Local category, Page 2556
Woodland Hills shuts down intermediate school to disinfect building after potential coronavirus contact
The Woodland Hills School District closed the intermediate school because of a potential exposure to the coronavirus, district officials announced Thursday. In an alert posted on the district website, officials said the decision to close the school so it can be disinfected was made “out of an overabundance of caution”...
3 new flu deaths reported in Allegheny County
The Allegheny County Health Department on Thursday reported three new deaths in the county from flu complications. Two of the people were in their early 70s. The third person was in his or her early 60s. All of them had underlying medical conditions, according to a statement from the health...
Move to online classes continues as colleges across the region shutter classrooms
The move to online education at colleges and universities across Western Pennsylvania was nearly universal by the end of Thursday. Residential colleges and universities concerned about the potential for the spread of coronavirus as students returned from spring break were among the first institutions in the nation to react to...
Lawrence County man accused of hiding in woods to shoot at passing school van
A Lawrence County man has been charged with shooting at a van full of elementary-age children Tuesday morning in Shenango Township. Township police arrested Bryon John Benetas, 41, for allegedly dressing in camouflage and hiding in the woods off Route 65 and firing several shots at the van transporting seven...
Alleged racial comments by Allegheny County Judge Tranquilli could complicate past, future cases
Some defendants sentenced by embattled Allegheny County Judge Mark Tranquilli have already begun seeking post-conviction relief in their cases, something legal experts believe could continue as more of the judge’s questionable remarks come to light. Tranquilli has been sidelined for more than a month after written complaints surfaced alleging he...
East Hills woman charged with child endangerment for allegedly letting 2 toddlers wander neighborhood
Pittsburgh police charged an East Hills woman with child endangerment after investigators observed a video on social media of her two toddlers wandering the neighborhood unattended and improperly clothed. Tevanna Keith, 22, was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the incident Tuesday....
The Stroller, March 12, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local meeting notices, charitable events and volunteer opportunities. Information for The Stroller may be dropped off or mailed at least a week in advance to: The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084, email vndnews@tribweb.com or fax 724-226-4677. Music concert...
Colfax Elementary, Brookline K-8 and St. Bede schools close after possible coronavirus exposures
Potential exposures to the coronavirus have prompted Pittsburgh Public Schools to take steps to prevent it from being spread to other people. Colfax Elementary School in Squirrel Hill was closed Thursday after officials learned that a student may have been exposed to the coronavirus from a relative outside the school....
Irwin drops Greensburg law firm, hires attorney from firm
Irwin council dropped its Greensburg law firm this week, but hired one of the firm’s attorneys as its solicitor. The borough no longer will retain Tremba, Kinney, Greiner & Kerr LLC to provide solicitor services. Instead, attorney Zachary Kansler, a former member of the firm, will be a part-time borough...
Greensburg Salem School Board appoints former athletic director as new member
Greensburg Salem School District welcomed a familiar face as its newest board member. Lynn Jobe, the district’s former athletic director, was appointed to fill the remainder of former board member Rachel Shaw’s term. Shaw announced her resignation in January, after accepting a government job that prevented her from holding elected...
Washington Township man accused of raping teen girl turns himself in to police
A Washington Township man accused of raping an unconscious 13-year-old girl last summer was arrested Wednesday. Jarod David Altman, 18, turned himself in to authorities around 6 p.m., according to Allegheny Township police Sgt. Dan Uncapher. He faces charges of raping an unconscious victim, statutory sexual assault, sexual assault, indecent...
Kiski Area color guard performs locally after international contest in Ohio canceled
The Kiski Area High School color guard performed at Kiski Upper Elementary School on Wednesday night after an intercontinental contest was canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. School district parents and friends showed their support of the youths, who were scheduled to compete in the WGI Sport of...
New Castle man guilty of cocaine distribution conspiracy
A New Castle man accused of conspiring to distribute cocaine pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to narcotics violations. Wesley Cox, also known as Michael Deshawn Carter, 38, admitted guilt before U.S. District Judge Marilyn J. Horan. Authorities said he as part of a conspiracy to distribute at least five...
