Western PA Local News category, Page 2523
Westmoreland County adds 1 new coronavirus case, no deaths
Westmoreland County reported one new coronavirus case and no new deaths Saturday. This leaves the total number of deaths at 38 and raises the number of cases to 457 countywide. Coroner Ken Bacha is reporting 32 deaths occurred in the county. That tally has not changed since May 7 as...
Pennsylvania adds 701 new coronavirus cases, 45 deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 45 new deaths and 701 additional cases of the coronavirus. The state has now had 75,086 total cases and 5,931 deaths. Deaths have been recorded in 55 of the state’s 67 counties, and every county has had a positive case. More than...
Feds charge Pittsburgh man, 52, with placing bag full of homemade bombs Downtown, having supplies at home
A Pittsburgh man has been charged with a federal crime after police said he placed a backpack containing several homemade bombs in Downtown Pittsburgh on May 31. U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced Saturday that Matthew Michanowicz, 52, of the city’s Duquesne Heights neighborhood, was charged with possession of an...
The Oaks Theater in Oakmont reopens
The Oaks Theater welcomed guests Friday after a several month hiatus with cartoons and drinks. Doors opened for a free classic cartoon celebration at 310 Allegheny River Blvd. The venue, like many shuttered entertainment facilities and businesses, reopened that day as Allegheny County entered the green phase of the state’s...
Sewickley Tavern officially open after covid-19 closure
Chris DeRose summed up his thoughts on the Sewickley Tavern opening for customers on Friday. “Finally.” As in finally, Allegheny County was moved into the green phase of the state’s economic reopening plan, which allows inside dining at restaurants. “It’s been a roller coaster of emotion, from preparing and being...
Milling and paving on Pittsburgh streets resumes Monday
Milling and paving of Pittsburgh city streets resumes Monday. It’s part of a nearly $16 million street resurfacing program the city is investing in for 2020. The plan calls for curb ramp upgrades on paved streets, and repair of concrete, brick and block stone streets throughout the city. In all,...
Norwin student linking mask users, makers
A Norwin High School student’s community service project connects mask users with area crafters willing to make them. Lydia Berger, who will be a senior, said she came up with the idea for the covid-19 mask initiative days after the governor’s stay-at-home order went into effect in March. ”I was...
The Stroller, June 6, 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. Free children’s summer food programs to open Several summer...
Snap Fitness in Verona, Plum to remain closed despite state’s move to green phase
Gyms and fitness centers in Allegheny County can reopen under strict guidelines now that the area was moved into the green phase of the state’s economic reopening plan. However, Snap Fitness franchises in Plum and Verona appear to have closed their doors for good. Franchisee Mike Mettee took to Facebook...
Authorities re-apprehend Pittsburgh bomb suspect after apartment search
The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office Friday re-apprehended a man charged with leaving a backpack full of homemade explosives in downtown Pittsburgh after a search of his apartment allegedly turned up new evidence. Matthew Michanowicz, 52, of Pittsburgh, originally was arrested by Pittsburgh police this week and charged with three counts...
New Kensington-Arnold celebrates Class of 2020 with parade through cities
The back of Amanda Reidy’s car was filled with balloons when she arrived at Valley High School in New Kensington on Friday morning to participate in a parade for the Class of 2020, which includes her son, James. The parade through New Kensington and Arnold was just one of several...
Fulbright scholar refuses to let a pandemic end her fellowship in Western Pennsylvania
Loubna Zohra Aissioui was excited when she learned she had been selected to come to the U.S. in a Fulbright international teaching exchange program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Studying in the U.S. was the fulfillment of a dream for the married mother of three who has taught high school...
Social media threat discovered toward end of Apollo-Ridge graduation ceremony
A threat made via social media had Apollo-Ridge School District officials err on the side of caution during the finale of Friday night’s graduation ceremony and cut it short. School Director Paul King said the district skipped its traditional return of seniors’ caps and gowns in exchange for diplomas after...
