Western PA Local News category, Page 2559
Westmoreland-based nonprofits bide time through fundraiser cancellations
Both the Westmoreland Cultural Trust and Old Joe Club Charities were able to hold their largest annual fundraisers before the coronavirus prompted a statewide lockdown. The Trust’s Party at the Palace and Old Joe’s Men’s Night Out both took place in February, about a month before event cancellations began to...
Beaver County officials blast Wolf’s decision to keep county under heavy coronavirus restrictions
Beaver County officials blasted Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday for his decision to keep their county under the most restrictive pandemic-related guidelines, while the county’s district attorney declared he wouldn’t prosecute business owners who choose to flout the continued restrictions. Commissioners and lawmakers got ahead of Wolf’s 2 p.m. announcement...
Was sand dumping at Pittsburgh City Hall in retaliation to shuttered skateboard park?
Someone dumped sand in a revolving door at Pittsburgh’s City Hall on Thursday night, hours after city officials reported a public works crew put sand in a shuttered neighborhood skateboard park to prevent repeated break-ins. Public safety spokesman Chris Togneri said police were investigating the sand dumping in a doorway...
Gov. Wolf announces most of Western Pa. moving to yellow phase May 15
Allegheny and Westmoreland are among the counties Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday can begin the first phase of a gradual reopening and easing of coronavirus-related restrictions. A majority of the Southwest and South-Central counties will proceed to the yellow phase of the tiered reopening plan on May 15. That includes...
Hundreds of suspected marijuana plants worth $500K seized in Penn Hills
Authorities seized hundreds of suspected marijuana plants during a raid on the home of a 66-year-old Penn Hills man, according to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. Kenneth Creekmore will face charges of drug possession and possession with intent to deliver, District Attorney spokesman Mike Manko said. Police from numerous...
Lower Burrell Council holding phone meeting, but public can’t listen live
Lower Burrell Council will hold its regular monthly meeting via a telephone conference 7 p.m. Monday, but residents cannot access it in real time. The public is being asked to submit comments and questions prior to the meeting. While residents can view council’s agenda online and later, the meeting transcript,...
Week-in-review: Pa. moves some counties to yellow, Pitt researcher killed, ‘murder hornets’Video
While covid-19 and the impact of the pandemic continue to dominate lives and news, other news continued to come in the past week. A missing woman’s body was found in McKees Rocks, while the motivation behind a murder-suicide in Ross came to light. In nature news, we learned about homicidal...
Pennsylvania reports 200 more coronavirus deaths, more than 1,300 new cases
Pennsylvania added 200 more coronavirus deaths to its toll on Friday along with more than 1,300 new cases of the virus, state health officials said. The new numbers bring the statewide death toll to 3,616. Of those deaths, 2,458 — 68% — have been in long-term care facilities. The total...
Market Square farmers market moving to new Pittsburgh location
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is changing the location and day of operation for its popular Market Square farmers market as a safety precaution during the coronavirus pandemic. The partnership announced Friday that the market will open May 17 in a parking lot at 11th Street and Waterfront Place in the...
Allegheny County reports 2 new coronavirus deaths, 16 more cases
Allegheny County officials reported 16 additional cases of covid-19 and two more deaths Friday, bringing the total to 1,455 confirmed or probable cases and 119 deaths countywide. The county reported 45 cases Thursday — the biggest single-day increase in reported cases in two weeks — but attributed that increase to...
13th resident dies from coronavirus at Kane’s Glen Hazel facility
A 13th resident died from coronavirus at Kane Community Living Center’s Glen Hazel location, according to data from Allegheny County. At least 110 residents at the long-term care facility have been tested for covid-19, and 71 have tested positive. Four tests are pending. A total of 174 people reside in...
Pittsburgh nursing home holds parade to honor health care workersVideo
The Jewish Association on Aging’s Charles Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Squirrel Hill held a parade Thursday to celebrate National Nurses Week and National Nursing Home Week. Cars lined up decorated with balloons and signs thanking the workers who are caring for others every day, especially during the pandemic....
