Local category, Page 2593
Noteable: Beth Lechman confident county will be ready for voting changes, 2020 elections
As voters and candidates waited for days to get results of this month’s Iowa caucuses, Beth Lechman sat hundreds of miles away in her Westmoreland County home and imaged the nightmare that state’s elections officials were enduring. It is one Lechman hopes to avoid in April, when Pennsylvania voters go...
Sons of the American Legion remember a friend and toast veteransVideo
On a chilly Sunday morning before the sun came up, about a dozen of Mike Osenkowski’s friends gathered at the American Legion hall that houses Post 982 in Unity. Just hours after the bar closed, guys like Dave O’Barto and Patrick “Rabbit” Quinn, members of the Sons of the American...
Police: Uniontown woman hurt after vehicle goes into woods off Route 51
A Uniontown area woman was hurt after her vehicle went off the road and into the woods in Rostraver early Sunday morning, authorities said. Rostraver police said the 27-year-old woman was flown to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. The extent of her injuries wasn’t immediately known. The crash was reported...
Police investigating after 19-year-old shot in Duquesne
A 19-year-old man was taken to a hospital after he was shot multiple times Sunday afternoon in Duquesne, Allegheny County Police said. The shooting was reported just after 12:30 p.m. in the area of 600 Grant Avenue. The man was listed in critical condition Sunday afternoon, but he is expected...
Surveyors tackling resurvey of Mason-Dixon Line
A group of surveyors from Pennsylvania and Maryland starting this year plan to create a new record of what might be America’s most famous border: the Mason-Dixon Line. Members of both states’ surveyor societies will help survey the 196-mile border stretching from Delaware to the southeastern tip of Fayette County,...
Greensburg man might be the sharpest knife in the drawerVideo
Of all the words Kevin Sheftic might use to describe his life, “dull” is not one of them. After decades in the corporate world, Sheftic decided to pursue an entrepreneurial path providing services people rarely think about. In 2016, he founded Line Pro Striping, a company that paints lines on...
Man dies after being shot outside Braddock clubVideo
A 39-year-old man died Sunday after he was shot outside a Braddock club that morning, authorities said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Jason Lewis of Pittsburgh. The shooting was reported about 3:50 a.m. at the Sahara Temple on Seventh Street, Allegheny County police said. When...
5 years after nearly folding, Downtown Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center on track for comeback
The day she became CEO of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Janis Burley Wilson walked through the Downtown Pittsburgh building’s reflective glass doors to find its interior completely empty. “There were no phones or computers, no printer, pencils or pens or any supplies,” Burley Wilson said about her...
The Stroller, Feb. 16, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local 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. Hoagie fundraiser to benefit...
Freeport Area School Board wants more prices before acting on building work
The Freeport Area School Board is delaying nine capital projects until specific costs can be determined. The school board Thursday was prepared to pass a laundry list of items to be taken care of this summer. The administration submitted a list of estimated costs. They amount to about $520,000 in...
Gateway High School crowns Mardi Gras king
For one night only, the sights and sounds of New Orleans filled the air when Gateway High School celebrated Mardi Gras with a traditional Valentine’s Day Dance on Feb. 14. After the ballots were counted and the results tabulated, Kenyatta Mwambu (left) was crowned Mardi Gras King. Joining him as...
Jefferson Hills Borough hires new solicitor
For the first time in a decade, Jefferson Hills Borough has a new solicitor. Council members this month appointed attorney J. Deron Gabriel of the Law Offices of John E. Gabriel to the role held for the last decade by attorney William Shimko. With a new quorum recently sworn in...
Real estate transactions in the Signal Item coverage area the week of Feb. 16
Bridgeville Russell Kovach Jr. sold property at 315 Church St. to Timmy Tatel for $99,900. Amy Stiles sold property at 1010 McLaughlin Run Road to Carrie Sawyer for $65,000. Lawrence Madson Jr. sold property at 1019 McLaughlin Run Road to Thomas A Robinson Family L.P. for $175,000. John Stefanik sold...
