Local category, Page 2471
Western Pa. leaders respond as most of region set to move to yellow phase next week
Officials in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties applauded Gov. Tom Wolf’s decision Friday to move most of Southwestern Pennsylvania to a phase of eased coronavirus restrictions, though many said the decision was overdue. “It’s a step in the right direction,” Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes said. “This should’ve happened a week...
Monroeville company cleans Westmoreland emergency vehicles for free
Nearly 150 emergency service vehicles in Westmoreland County got a thorough cleaning for free last month from Premier Automation in Monroeville. Nine employees at the engineered solutions company volunteered for more than a week to clean 148 fire trucks, police cars, ambulances and other vehicles, according to an announcement from...
New book: ‘Mister Rogers’ actor stayed in closet to remain on show
Francois Clemmons vividly recalls a come-to-Jesus meeting with Fred Rogers 52 years ago, as if it happened yesterday. Clemmons, who had spent a good portion of his life struggling with his sexuality, was coming into his own as a gay man. He was frequenting a gay club behind the Greyhound...
Leechburg Area contracts for $1M turf field, track at Veterans stadium
The Leechburg Area School Board has awarded a contract to add artificial turf to Leechburg’s Veterans Memorial Stadium. The district will pay South Carolina-based Sprinturf roughly $1 million to install the turf and add a track one-eighth of a mile long. Business Manager Brad Walker said the district obtained a...
Record-breaking cold prompts freeze warning
The coldest temperatures ever recorded in May in the Pittsburgh area are expected overnight Friday into Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. A freeze warning is scheduled to run from midnight to 9 a.m. Saturday, with the low temperature expected to get down to 26 degrees, meteorologist Michael...
No injuries reported in Braddock house fire
Firefighters responded to a house fire overnight in Braddock. The fire in the 400 block of Fourth Avenue was reported shortly before 1:30 a.m. Friday, an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said. The fire went to two alarms, with flames blowing out of the second floor. The fire was determined to...
SWAT officers called to Northview Heights home, suspect arrested
Pittsburgh Bureau of Police SWAT officers were called to Northview Heights on Thursday night after a carjacking suspect allegedly ran into a house where a woman and children were staying. Officers responded to the 300 block of Mt. Pleasant Road around 8:15 p.m. for reports of the incident. On scene,...
The Stroller, May 8, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Sitting at home all day, many of us are asking ourselves how we can help others during this pandemic. Read The Stroller daily for announcements of how everyone can ease the pressure and stress of others, even while maintaining social distancing. Information for The Stroller should be emailed to vndnews@tribweb.com....
Flags headed to Westmoreland County veterans’ graves, with help of local groups
Seven pallets of graveside flags were distributed Friday at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg to veterans groups, which are to place them in area cemeteries in time for Memorial Day, according to county Veterans Affairs Director Matt Zamosky. Members of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association and the Westmoreland County...
State senator: Greene, Washington counties to reopen next Friday
Two more Pennsylvania counties will reopen late next week, according to a post by Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington, on her personal Facebook page. According to Bartolotta, Greene and Washington counties will move from the red into the yellow phase next Friday as per Gov. Tom Wolf’s three-phased plan for reopening...
Windber woman helps provide food for low-income children
Donna LaMonaca of Windber has been a volunteer at the Saint Vincent de Paul Family Kitchen in the Altoona-Johnstown area since she was a child. When they called her last month to say they weren’t able to distribute all of the donated milk they had on hand, she got an...
Delmont fire company plans mini-parade through borough to honor moms
Fire department volunteers are among the first responders in their communities, and with Mother’s Day coming up on Sunday, Delmont librarian Denni Grassel approached members of the borough fire department with an idea. “She mentioned that moms are kind of like the ‘first responders’ of the household,” Delmont Fire Chief...
