Western PA Local News category, Page 2431
Strangest Pirates home opener everVideo
If a Pirates home opener were played in the Twilight Zone, this is probably what it would look like. Ninety minutes before the first pitch with the Milwaukee Brewers, the normally teeming streets and sidewalks around PNC Park were practically empty. There were no pedestrians marching to the ballpark across...
Drivers need not worry about ‘big jumps’ in gas prices for now, analyst says
Gas prices are stuck in neutral, with oil prices not rising despite a small rebound in demand for fuel, an industry analyst said. A small rise in gasoline demand last week appears likely to continue into this week, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “The recovery...
Pittsburgh officials: Floating cinema promoter hasn’t sought required permits
An Australian entertainment company promoting a series of floating cinema nights that includes a September swing through Pittsburgh has yet to apply for the necessary permits, according to city officials and a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard. “We are actively trying to get in contact with them so we...
Westmoreland County allows furloughed workers to pay into pension accounts
Westmoreland County workers furloughed this spring in response to the coronavirus pandemic will have an opportunity to restore their pension benefits. The county’s retirement board on Monday unanimously voted to allow employees who since have returned to their jobs to buy back time lost while off the payroll because of...
Mt. Pleasant woman charged with DUI in Rt. 31 crash that injured 2 pedestrians
State police say a Mt. Pleasant woman was nearly three times over the legal limit of alcohol when she veered off Route 31 early July 3 and struck two pedestrians in Mt. Pleasant Township, seriously injuring one. Elizabeth M. Sirianni, 30, was arraigned Monday on charges of driving under the...
Upper Burrell to discuss allowing ATVs on some township roads
Upper Burrell Supervisors are considering allowing all-terrain vehicles to use locally owned roads. The Gilpin Township Supervisors approved a measure earlier this month to designate certain township roads as “joint use” for motor vehicles and ATVs, and that appeared to inspire Upper Burrell to explore enacting a similar measure. Both...
Police: Vehicle suspected in Wilkinsburg homicide located in Rankin
Allegheny County police on Monday said they located a vehicle suspected of being involved in a Wilkinsburg homicide. A 27-year-old man died Sunday after being shot in the head near the intersection of Ardmore Boulevard and Marlboro Avenue late that morning. Officers were looking for a silver and green sedan...
Pine Township booking reservations for splash pad
North Hills residents looking for a way to help their kids beat the summer heat can now make a reservation to use Pine Township’s splash pad for free. To adhere to coronavirus guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state health department, the splash...
Bar sponsors free event for Springdale Township residents to dispose of large household items
Springdale Township will hold a free event Sunday in which people can dispose of large household items in a dumpster at the township building on Plate Drive. The special disposal event, scheduled from noon to 3 p.m., is sponsored by the Bear’s Inn on Hite Road. “It’s easier for residents...
Westmoreland controller does about-face on mask wearing
After more than a week of public shame and praise, Westmoreland County Controller Jeffrey Balzer masked up — and all it took was a text from his daughter. Balzer, the three-term Republican, was both criticized and supported after he was confronted by a citizen just before a public meeting this...
AHN Cancer Institute at Allegheny General unveiled in Pittsburgh
Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Health on Monday unveiled the new AHN Cancer Institute at Allegheny General, the centerpiece of AHN’s cancer care expansion. The cancer center will provide cancer fighting technology and access to cutting-edge research and clinical trials, as described by AHN officials. The new facility in Pittsburgh’s...
Family of Monroeville man says he ‘died happy’ on raceway
James “Big Jim” Baker’s death at Keystone Raceway last week was exactly the way he’d have wanted to go out. For this, his family said, they are grateful. “He’d say, ‘If I die in that car, I’ll die happy,’ ” his daughter, Nichole Baker, said of her father. “He died...
Greensburg prepares for Thursday vice presidential visit
Before he was sworn as Greensburg’s new police chief two weeks ago, Robert Stafford said he hoped the city would remain peaceful. Westmoreland’s county seat has been the site of a few relatively small Black Lives Matters protests against police brutality, in contrast to large and violent protests in Pittsburgh,...
