Western PA Local News category, Page 2405
Head trauma reported in Lower Burrell motorcycle crash
Emergency crews were dispatched to assist a victim with heavy head trauma following an accident involving a motorcycle Friday night in Lower Burrell. The crash was reported shortly before 10 p.m. on Greensburg Road. It temporarily shut down traffic on a section of the road between Dutchman Run Road and...
Sens. Casey, Toomey demand U.S. Health Secretary Azar take action to protect nursing homes
Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey are giving U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar until the end of the month to respond to their calls for urgent federal actions to protect residents of nursing homes during the pandemic. The bipartisan pair of Pennsylvania lawmakers requested that the Trump administration’s top public...
Some tavern owners make their own pandemic rules, call on governor to adjust state’s
Some bars in the region are back up and running as a protest against Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders that places restrictions on eateries to curb the spread of covid-19. But if you want to sit at the bar and have drinks at Al’s Café in Bethel Park or Piacquadio’s Restaurant...
Some tavern owners make their own pandemic rules, call on governor to adjust state’s
Some bars in the region are back up and running as a protest against Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders that places restrictions on eateries to curb the spread of covid-19. But if you want to sit at the bar and have drinks at Al’s Café in Bethel Park, or Piacquadio’s Restaurant...
Allegheny College finishes fundraising campaign with $202 million
Allegheny College has raised more than $202 million, concluding a five-year-long fundraising campaign and setting a record as the college’s largest fundraising campaign ever. The campaign, called “Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest,” was officially launched during the college’s bicentennial celebration in 2015 with a goal of raising $200 million....
Pittsburgh girl struck by vehicle at Route 28 exit ramp in Harmar
A 16-year-old Pittsburgh girl was airlifted by medical helicopter to an area hospital after being struck by a vehicle Friday afternoon on Hite Road in Harmar. The incident was reported shortly before 4 p.m. at the southbound off-ramp of Route 28 at Hite Road. Harmar Township Police Chief Jason Domaratz....
Pennsylvania prisons to upgrade video visitation for inmates
For many prison inmates, maintaining contact with the outside world is a challenge. The covid-19 crisis has made in-person visits impossible. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has facilitated video visits through the ZOOM internet platform since March, coinciding with the start of the pandemic in the U.S. But these visits...
Penn-Trafford school staffer tests positive for covid-19
A Penn-Trafford School District staff member has tested positive for covid-19, district officials announced Friday. The staff member had been in close contact with other staffers, district Superintendent Matthew Harris said in a notice posted on the district website. “As soon as we became aware of the positive case, we...
Highlands schedules iPad, Chromebook distributions for students, sign-ups required
Highlands School District will distribute iPads and Chromebooks to its students next week, the district announced. Distributions are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the high school in Harrison. Families are...
Braddock restaurant owner apologizes for comparing Gov. Wolf, Levine to Nazis
A Braddock business owner made a Facebook post this week comparing Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Rachel Levine to Nazis. Levine is Jewish. Robert Portogallo, owner of Portogallo Peppers N’AT, on Wednesday posted the photo of Nazis on Facebook, with Levine and Wolf’s faces superimposed. “Thursday’s lunch special...
New Kensington junior firefighter advances in ranks with plans to go proVideo
Mark Jackson had just finished talking about his plans to become a professional firefighter on Friday when an alert on his phone went off, telling him there was a fire just down the street from his station, New Kensington Fire Department Company 2. A heartbeat later, the deafening siren went...
Unity to hold special meeting regarding backyard chickens
Unity supervisors will hold a special meeting Thursday regarding whether backyard chickens should be allowed in residential areas and on any properties of less than 2 acres. The supervisors agreed to schedule the informational session — set for 6 p.m. in the pavilion behind the township building — after dozens...
Head of U.S. Small Business Administration visits Pittsburgh restaurantVideo
Cilantro & Ajo, a modest Venezuelan restaurant on the South Side, might seem an unlikely poster child for the U.S. government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). However camera crews from all three Pittsburgh-area TV news stations and others descended on the small eatery Friday morning. The attraction was an appearance by...
