Local category, Page 2416
Gas well impact fees drop in 2019; Westmoreland County gets $1.16 million, Allegheny County $1.8 million
Derry Township is sitting on a gold mine of natural gas trapped in the Marcellus shale, which drillers have tapped to the great benefit of the municipality — to the tune of $2.4 million in gas well impact fees since 2012. The township will get almost $232,000 from the 2019...
Beth Samuel hosts virtual talk with author
Beth Samuel Jewish Center, 810 Kennedy Drive, Ambridge, will hold all programs through Zoom until further notice. • 8:45 a.m. June 20 – Torah Yoga • Noon, July 1 – “Lunch Break” Torah Yoga • 7 p.m. July 20 – Congregational book talk with the author: “Funny, You Don’t Look...
Kennedy Township girl advances on ‘America’s Got Talent’ with musical tribute to dad
A 12-year-old Kennedy Township girl sang a song she wrote for her dad and won the hearts of the audience and judges to advance to the next round of “America’s Got Talent” during an audition episode of the TV show that aired Tuesday evening. Ashley Marina Yankello, who drops her...
Pedestrian struck by train in Forward Township
A person was struck by a train in Forward Township on Tuesday night. Allegheny County 911 said the incident occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m. on a CSX rail line near the intersection of Peach Street and Gallatin Tigers Road. The county medical examiner’s office has not been called to the...
County police: 3 young men shot Mt. Oliver, in critical condition
Three young men are listed in critical condition after being shot Tuesday evening in Mt. Oliver. Allegheny County police were dispatched to the 100 block of Stamm Avenue for a man who had been shot around 6:30 p.m. Officers and paramedics discovered a 20-year-old man shot in the head. Authorities...
Valley Dairy closes downtown Latrobe restaurant
After eight decades, Valley Dairy is no longer serving meals in downtown Latrobe. The Latrobe-based restaurant chain on Sunday closed its location at Jefferson and Chestnut streets. A company official said that store hasn’t performed up to expectations. Valley Dairy welcomed customers to return for dine-in meals at the Latrobe...
Oakmont wall restoration project to start in early July, traffic to be altered near Verona border
A portion of Allegheny River Boulevard near the Oakmont-Verona border will be reduced to one lane for about two months as part of a retaining wall restoration project. Crews from Apollo-based Santamaria Landscaping are expected to start work July 1 on the wall near the viaduct. Oakmont Council awarded the...
Pennsylvania to spread $157 million to help schools clean, get ready for classesVideo
Schools in the state — public and private — will get at least $120,000 to help pay for cleaning and sanitizing classrooms, cafeterias, gyms and offices in time for students to return for the resumption of in-person classes in August for the first time since mid-March. Gov. Tom Wolf announced...
Wardens track 2 black bears in 2 towns, including a sighting in Arnold
The Pennsylvania Game Commission tracked two bears Tuesday, one in Arnold and a second one in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood. Anthony R. Sawl snapped photos of a black bear sauntering along Alcoa Drive in a dense residential area. One of the photos shows the bear walking along a garden sidewalk,...
Steelers cancel Friday Night Lights practice in Latrobe
The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t come to the Latrobe area for training camp, and they also have canceled their annual summer practice in the city. Steelers director of communications Burt Lauten delivered the bad news for local fans in a tweet on Tuesday, confirming the Steelers “will not be hosting their...
Western Pa. police chiefs support some reforms in Trump executive order, question others
Police departments in parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania applauded some elements of President Trump’s executive order on police reform and expressed skepticism toward others, particularly those aimed at bringing social services into some police situations. Trump announced the executive order Tuesday in a Rose Garden press briefing after weeks of protests...
Former Speaker Mike Turzai starts as Peoples’ general counsel
Former Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai’s whirlwind week continued Tuesday, when he started his life in the private sector as general counsel of Peoples, the Pittsburgh-based gas utility. His last day in office as speaker Monday was spent advancing two bills out of committee that would change how police are...
