Western PA Local News category, Page 2474
Police: Butler man arrested, two others sought in vandalism during May 30 Pittsburgh protest
A Butler man was arrested Thursday and accused of aggravated assault and other crimes in connection with the May 30 protests in Downtown Pittsburgh. Jordan Erdos, 20, was apprehended and taken to the Allegheny County Jail, police said. Erdos is charged with riot, recklessly engendering another person, aggravated assault and...
Plum pizza shop debuts waffle lunch specialVideo
Plum resident Paytn McCune’s creativity spreads like sauce on pizza dough. It’s one reason the Lelulo’s Pizzeria owner came up with a new take on a breakfast item to make lunch the most important meal of the day. She debuted a waffle pizza Thursday afternoon made with fresh tomatoes, spinach...
Together Apart PGH Virtual 5K allows socially distanced race
Pittsburgh runners can lace up for a new 5K experience this summer. With the annual Community Footrace series canceled because of covid-19, the City of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events raced to organize a new Together Apart PGH Virtual 5K. The Office of Special Events teamed up with five community...
Details from Oakmont girl’s death resemble physical, psychological torture
Nothing happens along 10th Street in Oakmont. “That’s why I live here. I have two children,” said resident Melissa Kwiatkowski. “This just makes you want to hold them a little closer.” Kwiatkowski, 52, was expressing shock Thursday over the death of 3-year-old Bella Seachrist, who lived in the same block...
3 police officers, Mad Mex employee test positive for covid-19 in Monroeville
Three police officers and a Mad Mex employee have tested positive for covid-19 in Monroeville. This was confirmed Thursday by municipal officials and the restaurant’s Facebook page Thursday. Monroeville Manager Tim Little said via email that the municipality “is following all Center for Disease Control guidelines with respect to positive...
Upper Burrell teenager organizing public gathering decrying racism
Because Lower Burrell isn’t ethnically diverse — 97.6% of its residents are white — a local teenager wants to educate the community with “Rise Up Against Racism,” a free public gathering featuring speakers and food trucks from 5 to 7 p.m. July 12, at Kotecki Memorial Park in the city....
15th Port Authority employee tests positive for coronavirus
Port Authority of Allegheny County on Thursday reported that another of its employees has tested positive for covid-19. Fifteen employees have tested positive for the coronavirus since the first case was reported on March 26, spokesman Adam Brandolph said. This is the first case involving a Port Authority employee since...
Westmoreland County moving its tax delinquent property sale to WCCC campus
Westmoreland County is moving its annual tax sale off site. Commissioners on Thursday approved relocating the sale to the auditorium in Science Hall on the campus of Westmoreland County Community College, a move officials said is needed to account for social distancing required in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The...
Lawyer for suspended Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez says evidence of child sex assault should be thrown out
The lawyer for suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez said evidence collected by police during an investigation into sexual assault allegations were the product of an illegal search and should be barred from use by prosecutors in an upcoming trial. Vazquez, 28, has been in jail since September, when he...
Comcast offering free Wi-Fi for rest of year as nation works to reopen amid coronavirus
Comcast will keep its public Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots open to everyone, including non-Xfinity customers, for the remainder of the year, the company said Thursday. The provider in March announced it would open access to its 1.5 million hotspots to anyone amid the coronavirus pandemic. “We saw a huge jump in...
Groups plan $1.1M historical restoration of path in Pittsburgh North Side park
Pittsburgh’s landmark Allegheny Commons Park in the North Side is about to receive a $1.1 million historical facelift. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy on Thursday announced plans for restoration of the North Promenade, a path paralleling North Avenue and running almost the length of the park. Plans call for a paved,...
Westmoreland Cleanways suspends electronics recycling
Westmoreland Cleanways temporarily is halting drop-off of electronics at its Pleasant Unity recycling center because of a covid-19-related shutdown of a company that processes the items. Executive Director Ellen Keefe said Thursday that Westmoreland Cleanways learned the out-of-state electronics processor shut down because of a suspected covid-19 infection. She stressed...
