Local category, Page 2398
Man to be held in Westmoreland prison while awaiting extradition on attempted murder charge
A South Carolina man charged with the attempted murder of a police officer there will remain in the Westmoreland County Prison while he awaits trial for unrelated theft charges. Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears last week set a $50,000 straight bond in the case against Brian Joseph Stoltie, who was...
Sewickley’s Sweetwater to reopen in time for summer camps
Sweetwater Center for the Arts will reopen next week with a modified summer schedule. The Sewickley institution closed in March due to the covid-19 pandemic. According to an email from Executive Director Thomas Walters, Sweetwater will open July 6 using safety practices developed with a group of 50 regional cultural...
Philadelphia men arrested in connection with Indiana County home invasion
Two additional suspects were charged in connection with a June 23 home invasion in White Township, according to state police. Police said Spencer M. Hayes, 19, and Frank J. Williams IV, 20, both of Philadelphia, were charged Tuesday with robbery, criminal conspiracy, terroristic threats, theft and related charges following a...
Pittsburgh Council nixes consultant for review of police actions during protests
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday voted down a request by the Citizen Police Review Board to hire a Texas-based company for an independent review of police actions during recent protests. The review board had requested $25,000 to hire Densus Group to assess police use of force during protests Downtown and...
New Delmont library building on schedule for December completionVideo
Delmont Library Board member Dave Weber is hoping to have quite a Christmas present for patrons, shooting for Dec. 23 as the move-in date for the new library building off School Street. “It’s going very well,” said Weber on Tuesday as crews from Kacin Companies in Murrysville worked on the...
New online tool helps crunch coronavirus numbers throughout Pennsylvania
As covid-19 cases continue to increase in Allegheny County, state officials Tuesday launched a new online dashboard that put the numbers into perspective by comparing them on a week-to-week basis. “This dashboard provides the entire community with early warning to changes in covid-19 infection so that we can take action...
Pleasant Hills man sentenced for high speed DUI crash that killed a passenger
A 25-year-old Pleasant Hills man on Tuesday received a 3- to 6-year prison sentence for a December 2019 crash in Whitehall that killed a passenger. Tyler DeGraffenreid told police he smoked marijuana that day and drank numerous beers and several shots of whiskey before the Dec. 15, 2019, crash on...
In solar project, Pitt looks to the sky in latest renewable energy endeavor
The University of Pittsburgh has signed an agreement to buy all of the solar energy produced by a planned local solar plant, which amounts to about 13% of the Oakland campus’s energy consumption. The announcement came last week from Aurora Sharrard, Pitt’s director of sustainability. It is part of the...
Authorities trying to identify vandal suspect from May 30 Pittsburgh protests
Authorities are seeking help in identifying a man who is accused of helping to destroy a police vehicle during May 30 protests in Downtown Pittsburgh. The Damage Assessment and Accountability Task Force, a group made up of local, state and federal authorities including Pittsburgh police, are investigating crimes that happened...
Hempfield Area lays out preliminary reopening plans
Hempfield Area School District has released plans for reopening schools this fall. The phased approach would welcome students back to physical locations starting Aug. 27, with staggered schedules dictated by grade level, a letter written by Superintendent Tammy Wolicki reads. Under the initial plans, kindergarten students will attend school on...
WPXI’s Cara Sapida reveals breast cancer diagnosis
As a reporter for WPXI, Cara Sapida says that one comment she’s heard repeatedly over the years is, “You just never think it could happen to you.” As a healthy woman in her 30s, she didn’t think she’d be getting a diagnosis of breast cancer, especially after having a negative...
Pennsylvania to provide $225M in grants to small businesses
Donna Eicher could be a poster child for the economically devastating impacts of the covid-19 restrictions on small businesses. “Even though we’re considered essential because we’re lodging, we haven’t had any business since mid-March. All our bookings for March, April, May and June canceled,” said Eicher, who operates Seams Like...