Deputies arrest suspect in October killing along Route 30
Sheriff’s deputies found a man wanted in a drive-by shooting hiding behind a wall in the attic of his girlfriend’s Mt. Oliver home Wednesday, authorities said. Erik DeSean Addison, 24, has been on the run since late October when he allegedly opened fire on a vehicle on Route 30, killing...
Burrell administration recommends artificial turf for Buccaneers Stadium
The Burrell School District administration has recommended artificial turf rather than natural grass for the Buccaneers Stadium renovations. The board will cast a final vote to award the project, choosing from three contract bids, at their March 17 meeting. The administration and the project’s architects, HHSDR Architects/Engineers of Sharon, reviewed...
Dick’s to stop selling guns, hunting supplies at 440 more stores this year
There’s more money to be made selling athletic shoes and sporting equipment instead of guns and ammunition, the CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods told analysts in a Tuesday earnings call. That’s driven the Findlay Township-based company’s decision to stop selling guns and guns and hunting supplies at 440 of its...
Fired Tarentum laborer pleads guilty to harassment in alleged attack on teen worker
A former Tarentum public works laborer charged with attacking and threatening a teenage summer worker in 2019 has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. Borough police charged Tim Dzugan, 56, on July 30 with strangulation, simple assault and harassment in connection with the alleged incident last July. According to court...
Sisters of Charity, Chuck Cooper, George Romero to get state historic markers in Western Pa.
The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, a standout Duquesne University basketball player, a renowned horror filmmaker, an influential archaeologist and an Indian trader who once owned thousands of acres in Western Pennsylvania will be recognized for their importance with historical markers, the state announced. Six of the 24 people,...
Pitt, Duquesne, Carnegie Mellon, Penn State among colleges nationwide canceling face-to-face classes over virus fears
Colleges across the country are extending spring breaks, shuttering classrooms and transitioning to online formats as fears of coronavirus spread. Unprecedented, sweeping changes have reached from the halls of the oldest Ivy League institutions to sprawling land grant institutions and the tiniest community colleges, said Brad Farnsworth, vice president for...
Westmoreland County prepares for high volume of mail-in votes
Westmoreland County will be ready if large numbers of voters decide to stay home on Election Day. Officials will spend about $100,000 for new equipment to help count mail-in votes in next month’s primary and in the November general election. County commissioners approved buying two high-speed scanners from Election Systems...
Police: New Kensington man beat up woman who is 5 months pregnant
A New Kensington man is accused of beating up a pregnant woman so severely she had to be taken to a Pittsburgh hospital, police said. Arnold police said the woman came to the door of the police department shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday, crying with multiple bruises on both sides...
Attendance up at Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show despite coronavirus fears
Attendance is up at this year’s Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show despite the coronavirus pandemic that’s prompted other large-scale events to be canceled, its executive director said Wednesday. “Last Friday was the biggest opening day in our 39-year history,” said John DeSantis, executive director of the annual show. DeSantis would...
Police: New Ken man says he attempted to cook meth in his basement ‘in the past’
New Kensington police on Tuesday arrested a man who they say had a methamphetamine lab in his basement. Sean Christopher Smith, 34, remained in the Westmoreland County Prison on Wednesday after failing to post $100,000 bond. He is charged with operating a methamphetamine lab, reckless endangerment, and additional drug offenses,...
Caboose at Cooper Station Restaurant moving to Butler-Freeport Community Trail
The board of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail is buying the Cooper Station Restaurant’s distinctive old-style, red caboose along Route 356 in Winfield to relocate at a trailhead off Winfield Road in the township . The purchase honors the history of the 21-mile trail, which was forged by the Western Pennsylvania...
Sage’s Army welcomes those in need to its new Hempfield location; open house set
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Sage’s army announced that the open house has been postponed. Megan Riley first came into contact with Carmen Capozzi in August 2016. He was the catalyst that helped her find sobriety. Now, he’s her boss at her first job as a certified recovery...