Scott Township commissioners fill open seat, 1 vacancy remains
Scott Township commissioners have filled a vacancy on the board for 7th Ward representative. Nick Seibel was sworn in June 23 by the board to serve the unexpired term of Frank Bruckner, who resigned for personal reasons, effective June 1. Seibel is employed as a facilities project manager for Eat’n...
Westmoreland County pays $50K to settle lawsuit, want row officers to start footing legal bills
Westmoreland County commissioners have had enough of paying out large sums of money to settle lawsuits filed against other elected officials. “We’re sending a letter to all of our row officers and elected officials telling them we want to hold them accountable,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. Those comments came Thursday...
Murrysville-area student news for the week of June 22
• Delaney Bortz, Brianna Fait, Paige Kaye, Alexis Salvio and Kayleigh Ventrone of Delmont; Autumn Alko, Kelsey Fritz, Kathleen Kimmich, Zachary Recklein and Kaylin Sundin of Export; and Joseph Constantin, Makenna Grieco, Emma Jakiela, Lindsey Lamagna, Nicole Lamagna and Alexandra Zorzi of Murrysville were named to the spring 2020 dean’s...
Norwin graduation falls within state guidelines, district says
When Norwin High School conducts its commencement ceremonies for almost 400 seniors Friday night, there likely will be more than 250 people — graduates and guests — gathered at Knights Stadium for each of the two sessions. Although Westmoreland County is in the green phase of the state’s covid-19 restrictions...
Leechburg Area passes $15.3M budget with 3.8% tax increase in West Leechburg
Leechburg Area School Board adopted a $15.3 million budget for the coming school year that increases taxes for West Leechburg property owners by 3.8%, but decreases taxes for ones in Leechburg and Gilpin. Board members voted 7-1 to adopt the budget during a virtual meeting Wednesday. Because Leechburg Area School...
Flow of Point State Park fountain signals summer in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh’s Point State Park fountain is flowing. Park Manager Jake Weiland said the fountain’s annual winter hibernation ended on Wednesday when staff turned on the pumps after about four weeks of prep work. “Lots of people think it’s as simple as turning on switches,” he said. “We’ve been working on...
Ligonier Valley School District approves fall back-to-school plans
The Ligonier Valley School District approved plans Monday for a series of virtual Family Town Hall Sessions that will begin Monday, June 29. Sessions will explain options for students and families for the 2020-21 school year reopening, discuss health and safety concerns and allow for questions to be raised. The...
Pittsburgh doctors document onset of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in covid-19 patient
Pittsburgh doctors found a potential connection between covid-19 and the onset of the autoimmune disorder Guillain-Barré Syndrome, according to a case study from Allegheny General Hospital. The neurologists, among the first in the country to document this link, published findings in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Neuromuscular...
3rd McCandless council member resigns in as many months
A third member of McCandless Town Council has resigned in as many months. First-term Councilman Chuck Mazur, who represents Ward 3, announced that he is stepping down for health reasons. Mazur, a Republican, won the seat in November by defeating Democrat Deawna Marie Alfonsie, who ran unopposed for her party’s...
McCandless council adopts new rules to regulate Marcellus shale drilling
Energy companies looking to set up Marcellus shale drilling operations in McCandless will have to adhere to new rules that are being crafted by town officials. Council approved amendments to its oil and gas drilling laws to include shale drilling as a “pending” ordinance, which means even though some of...
Pitt to host virtual talk on coronavirus, future of public health
The University of Pittsburgh will host a virtual seminar Friday titled “Covid-19 and the Future of Public Health.” The talk will explore how covid-19 compares to other public health crises, like the polio outbreaks of the 1940s and ’50s. The seminar, hosted by Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health, will...
Pittsburgh airport launches 2nd phase of reopening plan as travel increases
Pittsburgh International Airport said it is launching the second phase of its PIT Safe Travels Program as passenger traffic increases. The airport implemented the program last month to ensure a safe environment in the airport and bolster confidence in air travel in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. The initiative...
Westmoreland County has 15 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County has 15 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Thursday. The countywide case total is now 578, with 38 deaths, according to the department. There have been no reported coronavirus deaths in Westmoreland County since May 18. It was the fourth day...