Man sentenced for sending pornographic images to Derry Township girl
A Forest County man will serve time in jail for sending pornographic pictures of himself to a 15-year-old Derry Township girl last year. Shawn M. Negley Jr., 19, pleaded guilty to two felony offenses in connection with pictures police said he sent to the juvenile via social media. According to...
Westmoreland courts to resume jury trials in August
Jury trials in Westmoreland County will resume in August with a little help from a neighbor. The Palace Theatre in Greensburg will serve as an alternate site to host jury selection for cases assigned to some of the smaller courtrooms where social distancing cannot be accommodated, Westmoreland County Common Pleas...
Pittsburgh residents decry grant funding for city police
Pittsburgh is getting separate grants totaling about $1.6 million for a violence prevention program and as reimbursement for police overtime during two past high-profile events, and at least five residents strongly urged officials to spend it on anything other than the police bureau. City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to...
Hempfield restaurant donates 100 meals to state police thanks to grant program
Despite being reopened for a little over a month, Susan Domasky, co-owner of Ferrante’s Lakeview Banquet Facility in Hempfield, knew she couldn’t pass up an opportunity to help first responders in the community working long hours due to the coronavirus pandemic. Domasky, with the help of co-owner Cindy Henderson and...
Pennsylvania offers $1,500 to help cover dairy farmers’ losses
Dairy farmers can get at least $1,500 from the state to recover some of their losses if they dumped milk or could not sell products after markets dried up when covid-19 shutdowns closed schools and limited restaurants. Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday announced a $40 million aid package for Pennsylvania...
Pittsburgh City Council overwhelmed with calls for police reform
Messages to Pittsburgh City Council calling for a reduced police budget are arriving daily by the hundreds. Council members responded Tuesday by saying they would work to enact police reform, but they aren’t inclined to disband the police department. Councilwoman Deb Gross of Highland Park said she’s received nearly 3,000...
YWCA Greater Pittsburgh’s Downtown building is on the market
YWCA Greater Pittsburgh’s building on Wood Street Downtown is on the market, its leader said Tuesday. The move was in the works before the coronavirus pandemic and is part of the YWCA’s new organizational strategy to focus its resources to supporting race and gender equity, especially for women of color,...
Scott residents ask commissioner to resign for health secretary comments
A group of Scott Township residents have penned a letter asking Commissioner Paul Abel to resign for his recent public comments about the state health secretary’s gender. The letter, from a newly formed group called Building Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, also includes a list of demands the township must enact...
Westmoreland officials planning to dole out $30 million in pandemic relief money
Westmoreland County will allocate $30 million to help local governments, small businesses and nonprofit organizations that suffered financial losses during the coronavirus pandemic. That broad spending plan constitutes a baseline of how county officials said they intend to dole out the $31.5 million grant awarded this month as part of...
Monroeville restaurants get temporary OK to use parking lots, sidewalks as outdoor seating
Monroeville council placed a temporary relaxation to its rules governing how restaurants manage outdoor seating. The resolution, passed unanimously, allows restaurateurs to apply for a temporary permit allowing them to reconfigure parking lots, and in some cases, sidewalks, into outdoor seating areas. Allegheny County is one of 34 in the...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter sues newspaper over protest coverage ban
A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter is suing the newspaper, claiming racial discrimination and retaliation after management barred her from covering local protests stemming from the death of George Floyd. The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday is the latest in a series of events that began June 1, the date on which the...
Ross adopts policy for new police body cameras
Ross Township police officers are on track to be issued body-worn cameras by the end of summer. Commissioners voted unanimously June 15 to approve a policy governing the police department’s use of body cameras to record encounters between law enforcement officers and the public. The process of obtaining the cameras...
Western Pa. high schools honored for voter registration efforts
Eight local schools are among 42 statewide honored with the Governor’s Civic Engagement Award for their efforts to register students to vote during the 2019-20 school year. Brentwood, City Charter School, Deer Lakes, Elizabeth Forward, Franklin Regional, Kiski Area, Leechburg Area and Mt. Pleasant Area were among nearly 160 Pennsylvania...
