Local category, Page 2619
Trout in the Classroom program going swimmingly in HempfieldVideo
Proudly displayed fish artwork isn’t all that students at West Hempfield Elementary School have to show off. First through fifth graders are raising almost 200 rainbow trout through the Pennsylvania Trout in the Classroom program. The local curriculum was implemented by art teacher Matt Clark as a way to incorporate...
Police: Arnold man had gun, drugs near child that he held when arrested
An Arnold man accused of selling heroin and cocaine is also accused of keeping a handgun in a child’s bedroom , police said. Elbert Lewis Thompson II, 30, of Leishman Avenue was arrested Monday after allegedly pushing a police officer on a porch, fleeing upstairs, and coming out holding a...
Inspector General charges 45 with welfare fraud
The state caught 45 suspected welfare fraudsters in December, who allegedly scammed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other programs out of more than $240,000, according to the Office of the State Inspector General. The office charged 35 people with felonies, the remaining 10 with misdemeanors. Three residents of Allegheny...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit seeks donations for backpacks for homeless children
The Westmoreland Intermediate Unit is seeking donations to fill 1,000 backpacks for homeless children in Westmoreland County and across the state. The backpacks will be assembled during the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units statewide conference to be held locally in May. The Westmoreland unit is hosting the conference at Seven...
Greensburg Police Department seeks new officer
The City of Greensburg Police Department is looking for a new officer. The department is accepting applications for candidates to replace patrolman Peter Sandberg, who retired in October after 21 years on the force. It’s getting harder to find qualified candidates, Chief Chad Zucco said. “The problem that we have...
Western Pa. native, country singer Matt Westin keeps racking up international accolades
Country singer Matt Westin has fans in Singapore, Australia, South Africa, the U.K., Italy and Spain. In 2018, he was named the International Music and Entertainment Association’s Male Country Artist of the Year. His album “Legacy” has drawn favorable reviews around the world and placed singles on international charts. He’s...
3 dump trucks catch fire in Pittsburgh’s Hays neighborhood
Investigators are trying to figure out how three dump trucks caught fire in the city’s Hays neighborhood, according to the city Department of Public Safety. The fire started around 3:20 a.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of a construction company on Calera Street. Firefighters extinguished the blaze. No one was...
Natrona man puts his lifelong love of trains, hometown on display
Mike Stawinski was 8 years old when his father, Stanly, brought home a model train he found while working for Harrison in 1965. Stawinski, now 60, took his father’s find and built it into a lifelong hobby. A 6-by-12-foot HO-scale model train layout sits in his Natrona basement. The train...
Monroeville teen charged as an adult in Leslie Road shooting
A 16-year-old who police said shot an 18-year-old in Monroeville on Tuesday night has been charged as an adult. Rayshaun Jackson, 16, allegedly shot an 18-year-old man in the torso twice around 9:30 p.m. in front of a house along the 100 block of Leslie Road and then fled to...
North Huntingdon native Ashley Puckett prepares to release debut country albumVideo
Ashley Puckett of North Huntingdon was having fun taking guitar lessons and enjoying herself while performing at her high school, at the Norwin’s Got Talent show and eventually at local gigs with the band This Cowgirl Met a Punk. Puckett, 28, didn’t realize she was laying the groundwork for her...
Delmont councilman announces bid for 14th Congressional seat
A Delmont councilman announced his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler in the 14th Congressional District. Bill Marx, 43, a Democrat, announced his decision to run during a Greater Westmoreland County Labor Council meeting this week, according to his Facebook page. He confirmed his intention to run for the...
TJ students learn to solve crimes through DNA testing
It was a case of “Who done it?” inside Nicole Cook’s ninth-grade biology class at Thomas Jefferson High School. A man named Edward had been murdered on his walk home from work on a late October night and it was up to students to find the killer using DNA testing....
Yukon area landfill owner to hold meeting on permit
The company that treats and stores hazardous waste in landfills is expected to update South Huntingdon residents Thursday on its plans to build another impoundment area. MAX Environmental Technologies Inc. of Greentree plans to hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Yukon Fire Hall, 124 Highway St.,...
