Western PA Local News category, Page 2303
Former Latrobe wrestling coach to serve probation for hazing incident
The former assistant wrestling coach at Greater Latrobe Area Junior High School was sentenced Wednesday to serve two years on probation in connection with hazing allegations. David F. Galando, 44, of Youngstown was charged in May with misdemeanor counts of child endangerment and failing to report potential child abuse allegations...
Cops: Man jailed after assault and failed robbery attempt in Latrobe
A 36-year-old Latrobe man was arrested this week, charged with assault and attempted robbery by city police for allegedly trying to take a woman’s purse early Tuesday. Brandon S. Baradziej also is charged with harassment, public drunkenness, simple assault, terroristic threats and theft, according to court dockets. Officer Mathew Dechicchis...
IUP restructuring plan to close 5 fine arts programs, reduce faculty
Indiana University of Pennsylvania will close five fine arts programs as it works to restructure in the face of a decade of declining enrollment and a projected $16 million budget shortfall, officials said Wednesday. University President Michael Driscoll, who has dubbed the effort the IUP NextGen plan, said the university...
Steelers, Pitt broadcaster Bill Hillgrove to serve probation to resolve Murrysville DUI case
Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh football and basketball radio broadcaster William T. “Bill” Hillgrove will serve two years on probation after he was arrested in June for a drunken driving incident in Murrysville. Police said Hillgrove, 79, of Murrysville, was intoxicated when he crashed into the front windows at...
Pittsburgh Art Commission votes to remove Columbus statue; legal challenge continues
An Allegheny County judge will likely decide the fate of the Christopher Columbus statue in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. Judge John T. McVay Jr. has set a virtual status conference on a lawsuit filed by the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, for 1 p.m. Thursday. The lawsuit seeks to halt...
Polling places: Where to vote in the South Hills
Election day is Nov. 3. The Allegheny County Elections Division said all 1,323 polling locations will be open that day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone in line at 8 p.m. will still be allowed the vote, according to the county’s website. The county website states poll workers will...
Howard Hanna chairman announced as new board chair of Heinz History Center
Howard W. “Hoddy” Hanna III, chairman of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, was unanimously approved recently as the new chair of the Senator John Heinz History Center’s board of trustees. Hanna III of Fox Chapel will succeed Diane P. Holder, president and CEO at UPMC Health Plan, and executive vice...
Carnegie Mellon study finds severe polarization in political language
The divide between political parties is not just ideological. Their members are essentially speaking different languages, a study from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found. Using computer translation tools, researchers analyzed 86.6 million YouTube comments from 6.5 million users on more than 200,000 news videos from CNN, Fox News, MSNBC...
Pittsburgh police detail policy on undercover officer drinking limits
Pittsburgh police leaders on Tuesday night detailed for the first time new policies regarding alcohol consumption by plainclothes officers, more than two years after a brawl between members of the Pagans and officers on an undercover detail. The changes were made in response to the Oct. 12, 2018, incident at...
Polling places: Where to vote in the Fox Chapel area
Here’s a list of where you can vote Nov. 3 in each of the six municipalities in the Fox Chapel Area School District: • Aspinwall: Municipal building, 217 Commercial Ave.; Aspinwall Fire Hall, 2201 12th St.; and St. Scholastica Church, 300 Maple Ave. • Blawnox: Blawnox Fire Hall, 376 Freeport...
Polling places: Where to vote in Monroeville
Here is a list of the voting locations in Monroeville, broken down by ward and district: Ward 1 District 1: Monroeville Volunteer Fire Department #3, 2601 Third St. District 2: New Covenant Church, 2225 Grandview Ave. District 3 and 4: Dr. Cleveland Steward Elementary School, 5000 Gateway Campus Blvd. Ward...
Westmoreland County reports 5 new coronavirus deaths, 91 new cases
Westmoreland County added five new coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The five deaths bring the county’s total to 93 and are the highest single-day total since six deaths were reported on May 18. The county also added 91 new covid-19 cases, bring the case...
