Local category, Page 2271
United Way expands regional volunteer efforts with Week of Caring
Volunteers are needed more than ever while area organizations cope with the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic. The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania has responded by organizing its first Week of Caring, running through Oct. 10. More than 700 volunteers have signed up to participate in 75 in-person and virtual...
Pittsburgh man convicted of murder to get hearing on double jeopardy
A Pittsburgh man found guilty of third-degree murder two years ago will get a hearing to determine if the retrial of his case — which resulted in his conviction — was double jeopardy. Carlos Harris, 26, was convicted of killing Daren Scott, 25, of Munhall on Aug. 24, 2015, as...
Mt. Pleasant nursing home workers picket for wage hikes, better contractVideo
Workers at a Mt. Pleasant nursing home formed an informational picket line outside the facility Thursday afternoon as part of an effort to get a better contract with higher wages without higher health care insurance premiums. Holding up signs saying “We Deserve a Fair Contract,” about 15 to 20 members...
Westmoreland County fires deputy director of elections with Nov. 3 election looming
Westmoreland commissioners fired the deputy director of the county’s elections bureau — a move that continues upheaval in the department just a month before the Nov. 3 election. County officials on Thursday would not comment on the reasons for the dismissal of Scott Sistek, who served for more than a...
Indiana man, others facing assault charges after brawl at North Apollo bar
An Indiana County man faces felony charges after police say he struck another man in the head with a beer bottle during a brawl at a North Apollo bar. Police charged Ian Russell Lamison, 42, of Indiana, with two felony counts of aggravated assault and additional offenses in connection with...
2 Norwin students test positive for coronavirus
A Norwin High School student and a Hahntown Elementary school student will have to stay away from school until completing isolation procedures after testing positive for coronavirus, school officials said Thursday. Superintendent Jeff Taylor said the school district is working with the state Department of Health to help identify the...
Square Café’s East Liberty opening delayed
The opening of the Square Café in East Liberty has been delayed until early next week. The new location was scheduled to debut Thursday, but a final inspection detected a problem with the ventilation — the fire suppression system, to be exact — at the site. The restaurants Spoon and...
Westmoreland Manor has 16 new cases of coronavirus
Another 13 residents and three employees tested positive for coronavirus at Westmoreland Manor. With the new cases, there are now 67 of the county-owed nursing home’s 336 residents and 26 staff members who have been diagnosed with covid-19 since the outbreak was first discovered in mid-September. “There have been no...
Downtown Pittsburgh restaurant Pork & Beans closes
After four years in Downtown Pittsburgh, the barbecue restaurant Pork & Beans is closing. “We’ve made the difficult decision to retire Pork & Beans, but all the wonderful friends and memories will last a lifetime,” the restaurant posted on Instagram. “Thank you so much for everything.” View this post on...
National Solar Tour includes several Pittsburgh-area homeownersVideo
For Bill Spohn of Indiana Township, treading lightly when it comes to nature is a way of life he learned from having parents who lived through the Great Depression. “They didn’t have much to go around, and they kind of instilled those values in us: respect nature, pick up after...
Sharpsburg demolition part of Route 28 improvements
Four Sharpsburg homes were razed by PennDOT as part of a landslide remediation project in conjunction with the Route 28 widening between Millvale and the Highland Park Bridge. The houses sat along Noble Street which abuts the expressway. The specific cost of the demolition was not released by PennDOT, but...
Arnold man pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in teen’s 2016 shooting death
Aaron Waters said he will never forgive the man who shot and killed his 16-year-old daughter nearly four years ago in Arnold. “That person stole my joy, he stole my sunny days. I don’t see forgiveness in me at all. Acceptance, I have to,” Waters said Thursday during a hearing...
Authorities investigate distribution of Ku Klux Klan flyers in Greene County
Authorities in Greene County are investigating after dozens of hateful Ku Klux Klan flyers have appeared in residents’ yards and driveways, according to the District Attorney’s Office. “The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides the right to expression, speech and peaceful assembly,” District Attorney David Russo said in a...
Latest banned books list topped by works delving into gender identity, LGBTQ issues
Horror master Stephen King, Judy Blume of young readers’ fame and Kurt Vonnegut, he of “Slaughterhouse-Five,” are out. The three renowned authors — whose works were on the American Library Association’s list of 100 most frequently banned and challenged books from 1990 until 2009 — apparently are no longer so...
Somerset County man accused in theft of $32K in food from Hempfield firm
The owner of a Somerset County food distribution firm was accused this week of writing fraudulent checks to a Westmoreland County supply company to obtain more than $32,400 in food last spring. Brandon S. Kishlock, 38, of Jenner Township, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of theft by deception and writing...
Derry Area to weigh full-time return to secondary classrooms
Derry Area School Board is expected to consider a full-time return to in-class instruction for secondary students at its meeting tonight. Superintendent Eric Curry said his proposal to the board is based on the advice of local medical professionals who also have provided guidance for neighboring Greater Latrobe School District....
‘You can’t just flip a switch’ Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto says of police reform
As a Black man who grew up in small-town Alabama, Brandon Davis has been hit with a police night stick. He’s been forced to lie down in the mud by police, and he knows what it’s like to lose trust in law enforcement. Still, Davis, now an assistant professor at...
New Kensington woman appeals conviction on charges of helping cop killer
A New Kensington woman is appealing her conviction on charges she helped her cousin avoid capture after the 2017 killing of a police officer. In court documents filed this week, the lawyer for Lisa Harrington contends jurors should not have been allowed to watch video that depicted the Nov. 17,...
First tenants begin moving into New Kensington’s Pioneer Apartments
Erik Williams was expected to be among the first five tenants to move into New Kensington’s new, $18.2 million Pioneer Apartments on Thursday afternoon. “I just want to get in my apartment, period. It’s time for a change,” said Williams, who has lived at the nearby Arnold Towers for the...
Police: Harrison man solicited another person to join in on sexual assault of boy
A Harrison man is accused of inviting another person to join him in sexually assaulting a young boy. Police said they arrested Brandon Jones, 27, on Wednesday. A criminal complaint filed against Jones said a witness in the case reported receiving text messages from Jones in which he described sexual...
Jill Biden meets with owners of small businesses, including Holiday Travel InternationalVideo
During a campaign stop in Crabtree, Jill Biden told a small group of local Democrats and business leaders that areas such as Westmoreland County are an important part of her husband’s quest to win the presidency. As she and former Vice President Joe Biden traveled by train from Cleveland to...
Letter to the editor: Norwin board members don’t recognize irony
To the editor: In reply to the Sept. 24 article by Joe Napsha titled “Norwin school board member asked to resign” — there are two points of irony that seem to be lost on the board members. First, the ethics policy that states “board members should demonstrate respect for diversity...
Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes to deliver Caliente pizzas
Imagine ordering a pizza, driving to pick it up and having a Super Bowl MVP run it out to your car. It could happen. October is National Pizza Month and Super Bowl XLIII MVP and former Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes is partnering with Caliente Pizza & Draft House. The...
Westmoreland County adds 22 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County saw 22 new cases of covid-19 added to its total Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The county’s total cases are now 2,299 with 2,153 confirmed and 146 probable since the first cases were reported in March. For the month of September, 462 new cases were reported...
Mt. Pleasant Township man accused of impersonating officer, threatening relative, troopers
A former U.S. Forestry Service employee was jailed Wednesday on $100,000 bond after he was charged with falsely identifying himself as a federal law officer and threatening to arrest state troopers responding to a domestic incident in Mt. Pleasant Township. George L. Fusco, 52, was arrested by state police on...
