Western PA Local News category, Page 2476
Uniontown woman held for court on baseball bat assault allegations
A former Scottdale woman was left with a serious eye injury last year after she was attacked by two people she didn’t know, according to testimony. Shyanne Hawk, 20, of Derry had a baseball bat to protect herself during the fight Jan. 8, 2019, outside her Scottdale home, but testified...
New Kensington-Arnold to lay off 28 teachers, projects up to 600 students won’t return to school in fall
New Kensington-Arnold School Board voted Tuesday to lay off 28 teachers because the district said research projects up to 600 students won’t be returning to its schools in the fall. Even with the layoffs and a 3-mill tax increase, also approved Tuesday, the district plans to spend $1.1 million more...
Plum ends fight against injection well project
After losing three legal battles and about $32,000, Plum is giving up the fight against an injection well project. Further conflicts with Penneco Environmental Solutions could be extremely expensive and likely futile, according to borough officials. “We were advised as to our risks and outcomes by our solicitor,” Councilman Mike...
11 new coronavirus cases reported in Westmoreland County – Jun. 24, 2020
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday reported 11 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths in Westmoreland County. This brings the case total to 563, with deaths remaining at 38 in the county. This marked the third time in four days that the county saw double-digit increases in cases...
Shaler Area School District holds line on taxes with 2020-21 budget
Shaler Area School Board last week approved the district’s $90 million budget, green-lighting a slew of security projects that board members said target student safety. Residents won’t see a tax hike in the 2020-21 school year, with the final budget maintaining the tax rate at 23.5 mills. The owner of...
Allegheny County reports 45 new covid-19 cases, matching highest total in nearly 2 months
Allegheny County on Wednesday reported 45 new covid-19 cases, matching the number of new cases reported on Monday, and five new deaths. On Tuesday, the county reported 19 new covid-19 cases. The 45 cases reported Monday and Wednesday were the highest daily totals reported in nearly two months. During a...
Monroeville jazz fest canceled for first time in its 17 years
For the first time in its 17 years, the annual Monroeville Jazz Festival has been canceled. The event was originally scheduled for Aug. 15, and organizers from the Monroeville Foundation held out on canceling. The festival typically draws thousands from the region for a jazz-themed day at the municipality’s Tall...
Nazareth Prep taps former Vincentian Academy principal as new head of school
Nazareth Prep, a Catholic high school in Emsworth, named Rita Canton as executive director and head of school. According to a news release from the school, Canton brings more than 20 years of teaching and school leadership to her new role. Canton spent four years as principal and head of...
Steel Valley High School prom held under Homestead Grays Bridge
With high school events being canceled left and right, Chuck Spicuzza knew he had to try and save Steel Valley High School’s prom. He found a solution under a bridge. Spicuzza called Emily Wittmer, marketing director at the Waterfront shopping center in Homestead, telling her they were having trouble finding...
Parkway Center Giant Eagle reopening to shoppers
Giant Eagle in Parkway Center Mall will reopen to in-person shopping Thursday after serving since May solely as a curbside pick-up location. The company announced the move Tuesday, saying that increased capacity for contactless pick-up at neighboring Giant Eagle stores made the time right to revert to in-store service at...
Fox Chapel Area High School cancels plans for a traditional graduation ceremony
Fox Chapel Area School District will not pursue a graduation ceremony this summer as hoped, officials announced. High school principal Michael Hower told district families that any possible mass celebration has been scrapped because of CDC and state Health Department recommendations. “We do not want to jeopardize the health and...
Warrendale company unveils device to help guard medical workers from coronavirusVideo
A North Hills company with five decades of experience manufacturing products for the airline and railroad industries has turned its attention to creating a new protective device that safeguards front-line medical workers while treating patients suffering from covid-19 and other airborne illnesses. Magee Plastics Co. in Warrendale has developed a...
