Local category, Page 2599
Pizza Hut is latest chain restaurant to close in Hempfield
Another chain restaurant has shuttered in Hempfield. Pizza Hut, located along Route 30 near Westmoreland Mall, officially closed Monday, according to a sign posted on the door. “We want to thank all of our loyal customers,” the sign reads, in part. It also encourages people to visit other area Pizza...
Arnold man pleads guilty to fentanyl distribution, overdose death, faces lengthy federal sentence
An Arnold man pleaded guilty in federal court this week to distributing the fentanyl that caused the death of a Westmoreland County man, according to court filings. Jarrel Williams, 32, accepted responsibility during a Tuesday plea hearing for the Jan. 17, 2017, death of a 33-year-old man who federal prosecutors...
2 Western Pa. communities named safest places to live in Pennsylvania
Two Western Pennsylvania communities — one in Westmoreland County and the other in Allegheny — are the safest communities in the state, according to a recent study conducted by a home security trade group. The National Council for Home Security and Safety ranked Penn Township in Westmoreland County as the...
Disease warriors tasked to fight misinformation about Covid-19
A global storm of online posts about the Covid-19 virus prompted public health experts to fight a war on two fronts — one against the respiratory virus that surfaced in Wuhan, China, late last year, and a second one against a sea of misinformation about it. Officials from the World...
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation Night of Assists sparkles with disco themeVideo
Instead of Saturday Night Fever, it was Wednesday Night Fever at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation hosted its third annual “Night of Assists” on Wednesday. This year’s theme? “The Pens Disco.” Presented by Highmark, the arena was transformed to the 1970s, complete with disco balls and...
The Stroller, Feb. 13, 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. Building Block of Natrona...
Police: Accused heroin dealer scuffles with Pittsburgh cops trying to arrest him
Two plainclothes Pittsburgh police officers said they got into a scuffle with a man during an arrest attempt in Homewood on Wednesday. The officers say they spotted Kelly Parker, 35, of Penn Hills selling drugs at about 3 p.m. in the 7200 block of Frankstown Avenue. They approached him to...
Wright’s running streak comes to an end surrounded by Baldwin championsVideo
For 29 straight years, Rich Wright kept running — 55,901 miles, 10,736 days. The minimum? One mile a day. But often he did far more. It didn’t matter if he was laying in the hospital or headed on vacation, he still found a way to get a run in every...
Stage crew: Unsung heroes of the high school musicalVideo
If Franklin Regional sophomore Jess Wingard never has to build another staircase, it will be too soon. “That’s the biggest challenge,” said Wingard, 15, a member of the stage crew for FR’s spring production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” “You have to cut some things bigger than they...
Greensburg Salem School Board begins search for new member
The Greensburg Salem School Board formally accepted the resignation of former member Rachel Shaw and began the search for a new member Wednesday. Rachel Shaw announced her resignation last month. The board has one month to appoint a replacement. The board will hold a special meeting to appoint the new...
Chartiers Valley names first-ever student of the month
Chartiers Valley High School is recognizing students that exemplify positive character traits in and out of the classroom. In January, the school named its first ever Student of the Month, senior Sarah Verduci, who stood out to teachers. “One of the reasons given for Sarah to be our first Student...
Authorities: Man driving drunk with toddler in car hit Pittsburgh police cruiser, other cars
A 43-year-old Sheraden man appeared drunk and was driving with a child in his SUV when he was stopped by police after a chase Wednesday evening through several East End neighborhoods, according to police. The girl wasn’t secured in a car seat, police said. She was evaluated at UPMC Children’s...
Pennsylvania Solar Congress comes to Indiana County
Nonprofit group Solar United Neighbors will host the second annual Pennsylvania Solar Congress on Saturday at the Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort and Conference Center in Blairsville. The statewide conference attracts solar owners, supporters, and advocates, according to a press release issued by the group. The day will include a series...
