Western PA Local News category, Page 2547
Hempfield school district approves preliminary budget with no tax hike
Hempfield Area School District property owners will not see a tax hike this year after board officials unanimously passed a $97.67 million preliminary budget this week. This is the second budget in a row that has not raised taxes, following five years of gradual increases, setting taxes at 83.46 mills....
Highlands School Board appoints new solicitor as collector of overdue property taxes
Former Highlands School District Solicitor Ira Weiss said his firm wasn’t given a chance to defend its record collecting delinquent property taxes for the district before being ousted from the job. The school board voted 7-1 on Monday to appoint Andrews & Price as delinquent property tax collector, effective Tuesday....
Western Pa. task force intent on training dogs to sniff out covid-19Video
More than 100 dogs and handlers from throughout the region were put through their paces this month as they vied for the opportunity to join in the battle against the covid-19 pandemic. During sessions in Youngwood and Imperial, a panel of trainers evaluated the dogs’ ability to sniff out hidden...
Search continues for boy who reportedly fell into the Ohio River
Ambridge police, fire and other emergency responders will resume searching Tuesday for a 10-year-old boy they said fell into the Ohio River on Monday. The boy was with his brother and a group of friends who were playing near the Ambridge Sewer Treatment Plant and the Leetsdale Boat Ramp, Tribune-Review...
Leechburg Area considers $15.3M budget with tax increase for West Leechburg residents
Leechburg Area School Board approved a $15.3 million preliminary budget for next fiscal year that would increase property taxes by 6.7% for West Leechburg residents, even though the proposed spending plan is $80,000 smaller than this year. The school district is made up of students from Armstrong County’s Leechburg and...
Judge dismisses lawsuit tied to fires at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by two environmental groups against U.S. Steel over alleged Clean Air Act violations at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. The suit was filed last year after fires on Dec. 24, 2018 and June 16, 2019. U.S. District Judge Marilyn Horan sided with...
Greensburg diocese to begin in-person Mass on June 1
The seating and the passing of peace may look a little different but, beginning June 1, Catholic churches in the Diocese of Greensburg will celebrate Mass — in person. Diocesan officials announced Monday that parishes can once again begin public Mass. Parishioners will be required to wear masks and remain...
Westmoreland prison guard fired amid inmate assault investigation
A Westmoreland County Prison guard was fired Monday, less than a month after the launch of an investigation into allegations that an inmate was assaulted by staff at the jail. Warden John Walton declined to reveal details that led to the firing. Sheriff James Albert, who serves as a member...
New CMU study shows inequity in internet access among children
A study led by a Carnegie Mellon University professor used national data to measure how many children have internet access at home and what factors contribute to the long-existing digital divide. The findings, said lead researcher Ananya Sen, are especially potent as most K-12 school districts have moved to online...
Fireworks over New Stanton planned to ‘boost community morale’
New Stanton residents will be treated to a fireworks show this weekend in an effort to “boost community morale,” borough council President Ray Strosko said. The event, scheduled for Saturday at 8:45 p.m., will be hosted by Schaefer Fireworks, which is staging the display from a “good vantage point” so...
Derry Area to bid seniors farewell with lunch, parade
Derry Area School District’s traditional breakfast for graduating high school seniors couldn’t be held this year because of social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, members of the Class of 2020 are invited to a drive-through farewell luncheon on Friday. It will be followed by a parade through the...
Squirrel Hill Tunnel washing set for Tuesday through Thursday
There’s a good chance travel time through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel will be slower than normal over the next three nights. PennDOT is announcing lane restrictions in the tunnel (I-376 Parkway East) in the city of Pittsburgh Tuesday through Thursday. The single-lane restrictions will happen in both directions as needed...
Opening day for ATVs on state trails to be Tuesday, says DCNR
Opening day for all-terrain vehicles to access designated trails in state forests statewide will be Tuesday — four days earlier than usual — the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced Monday. DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced that opening day is occurring four days before the start of...
