Local category, Page 2269
Top stories from the Penn Hills area for the week of Sept. 28Video
Here’s a roundup of the news that happened in Penn Hills this week. • Bill Fralic was posthumously named as a distinguished alumni of Penn Hills High School. He won a WPIAL wrestling title and helped the football team win three PIAA championships before graduating in 1981. He died in...
Sunrise Elementary staffer tests positive for covid in Penn-Trafford School District
After announcing the weeklong closure of Level Green Elementary School on Wednesday, Penn-Trafford school officials notified Sunrise Elementary parents Friday that a staff member had tested positive for covid-19. Close contacts — defined by the state Health Department as a person who was within 6 feet of a person with...
Community garden proposed in Verona
Seeds of a community garden project have been planted in the minds of Verona residents. Borough parks and recreation board members hope to find a spot soon and break ground next year. “A shared garden can empower a community by increasing access to healthy, fresh produce and pollinator-friendly places while...
New overtime rules go into effect Saturday in Pennsylvania, more workers eligible
Workers making about $35,600 or less per year are eligible for overtime beginning Saturday in Pennsylvania. That’s when the state’s new overtime rule takes effect. “Tomorrow marks the first update to the commonwealth’s overtime regulations in more than four decades,” Department of Labor and Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak said in...
15 more covid cases reported at Westmoreland Manor; nearly a quarter of residents test positive
An additional 15 residents of Westmoreland Manor tested positive for covid-19 on Friday, according to county Commissioner Doug Chew, bringing the number of affected residents to 82. That’s nearly a quarter of the total resident population. Friday’s numbers come on top of 16 positive tests Thursday among the county-owned nursing...
Pittsburgh police: 6 people hurt in downtown crash
Six people were injured in a three-vehicle crash in Downtown Pittsburgh on Friday afternoon. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said the collision occurred shortly before 3:45 p.m. at the Wood Street and Fifth Avenue intersection. Three of the people were transported to hospitals by medics. Two children were taken to...
Police: 1 person injured in Pittsburgh shooting
Pittsburgh police are investigating a shooting in Spring Hill. Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews said officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert around 2:30 p.m. along the 100 block of Rhine Place. While officers investigated the scene, a gunshot wound victim walked into a hospital, Matthews reported. Matthews said the victim...
Week-in-review: Covid-19 dominates news, meteor lights up Pittsburgh skyVideo
The covid-19 pandemic continued to dominate much of the news in the past week, culminating with President Donald Trump confirming Friday that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the virus. Despite the virus impacting everything from nursing home residents in Westmoreland County to the Pittsburgh Steelers...
Excavator crashes into Mt. Oliver home injuring 1
One person was injured after an excavator crashed onto a home in Mt. Oliver on Friday afternoon. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said the incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. along the 100 block of Ormsby Avenue. The person was taken via ambulance to a hospital. Officials told news partners...
‘Ms. Mary’ retires from New Kensington Eat ‘n Park after 35 years with company
Servers at Eat ‘n Park in New Kensington never had to worry about the food they took to diners when Mary Burke was in the kitchen. “When she was doing prep and cooking, her food was always amazing, perfect,” server Kristy Reid said. “She cared about how she sent food...
Free trees, shrubs, native plants to Buffalo Creek watershed residents
The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is offering free trees, shrubs and native plants to residents of the Buffalo Creek watershed, particularly those who live along a creek or stream. Considered to be one of the wildest, untouched natural areas in the Pittsburgh region, the Buffalo Creek watershed covers about...
Pitt researchers begin new drug trial to test covid-19 treatments
Emily Evans was looking for a clinical trial to enroll in. The 28-year-old internal medicine resident at UPMC contracted covid-19 in early September after visiting family. She began experiencing headaches, dehydration, body aches and a lingering cough – as well as the loss of taste and smell that’s come to...