No traditional graduation celebration? No problem for Highlands High grads who get parade instead
The Highlands Class of 2020 did not get to march at commencement on Friday evening, but they did get to be recognized. The seniors rode in cars, many poking out of the top of sunroofs, some riding in the back of pickup trucks, all escorted by police and volunteer firefighters...
Nobody hurt in Hempfield house fire
Nobody was injured in a Hempfield garage fire Friday evening, according to the Adamsburg Volunteer Fire Department. The fire started in an attic space above the garage of the Wendel Road home shortly after 5 p.m. The home is located across the street from West Hempfield Elementary School. One woman...
In-person Masses at the Shrines of Pittsburgh canceled this weekend due to potential covid-19 exposure
In-person Masses at the the Shrines of Pittsburgh churches have been canceled due to potential covid-19 exposure, Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh officials announced Friday night. Diocese officials said the spouse of an employee at the Shrines of Pittsburgh grouping has been tested for the coronavirus and is awaiting test results....
Shaler man accused of inciting riot during Pittsburgh protests faces federal charges
A Shaler man accused of inciting a riot during the protests in Pittsburgh last Saturday now faces federal charges. Federal charges of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder have been filed against Brian Bartels, authorities announced Friday evening. Bartels, 20, is accused of initiating the destruction of a...
Pittsburgh police say rioters tossed bomb, molotov cocktail during initial protests
Pittsburgh police officers narrowly escaped potentially serious injuries during rioting in Pittsburgh last week when someone tossed what was believed to be a homemade bomb that hit one officer and blew up at the feet of another, city officials said. The city Public Safety Department on Friday announced the creation...
Alle-Kiski Valley shoppers lament closing of JCPenney in Frazer mall
Sandra Fitzsimmons enjoys shopping at JCPenney and sees it occupying a necessary place in retail — a step above Walmart, a step below Macy’s. Fitzsimmons, of Allegheny Township, was outside the JCPenney at the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer on Friday, lamenting that the store is among four in Western...
Pennsylvania AG: residents filed over 5,000 price gouging complaints during pandemic
More than 5,000 Pennsylvania residents have reported price hikes in essential products during the covid-19 pandemic, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Friday. The Office of the Attorney General has issued 466 cease and desist letters, as well as subpoenas to 200 targets for further investigation, according to a news release....
Several malls, like Pittsburgh Mills, open Friday, but Westmoreland, Monroeville waiting until Tuesday
Several malls in the region, including the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer, reopened their doors to shoppers on Friday, but two malls have decided to delay reopening for four days. Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield and Monroeville mall, both owned by CBL Properties, are scheduled to reopen Tuesday, a spokeswoman said....
Pitt expert, others warn coronavirus remains lethal despite falling numbers
Suggesting the coronavirus is less lethal now than it was two months ago — as a UPMC doctor appeared to do on Thursday — would be a mistake, other experts warned. Although the prevalence and severity of covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, has declined across the region,...
Smithton, Scottdale surveyed for non-motorized transportation plan
Online surveys will allow residents of Smithton and Scottdale to provide input for potential improvements to support walking, bicycling and other non-motorized modes of transportation in the communities. The surveys, available through June 30 at smithtonboro.us and scottdaleborough.com, will be used in developing an Active Transportation Plan and a Complete...
Rick’s Barber Shop reopens in BlawnoxVideo
It’s one of those old-fashioned barber shops, a one-man operation with a swirling striped poll out front. Don’t expect to get a manicure here. But people can once again come in for a haircut For the first time in 14 weeks, Rick’s Barber Shop is open for business. “It feels...
North Hills Cares in need of volunteers
North Hills Cares is in need of volunteers for the North Hills Cares-operated summer lunch program in the North Hills School District. Two-hundred kids have signed up, which is about 66% more children than last year. There are two opportunities for volunteers — either making lunches at North Hills UM...
