Western PA Local News category, Page 2416
Answering the Call: Adrean Allen brightens days for UPMC patients with his voiceVideo
Adrean Allen, born in the Jamaican city of Spanish Town, is employed in the housekeeping department at UPMC Mercy Hospital. He works hard to support his family, which includes two young daughters. A musician, Allen has a recording studio in his home where he produces songs that he writes and...
No browsing but pair of community libraries to open for computer, printer use
You can’t browse the shelves yet but Cooper-Siegel Community Library and its affiliated Sharpsburg Community Library will open Monday for patrons to use computers, fax services and printers. Use is by appointment only. Jill McConnell, executive director of the libraries, said she is thrilled to be able to offer the...
Westmoreland County adds 16 new covid-19 cases
Westmoreland County has 16 newly reported covid-19 cases as of Friday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Of the new cases, 14 are confirmed and two are probable. The update brings the county’s total to 1,500 cases, with 1,460 confirmed and 40 probable. The start of August and the...
Jeannette woman arrested in child abuse, stalking cases
A Jeannette woman is accused by city police of pushing a 4-year-old girl down a flight of stairs in a basket and sending nude photos of a former boyfriend to his family and friends, according to court papers. Brittany Renee Zimmerman, 26, was arrested Friday in two cases. She is...
Allegheny County reports 97 new covid-19 cases, 6 more deaths
The Allegheny County Health Department reported 97 new coronavirus cases Friday, bringing the seven-day average for new cases below 100. Six new covid-19 deaths and eight new hospitalizations were also announced. New coronavirus patients range in age from 1 to 86, with a median age of 33. Positive tests ranged...
Test your knowledge in Poor Yorick’s Players’ Virtual Shakespeare Challenge
Poor Yorick’s Players, a nonprofit Shakespeare company based out of the Tall Trees Amphitheater in Monroeville, is presenting its first Virtual Shakespeare Challenge from Aug. 14-20. Clues will be posted on the theater company’s website nightly at 8. Participants’ scores in the trivia contest will be based on correctness and...
Penn Hills School District officials delay action on dropping Indians nickname, logo
Penn Hills School District officials tabled any action to change the district’s Indians nickname and mascot until next year. They’re delaying action, they said, so they can focus on schools reopening and how to best educate students in the covid-19 pandemic. “This is the worst time this could ever come...
Food Truck Fridays lineup offers delicious dining options in Plum
Plum Borough officials announced the lineup for their Food Truck Fridays events for the month of August. The events take place in two of Plum’s parks each week, with a variety of options from which to choose. Today’s offerings include Pgh Crepes and Main Squeeze Juice 412 at Larry Mills...
Police seek public’s help identifying suspect in fatal 4th of July shooting in Homewood
Pittsburgh police are seeking the public’s help identifying a suspect wanted for a fatal shooting in Homewood North on July 4. Justin Gomez, 32, was shot shortly before 9:35 p.m. near the intersection of Mohler Street and Ferris Court, according to investigators. Officers who responded to the scene found the...
Water main break on Penn Avenue in Downtown repaired, street remains closed
Temporary repairs to a waterline along Penn Avenue in Downtown that burst early Friday morning have been completed, according to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. But Penn Avenue between Ninth and 10th streets will remain closed to traffic until later in the day, PWSA spokesman Nick Letzkus said. “We’re...
Police: Washington man who ran through I-70 traffic was on methamphetamine
A Washington man was cited Friday after state police said he jumped over the center concrete barrier on Interstate 70 multiple times in Washington County, just over the Westmoreland border. Troopers identified the man as Jordan Simon, 31, and said he was under the influence of methamphetamine after having an...
All lanes of I-79 in Butler County open after scene of multi-vehicle crash cleared
All lanes of Interstate 79 have been reopened near Zelienople, Butler County, after a multi-vehicle crash with injuries shut the roadway down in both directions early Friday morning, according to state police. The wreck occurred in the northbound lanes shortly before 6 a.m. between the Zelienople and Portersville/Prospect exits, according...
