Local category, Page 2565
Parents, school officials working to raise money for new playground at West Hempfield Elementary
Parents at West Hempfield Elementary School are rallying together to give students a new playground by the start of next school year. Plans for a 40 by 70 playground featuring new equipment that will promote physical activity while including sensory play pieces is in the works, said PTO member Kimberly...
Rep. Brandon Markosek speaks to students about bullying
“Bullying does not have a zip code.” State Rep. Brandon Markosek, D-Monroeville, spoke to students at Spectrum Charter School and O’Block Junior High School in Plum Borough School District over two days about his experience being bullied and how that has buttressed his fight for legislation to make bullying illegal....
Wall in Judge Thatcher’s court recognizes local heroes
The faces and stories of heroes who sacrificed greatly for our country line the lobby walls at District Judge Michael Thatcher’s court. The heroes’ wall is intended to serve as inspiration for those coming to the district court on what could be one of the worst days of their lives...
Woman dies in Washington County house fire, cause of fire under investigation
A woman died in a Washington County house Friday afternoon, officials said. Joann Wilson, 62, was pronounced dead at 2:39 p.m. — a little more than two hours after her home caught fire, according to the Washington County Coroner’s Office. She lived at the home that caught fire on Grant...
Owner of Kennywood Park, Idlewild and Sandcastle opening support office in Pittsburgh
The owner of three of Pittsburgh’s amusement parks is opening a support facility here in March. Palace Entertainment, which owns Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, as well as Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier and Sandcastle Waterpark in Homestead, is moving some operations from Newport Beach, Calif., to a temporary spot...
Car rear-ends Port Authority bus in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, 2 drivers injured
A car rear-ended a Port Authority of Allegheny County bus Friday evening in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, sending both drivers to hospitals with minor injuries, officials said. The 87 Friendship bus was headed outbound and stopped on Liberty Avenue at 25th Street when it was struck by the car shortly before...
Coronavirus concerns hurting Asian restaurants in Pittsburgh, some owners say
Asian restaurants and markets across Pittsburgh are hurting because of misinformation surrounding how the new coronavirus spreads, community leaders and officials said Friday. To combat the anti-Chinese sentiment, local politicians gathered for lunch at Oakland’s Night Market Gourmet to encourage patronage of Asian restaurants and quash myths. “In the Marines...
Landowner wants to sell nearly 110 acres to Upper Burrell for a park
Upper Burrell supervisors are looking into an offer from a Florida man to sell almost 110 acres of wooded property near the township’s Lincoln Beach Park. Supervisors held off discussion of the offer this week to investigate further. “It’s a very interesting offer,” Supervisor Michael Conley said. “We don’t get...
Carnegie Museum of Art appoints Eric Crosby as director
Eric Crosby has been appointed The Henry J. Heinz II Director of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Oakland. Previously the Richard Armstrong Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, he served as museum’s acting director since January 2019. “Eric has a deep commitment to the mission of Carnegie Museums...
Big turnout for trout stocking, Fish Commission predicts excellent opening dayVideo
An officer with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is predicting an excellent opening day of trout season April 18. A bounty of volunteers and good weather Thursday and Friday made it easy to widely distribute four truckloads of trout in Bull Creek in Tarentum, Deer Creek in Indiana Township...
Large asteroid will zip by the Earth in April at about 20,000 mph
Earthlings looking for something to take their minds off the coronavirus now have a giant asteroid to think about. While experts say there is no cause for alarm, the asteroid was classified as a potentially hazardous object because it passes near Earth’s orbit. However, it’s not currently on NASA’s list...
Groups work to expand Pennsylvania habitat for shy and secretive massasauga rattlesnake
Butler County is one of the last strongholds in the state for a mellow and seldom-seen rattlesnake that government agencies and a local conservation group are trying to save. A century ago, the eastern massasauga rattlesnake called 19 areas in Pennsylvania home, living between Allegheny County and Crawford County. Today...