Community Bank names John Montgomery president and CEO
CB Financial Services, Inc., the parent company of Community Bank, on Friday announced the appointment of John H. Montgomery as its new president and CEO, replacing Barron “Pat” McCune, Jr. McCune, a longtime Community Bank officer who led the bank from 2005 until 2018, came out of retirement in January...
Family owners hope the public will gallop in to El Vaquero Mexicano on the Diamond in Ligonier
When a prime spot became available on The Diamond in Ligonier, Stephanie and Alfredo Hernandez knew they couldn’t pass it up, even during a pandemic. They’ve had their eye on it for awhile, hoping one day they would be able to open a restaurant in town after nine years of...
Family-owned book retailer to close 8 stores, including 1 in Pittsburgh Mills mallVideo
The Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer is losing yet another tenant. Bradley’s Book Outlet, a discount book retailer based in Blawnox, announced this week it is closing all eight of its brick-and-mortar stores, including the one in the Mills mall, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the viability of the...
Jeannette woman jailed after allegedly making numerous threatening calls to Westmoreland 911
The Westmoreland County Emergency Operations Center was placed on lockdown late Thursday after a Jeannette woman repeatedly threatened call takers and police over seven hours, according to court papers. Precious Linda Gantt, 36, called Westmoreland 911 16 times between 3 p.m. Thursday and midnight, sometimes yelling at the call taker...
Officials seeking teen resident to represent Aspinwall as junior council person
Aspinwall officials are seeking a teenage resident with an interest in local government to serve as council’s next junior member. Offered through the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, the program provides high school students the chance to get a first-hand glimpse into the daily workings of their municipality. The Junior...
Hampton graduate takes top honor in congressional art competition
A recent Hampton Township High School graduate took top honors in an art competition for residents of the 17th Congressional District. Katelyn Januck’s pencil drawing titled “Class of…” won first place in the 2020 Congressional Art Competition for the district represented by U.S. Rep. Connor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon. “Although the...
A look back at the happenings of the week of Aug. 9 in the Herald areaVideo
Here are some of the top stories from the Lower Valley this week: - O’Hara’s Squaw Valley Park renamed. Council voted 6-1 to rename the site O’Hara Township Community Park, bringing a swift resolution to a two-month heated debate over removing the word Squaw, which is a slur against Native...
North Huntingdon man accused of being drunk in crash that injured woman
A North Huntingdon man is accused by state police of being drunk at the time of a September crash that injured a woman, according to court papers. George A. Reed, 70, was charged this week with aggravated assault while driving under the influence, reckless endangerment and related offenses. Troopers were...
Potential covid-19 exposure closes Compass Inn Museum, cancels militia re-enactment
The Compass Inn Museum in Laughlintown and the adjacent Ligonier Valley Historical Society headquarters are closed for two weeks because an employee may have been exposed to the coronavirus. The precautionary closure will be in effect through Aug. 28. The employee did not come into contact with museum visitors since...
Police searching for Hempfield fugitive in meth ring case; 4 others in custody
Authorities are searching for a Westmoreland County man wanted in connection to a methamphetamine ring after arresting his brother and three other alleged conspirators, federal prosecutors said. Zachary Miller, 27, of Hempfield, was deemed a fugitive Friday after being indicted by a grand jury, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W....
Pitt researchers collect stories of covid-19 patients in Story Booth project
University of Pittsburgh researchers are gathering the personal accounts of patients who have recovered from covid-19 as part of an ongoing project called Story Booth. The archive of stories will be used as a tool to promote patient-centered outcome research — a mentality that focuses attention on patient experience and...
Charges dismissed in case of baby who died in Vandergrift
A Westmoreland County judge ruled that no crime was committed involving the death of 5-week old baby who suffocated while sleeping with his father on a sofa nearly two years ago in Vandergrift. Charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment were dismissed against Owen Labrenn Copney, 27, whose newborn son,...