Bipartisan request to loosen restrictions in Westmoreland County sent to Gov. Wolf
Westmoreland County’s top elected officials are pleased with having been moved into the yellow phase of coronavirus reopening. They would just prefer a more robust shade. In a letter sent to Gov. Tom Wolf, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers and county commissioners asked for an enhanced designation that would...
Cruisin’ Tikis reopening to resume cruises with coronavirus safety measures
Cruisin’ Tikis Pittsburgh will resume cruises starting June 1, the company announced Monday. Cruisin’ Tikis offers two-hour tours of the Point in Pittsburgh from the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers on 16-foot boats shaped like a tiki bar. Passengers provide their own refreshments. In light of coronavirus restrictions, the company...
Allegheny County announces consolidated polling places for June 2 primary election
Allegheny County Elections Division officials have announced the list of consolidated polling places for the June 2 primary election. Officials said households with eligible voters will receive a postcard prior to election day advising them of their specific polling place location. The consolidation of polling places was approved in April....
New Kensington seeking bids to resurface Carl Avenue, 3 other streets
New Kensington plans to resurface parts of four city streets this year. The city will mill and resurface the following streets: • Carl Avenue, from Route 366 to Craigdell Road. • Freeport Road, from 7th Street to Short Street. • Short Street, from Freeport Road to Ridge Avenue. • Locust...
Leechburg Area School District to hold graduation at Riverside Drive-In
Leechburg Area School District is giving its high school seniors the movie-star treatment this year. The coronavirus pandemic shut down Pennsylvania’s public schools in March, forcing districts to offer education online and abandon traditional graduation plans. Leechburg Area will honor its 73 graduates at Riverside Drive-In in Parks, which has...
Westmoreland jail benefits financially through pandemic slowdown
Although the coronavirus has not impacted the Westmoreland County Prison like some other jails, the pandemic has improved the facility’s bottom line, officials said. The virus considerably lowered the inmate count at the Hempfield lockup, which in turn has led to savings of more than $18,000 in medical expenses this...
Latrobe church schedules free meal take-out
Holy Family Catholic Church in Latrobe will offer free take-out meals on Thursday. Dinners will be available from 5 p.m. until about 100 have been distributed at 1200 Ligonier St. The menu includes ham barbecue sandwiches, hobo beans, cole slaw and cake. Church volunteers wearing masks and practicing social distancing...
Gas prices continue to rise, but are expected to remain lower than they have been in years
Gasoline prices are rising in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation as demand for fuel is increasing with states beginning to reopen their economies and loosen covid-19 restrictions. Warmer weather also is drawing more people outdoors. The price-tracking service GasBuddy said the average gas price in the Pittsburgh area...
Voter registration efforts hampered by coronavirus restrictions
Political parties’ efforts to get people signed up to vote in the June 2 primary have been hampered by coronavirus-related restrictions. Still, both major parties saw slight registration gains in Allegheny County compared to pre-primary numbers in the last presidential election year, and GOP registrations in Westmoreland County are up...
Free street parking ending in Downtown Pittsburgh as businesses reopen
People who park in Downtown Pittsburgh will have to pay up at meters again. City officials announced that enforcement will restart on Wednesday. City and Pittsburgh Parking Authority officials hadn’t been enforcing metered parking since mid-March because of the shutdown spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. But now that Allegheny County...
Kecksburg’s UFO Festival shelved, but firefighters hope ‘Old-Fashioned Day’ is a hit
Summer celebration cancellations have now gone intergalactic, with the annual Kecksburg UFO Festival becoming the latest to shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. “There was a lot of discussion about it, but there is too much uncertainty right now regarding what is going to be allowed come the end...
6 more coronavirus deaths reported in Westmoreland County
State health officials on Monday reported six more people in Westmoreland County died from the coronavirus. The Department of Health, in its daily update, reported a total of 38 deaths in the county. The county coroner’s office has been reporting 32 virus-related deaths since May 7. There are also five...