Western Pa. leaders respond as most of region set to move to yellow phase next week
Officials in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties applauded Gov. Tom Wolf’s decision Friday to move most of Southwestern Pennsylvania to a phase of eased coronavirus restrictions, though many said the decision was overdue. “It’s a step in the right direction,” Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes said. “This should’ve happened a week...
Monroeville company cleans Westmoreland emergency vehicles for free
Nearly 150 emergency service vehicles in Westmoreland County got a thorough cleaning for free last month from Premier Automation in Monroeville. Nine employees at the engineered solutions company volunteered for more than a week to clean 148 fire trucks, police cars, ambulances and other vehicles, according to an announcement from...
New book: ‘Mister Rogers’ actor stayed in closet to remain on show
Francois Clemmons vividly recalls a come-to-Jesus meeting with Fred Rogers 52 years ago, as if it happened yesterday. Clemmons, who had spent a good portion of his life struggling with his sexuality, was coming into his own as a gay man. He was frequenting a gay club behind the Greyhound...
Leechburg Area contracts for $1M turf field, track at Veterans stadium
The Leechburg Area School Board has awarded a contract to add artificial turf to Leechburg’s Veterans Memorial Stadium. The district will pay South Carolina-based Sprinturf roughly $1 million to install the turf and add a track one-eighth of a mile long. Business Manager Brad Walker said the district obtained a...
Record-breaking cold prompts freeze warning
The coldest temperatures ever recorded in May in the Pittsburgh area are expected overnight Friday into Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. A freeze warning is scheduled to run from midnight to 9 a.m. Saturday, with the low temperature expected to get down to 26 degrees, meteorologist Michael...
No injuries reported in Braddock house fire
Firefighters responded to a house fire overnight in Braddock. The fire in the 400 block of Fourth Avenue was reported shortly before 1:30 a.m. Friday, an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said. The fire went to two alarms, with flames blowing out of the second floor. The fire was determined to...
SWAT officers called to Northview Heights home, suspect arrested
Pittsburgh Bureau of Police SWAT officers were called to Northview Heights on Thursday night after a carjacking suspect allegedly ran into a house where a woman and children were staying. Officers responded to the 300 block of Mt. Pleasant Road around 8:15 p.m. for reports of the incident. On scene,...
The Stroller, May 8, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Sitting at home all day, many of us are asking ourselves how we can help others during this pandemic. Read The Stroller daily for announcements of how everyone can ease the pressure and stress of others, even while maintaining social distancing. Information for The Stroller should be emailed to vndnews@tribweb.com....
Flags headed to Westmoreland County veterans’ graves, with help of local groups
Seven pallets of graveside flags were distributed Friday at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg to veterans groups, which are to place them in area cemeteries in time for Memorial Day, according to county Veterans Affairs Director Matt Zamosky. Members of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association and the Westmoreland County...
State senator: Greene, Washington counties to reopen next Friday
Two more Pennsylvania counties will reopen late next week, according to a post by Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington, on her personal Facebook page. According to Bartolotta, Greene and Washington counties will move from the red into the yellow phase next Friday as per Gov. Tom Wolf’s three-phased plan for reopening...
Windber woman helps provide food for low-income children
Donna LaMonaca of Windber has been a volunteer at the Saint Vincent de Paul Family Kitchen in the Altoona-Johnstown area since she was a child. When they called her last month to say they weren’t able to distribute all of the donated milk they had on hand, she got an...
Delmont fire company plans mini-parade through borough to honor moms
Fire department volunteers are among the first responders in their communities, and with Mother’s Day coming up on Sunday, Delmont librarian Denni Grassel approached members of the borough fire department with an idea. “She mentioned that moms are kind of like the ‘first responders’ of the household,” Delmont Fire Chief...
Hempfield fire stations face ‘growing pains’ as township supervisors enforce service agreements
A Hempfield fire station might be forced to pay debt on one of its vehicles if it doesn’t agree to follow a plan laid out by township supervisors at the start of the year. Members of the High Park Volunteer Fire Department are asking the township to pay nearly $62,000...
