingdon’s residential areas will continue. Township commissioners scheduled a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Town House, 11279 Center Highway, to hear another round of what has been heated discussion on the subject, including where residents can have chickens and how...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently terminated multiple contracts to add ventilators to the country’s Strategic National Stockpile. And, while federal health officials say they now have enough ventilators to meet maximum national capacity in a crisis, one of the terminated contracts — awarded to Philips Respironics,...

The Laurel Highlands is among Readers’ Choice Winners for the Best Destination for Fall Foliage category in the 2020 USA Today 10Best Travel Award Contest. The Laurel Highlands placed third overall in voting amid a field of 20 nominees that also included Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Top 10: 1. Upper Peninsula...