Local category, Page 2577
See how Pennsylvania students fared on SATs in 2019
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has released the average SAT scores at public schools across the state. The averages come from students in the class of 2019 who took the standardized test — about 2.2 million students nationwide, according to College Board, the institution that administers the test. The exam...
Springdale Township plans to demolish 3 blighted houses
Springdale Township plans to use a $35,000 state grant to demolish three blighted houses this year. The demolitions haven’t been scheduled. The township is waiting for results from asbestos testing of the three houses to determine where asbestos removal will be necessary, according to Robert Roach, a project manager with...
Danny’s Bar in West View is back in business after fire
On Sunday, Feb. 23 at 9 a.m., 594 days after fire seemingly destroyed Danny’s Bar, the beloved West View watering hole reopened for business. There was laughter and tears and the sounds of bottles clinking in celebratory toasts. Drivers in passing cars beeped and waved to the revelers. For owners...
What to give up for Lent? Booze, chocolate, sex — and Lent itself — among top choicesVideo
Although rooted in ancient Christian practice, the idea of “giving something up for Lent” permeates American popular culture. Witness the Twitter Lent Tracker operated for a decade by OpenBible.info. The index tracks the number of mentions of Lent or “giving up” something during the week of Ash Wednesday — which...
Officials: Man ‘forgot’ he had loaded handgun in coat pocket at Pittsburgh airport
A Butler County man “forgot” he had a loaded handgun in his coat pocket when he went through security at Pittsburgh International Airport on Tuesday, according to security officials. Transportation Security Administration officials spotted the gun as it went through the checkpoint X-ray scanner in a bin, according to TSA...
Police: Somerset County Sheetz worker steals $17,100 in lottery tickets
A Meyersdale woman faces felony charges, accused of stealing $17,100 in lottery tickets from the Sheetz store where she worked, authorities said. Meyersdale police charged Cheryl Lynne Delawder, 37, of the 100 block of High Street, with retail theft, receiving stolen property, theft by unlawful taking and organized retail theft....
East Deer couple, children escape house fire unhurtVideo
A couple and their children escaped unhurt from a fire at their East Deer home early Wednesday. The fire at 510 West Ninth Ave.was reported shortly before 3:30 a.m. Crews cleared the scene about two hours later. East Deer fire Chief Jack Bailie Jr. said the husband and wife were...
East Hills shooting leaves man in critical condition
A man was in critical condition after being shot in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood late Wednesday night, according to city police. Officers responded to an alert of shots fired in the 8400 block of Frankstown Road just before midnight. The ShotSpotter system detected more than 30 shots being fired, police...
Penn-Trafford to induct 12 into first Hall of Fame class
A chef, school nurse, Pittsburgh area sportscaster, physician, historian, veteran, volunteer with several community organizations and former high school principal are among a dozen Penn-Trafford graduates to be inducted into the school’s inaugural hall of fame class. The Penn-Trafford High School Alumni Hall of Fame recognizes alumni and school associates...
The Stroller, Feb. 26, 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. Today is...
Pittsburgh Army Corps of Engineers to hold hearing on proposed battery plant at Lordstown, Ohio
Plans to build a $2.3 billion electric battery assembly plant near General Motors Corp.’s shuttered automobile plant in Lordstown, Ohio, will be reviewed during a March 12 public hearing in Lordstown, which is about 75 miles from Pittsburgh. General Motors is applying for approval on behalf of GigaPower LLC of...
Harrison police investigate Natrona crash near North Canal Street houses
Police are investigating what caused a Harrison man to crash his car into a guardrail, then strike multiple objects in a neighbor’s yard before getting stuck along a short hillside, alarming nearby residents. Emergency dispatchers received a report shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday of the crash on North Canal Street....
PennDOT closes Fawn’s Millerstown Road for landslide repair
A $1.2 million landslide repair project has closed a portion of Millerstown Road in Fawn. The closure between Callen Lane and Bull Creek Road began Monday and is expected to last through mid-April, according to PennDOT. The slide occurred June 26, 2018. Signs will be posted to direct motorists around...