Hempfield fire stations face ‘growing pains’ as township supervisors enforce service agreements
A Hempfield fire station might be forced to pay debt on one of its vehicles if it doesn’t agree to follow a plan laid out by township supervisors at the start of the year. Members of the High Park Volunteer Fire Department are asking the township to pay nearly $62,000...
Collaboration between WCCC, Hempfield allows students to graduate with associates degree
Hempfield students are now able to graduate with more than a high school diploma. A new collaboration between the school and Westmoreland County Community College allows students to obtain an Associates of Arts degree from the college’s School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Public Services while still attending high school....
Hempfield recognition ceremony moved online due to coronavirus
Almost 130 Hempfield middle school students were honored virtually this week after an annual Academic Breakfast was canceled because of the coronavirus. Each year, students from Harrold, Wendover and West Hempfield middle schools who finish in the top 10% of their classes attend the breakfast where they are awarded for...
Giant Eagle teams with domestic violence groups to help raise awareness during pandemic
Giant Eagle and local domestic violence programs have teamed up to reach victims during covid-19 pandemic. Law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and around the world have cited an increase in domestic abuse incidents the past few months. Giant Eagle officials announced Thursday they have postcards in 42 locations in...
Elected officials, businesses in 4 Pa. counties sue to end coronavirus shutdown
Citing growing frustration with emergency orders that closed businesses and halted political campaigns, three state lawmakers and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, Thursday joined a group of local business owners and four southwestern counties in a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders. County commissioners from Butler,...
Proposal to test all inmates at Allegheny County Jail for coronavirus fails
The Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board voted down a proposal Thursday to test all inmates for coronavirus, including those who show no symptoms. The proposal was modeled after testing conducted in late April in Montgomery County, where officials tested all inmates at the county jail regardless of whether they were...
Reopened campgrounds see rush of guests while observing social distancingVideo
Families anxious to get away from it all after weeks under Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home orders have flocked to the area’s privately owned campgrounds. Still, they haven’t escaped from social-distancing guidelines in force as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus. While camping facilities at state parks aren’t set to open...
Stimulus checks made out to deceased people should be returned, government says
The last thing Lori Hughes expected to receive in the mail was a $1,200 stimulus check made out to her mother, Sharyn Davis, who died last July. The 54-year-old Smithton resident is now left deciding the best course of action for sending the money back to the federal government after...
Duquesne University graduates visit campus ahead of virtual graduation
They won’t have the graduation they dreamed of, but some Duquesne University graduates descended on campus Thursday for an impromptu picture-taking day. They wore caps and gowns and stood on the picturesque walkway that crosses the Uptown campus. Duquesne is hosting a virtual ceremony Friday. “The class of 2020 has...
Community-supported agriculture thriving during pandemic
Community-supported agriculture has been around for years, said Don Kretschmann, owner of Kretschmann Family Farm in Beaver County. But now, during a public health crisis, the assets of local, organically-grown produce is really catching on. Moreover, the long-standing distribution method is built for the time of social distancing: Most customers...
Honeybees can gang up and fry Asian giant ‘murder hornets’
If they follow their Japanese counterparts, maybe U.S. honeybees could surround and fry an invading Asian giant “murder hornet” entering its hive, according to a Carnegie Museum of Natural History expert. Agriculture authorities in Washington State are creating a national buzz trying to eradicate the aggressive and invading Asian giant...
Franklin Regional librarians start home-delivery service for students
What’s a school librarian to do with no students in the buildings? Take the books to the kids, of course. “Our theory was: they’re staring at a screen all day, and when we offered them the possibility of checking out e-books, the thought was ‘Oh, more screen time,’” said Franklin...
Greensburg woman charged with stalking sheriff’s deputy
Westmoreland County detectives have issued an arrest warrant for a woman who allegedly stalked a sheriff’s deputy and made a fake 911 call that brought police to the deputy’s mother’s home. Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Deputy Casey Cameron told investigators he’s never met Nishee Sanford, 41, but that her behavior has...