Family of ‘Baby Marcus’ wants DA Zappala off homicide case, citing ‘repeated failures’
The family of a toddler fatally shot in 2013 is alleging the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office knew for years who killed the child but did nothing, and they’re now calling for the case to be turned over to the state or the U.S Attorney General’s Office. Gregory Parker, 22,...
Pittsburgh Black Lives Matter activist Tanisha Long featured on ‘Today’ show
A Pittsburgh Black Lives Matter leader was interviewed on NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday. Tanisha Long, the founder of Black Lives Matter Pittsburgh and SW Pa., spoke briefly to hosts about her efforts to reach people in smaller communities across the region who might sympathize with the Black Lives Matter...
35 new covid-19 deaths, 618 additional cases reported in Pennsylvania
There were 35 new covid-19 deaths and 618 additional cases reported in the state by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Tuesday. The statewide total is now 86,606 cases and 6,649 deaths, with 633 patients considered probable cases. According to the Department of Health, the most severe cases are seen...
6 new covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 6 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths in Westmoreland County on Tuesday. This brings the case total to 646 and death total to 38 in the county. Of the total cases, 620 are confirmed and 26 are probable. In Westmoreland County, 17,411 people...
Kelly-Strayhorn Theater partners with East Liberty arts organizations for virtual fundraiserVideo
The only tax dollars many music and performance venues get are from amusement taxes levied on ticket sales, but that money has dried up since the halls have sat empty since mid-March. Before the pandemic, the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty was partnering with restaurants in the neighborhood to host...
West Deer bar owner organizing protest over covid-19 drink sales ban
The owner of a West Deer bar is planning a Thursday protest in Downtown Pittsburgh about Allegheny County’s decision to prohibit alcohol sales inside bars and restaurants. “We will protest the shutdown of bars,” John Pavlik of West Deer wrote on his personal Facebook page. The protest is set for...
109 new covid-19 cases reported in Allegheny County, no deaths
Allegheny County health officials reported 109 new cases of covid-19 on Tuesday, along with seven hospitalizations but no new deaths. The figures reported Tuesday were the highest daily number of cases the county has recorded since the beginning of the pandemic. It is the first time the county’s daily number...
Coronavirus case reported at Belle Vernon Area graduation ceremonyVideo
A person who was at Belle Vernon Area High School’s graduation ceremony last week has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to district officials. In a letter to parents, Superintendent Michele Dowell said those in attendance Wednesday wore masks and maintained social distance from each other. Graduation for the Class...
Hempfield facing up to $1.4M budgetary deficit for 2020
Hempfield could see up to $1.4 million in lost revenues for 2020 and face an additional loss of $1 million in 2021 following economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. With more than $15 million in obligations due over the next 18 months, as well as an additional $8 million needed...
Police: Man held Jeannette woman’s phone, keys for 42 hours after break-in
A Swissvale man is accused of breaking into a Jeannette home and holding a woman’s keys and cell phone for nearly two days last week, according to police. Steve Gilbert Pierce, 32, is charged with burglary, unlawful restraint, stalking, simple assault and harassment. Jeannette police were called to the North...
Mellon Foundation grant aims to add low-cost Wi-Fi to high-need communities
As covid-19 cases increase in southwestern Pennsylvania, educators are just one of the groups struggling to see what their future may look like. School districts across the nation are looking at the myriad forms that fall classes could take, and it is just one of the areas R.K. Mellon Foundation...
Man found dead in Washington County house fire
An 85-year-old man was found dead Tuesday morning in a fire at his home, according to Washington County Coroner Timothy Warco. Gary B. Bigler was pronounced dead at 7 a.m. The blaze was reported at 5:45 a.m. on McElree Road in North Franklin Township, according to Warco. A state police...
Environmental survey underway for Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement ProjectVideo
Initial phases of the Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project are underway in Mt. Pleasant Township, marked by an environmental survey. Located at the intersection of Route 819 and Route 981, four archaeologists in hardhats and yellow safety vests dug two holes this week, sifting through soil in search of natural...
