Local category, Page 2387
Franklin Regional School Board will vote on back-to-school plan Thursday night
Franklin Regional school officials have released a draft of their reopening plans for the 2020-21 school year, which will be voted on at a special online meeting Thursday night. The plan covers multiple scenarios for reopening and operating under the state-designated green, yellow and red phases. It includes a “hybrid”...
Pittsburgh police seek help identifying alleged Dollar Bank vandal
Investigators are seeking the public’s help in identifying a man they say vandalized a Dollar Bank along Penn Avenue during the East Liberty protests on June 1. Pittsburgh police posted photos of the suspect on its twitter page. During the East Liberty on June 1, the male in this series...
Suspect arrested in shooting incident in Market Square, no injuries reported
Pittsburgh police arrested a man after officers responded to a shots fired call around 4 p.m. Wednesday in Market Square. No injuries were reported. Police said the suspect, who they did not identify, was arrested on a firearms charge after a brief foot chase. Police were alerted to two suspects,...
Pittsburgh Council hears public testimony on bill to expand police review board power
Pittsburgh City Council plans to amend a bill that would give the city’s Citizen Police Review Board more power to investigate police misconduct and civil rights complaints against officers, one of the sponsors said Wednesday during a virtual public hearing. Councilman Ricky Burgess said he is working with Mayor Bill...
More Port Authority of Allegheny County employees test positive for covid-19
Four more Port Authority of Allegheny County employees have tested positive for covid-19 since last week, authorities announced Wednesday. Spokesman Adam Brandolph said three of them tested positive on Saturday and one had a positive test Wednesday. He said all four are recovering in a medically directed self-quarantine at home....
Westmoreland eateries brace for another round of restrictions
The extra marketing Jeanine DeGennaro did for her South Greensburg restaurant paid off while it was shut down. Now DeGennaro’s Restaurant & Lounge faces another blow as state officials are expected to halt indoor dining and drinking in Westmoreland and surrounding counties for at least two weeks amid the coronavirus...
Allegheny County will allow outdoor dining beginning Friday, Rivers Casino allowed to reopen
Outdoor dining at Allegheny County restaurants and bars will be allowed beginning Friday according to revised covid-19 restrictions issued by the county Health Department. Also, Rivers Casino will be permitted to reopen. Indoor dining and alcohol consumption will continue to be banned at restaurants and bars under the new two-week...
Vandergrift councilwoman gets no support in quest to form a shade tree commission
Vandergrift Council isn’t interested in starting a shade tree commission. Councilwoman Karen McClarnon, head of the council’s tree and light committee, asked council on Monday to formally establish such a commission. No other council member agreed to move forward with the idea at its virtual meeting. Shade tree commissions are...
Preliminary hearings continued to Sept. 4 for defendants in death of Oakmont toddler
The preliminary hearings for three Oakmont residents accused of the physical and psychological torture, and eventual death, of a toddler have been continued to September, according to court records. Jose Salazar-Ortiz Sr., 29, and Laura Ramriez, 27, were charged June 24 with homicide, criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault of a child,...
Westmoreland municipal authority OKs buying Mt. Pleasant sewage plant
Mt. Pleasant is selling its sewage plant to the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, which has agreed not to raise rates for the plant’s 3,200 customers for at least two years, officials said. The municipal authority board on Wednesday approved the deal to buy the borough’s sewage plant for $3...
Portion of Forbes Road in Monroeville to close next week through mid-November
A portion of Forbes Road in Monroeville will close later this month for landslide repair work, paving, shoulder reconstruction and line painting, according to PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said. The road will close between Haymaker Road and Stewart Station Drive starting July 27. Stewart Station Drive is also referred to...
Lawsuit claims UPMC, doctors failed to get proper patient consent for procedures
A federal lawsuit alleges health care giant UPMC and several doctors failed to get proper patient consent for surgeries and participation in clinical trials and then filed false insurance claims for the procedures. The lawsuit’s plaintiffs include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare &...