Adaptive traffic signal project on Route 30 in Hempfield expected to start soon
A PennDOT project adjusting 11 traffic signals to improve traffic flow on about 3 miles of Route 30 in Hempfield is expected to get underway this summer. Spokesman Jay Ofsanik said officials from Bronder Technical Services Inc. are meeting with project managers soon. The adaptive traffic signal system will allow...
The Stroller, June 24, 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. Christopher’s Light charity accepting donations Children’s charity Christopher’s Light...
United Way provides grocery shoppers for elderly, homebound during pandemicVideo
After hearing about United Way through Charter Oak Church in Unity, Becky Bortz, 62, felt called to help pick up groceries for those in need during the coronavirus pandemic. United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Open Your Heart to a Senior Program started a free grocery shopping assistance service at the...
Man accused of assaulting police horse during Pittsburgh protests
Pittsburgh police on Tuesday arrested a man suspected of assaulting a police horse and vandalizing a squad car during Downtown protests. Raekwon Blankenship, 24, of Crafton was arrested in connection with criminal acts that took place during the May 30 protests. Police charged him with aggravated assault, criminal mischief, riot,...
Bank robbery suspect arrested in Clairton
A suspected bank robber was arrested Tuesday morning in Clairton. D’el Mackey, 38, of North Versailles was apprehended without incident along the 500 block of Third Street on a township and federal warrant, according to an Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office release. He’s wanted on robbery charges in connection with the...
Review board seeks consultant to probe Pittsburgh police tactics during protests
The Citizen Police Review Board voted Tuesday to seek funding to hire an outside consulting group to assist in its investigation into Pittsburgh police tactics against protesters earlier this month in East Liberty, though some board members feared the group’s reputation will hinder any good it might do. Densus Group,...
Latrobe seeks state grant for traffic signal upgradesVideo
Latrobe officials are hoping a state grant program that provided flashing school zone lights at Latrobe Elementary will also help them update a traffic signal on the south end of Ligonier Street. As a PennDOT contractor begins work on improving signals at nine intersections in the heart of downtown Latrobe,...
Pittsburgh police searching for suspected child predator
Pittsburgh police said Tuesday that they are searching for a suspected child predator who lives on the city’s North Side. Delrio Demetrius Ivy, 43, faces charges of rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, endangering the welfare of a child,...
1 taken to hospital after collision at plaza in Unity
One motorist was taken to a local hospital for treatment following a three-car collision Tuesday at the Mountain Laurel Plaza off Route 30 in Unity. The crash happened at about 12:40 p.m. in an intersection near the plaza’s main entrance. Firefighters used hydraulic tools to remove a jammed door and...
Verona woman struck and killed by a train in Homestead
A Verona woman was struck and killed by a train in Homestead Tuesday afternoon, according to Allegheny County Police. The victim was identified as Angela M. Martin, according to the county Medical Examiner’s office. Witnesses told police that Martin, 65, was attempting to cross the road near the corner of...
Authorities arrest man suspected of hurling concrete at police truck during Pittsburgh protest
Police have arrested a Pittsburgh man suspected of throwing a concrete block at a police truck during a May 30 protest that turned violent. George Allen, 31, faces charges of aggravated assault, riot, propulsion of missiles, recklessly endangering another person and criminal mischief. Police said two Pittsburgh officers were in...
Police: $205K seized from Arnold home where 3 ran drug enterprise
Arnold police and the state Attorney General’s Office said they seized more than $205,000 in cash and other valuables upon arresting two men and a woman who they said were dealing crack cocaine in the city. Police said Matthew Avans McCloud, 30, Steven Charles Boykin, 29, and Darrian Wilford, 24,...
Kennywood cancels Phantom Fright Nights, Happy Hauntings this year
Scares are the hallmark of Kennywood’s Halloween-season Phantom Fright Nights. But this year, the October fear is replaced by June disappointment. Kennywood announced Tuesday it’s canceling that October attraction — about a dozen nights a year when parts of the park are remade as haunted attractions — as well as...
