Western PA Local News category, Page 2322
2 more coronavirus-related deaths reported at Westmoreland Manor
Westmoreland officials said Thursday that two more residents at the county-owned nursing home died from complications of coronavirus. A total of five Westmoreland Manor residents have now died after contracting the virus since the start of the outbreak last month at the 408-bed Hempfield facility. Since mid-September, 117 residents and...
Police searching for man accused of breaking into Springdale house, threatening to kill occupants
A Harrison man is accused of breaking into a Springdale Township home and threatening to kill two women and a child with a knife. Kenneth Mendenhall Jr., 30, faces charges of aggravated assault, burglary, trespassing, terroristic threats and simple assault, according to online court records. Police issued a warrant for...
Split decision on motions in misconduct case against Allegheny County Judge Tranquilli
The judge presiding over the upcoming misconduct trial of an Allegheny County judge accused of making racist remarks issued rulings on Thursday adverse to both sides of the case. Conference Judge John H. Foradora heard argument on various motions on Wednesday in Brookville, Jefferson County. He issued his order in...
Tarentum train station restaurant to reopen in December, owner says
The owner of JG’s Tarentum Station Grille said Thursday he intends to reopen the popular restaurant on Dec. 1. The restaurant in a historic former train station in the heart of Tarentum has been closed since March because of the covid-19 pandemic. When the state allowed restaurants to increase their...
Gisele Fetterman won’t press charges against woman in verbal assault
The woman who berated Pennsylvania second lady Gisele Fetterman outside a Forest Hills grocery store will not be prosecuted at the request of the Fetterman family, which includes Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. The incident happened Sunday at the Aldi on Route 30. Fetterman said she was waiting in line...
Pittsburgh barber cutting into profit to help raise money for Lemieux Foundation
When Dave Peters was 10 years old, his father, William Peters died of a heart attack at the age of 50. The youngster found comfort at the Highmark Caring Place, a Pittsburgh center for grieving children, adolescents and their families. Pittsburgh’s most welcoming neighbor, Fred Rogers, was honorary chairman. “That...
Greensburg City Hall closed this week due to suspected coronavirus case
Greensburg City Hall is closed this week due to a suspected coronavirus infection of a city employee, Councilman Randy Finfrock said. “Just as an abundance of caution we’re deep cleaning City Hall, and we’ll be back in business Monday,” he said. Officials closed the building Tuesday afternoon. A city employee...
Allegheny County creates online search tool for incorrect ballots
Allegheny County voters can now go online to check if they’re among the nearly 29,000 voters who received the wrong ballot for the Nov. 3 election. County officials on Wednesday said they received word late last week that some voters received the wrong ballot. Midwest Direct, the company contracted to...
Monroeville faces $3.1 million shortfall in 2021 budget, plans are to fill gap without tax hike
Monroeville Council is faced with a $3.1 million shortfall in the municipality’s 2021 spending plan. The upcoming year’s budget stands at $36.5 million, which represents a 1.2% increase from 2020. Manager Tim Little said most communities across the country will experience losses in revenue because of the pandemic. “The good...
Former North Huntingdon banquet manager to serve jail time for theft
Ron Tarquinio’s business, like many others, is struggling to survive the coronavirus pandemic. He told a Westmoreland County judge on Thursday that his catering company, Banquets Unlimited in North Huntingdon, already was behind the eight-ball after his former business manager stole at least $8,000 and alienated a steady customer base....
Fox Chapel Area students bring ‘Lost in Yonkers’ to outdoor stage
They’ve rehearsed by Zoom and won’t be performing on a traditional stage, but Fox Chapel Area theater students are eager to bring the high school’s fall production to life. “It’s very uplifting to see how, despite everything that has happened (with covid-19), we can still have some normalcy during a...
Norwin-area happenings Oct. 24-Nov.6
Unwanted medications being collected North Huntingdon police are taking unwanted and old medications from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 24 at the lobby of the station, 12279 Center Highway, as part of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency’s Drug Take Back Program. Unwanted medications, old pills and capsules and liquids...
