Local category, Page 2617
Gina Cerilli says Doug Chew contradicts position on bidding Westmoreland County contracts
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli on Thursday accused a fellow commissioner of breaking a campaign promise less than one month into his first term in office. Cerilli, a two-term Democrat, said Republican Doug Chew’s vote to award seven contracts, to upgrade and install new air conditioning units at locations throughout...
Pittsburgh, UPMC providing free lifesaving trainingVideo
Minutes matter when it comes to saving a life during a catastrophic medical emergency. That’s why Pittsburgh and UPMC are partnering on a free program designed to educate the public on lifesaving techniques people can use in the minutes before medical help arrives. “Having the public be there when somebody...
Collier man sentenced to 12 years for heroin distribution
A Collier man was sentenced this week to 12 years in federal prison for having $376,000 worth of heroin in his Porsche SUV. The drugs were found by police after a high-speed chase on Route 28 five years ago, according to federal prosecutors. William Thompson, 37, previously pleaded guilty of...
Rahmael Holt’s mother convicted of hindering son’s arrest after he killed Brian Shaw
The mother of Rahmael Sal Holt, who was sentenced to death last year for shooting and killing New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw, was found guilty Thursday in Allegheny County of helping her son elude police after the 2017 shooting. In a nonjury trial, Judge Kevin G. Sasinoski found Sherry...
Unity eyes zoning changes for windmills, barns, Route 981 development
Nine additional properties along Route 981 near the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport are being targeted for rezoning from a residential classification to a regional commercial designation, as Unity Township looks to amend its zoning ordinance to support more development opportunities near the airport. The nine parcels, stretching northeast from the...
AHN Hempfield hospital set for opening, cancer center begins treatmentsVideo
AHN Hempfield — Neigborhood Hospital is set to open Monday after months of delays related to the state’s licensing process. The hospital at Route 30 and Agnew Road in Hempfield will start accepting patients at 8 a.m. Construction of the $30 million micro-hospital wrapped up in the fall and Allegheny...
Verona teen arrested, charged with attempted homicide in Wilkins shooting
A Verona teenager was arrested Thursday for allegedly shooting another teenager in Wilkins last week , Allegheny County Police said. Shawn Nazier Frye-Culbreth, 16, is charged as an adult with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, theft of a motor vehicle, theft, receiving stolen property, firearms violations and criminal conspiracy in connection...
Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park Skating Rink to reopen, celebrate 45 years
Sharpen those skates. The Schenley Park Skating Rink will reopen Friday night. After it closed in March for an overhaul, the rink is ready for skaters to glide across a new surface. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Pittsburgh officials at 6 p.m. followed by the first session of...
WCCC to host Greensburg Diocese’s men’s conference
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Diocese of Greensburg announced that “The Well” has been rescheduled for May 9, 2020. Six hundred Catholic men attended the Diocese of Greensburg’s 2019 men’s conference “The Well,” so local church leaders decided to hold another one. The second annual gathering, whose...
Veterans banners being sold to support restoration of Harrison memorial
Banners honoring Harrison’s military veterans are being sold to raise money for the restoration of the township’s World War II Honor Roll memorial. The 75-year-old sandstone memorial at Freeport and Springhill roads was partially restored last year. That work — which included stone repointing and repair, pressure washing, and patching...
Leechburg’s newest council members hope to bring fresh perspective to borough
Ruth Bender and Megan Goedicke love Leechburg. The two women have no prior political experience, but wanted to make a difference in their borough. So they ran for council and were elected. “I wanted to take a more active role in town,” Bender said. Both women ran unopposed in November’s...
Family demands charges against Wilkinsburg witness who allegedly confessed to toddler’s killing
An attorney for the family of a toddler killed in a drive-by shooting in 2013 demanded Thursday that the District Attorney’s Office file homicide charges against the jailhouse snitch who allegedly confessed to the slaying. The man alleged to have confessed is known only as Witness 3, and his purported...
