The Stroller, June 11, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Event to celebrate National...
What is a Labubu? Viral monster dolls tough to find in Pittsburgh region
When Divina Rocco first heard of the viral Labubu plush dolls sold by the Chinese collectibles retailer Pop Mart, she admittedly thought they were “ridiculous.” Now, she owns seven of them. The monster-like creatures were created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. He created “The Monsters” in 2015, first as...
2 Westmoreland basketball teams bring home Special Olympics gold medals
Two Westmoreland County teams returned with gold medals from the 2025 Special Olympics Pennsylvania Summer Games in State College after two days of intense basketball last weekend. One, Wolverines 3 played full-court basketball and the other, Wolverines 4, played half-court. “Once that final second ticked off, there was so much...
Palace Theatre moves to cashless payments
The Palace Theatre in Greensburg has gone cashless. Audience members looking to purchase snacks and drinks while attending shows will be required to use plastic and digital payment options, according to Daniel Stainer, spokesman for the Westmoreland Cultural Trust. The trust, which owns and operates the Palace Theatre, instituted the...
Shaler Garden Club’s upcoming Great Gardens Tour touted as inspiring learning experience
Tucked away next to a shopping center in the middle of Ross is a garden that Sue Colaizzi has been tending for nearly 50 years. In mid-July, she’ll be welcoming guests to her home as one of five gardens on the Shaler Garden Club’s 17th annual Great Gardens Tour. “It’s...
Make sure to bring a healthy appetite to the U.S. OpenVideo
Should you be eating a Philly cheesesteak for breakfast? It’s a culinary debate for the ages. Dick Atzeni of Sligo, Clarion County, and his granddaughter, Hannah, certainly weren’t against it, as they chowed down on their sandwiches around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the U.S. Open in Oakmont. Atzeni has been...
Young fans give tips regarding the hunt for U.S. Open autographsVideo
To get an autograph at the U.S. Open, you must be assertive, pushy and, for the most part, you have to be a kid. On Tuesday, Oakmont Country Club was flooded with people and families coming from all over the country. Among the crowd, tiny hands gripped flags, posters, hats...
Aquinas Academy graduates 34 students, who netted over $7 million in scholarship awards
Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh graduated 34 students on May 31. A baccalaureate Mass in the chapel preceded the ceremony, which was held in the Rhodora J. Donahue building on campus. According to Peter Blume Esq., president of the Hampton school, the Class of 2025 received 112 acceptances to more than...
Shaler Area seniors graduate a day late because of weather
The Shaler Area Class of 2025 had to wait an extra day before graduating. Because of the chance of bad weather, the district postponed the commencement ceremony from Friday, May 30, to Saturday, May 31, at Titan Stadium. JoAnne Townsend, interim principal of Shaler Area High School, said the class...
St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Croatian Church in Millvale marks 125 years with a full house
St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Croatian Church in Millvale celebrated its 125th anniversary on June 1. The day began with a Mass celebrated by Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik, along with other clergy. During his homily, Zubik recognized the ancestors who brought the strength and richness of the Croatian...
USGA prioritizes player, family experiences at Oakmont championship
As USGA’s director of player relations, Rosalyn Barnett deals with tasks as large as flying golfers’ families across the world to ones as small as helping locate their lost keys. It’s a busy but fun job, she said, where she deals with “anything and everything.” And it’s one she has...
Father of man killed in Penn Hills hookah lounge shooting files wrongful death lawsuit
The father of a man shot and killed last year at the Ballers Hookah Lounge and Cigar Bar in Penn Hills is suing the business and its operators. The plaintiffs — Nathaniel Smiley Sr., whose son, Nathaniel Smiley Jr., was killed, and Earon Chambers, who was wounded — filed the...