Westmoreland County Prison inmate accused of breaking fellow prisoner’s jaw during assault
A South Carolina man charged with attempting to kill a sheriff’s deputy there was arrested Wednesday on assault charges in connection with a beating at the Westmoreland County Prison this month. Brian Joseph Stoltie is accused of attacking another inmate, who suffered several facial fractures and had his jaw wired...
Allegheny County reports 2nd-highest new covid-19 case total in nearly 3 months
Allegheny County reported its second-highest daily total of new coronavirus cases in nearly three months Wednesday. The Allegheny County Health Department added 199 new cases (137 confirmed and 62 probable) out of 1,577 PCR tests. Of the probables, 42 are from positive antigen tests. Since August, the county has had...
Shaler Area alum awarded STEM scholarship for junior, senior years at Saint Vincent College
Shaler Area graduate Grace Tavitas is blazing a trail for young female academics with a passion for science. The Saint Vincent College junior was named a Clare Boothe Luce scholar, earning full-ride tuition, room and board for her final two years of undergraduate studies. The Shaler resident is an engineering...
Franklin Regional, local church partner to provide ‘Holiday Help’ to families
For years, schools in the Franklin Regional School District would operate a program helping out less-fortunate families during the holiday season. Through school counselors, families in need would be identified and through fundraising, would be provided with gifts . Just a little more than a mile west down Old William...
Theft, DUIs, drugs among charges filed in Bridgeville, Carnegie, Scott courts
District court judges in Bridgeville, Scott and Carnegie handled these criminal cases from Oct. 12-19. Defendants will have court dates set in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Judge Maureen McGraw-Desmet, Bridgeville • Jordan Andrew Cervone, 25, of Avalon on charges of receiving stolen property and two counts of...
Food Podcast: Food insecurity rates rise during covid-19 pandemic
A new report from Feeding America projects a 42 percent increase in food insecurity rates during the year 2020 in Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s service area. On this week’s Food Podcast presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union, host Brian Gulish discusses why the increase is happening, which includes changes...
Firearms, drugs among charges filed in Brentwood, South Park courts
District court judges in Brentwood and South Park handled these criminal cases from Oct. 20-27. Defendants will have court dates set in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Judge Ralph Kaiser, Brentwood • Johnathon Hodgson, 22, of Pittsburgh on charges of carrying a firearm without a license and prohibited...
See 30,000 pounds of jack-o’-lanterns at Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkins displayVideo
The champion pumpkin weighs 2,111.5 pounds. An Atlantic Giant, this breed of pumpkin will be part of the orange mass at the Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkins Pop-Up Festival on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. The Halloween-inspired event opens Friday and runs through Nov. 5. Because of the pandemic, it will be a drive-by...
Daylong rain, boosted by Zeta, not expected to pose flooding threat in Pittsburgh area
Flooding is not expected to be a threat from rain that will soak the Pittsburgh area Thursday, influenced by the remnants of Hurricane Zeta, Jason Frazier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said Wednesday. Zeta is expected to make landfall in the mid-to-late afternoon. Its moisture will...
Westmoreland pandemic panel: Technology presents solutions, challenges
Technology is a lifeline for many during the social separation that is part of the coronavirus pandemic. But the increased virtual connections people are making aren’t without pitfalls. As screen time for children has grown, so have concerns about what they may be viewing between online lessons and what face-to-face...
Alien invaders welcome at North Huntingdon homeVideo
It might be time to break out the tin foil hats — an alien invasion is taking place in North Huntingdon. Three silver aliens with glowing green eyes stand at the ready, two holding toy guns, in a neighborhood along Dianthus Street, their spaceship glowing red, white and blue. It’s...
2 indicted in 2-day, 3-county armed robbery spree
Two Maryland brothers previously arrested in connection with a two-day armed robbery spree in three counties were indicted by a federal grand jury this week, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. Elijah Alvin Sayon and Rexford Wright, both 23, of Hagerstown, Md., are each facing four counts of robbery. The...
Westmoreland events include dinner fundraisers
Blood drive • White Valley AMVETS Auxiliary will host a Vitalant community blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 31 in the post social hall, 2100 Carolina St., Export. Appointments are recommended, but walk-ins welcome. Bring ID. Appointments: 412-209-7000 or visit the Donate Blood button at Vitalant.org and...