Threat leads to increased police presence Wednesday at Kiski Area High School
Police officers will step up their presence at Kiski Area High School on Wednesday because of a non-credible threat received Tuesday, the district announced. Police and police dogs searched the school Tuesday in response to an “anonymous, non-specific threat,” according to the district. Officers did not find any danger, but...
Latrobe congregation invites members of partner parish for Mardi Gras galaVideo
Volunteers prepared enough pancakes and sausages to serve an expected 120 guests Tuesday at the fourth annual Mardi Gras dinner at St. John the Evangelist Church in Latrobe. This year, the Catholic congregation invited members of a partner parish, St. Rose of Derry Township, to partake of the pre-Lenten festivities....
Brother of Western Pennsylvania cocaine ring kingpin sentenced to 12-plus years in prison
A Dormont man who authorities say was involved in one of the largest cocaine distribution rings in Western Pennsylvania has been sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison, prosecutors said. Robert Forbes, 46, is the brother of Hector Forbes, who authorities identified as the kingpin in a 17-member...
Standard Market and Pint House hopes to ‘raise Pittsburgh’s standard of dining’
A dormant spot in Downtown Pittsburgh’s version of restaurant row is reopening as a new venue looking to capitalize on the emerging trend of self-serve beer. The Standard Market and Pint House will open in the spring in a newly renovated space in the Courtyard by Marriott hotel first occupied...
Cheron Shelton, acquitted of murder in Wilkinsburg mass shooting, indicted on federal gun charge
Less than two weeks after his acquittal of murder in connection to the 2016 mass shooting in Wilkinsburg, Cheron Shelton is facing a new federal gun charge, records show. Shelton, 33, of Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood has been indicted by a grand jury for being a felon allegedly possessing a gun,...
Disinformation and hacking could threaten 2020 elections, former U.S. attorney warns
Threats to elections in the United States and democracy as we know it are a given in the age of the internet, said David Hickton, founding director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security. The good news: There’s something we can do about it, he...
Pittsburgh’s bond rating bumps up from stable to positive
Pittsburgh is in line for a better interest rate on a $50 million capital improvement bond it intends to issue next month after Fitch Ratings upgraded the city’s bond rating Monday to positive, Mayor Bill Peduto said. It had been rated as stable. “We had gotten up to stable, and...
Wesley Family Services’ $18.2M complex in New Kensington on target to open Aug. 1
Herb Hughes of New Kensington sees the positives of working on the Pioneer Apartments project in New Kensington. It’s close to Hughes’ home, and the project by Wesley Family Services aims to inject life into the city’s business district. The $18.2 million apartment building is being built on the site...
Slippery Rock student recounts ‘horrifying’ 80-foot fall at McConnells Mill
Jocie Van Kirk, the 21-year-old Slippery Rock University psychology student who fell 80 feet on Sunday while hiking at McConnells Mill State Park with her friends, recounted the experience as “definitely one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever been through.” “I was absolutely terrified,” Van Kirk said. She said...
Pittsburgh ordinance would ban ownership of crocodiles, alligators and turtles
Pittsburgh, which has more than its share of pet alligators roaming loose, is moving to ban the sale and ownership of the reptiles in the city. City Councilman Bruce Kraus on Tuesday introduced a bill that would repeal an ordinance passed by council late last year that permitted but regulated...
Leechburg looks to beef up police force
Leechburg is looking to hire a third full-time police officer. Council gave the Civil Service Commission permission to advertise for the position, which would help the borough come closer to having 24/7 police coverage, officials said. “It’s going to make it so we have better coverage,” Mayor Wayne Dobos said....
Pittsburgh airport to phase out using boarding passes at security checkpoints
Travelers flying out of Pittsburgh International Airport will soon not have to display a boarding pass to get past security, airport officials said this week. Boarding passes will still be required at the gate to board the plane. Officials with the airport and Transportation Security Administration announced that Pittsburgh is...