Among thousands of attendees, hundreds of kids attend U.S. Open for free
As 10-year-old Elsie Trombley walked into Oakmont County Club on Tuesday, she said she was excited for souvenirs, autographs and concessions at the U.S. Open. “And golf,” her father, Matt, reminded her. Visiting from Fox Chapel, Elsie was one of hundreds of children who are attending the U.S. Open for...
North Hills School Board approves 2025-26 budget with no tax increase
Property owners in the North Hills School District will not see their school district taxes increase for the 2025-26 school year. The school board on June 5 gave final, unanimous approval to the district’s $100.12 million budget, leaving the property tax rate unchanged at 20.37 mills. A property at Ross’...
Hampton School District graduates 187 students
Hampton High School celebrated commencement for the Class of 2025 on May 29 at Fridley Field. The class consists of 187 graduates. Of those, 83 graduated with honors — 32 graduated summa cum laude, 23 graduated magna cum laude and 18 graduated cum laude. In their future plans, 87% of...
Pine-Richland School Board OKs budget with no tax increase over concerns of superintendent, residents
A five-member majority of the Pine-Richland School Board approved the district’s 2025-26 budget with no tax increase over the concerns of the superintendent that the district’s finances are being politicized, and worries that future deficits could lead to severe cuts. Superintendent Brian Miller has been urging the board to consider...
‘Snowbirds’ jet team highlights 100th anniversary of Westmoreland air show
Westmoreland County Airport Authority officials expect as many as 50,000 spectators will gather at the runway next weekend to gaze into the sky as nine acts perform air stunts and flyovers. It will be the 100th anniversary of the first air show held at what is now called Arnold Palmer...
Pine-Richland celebrates graduation of 374 seniors
The Pine-Richland School District graduated 374 seniors during its 2025 commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 7. The ceremony included a performance of the Pine-Richland alma mater by senior choir members followed by introductory remarks from high school Principal Frank Hernandez. The district continued its tradition of the Pine-Richland “family photo,”...
Pa. state police exhume body of unidentified woman killed in Fayette County
Pennsylvania State Police this week exhumed the body of a woman killed in a Fayette County motor vehicle crash nearly 40 years ago, hoping to finally identify her through DNA. The woman was killed May 2, 1986, in a tractor-trailer rollover in Springhill Township, about 15 miles south of Uniontown....
U.S. Open photo gallery: practice rounds Day 2
Practice rounds resumed Tuesday at Oakmont Country Club ahead of the start U.S. Open later this week. Here is a look at the day in pictures....
Mayhem maker who tried to shoot Homestead cop gets stiff sentence
A man who tried to shoot a Homestead police officer in an alley two years ago after fleeing from a traffic stop was sentenced last week to serve 35 years in federal prison on gun and drug charges. Erik Addison, 29, formerly of Homestead pleaded guilty in February to four...
Police probe armed robberies of postal workers in South Hills
Mt. Lebanon police early Tuesday apprehended four people as part of an investigation into recent armed robberies of postal workers in the South Hills that left one injured. Authorities launched an investigation last week following two incidents in Upper St. Clair and Bridgeville, said Dave Gealey, a U.S. Postal Inspection...
Former Greensburg diocese bishop to be honored during viewings, services next week
Former Diocese of Greensburg Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt, who died Sunday morning at age 86, will be celebrated during several services next week. Brandt, named bishop by Pope John Paul II in 2004, led the diocese for 11 years. The diocese has not officially released the cause of death, but...
Medical experts slam Kennedy’s dismissal of CDC vaccine advisers
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to remove every member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee has sparked major outcry among the health care community. Some medical experts, including doctors in Western Pennsylvania, say he has created a hostile environment for vaccines. On Monday,...
Penn-Trafford approves 3-mill tax hike, dips into savings to cover remaining deficit
Penn-Trafford tax bills will raise $84 annually on average following the school board’s decision Monday to implement a 3-mill tax hike. The board approved a $70 million budget with about $69.9 million in revenue Monday night. District tax rates will be 93.75 mills for Westmoreland County residents and 14.39 mills...