Westmoreland Bar Association to move in Greensburg, starts $900,000 renovationVideo
A new, larger and more functional headquarters for the Westmoreland Bar Association is expected to be operational this summer, officials said. Members and staff gathered Wednesday in downtown Greensburg to celebrate the lawyer organization’s $900,000 construction project to renovate a vacant building at the corner of Maple and Otterman streets...
Police: Car picked up at Lower Burrell garage catches fire in Tarentum
A man’s car caught fire Wednesday night in Tarentum less than a half hour after he picked it up from a Lower Burrell repair shop, Tarentum police said. Officers responded to a car fire at Nick Chevrolet along West Seventh Avenue around 6:50 p.m. The man had pulled into the...
CDC to send University of Pittsburgh coronavirus samples for vaccine research
A University of Pittsburgh laboratory soon will tackle researching a possible vaccine against COVID-19 — the newly named disease caused by the coronavirus outbreak that surfaced in Wuhan, China, late last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the University of Pittsburgh’s requests to be among U.S. academic...
Westmoreland takes over small Fayette sewage system
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members on Wednesday approved taking over a small Fayette County sewer system, the first new acquisition the agency has finalized in more than a year. The deal will transfer the 574 customers of the Upper Tyrone Township Sewage Authority to the county utility and...
Pittsburgh councilmen seek CMU funding, assistance to break down racial barriers
Two Pittsburgh City Council members reached out to Carnegie Mellon University on Wednesday seeking financial and staff contributions for their efforts to combat racism in the city. R. Daniel Lavelle and Ricky Burgess, council’s two black representatives, asked for money along with faculty, staff and student participation in the city’s...
Former Slickville woman loved to bake, made family a priority
Eleanor Pishko embodied Pittsburgh’s wedding cookie tradition. “She loved to bake … she made over 10,000 cookies for my wedding,” Pishko’s daughter, Pamela Weirs said, remembering the day they moved the cookies to the reception venue. Pishko learned of her love for baking from her mother-in-law, Weirs said, noting that...
Pittsburgh drug trafficking gang members plead guilty in federal case
Three men pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in connection with a large-scale investigation into the Pittsburgh street gang, Darccide/Smash 44 (DS44), U.S. Attorney Scott Brady announced Tuesday. Keevan Jackson, 21, of Pittsburgh, Michael Broglie, 51, of West Virginia and Jesse Tedrow, 27, of West Virginia each pleaded guilty to...
Heinz History Center accumulating properties for future expansion
The Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District continues to accumulate properties on Penn Avenue for a future expansion that could include a history-themed hotel, according to its top official. Andy Masich, the center’s president and CEO, said the organization in December purchased the former Sushi Kim Korean...
Arnold mayor asks public to cooperate with unsolved homicide investigation
Arnold police Chief Eric Doutt said Wednesday that he had no updates on the investigation into the death of a Brackenridge man in an Arnold apartment last month. Michael Coover Jr., 33, of Brackenridge was found shot to death in a 17th Street apartment Jan. 16. Police identified Mario Matthew...
UPMC, Paris Cleaners settle with 6 families of fungal infection victims
UPMC and its linen supplier, Paris Cleaners Inc., have finalized a settlement agreement with six plaintiffs in a yearslong lawsuit in connection with a fatal mold crisis in 2014 and 2015 that prompted a federal investigation. Documents filed with the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on Tuesday indicate that...
Irwin man paroled after pleading guilty to role in killing of dog
A man was paroled Wednesday after he was sentenced to serve 28 days in jail for his role in the killing of a dog last summer on railroad tracks in North Huntingdon. Anthony Keith Harper, 28, of Irwin pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to torture an animal...
Defense attorney disputes forgery charges as case proceeds against Gary Van HornVideo
The case involving the former leader of a Pittsburgh LGBTQ advocacy group accused of billing himself as an emergency responder and providing forged documents to authorities will proceed to Allegheny County Common Pleas court, a district judge ruled Wednesday. Gary Van Horn’s attorney said his client didn’t commit a crime...
