Western PA Local News category, Page 2655
17-year-old boy charged with attempted homicide in connection to Duquesne shooting
Police arrested a 17-year-old boy Friday in connection to a Duquesne shooting that sent a man to the hospital in critical condition two weeks ago, officials said. Terril Leverett was taken into custody at Allegheny County Jail after officials served an arrest warrant at his home, Allegheny County Police Lt....
Harrison steelworkers rally ahead of contract’s end with Allegheny TechnologiesVideo
About 75 United Steelworkers union members held a rally Friday afternoon outside of Gate 6 at Allegheny Technologies Inc. in Harrison, calling for a better labor pact than the one that expires at midnight Saturday. The contract affects about 1,300 workers at nine locations. Negotiations started in January. The agreement...
Downtown Pittsburgh steam heat system ‘beyond repair,’ says mayor
A failing steam factory that has provided heat for more than a century to buildings in Downtown Pittsburgh is “beyond repair,” but plans are afoot for a national energy company to replace it with a new system that would provide heat and electricity through renewable energy, Mayor Bill Peduto said....
Hempfield school bus involved in New Stanton crashVideo
Nineteen students were on a Hempfield school bus involved in a crash Friday afternoon that sent the drivers of the bus and a Penske box truck to the hospital, according to New Stanton fire Chief Rob Cammarata. Officials responded to Pine Drive in New Stanton near the Timber Ridge Apartments...
Concert, vendor show in Jeannette will benefit cancer charity
When Rocco Monteleone of Penn Township was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in December 2018, the outpouring of support was immediate. Friends, neighbors and community members quickly formed Rocco’s Warriors to raise money for the 2-year-old’s treatment, and were devastated when he succumbed to the disease a few months later...
Obituary: William L. ‘Bill’ Smith of Upper St. Clair worked 42 years at U.S. Steel
Martin J. Smith once reached into the pocket of a tuxedo jacket his father William L. “Bill” Smith had given him and pulled out a special pin. The Civitan International pin had been passed down from Martin Smith’s grandfather. To the Smith family, it represented a life well lived. Smith...
Winter heating grants available to low-income households
As winter temperatures sweep the region, homeowners are reminded that crisis grants are available to income eligible households without heat or in danger of being without heat. Through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), those who qualify can receive cash grants ranging from $200 to $1,000 to assist...
Deer Lakes Bocce promotes inclusion, acceptanceVideo
Red, green, yellow and blue balls promote acceptance and inclusion at Deer Lakes High School and others across Western Pennsylvania. Deer Lakes is one of the latest school districts to implement the Unified Sports Program through Special Olympics Pennsylvania, which pairs students with special needs students to play bocce. “It...
Pitt commits to being carbon neutral by 2037
By 2037, University of Pittsburgh intends to be completely “carbon neutral,” just in time for its 250th anniversary. Pitt’s Board of Trustees voted Friday to support Chancellor Patrick Gallagher’s signing of the “Second Nature Climate Leadership Statement and Carbon Commitment,” a resolution to improve energy efficiency and sustainability. The commitment...
Pitt-Greensburg to hold mock primary on Super Tuesday
Pennsylvania’s primary isn’t until April 28, but students at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg will have the chance to cast a ballot next week during a mock primary on Super Tuesday. The mock primary has been a campus tradition since the 2008 presidential election. It’s hosted by the Pitt-Greensburg...
Students hit the pool to raise funds for Special Olympics PennsylvaniaVideo
On a freezing morning outside Heinz Field, students and teachers from across the Pittsburgh region took turns plunging into a pool to help raise money for Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Twenty schools and nearly 500 students participated in the Cool Schools Plunge. The high Friday was 31 degrees. The 10th Annual...
Greensburg police chief announces retirement
Greensburg police Chief Chad Zucco will resign at the end of March after 22 years on the force. “It was a very hard decision,” Zucco said. “This is all I’ve known since I was 21 years old, being a police officer.” He’s accepted a job as chief operating officer of...
Gateway, other education admins call for public charter school funding reform
The Gateway Board of School Directors has joined a chorus of education administrators across the state calling for public charter school funding reform. The board unanimously approved a resolution Feb. 18 that called on legislators to reform the “flawed” and “unfair” formulas used to determine how charter schools are funded....