Late Jeannette policeman to be added to National Law Enforcement Officers MemorialVideo
It was Jeannette police Officer Allen “Jack” Capozzi’s last call. He and fellow Officer Carl Shifko went to the Piedmont Bar to break up an argument between two men Oct. 18, 1978. The officers separated them when something went wrong. “He just collapsed,” Shifko said. “He had a heart condition...
Hempfield to host first health and wellness fair Feb. 29
Hempfield is hosting its first health and wellness fair. Located at the township’s athletic complex, the Feb. 29 fair will offer the community the opportunity to meet with organizations and health providers while also learning about youth sports organizations and programs and facilities offered by the parks and recreation department....
Young autistic boy who wandered from Harrison home rescued from thick brush in woods
A young, nonverbal autistic boy was rescued Saturday night by Citizens Hose firefighters after wandering coatless and alone into the woods in the Birdville section of Harrison. “He didn’t have any injuries; he was just chilly,” Chief Sean Jones said. The child, about 4 or 5 years old, walked away...
Allegheny County Health Department’s Pulmonary Center closed during move
The Pulmonary Center run by the Allegheny County Health Department will be closed through Feb. 27 while the office relocates from Lawrenceville to downtown Pittsburgh. The center will be housed on the first floor of the Hartley-Rose building, 425 First Ave. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays,...
Pittsburgh police: Man treated for possible stab wounds may have been in a fight
Pittsburgh police are investigating after a man showed up at Mercy Hospital overnight Saturday with possible stab wounds, officials said. The man transported himself to the hospital just after 3 a.m. with cuts along his back that may have been caused by glass, public safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said. He...
Young chess players polish their skills at Ligonier library as tournament draws nearVideo
Saturday morning, while many of their friends were still noshing Frosted Flakes, Bethany Horman and Matthew Smith were staring down a chessboard and mastering the fine points of castling and capturing en passant in the basement of the Ligonier Public Library. Horman, 7, of Ligonier and Smith, 10, of Derry...
Elsa, Captain America, Batman help raise money for Highlands Relay for Life
Two-year-old Genevieve Olszewski of Brackenridge wore her fanciest purple dress Saturday and bundled up to brave the frigid temperatures. It seemed appropriate, given the toddler was on her way to a makeshift Arendelle to dance the day away with the kingdom’s most famous residents, Elsa and Anna. The event, a...
2 dead in Fayette County crash
Two people were pronounced dead early Saturday morning at the scene of a one-car crash in Redstone Township, Fayette County. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Phillip Reilly identified the victims as Miranda Huseman, 27, and Daniel August Guthrie, 32. Specific addresses for the deceased were not available Saturday, but Reilly said...
Latrobe attorney takes on another brutally cold, long Alaskan wilderness run
Latrobe labor attorney Tim Hewitt is at it again, putting his body through yet another outrageously long journey through the Alaska wilderness in the middle of winter. He set the record for running the famed Iditarod Trail Invitational, billed as the “world’s longest winter ultra-marathon,” having covered more than 1,000...
Black lawyers condemn alleged racist remarks by Allegheny County judge, ask DA to review prior cases
A newly formed coalition of black attorneys in Western Pennsylvania on Friday condemned Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Mark Tranquilli’s alleged racist remarks regarding a black female juror. Tranquilli is accused of repeatedly referring to the woman as “Aunt Jemima.” Tranquilli — who was barred last week from hearing new...
The Stroller, Feb. 15, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local 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. Bouquet Pool conducting membership...
Baldwin-Whitehall holds hearing to discuss Paynter closing, new school
Baldwin-Whitehall leaders are moving forward with plans to tear down W.R. Paynter Elementary School to make way for a new $48 million, 48-classroom elementary facility. The new school will address the district’s growing needs for added space, while temporarily requiring the relocation of students, leaders say. Board members Feb. 12...
