Western PA Local News category, Page 2406
Slippery Rock, McKeesport school districts contend in lawsuits that Juul created ‘youth vaping epidemic’
Slippery Rock and McKeesport Area school districts have filed lawsuits against the makers of Juul vape products, alleging their marketing tactics have created an epidemic of harmful e-cigarette use among students. The districts are the fifth and sixth area districts to file federal lawsuits against the company. Lawsuits filed by...
A dozen goats will scarf up vegetation along Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve trail
A dozen goats, herded by a donkey named Diamond, will scarf up vegetation along a trail at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel for the next few weeks. The temporary visitors are tasked with the important job of eating invasive plants near an ADA-compliant trail at the campus along...
Allegheny County reports 90 new coronavirus cases, 5 additional deaths
Allegheny County on Friday recorded 90 new coronavirus cases and five additional deaths. The Allegheny County Health Department raised its case total to 9,282 since March 14. Of the 90 new cases, 49 are confirmed and 41 probable. The positive test results came from tests from July 31 through Aug....
Irwin seeks money for park trail
People who like to walk or jog on the path around Irwin Park may soon be on a better path to fitness. Irwin council authorized Lucien Bove, its engineer, to apply to Westmoreland County for about $138,000 to resurface and reconstruct the walking path around the park off the intersection...
Kennywood hires new general manager
Kennywood Park announced this week that it has a new general manager, but he’s been working for months. Mark Pauls started June 29. He has spent the past six weeks learning about the West Mifflin amusement park and overseeing the health and safety measures in response to the pandemic. Pauls...
Recruitment center for new Hempfield casino to open late August
The former Sears wing at Westmoreland Mall once again is coming to life as facilities that cater to the now-under-construction casino at the mall open up shop. A recruitment center is set to open Aug. 24 in the former Barbara Ann’s Country Furnishings store, which moved upstairs, said Tom Meinert,...
Shrine to ‘Our Lady of the Parkway’ in Oakland may receive historic designation
The Shrine of the Blessed Mother, located on a South Oakland hilltop overlooking the Parkway East and Monongahela River, may soon receive historic designation, after a unanimous recommendation this week by Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission. The Shrine, created by a collection of community members in the mid-20th century, was blessed in...
Latrobe sex offender who served time for 2009 sex assault accused in new rape
A Latrobe man who previously was jailed for sexual assault is accused of raping a woman last year after she requested his help to move a piece of furniture, police say. Jonathan Michael Pollard, 31, was arrested this week on charges of rape, sexual assault, stalking and related offenses. He...
Inbound lane of Parkway East reopened following crash
One lane of the Parkway East was blocked early Friday morning due to a vehicle crash. The crash blocked the left inbound lane near the Forest Hills ramp, Tribune-Review news partners WPXI-TV reported. It was reported around 4:40 a.m. Traffic was still able to flow through the right lane, but...
Man transported to hospital after shooting in Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood
One person was transported to the hospital after a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood, officials said. Pittsburgh police responded to a home in the 700 block of Lorenz Avenue around 10 p.m. Thursday where they found a man who was shot in the hip. He was alert and conscious. The...
The Stroller, Aug. 14, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@tribweb.com or The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link...
‘Apocalypse ’45’ brings last days of World War II into your home
Only those who fought in World War II really know what it was like. Over the decades since the war ended with the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945, movie dramatizations and documentaries using heavily edited, rapid cut newsreel footage have skewed America’s perception of...
Traveling African Americans in aviation museum to stop in Sewickley
The son of a famous pilot who pioneered the creation of the Tuskegee Airmen will make a stop in Sewickley this month to talk about African Americans in aviation. Chauncey Spencer, 64, will park his “traveling museum” outside Sewickley’s Tull Theater on Walnut Street from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m....
Pittsburgh police: Man shot multiple times in Hazelwood
A man was hospitalized in stable condition Thursday after being shot multiple times in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, according to police. Authorities said officers responded to a Shotspotter alert and 911 calls for a man shot along the 100 block of Alluvian Street around 10:30 a.m. The found the victim suffering...
Salvation Army’s Back-to-School Bash Drive-Through to provide essentials for students
The Salvation Army is hosting a Back-to-School Bash Drive-Through on Saturday to provide back-to-school essentials for local students. Advance registration is required. Students will receive backpacks, gently used clothes and shoes, and snacks. A limited number of onsite haircuts will also be available for students. The event is scheduled from...
Attempt to censure Plum school director for Facebook post fails
An attempt to censure Plum School Board member Amy Wetmore for a controversial Facebook post has failed. School Director Scott Kolar made a motion at a special meeting Aug. 12 to draft a resolution to censure Wetmore’s actions and condemn her statements absolving the district of any connection to her...
Penn Hills School District changes name of cyber academy
Penn Hills School District officials have changed the name of their cyber academy a week after discussing changing the district’s Indians nickname and mascot. The board unanimously approved the switch from CHIEFS Cyber Academy to Penn Hills Cyber Academy at a special meeting Wednesday night. It was the same meeting...
Unity Township lobby to reopen soon, with renovation nearing end
Soon residents will be able once more to enter the Unity Township office building during business hours, as renovation of the lobby is nearing completion. “Hopefully, within the next week, we’re going to have the renovations done and the building will be open for people to come in,” according to...
Unity postpones debate on backyard chickens, cites pandemic restrictions
Unity residents were told to wait Thursday when they tried to give the township supervisors their two cents on a local debate about backyard chicken regulations. On the advice of Solicitor Gary Falatovich, the supervisors declined to take comments about chickens at their regular monthly meeting. They deferred discussion on...
Highmark CEO: Covid-19 pandemic has not deterred growth across Pa., neighboring states
Despite recent plunges in hospital revenues statewide, the covid-19 pandemic has not thwarted Highmark Health from strengthening its overall financial position and increasing its reach across Pennsylvania and neighboring states, Highmark CEO David Holmberg said Thursday. “We believe that we are very well-positioned for the long term,” Holmberg told reporters...
3 drug dealers tied to the SCO gang get federal prison sentences
An “ SCO” drug-dealing gang member and two associates, all of whom authorities said were dealing drugs in the Pittsburgh area last year, will spend five years to eight years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney for Western Pennsylvania announced Thursday. Michael Rose, 28, formerly of Pittsburgh, was sentenced to...
As deadline approaches, restaurants vary on defying Wolf’s capacity order, other restrictionsVideo
Push has come to shove, and some restaurant and bar owners in the region are ready to shove a little harder than others. “To make a blanket ruling for everybody just doesn’t make sense,” said Joseph Tambellini, owner of the eponymous restaurant in Highland Park. “We’re cornered. Tell me what...
Fawn police email account hacked, recipients should disregard messages
No, Fawn police are not asking anyone if they have an Amazon account. The Comcast email account used by the township’s police department has somehow been hacked, and was being used to send phishing emails on Thursday, Supervisor David Montanari confirmed. It comes less than two months after the township’s...
Leechburg Area to start school year with online-only instruction
Leechburg Area School District will offer online classes only for at least the first month of the school year, reversing a previous decision that gave children the option of returning to school for full-time, in-person instruction. The school board voted 8-0 on Wednesday to modify its back-to-school plan and push...
Fayette County court assistant, law clerk accused of defrauding widow, late husband
A Fayette County courthouse law clerk and court administration assistant, along with three others, were charged Thursday in connection with a scheme that police said defrauded the widow of a Smock man. Ryan Joseph Marshall, 30, and Tammy Sue Cable, 51, both of Uniontown, are charged with numerous counts, including...