Monroeville native Dinzeo competes at U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials
Aaron Dinzeo has competed in many distance races in his life, but not many were like the one he ran recently with a unique prize on the line. The Monroeville native and former track and field and cross country standout at Cal (Pa.) joined a select group of 260 at...
Bullets strike parked car near Langley elementary school in Sheraden
A male suspect is accused of firing a gun toward a person and instead striking a parked car near an elementary school in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood, officials said. No one was injured, Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews said. Police officers responded to a report of a domestic dispute in...
Section of Pittsburgh’s Fourth Avenue, Downtown, closing for remainder of March
Pittsburgh’s Fourth Avenue, Downtown, will be closed for the remainder of March between Smithfield and Wood streets for underground utility work, according to the city Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. Vehicles will be detoured during the closure from Wood, to the Boulevard of the Allies, to Smithfield Street and back...
Party continues for Levin Furniture workers who faced bleak future days agoVideo
Just when it seemed the feel-good story of the week couldn’t get any better, hundreds of Levin Furniture employees and managers turned out for a rousing homecoming for former owner Robert Levin on Friday. “I just want to tell everybody how excited I am to be back, running the company,”...
Allegheny County Jail prepares for coronavirus possibilities
Allegheny County Jail officials are working with the county health department and emergency services to prepare for a potential coronavirus outbreak at the jail, Warden Orlando Harper and Chief Deputy Warden Laura Williams said during a Jail Oversight Board meeting. “As we know, a confined environment is something where we...
Pittsburgh airport ramps up sanitizing efforts as coronavirus spreads
As travelers worldwide place their plans on hold because of the growing threat of the coronavirus, officials at Pittsburgh International Airport said Friday that things there are business as usual. Bob Kerlik, a spokesman for the Allegheny County Airport Authority, said the airport has not received notice of flight reductions....
Salem man accused of blackmailing teen for nude photosVideo
An 18-year-old Salem man accused of asking underage girls to send him nude photographs was arrested again Friday for allegedly blackmailing a 16-year-old girl into sending him illicit photographs and a video. Dylan J. Krupitzer, of Crabtree, declined comment as he was led from Washington Township District Judge Jason Buczak’s...
Robot season gets underway at Cal U
There is a fall sports season, a winter sports season and a spring sports season at most colleges. At California University of Pennsylvania, there’s a fourth sports season: robot season. The state university in Washington County, which broke ground more than a decade ago when it began hosting high school...
For the love of mic: Frankie Day celebrates 15 years on the air
Frank Dittig’s two careers have just one thing in common — they’ve both been jobs he has loved. And that’s where the similarities end. Dittig, 79, owned an office supply store in North Versailles for decades before commanding the mic at radio station WKFB-AM, playing oldies tunes for listening ears....
Cops: Derry woman abused toddler after smoking crack cocaine
A Derry woman is accused of physically abusing a 23-month-old toddler and smoking crack cocaine as the child sat in her lap. Crystal N. Steele, 28, was arraigned by Hempfield District Judge Tony Bompiani on charges of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, harassment, possession of drug paraphernalia, reckless...
Allegheny County DA urges weekend medicine cabinet cleanup
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is encouraging residents to clean out their medicine cabinets this weekend to coincide with changing their clocks. “The beginning of daylight saving time is the perfect time for people to identify unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications in their homes, medications...
Fatal gunfight between Mt. Oliver man, Pittsburgh cops being examined by policeVideo
A Mt. Oliver man was killed after a gunfight with four plainclothes Pittsburgh police detectives Thursday night following a traffic stop on the city’s North Side. Authorities are working to piece together what happened, but as of about noon Friday, Allegheny County police could provide few details about what happened....
Food Podcast: How Apple Castle contributes to ending hunger in Western Pa.
Apple Castle harvests about 10,000 bushels of apples every year. And many of them go to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Steve Johnston, the sixth-generation owner of Apple Castle, joined Brian Gulish on the Food Podcast to discuss his company’s commitment to support Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s mission...