Photos: Franklin Regional holds phased commencement ceremony
Franklin Regional seniors from the Class of 2020 got a chance to celebrate their high school education on Friday, July 24, during phased commencement ceremonies at Panther Stadium in Murrysville. Do you have photos from graduation? Submit them to pvarine@triblive.com and we’ll add them to the gallery! Please include a...
Man accused of sexually assaulting teen at Keystone State Park
A 41-year-old Honduran man is being held without bond in the Westmoreland County Prison after being accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl while swimming at Keystone State Park in Derry Township. Noe Ivan Soto Alvarez, who lists a local address in Braddock, Allegheny County, was arrested by state police...
Westmoreland officials fear growing jail population could lead to virus outbreak
Westmoreland County Prison officials said Monday they are preparing for the worst as the lockup’s inmate population continues to rise and, with it, the risk for additional coronavirus cases at the jail. Warden John Walton said nearly 160 new inmates have been booked into the county jail during the past...
Pennsylvania child care facilities struggling under pandemic conditions
Families and facilities across Pennsylvania face a mounting challenge when it comes to child care during the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Monday. “I think we can all agree that we’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Diane Barber, executive director of the Pennsylvania Child Care Association, a nonprofit advocacy...
Murrysville travel ball teams seeing success in covid-shortened season
When Mike Ruane of the Franklin Regional Haymakers 11U travel ball team hit a walk-off home run to win the Mt. Lebanon 11U-A Tournament on July 26, circumstances would typically dictate a crowd of teammates waiting for him at home plate. The 2020 travel ball season has been anything but...
Injury leads to early retirement for 23-year New Kensington police officer Anthony Grillo
Anthony Grillo knew as a boy that he wanted to be a police officer, and that’s what he became. “I’ve been in uniform my whole life,” said Grillo, 49, a native of Lower Burrell. “I just knew what I wanted to do in life.” Grillo is retiring from law enforcement...
Hearing for Fawn police officer fighting for his job cut short
A hearing for a Fawn police officer fighting for his job was cut short Monday over concerns a township supervisor participating by telephone could not hear. Complicating matters was that, because of covid-19, the hearing was held outdoors with participants wearing face masks and physically distanced. Keith Lazaron II, 35,...
Mt. Pleasant man accused of operating meth lab in car, resisting arrest jailed on $50K bond
A 34-year-old Mt. Pleasant man allegedly threatened his mother and police as multiple officers arrested him last week after an almost two month-long drug investigation. Joe P. Biller is accused of operating a mobile meth lab out of his car, according to borough police. He’s being held in the county...
Murrysville, McCandless ranked among safest towns by security company
Murrysville and McCandless are among the top 50 safest cities in the U.S., according to the latest rankings from home security and safety advisory company SafeWise. Pennsylvania makes the list several times, with seven towns among SafeWise’s top 50 including Buckingham Township (11), Upper Saucon Township (27), Upper Allen Township...
Steelers camp cancellation hits Latrobe-area businesses in bottom lineVideo
Saint Vincent College’s Chuck Noll Field looks green and healthy, unlike many other grassy areas in a region still recovering from recent dry weather. One reason for such a prime condition is that no Bearcats athletes have been on the field since the college campus in Unity closed a few...
2 arrested after crystal meth, THC oil found during North Huntingdon traffic stop
More than two ounces of crystal methamphetamine and THC oil were seized from two men during a traffic stop in North Huntingdon last week, according to court papers. Michael B. Keenan, 41, of Youngwood, and Victor A. Gullatta, 29, of Aurora, Ohio, are being held at the Westmoreland County Prison...
Allegheny County to distribute rabies bait by land, air to vaccinate raccoons
The Allegheny County Health Department has issued an alert to pet owners that it will begin distributing bait to vaccinate wild raccoons against the rabies virus starting Friday. Between July 31 and Aug. 10, employees and volunteers with the county health department and the United States Department of Agriculture’s National...