412 Food Rescue hosting virtual concert fundraiser with Wiz Khalifa
A virtual “Yinz Citizen” concert and fundraiser hosted by 412 Food Rescue and featuring appearances by Wiz Khalifa, Anti-Flag, The Commonheart, Joe Grushecky, Donnie Iris and others is set for Nov. 12. The event is designed to raise money for 412 Food Rescue’s work to combat hunger and food waste....
Police seize 2K stamp bags of suspected heroin, arrest suspect in South Greensburg
State police netted 2,050 stamp bags of suspected heroin and more than $2,100 in cash Wednesday in a South Greensburg bust that led to the arrest of one man. Chyrone Lamar Rodgers, 32, is charged with possession of and intent to deliver the controlled substance. He was arrested without incident...
Westmoreland Municipal Authority to upgrade McKeesport water intake
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will dam off a section of the Youghiogheny River next year and dig below the riverbed to install new pipes needed as part of a $7.8 million project to build an upgraded intake system in McKeesport. Authority board members this week approved the project,...
Murrysville-area emergency responders get more than $100,000 for covid-related expenses
Millions of dollars in grants are on the way for Pennsylvania’s fire departments and ambulance agencies struggling through the coronavirus pandemic. About 90 Westmoreland County fire departments are getting more than $2 million. Fourteen EMS agencies in the county are set to receive about $210,000 total. That includes Murrysville Medic...
Swissvale bar closed again for covid violations
A Swissvale bar is shut down for the second time for violating covid-19 restrictions meant to safeguard against the spread of the virus, Allegheny County records show. Wilson’s Nite Out, on Denniston Street, can reopen Friday if owners and management submit a covid-19 safety plan. Owners had previously submitted a...
New Kensington-Arnold superintendent acknowledges distancing problem in 3rd-grade classes
New Kensington-Arnold School District is working to fix a problem with reduced social distancing in some third-grade classes at Roy A. Hunt Elementary in Arnold, Acting Superintendent Jon Banko said. Distancing in three or four combination social studies/science classes in the grade is reduced from 6 feet to 5 feet...
South Buffalo fire department to host Kevin Haas memorial truck pull
The South Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a truck and tractor pull to memorialize a friend. The Kevin Haas Memorial Truck and Tractor Pull will be held at the fire hall on Saturday. It’s a fitting tribute to Haas, who died in May, said Erin Pflueger, a member of...
Monroeville Public Library board asks council to reinstate 10 part-time employees
The Monroeville Public Library’s board of directors has asked council to reinstate 10 part-time employees to help the full-time employees keep up with a new, covid-19 workload. Board president Dave English and former board president Debbie Iszauk addressed council during its Oct. 13 meeting. They said the new guidelines the...
Restaurant, bakery expected to open in O’Hara’s RIDC Park in early 2021
A new restaurant and bakery is expected to open in the former Max & Erma’s in RIDC Park in early 2021. Periwinkle’s, an American-style eatery with burgers, soups and salads, will open at 900 Gamma Drive, O’Hara, just off the Allegheny Valley Expressway. The building and its 2.8-acre parcel were...
Allegheny Land Trust gets $1M boost for project at Churchill Valley Country Club site
Allegheny Land Trust announced Wednesday it received a $1 million boost from the state toward its effort to preserve the now-vacant 148 acres at the defunct Churchill Valley Country Club. The grant is coming from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “This is an enormous boost for the...
Pitt Law School adjunct teacher resigns after using racial slur
An adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law resigned Wednesday afternoon, after using a racial slur during a class discussion. Law students at the University of Pittsburgh were informed via email Wednesday evening. According to the email, the teacher, who was not named, used the N-word while...
Westmoreland County sees biggest jump in reported coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County saw its highest single-day spike in covid-19 cases Thursday adding 148 new cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The county also recorded one death. The county had not seen more than 90 cases reported in a single day, which happened Monday. Westmoreland County’s seven-day average is...
Details emerge on suspected Taco Bell bandit charged in Southwestern Pa. burglaries
An Ohio man accused of burglarizing more than 30 Taco Bells across four states now faces charges for similar crimes in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Joshua John Logue, of Columbus, Ohio, is accused of hitting Taco Bell restaurants in the Waterworks Mall complex, Scott and South Strabane in Washington County. All of...