North Hills OKs plan to begin classes online only for first 5 weeks
Students in the North Hills School District will begin the school year with online only classes for at least five weeks before switching to a mix of virtual and in-person instruction. The school board voted 6-3 on Thursday evening to follow the return-to-school plan recommended by Superintendent Pat Mannarino. “I...
New Kensington working to resurface road through Memorial ParkVideo
New Kensington plans to use nearly $75,000 in grant money to pay for resurfacing the bumpy and broken road in Memorial Park. The work could be done before the end of the year, said Sarah Snider, executive director of the city’s Redevelopment Authority, which manages grant funding for the city....
Pittsburgh-area bar put on notice for alleged violation of coronavirus restrictions
A Pittsburgh-area bar was among three licensed liquor establishments in Pennsylvania to receive a notice from the state police’s Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement for violation of covid-19 mitigation efforts. It was the first formal notice a Pittsburgh-area establishment has received from state police since July 1. State police would...
The Stroller, Aug. 7, 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...
‘Living funeral,’ march held for mother questioning police account of son’s death at Duquesne
A “living funeral” and march were held Thursday as Dannielle Brown continues her search for answers in her son’s death at Duquesne University nearly two years ago. The event began at Freedom Corner in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, where Brown has been staging a hunger strike since July 4. From there,...
West Jefferson Hills students to start first week of school online, gradually return to buildings
West Jefferson Hills School District students will start their first week of the upcoming school year online and slowly transition back into buildings as time progresses. The first day of classes in the 2020-21 school year for the estimated 3,100 students in kindergarten through 12th grade is Monday, Aug. 24....
Sewickley Academy to have staff, students back in buildings Sept. 2
Sewickley Academy officials plan to welcome students and staff back to school during the covid-19 pandemic on Sept. 2. Reopening plans call for a full range of programming to be available on campus for the estimated 600 pre-kindergatern through 12th-grade students. “The academy has a framework to support the health,...
New Kensington-Arnold delays start of school year to Sept. 8
New Kensington-Arnold School District will delay the start of the school year by eight days to provide more time for officials to make coronavirus-related preparations and to help students and staff beat the heat, officials announced late Thursday. School will start Tuesday, Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day, rather...
Contrary to appearances, barge not really stuck on Allegheny River dam in Natrona
Earlier this week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Pittsburgh received calls about a runaway barge hung up on the Allegheny River’s Lock and Dam No. 4 in Harrison. Sure enough, a 195-foot-long barge was on the dam, but it was strategically placed there for an important mission: to...
Allegheny County Jail oversight board to review how inmates are disciplined
The Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board is taking initial steps to review how discipline is meted out at the facility to ensure that all inmates are treated fairly. The decision to begin that process came Thursday evening after an initial motion on the matter made by Allegheny County Councilperson-at-large Bethany...
Pittsburgh’s new FBI head eyeing foreign interference in U.S. election, fraud, cyber crimes
FBI agents based in Western Pennsylvania are among those working to identify and block international attempts to interfere in the U.S. presidential election. Michael A. Christman, a Youngstown native who took the helm as Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office in mid-May, discussed his elections task...
Peduto sends letter to Congress, advocates for bills that help entertainment venues stay afloat
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto issued a letter to Congress in support of three bills that would offer financial relief to independent music and entertainment venues during the covid-19 pandemic. “I’m urging Congress to ensure that our local venues are included in and protected by relief packages,” Peduto said in a...
Upper Burrell Supervisors shelve proposal for a fire tax
Upper Burrell Supervisors on Wednesday shelved a proposal to impose a fire tax to support the township’s volunteer department in response to concerns from residents. “The time for a tax increase is not now,” said resident Dan Myers. Others attending Wednesday’s meeting echoed Myers, saying many residents and businesses are...