Goodwill holds 1st ‘Ultimate Outlet Warehouse Sale’ in Monroeville
Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania held it first ever Ultimate Outlet Warehouse Sale in Monroeville on Wednesday. Due to a generous amount of donations over the last several months, officials said they were “bursting at the seams” and needed to unload some of the merchandise. During the sale, shoppers were able...
Trib to continue fight for jurors’ names from Sheriff Held’s mistrial following appeals court ruling
Trib Total Media, the parent company of the Tribune-Review, on Wednesday vowed to continue fighting to make public the names of jurors who served in the 2018 public corruption mistrial of former Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held after a state appellate court upheld the delay of the release. The newspaper...
Monroeville officials reschedule Fourth of July fireworks display for Labor Day weekend
Monroeville officials have decided to wait until the first Sunday in September to set off approximately $20,000 worth of fireworks originally scheduled for July 4. The Sept. 6 date will only feature a fireworks display, said Manager Tim Little. There will be no parade, an annual addition to the municipality’s...
Latrobe man allegedly angry at GetGo ‘mask wearing’ request cited for damaging merchandise
A Latrobe man was cited for criminal mischief and disorderly conduct after he allegedly became angered and damaged merchandise inside a convenience store Thursday when he was asked by a store clerk to wear a protective mask while shopping. State police Trooper Ryan Ilich reported Jonathan P. Hazen, 37, was...
Registration required to attend online Ross meeting
The Ross Township Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. July 20 will be held online. Those who want to watch, listen or participate must register via Ringcentral and download the app, according to the municipality website. Those who register will receive a confirmation email with instructions to join....
News briefs: Officials remind residents of mask rules in Aspinwall parks
Aspinwall officials are reminding park visitors that masks are required per the new mandate by Gov. Tom Wolf in cases when it is not possible to socially distance. Manager Melissa Lang O’Malley said masks are only required if visitors cannot keep the required 6 feet from the next person. “Our...
Hampton pool launches junior lifeguard program
Hampton Community Pool will host its first junior lifeguarding program. The purpose of the program, according to the municipality’s website, is to promote skills associated with being a lifeguard, including lifesaving techniques. This is a one-day program with two sessions, from 9 a.m. to noon either Aug. 1 or Aug....
Free milk giveaway in Greensburg helps Westmoreland County residents in needVideo
At the entrance of Robert F. Nicely Elementary School in Greensburg, John Chrisman waved a gallon of milk Wednesday morning to passing cars, attracting lots of attention. The American Dairy Association North East held its first event in Westmoreland County to help people in need, “especially for fresh, wholesome, nutrient-rich...
Shursave grocery store in Bloomfield to be replaced by Community Market
The Shursave IGA grocery store in Bloomfield will be replaced with a Community Market store, a realtor said. ECHO Realty owns the Shursave grocery store property on Liberty Avenue. The company said this week that it plans to close the Shursave by the end of July. The store will reopen...
Pine Community Center open to members
The Pine Community Center is now open to members. According to the township’s website, members are required to wear masks when not using exercise equipment, participating in group fitness classes or open gyms. The center is operating at 50% capacity on a first come, first-served basis. Guest passes, Kid’s Corner...
Fox Chapel Area School District weighing in-person, online learning scenarios
Fox Chapel Area students could start the new school year from home, learning online with instruction from district teachers. Or, students could return to the six campuses and be mandated to wear masks in the classroom and socially distance from others in the buildings. Officials this week announced several scenarios...
Tarentum to have all full-time police force after promoting 2 part-timers
Tarentum Council has promoted two part-time borough police officers to full-time status. Officers Jordan Schrecengost and Jeremy Belusar will go full-time on Aug. 1. They have been with the department for about a year each. Belusar started on July 12, 2019; Schrecengost on Aug. 30, 2019, according to borough Manager...
University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon join push against Trump’s edict on student visas
Officials at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University joined leaders at research universities across the nation calling on the Trump administration to rescind its plans to deny visas and or deport foreign students unless they attend classes in person. Unlike Harvard, the University of Southern California and MIT,...