The Stroller, Jan. 29, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Banners being sold to honor Harrison veterans The Harrison Township Honor Roll Restoration Committee is selling banners to honor township residents who served in the Armed Forces. Proceeds will help raise funds to restore the memorial. The double-sided banners will be printed by Gray Signs and measure 24 x 30-inches....
PennDOT sets open house for Route 981 improvements north of Mt. Pleasant
PennDOT officials hope to begin improving Route 981 north of Mt. Pleasant in spring 2021. A final design for the project’s first, southernmost section will be unveiled from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday during an open house in the Mt. Pleasant Area High School cafeteria, 271 State St. “We’ve pretty...
Unity zoning board grants variances for proposed Dollar General storeVideo
PennTex Ventures received local zoning variances for building a new Dollar General store in Unity, but plans for motorists to access the proposed discount outlet at eastbound Route 30 and Smith’s Hill Road must pass muster with PennDOT. The Unity Township Zoning Hearing Board this week voted 4-1 in favor...
U.S. Steel outlines ‘strategic’ upgrades to Mon Valley plants
Planning has started and permitting is underway for more than $1.2 billion worth of projects planned for U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works facilities in Braddock, Clairton and West Mifflin, Mon Valley Works General Manager Kurt Barshick said Tuesday. Barshick, along with U.S. Steel engineers and project managers, met with community...
Verona fires police officer accused of corruption of a minor
A Verona police officer accused of having child porn and corrupting a teenage boy has been fired. Council unanimously voted to terminate terminated the employment of part-time patrolman Anthony Ogline Tuesday night. He was suspended without pay Jan. 17 after borough officials were informed of an investigation involving Ogline, 34,...
Pittsburgh man accused of illegally selling booze at Homewood ‘speakeasy’
A Pittsburgh man is accused of running a “speakeasy” that sold liquor and beer without a license in the city’s Homewood neighborhood. Sean Reese, 34, is accused of owning and operating an illegal operation called “Club Secrets,” state police said Tuesday in a news release. Investigators filed the charges against...
Rivers Casino pays out in volunteer time to local nonprofit in AllentownVideo
When Kristee Cammack was thinking of a name for her nonprofit, her friend, Kim Young, suggested something that embodied Cammack. “A Giving Heart” was born. A Giving Heart is a nonprofit organization that provides after-school programming and nutritious meals to students in the Allentown section of Pittsburgh and surrounding Hilltop...
Social Security numbers exposed on Allegheny County website
Hundreds of Social Security numbers could be contained in unredacted documents housed on the Allegheny County Civil Courts public website. The Tribune-Review located federal tax lien documents filed each year from 1997 to 2010 that display unredacted tax identification numbers. In many cases, they are an individual’s Social Security number....
2 killed in Fayette County crash
Two people were killed in a head-on collision in Fayette County Tuesday afternoon, according to state police. John Snyder, 68, of Scottdale, and Tiler Guth, 24, of Vanderbilt, were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Officers responded to the incident shortly before 2:45 p.m. Tuesday along Route 201 in...
United Way offers free tax prep program to low-income families
United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania is working with local agencies to provide free, in-person tax preparation for low-to-moderate-income individuals and families in the region. The program ensures that low-income residents can maximize their refund, United Way said in a statement. Hundreds of people have volunteered to help prepare taxes this...
Valmar Gardens tenants worry about their future among fire, legal battle
A Penn Hills man who has lived in the same apartment building for more than a decade worries about its fate after a late-January fire displaced him and his daughter. Andre Mobley, 54, was getting home about 6 p.m. Jan. 27 when he heard a commotion from his neighbors at...
Westmoreland controller calls for bigger county tax increase
Westmoreland County Controller Jeffrey Balzer on Tuesday called on commissioners to approve an additional property tax increase to ensure there is enough money to pay the bills through the end of the year. Balzer made his plea for higher taxes as he and Commissioner Gina Cerilli traded barbs during a...