Goodwill purchases Pittsburgh campus, launches $10 million capital campaign
Pittsburgh-based Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania has purchased its Lawrenceville campus for $4 million and is in the midst of a $10 million fundraising campaign aimed at generating funds to expand and enhance programming, officials said. Goodwill and public officials gathered Friday to celebrate the charity’s 100th anniversary and announce the...
Police: Youngwood man provided heroin that killed his girlfriend
A 36-year-old Youngwood man was arrested Wednesday on charges of providing the heroin that killed his girlfriend almost a year ago. Christopher P. Showalter was arraigned on charges of drug delivery resulting in death, manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of a controlled substance...
Police: 3 men arrested on drug charges after undercover buy, traffic stop in Arnold
An undercover drug buy and a traffic stop Thursday night led to searches of two Arnold homes and the arrest of three men. Arnold police Chief Eric Doutt said officers seized heroin, cocaine, marijuana and other drugs in the arrests, along with guns and cash. Arrested were Glendon Scott Starr,...
Franklin Regional Junior Olympic team sends 11 wrestlers to state championships
Eighteen members of the Franklin Regional Junior Olympic (JO) wrestling team earned top-four finishes at the recent Area III state qualifier held Feb. 16 at Franklin Regional Senior High School. Six wrestlers earned first-place finishes, Area III champion designations and spots in the 2020 PJW state tournament. Another five earned...
Trafford man loved family, woodworking
Dwight Witman Jr. had just turned 4 when he spent time with his future wife, Naomi, for one of the first times. The duo, who lived a block from each other in Trafford, remembered kneeling next to the bathtub playing with sailboats during Witman’s birthday party. Naomi Witman was the...
Federal judge blocks measure giving Lake Erie legal rights
TOLEDO, Ohio — An unusual ballot measure approved by voters in Ohio’s fourth-largest city to give legal rights to Lake Erie has been struck down by a federal judge. A coalition of environmental groups had led the effort in Toledo as a way to add new protections for Lake Erie...
Hempfield school board to discuss cyber school, property tax reform at Monday’s meeting
Hempfield school board members will host state Rep. Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield, at Monday’s committee of the whole meeting. Located in the district administration building, 4347 Route 136, officials will discuss cyber charter schools, mental and behavior health counseling support and property tax reform. “It’s really going to be kind of...
Hearing delayed for veteran Westmoreland sheriff’s deputy accused of inappropriate contact with female inmatesVideo
A hearing for a former Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputy accused of persuading female inmates to expose themselves or grope him in exchange for cigarettes ended as soon as it began Friday. Michael Ferguson, attorney for the veteran deputy Daniel A. Gradischek, 32, of Unity, objected to the first witness called...
Police: Fight over cigarette leads to McKees Rocks shooting; 14-year-old charged
A 14-year-old boy is charged in connection with a shooting last week in McKees Rocks that stemmed from the victim refusing to give the boy and two others a cigarette, according to Allegheny County Police. The shooting happened about 4:19 p.m. Saturday on Munson Avenue, Sgt. Todd Dolfi said. A...
Authorities: Altoona teens charged in fatal shooting during robbery
ALTOONA — Three teenage boys face murder charges in the fatal shooting of another teen who was killed when they tried to steal marijuana from him, authorities said. The three teens — two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old, all form Altoona — were arraigned Thursday and remanded to the county jail....
Walmart looks to expand alcohol sales in Western Pa.
Walmart wants to expand its sales of alcoholic beverages in Pennsylvania to its store in Unity and two other stores in Beaver and Clearfield counties. Unity supervisors are scheduled a March 12public hearing in March on the retail giant’s plan to transfer to the store at 100 Colony Lane an...
80-foot fall, vandalism at Western Pa. parks top week’s headlinesVideo
Two parks in the Western Pennsylvania area made the news this week, both for the wrong reasons, while endings were announced for a private school in the North Hills, double coupons at Giant Eagle and security at Pittsburgh International Airport. Woman falls at McConnells Mill Jocie Van Kirk, a 21-year-old...