Soldiers & Sailors unveils exhibit spotlighting Western Pa. Medal of Honor recipients
Clara Burns listened intently as her younger brother’s death was recounted Wednesday night at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. Lance Cpl. William Prom, a machine gun leader in the 3rd Marines Division who grew up in Pittsburgh and Millvale, was marching alongside two platoons returning from a reconnaissance...
Pittsburgh prepping public safety personnel to identify signs of coronavirus
Pittsburgh Public Safety officials are taking steps to ensure that first responders are prepared in the event of a local outbreak of the deadly coronavirus. Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said Thursday he is more concerned about Allegheny County’s increasing flu deaths this year, but stressed that city paramedics, firefighters...
Winning Cash 5 tickets sold in New Ken, Pittsburgh; $400K jackpot will be split
There’s another lucky Pennsylvania Lottery winner in the Alle-Kiski Valley. One of two jackpot-winning Cash 5 tickets was sold at the Golden Dawn supermarket on Freeport Road in New Kensington, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Thursday. The other ticket was sold at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. The ticket...
Cops: Hempfield student using vaping device accidentally set fire
A Hempfield Area High School student admitted she was clandestinely using a vaping device in a bathroom stall Jan. 15 when she accidentally ignited papers in a garbage can, causing the school to be evacuated, according to a state police fire marshal. The student, Diamond J. Johnston, 18, was charged...
Cops: Traffic stop yields more than 500 stamp bags, 22-gram crack rock
A McKeesport man and an Indiana woman face drug charges after state police said they discovered more than 500 stamp bags of heroin and crack cocaine during an Indiana County traffic stop Wednesday. Shortly after noon, state police said, they pulled over an SUV on Laurel Road in Armstrong Township...
Harrison man’s question sparks discussion on bettering communities
A Harrison man who started an online effort to improve his community is taking it into the real world. Dylan Seelnacht, who grew up in Brackenridge and now lives in Harrison, asked on Facebook what people in those towns and Tarentum would like to see happen to make them better...
Kiski Area Upper Elementary students carry on tradition of successful food drives
Students at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School donated a truckload of food to the Kiski Valley Food Bank last week. The school’s student council — made up of fifth and sixth graders — has held a week-long food drive every January for seven years, said Katey Hummel, a fifth grade...
Pittsburgh school for the blind facing teacher shortage
While educators fear many of Pennsylvania’s K-12 schools may face a teacher shortage soon, one specialized school says it already has one. Rachelle Rectenwald is assistant superintendent at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, a multifaceted school serving individuals with blindness and visual impairment at its Oakland campus. She...
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation announces new board member
A top executive of a Pittsburgh software technology company was appointed to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation Board of Trustees, the foundation announced Wednesday. Anita Dressel is the chief financial and operating officer of TeleTracking Technologies, a software company serving the health care industry. “It means a lot to...
Food Podcast: New Pittsburgh-based social media startup partners with Pittsburgh food bank
Trend Teams, a Pittsburgh-based social media startup, similar to fantasy sports games like football or baseball, has partnered with Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to help feed people in need. Trend Teams is sponsoring The Food Podcast on location in Miami during Super Bowl LIV weekend. “I really can’t think...
Missing woman found after large Beaver County search
An elderly woman has been found after going missing for several hours, according to Beaver County 911. Frances Zernich, 79, was last seen in her Zernich Drive home in Center Township around midnight. Her family reported her missing around 3 a.m. Search teams spent hours scouring the area around her...
Ohio man indicted in Robinson armed bank robbery
An Ohio man was indicted this week in connection with a bank robbery in Robinson, according to federal prosecutors. Montague Howard, 40, is accused of pointing what appeared to be a gun at a First Commonwealth Bank teller on Jan. 15, authorities said. He got away from the Park Manor...
Hempfield supervisors, school board members discuss possible collaborations
Growth across Hempfield was a main topic Wednesday when members of the Hempfield Area School Board and township supervisors hosted a joint meeting for the first time in years. “This meeting is an opportunity for the township and the school district to come together and begin to discuss future growth...