Lower Burrell police to be among 1st to undergo ‘legitimacy’ training at IUP
The Lower Burrell Police Department will be among the first in the region to take a new seminar at Indiana University of Pennsylvania Police Academy focusing on the concept of police legitimacy. The concept deals with the degree to which the public is willing to support and cooperate with police...
Seton Hill gets $1.7 million federal grant for students in need
Seton Hill University got a $1.7 million federal grant to benefit students who need a helping hand. The money will fund the university’s TRIO Student Support Services program for the next five years. Many universities have federally funded TRIO programs. Seton Hill’s was established in 1979. The program helps students...
Plea bargain for yawning defendant nixed by Westmoreland County judge
A Pittsburgh man’s yawns during a court hearing Friday prompted a Westmoreland County judge to reject a proposed plea bargain in which the man would plead guilty to charges related to an armed robbery last year in Jeannette. Jamar Miles, 19, of Pittsburgh, was expected to receive a sentence of...
Here is what happens if President Trump becomes too ill to serve
If President Donald Trump becomes too ill to serve as he battles covid-19 — either in his own opinion or that of Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet — the Constitution would come into play. Brian Kalt, a law professor at Michigan State University, is the author of a...
Pittsburgh road rage incident ends in gunfire on Banksville Road
A road rage incident in Pittsburgh’s Banksville neighborhood ended in gunfire Friday, sending two people to the hospital, police said. The incident happened about 12:15 p.m. on Banksville Road near the Eat n’ Park and Days Inn. Police said they believe the driver of a silver pickup truck ran the...
Duquesne University reports 13 new covid cases in a day
Duquesne University has confirmed 30 cases of covid-19 on campus this semester – nearly half of which occurred Thursday in what officials called a “focused increase.” The university recorded 13 new cases among students in one day this week, marking the highest daily total for campus cases this semester. An...
Greensburg Salem moves ahead with homecoming after last-minute legal decision
Greensburg Salem officials were forced to make quick decisions after a last-minute legal ruling made it uncertain whether the school district could have spectators at Friday’s homecoming game. The district decided to carry on as planned, but separate spectators into three “pods” of no more than 250 people each. “We...
Student tests positive for covid-19 at St. Bede School in Pittsburgh
A first-grade student at St. Bede School in Point Breeze has tested positive for the coronavirus, the school said Friday in an email message, and Director of Catholic Schools Michelle Peduto said. All first-graders at the school will learn virtually for the next 14 days, Peduto said. The school has...
Michael Lynch’s family will remember Monroeville’s ‘first mayor’ as a great father
Monroeville’s “first mayor” was actually first and foremost a father and a husband. Michael Lynch served as the first mayor for Monroeville as a Home Rule charter municipality, having succeeded Ronald Droske in 1978, according to the Monroeville Historical Society. “He wasn’t always around, but he was there for us...
Derry Area OKs full-time return to secondary classrooms, cites rise in course failures
Students at Derry Area’s middle school and high school could return to classrooms full-time this month, according to a revised health and safety plan approved by the school board. The board voted 5-2 Thursdayto provide in-person instruction for secondary students five days per week, beginning Oct. 12, or on the...
Former Pennsylvania trooper, Army veteran gets probation for falsifying firearms document
A former Pennsylvania State Police trooper convicted this year of falsifying public documents avoided a jail sentence Friday when a Westmoreland County judge said trauma suffered by two overseas military tours were enough to mitigate the need for incarceration. Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger conceded that Chad Corbett, who...
Pittsburgh autonomous vehicle company moving into new headquarters in Strip District
Aurora, a Pittsburgh-based autonomous vehicle company, will be moving into a new headquarters space in the Strip District. They expect to move into the new location at 1600 Smallman Street by the spring, a company spokesperson said. With over 100,000 square feet, the headquarters will house an array of employees,...
Freeport Area High School receives National Blue Ribbon School distinction
Freeport Area High School has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Blue Ribbon School distinction recognizes top public and non-public schools annually. Freeport Area High School was one of 367 schools nationwide to earn the title for this year. Principal...
