Western PA Local News category, Page 2656
Rapper Frzy speaks to students at Cleveland Steward ElementaryVideo
Pittsburgh rapper Harvey “Frzy” Daniels showcased his talent at a Gateway elementary school on Feb. 26 to display the school’s character trait of the month: trustworthiness. Dr. Cleveland Steward Jr. Elementary’s 329 students in kindergarten through fourth grade cheered and screamed and reached for the rapper known for his freestyle...
Shoppers find religious books, knickknacks, fellowship at Bloomfield’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Store
Each person who enters Sacred Heart of Jesus Store in Bloomfield leaves with something, even if they don’t make a purchase. “The blessing doesn’t go on the items we sell; the blessing goes on literally everyone that comes in,” says Sister Mary Madalyn Schleifer, who runs the Liberty Avenue shop...
Franklin Regional plans lecture series on hot-button school issues
Franklin Regional officials are reaching out to parents and the community to engage them about hot-button issues facing today’s students: bullying, drugs and pitfalls of social media use. The Franklin Regional Parent and Community Lecture Series kicks off March 11 with an overview of the district’s bullying prevention strategy. It...
Pittsburgh infectious disease specialist: ‘It’s time to prepare for coronavirus surge’Video
With the continued spread of the coronavirus and misinformation about the disease, Pittsburgh-based infectious disease and critical care physician Dr. Amesh Adalja has become a highly sought-after expert on the subject. A senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Adalja works on pandemic preparedness, emerging infectious diseases...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Feb. 28-March 1
Leap into the weekend in Pittsburgh. Here are some things to do. Furry friends Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit musical “Cats” is on stage through Sunday at the Benedum Center, Downtown. It is the latest gathering of Jellicle cats as part of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series....
Police: App, cameras, social media help nab Hempfield purse thief
Police used a cellphone app, surveillance footage and social media to find and charge an accused purse thief in Westmoreland County. According to state police, a man was captured on surveillance footage taking a purse from an 81-year-old Jeannette woman’s shopping cart while she was preoccupied at a Giant Eagle...
Student killed in WVU apartment complex shooting; 2 charged
A West Virginia University student was killed in a shooting early Friday morning at a university-run apartment complex near the campus, officials said. Eric James Smith, a sophomore from Clementon, N.J., was identified as the victim in the shooting, which happened around 4 a.m. at the College Park Apartments. Officials...
Memorial service for kayaking victim, formerly of Gilpin, set in Kiski Township
A memorial service for a former Gilpin woman who died in a kayaking accident on a West Virginia river is set for Saturday. A wife and mother of two children, Jamie Gray went missing on Feb. 9 while kayaking with nine other people on a remote section of Middle Fork...
The Stroller, Feb. 28, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local meeting notices, 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. TryLife Center...
Chartiers Valley High School comes alive with ‘Young Frankenstein’
At Chartiers Valley High School, spring musical director Kim Giffin chooses the actors and actresses first, then the production. “I see what kids I have, and then I pick the show,” Giffin says. “I like to do the auditions first and then fit them into the roles for the musical.”...
UPMC took in $20B in revenue in 2019, claims dominance in Western Pa. insurance market
Nearly 1 in 3 Western Pennsylvanians now has a health insurance plan with UPMC — making the nonprofit behemoth not only the state’s largest private employer and hospital system but also the region’s largest insurer. That’s according to UPMC executives and their newly released 2019 year-end financial statements. They cited...
Baldwin-Whitehall community comes together over multicultural food
A traditional dish of fried noodles from Myanmar sat on the table next to mac n’ cheese. Inside the Baldwin High School cafeteria, kids and adults alike from across the globe — including the U.S., Nepal, Afghanistan and Tanzania — gathered to share a meal. The night of dancing, singing,...
Board receives resignations for three Carlynton School District educators
Carlynton School District will need to fill several key positions after receiving resignation letters from administration and staff. Rachel Gattuso, the assistant principal at the junior-senior high school, will step away from her position on or before May 1 because of family reasons. In her letter to the superintendent, Gattuso...
Hempfield slated to host first blood drive
Hempfield officials are slated to host their first blood drive next week with the American Red Cross. Located at the Hempfield Township Athletic Complex, 220 Forbes Trail Road, the event Friday, March 6, will run from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Those interested can preregister at the American Red Cross...
Man shot in McKeesport
A man was taken to a local trauma center after being shot in McKeesport. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said calls for the shooting came in at about 8:25 p.m. Thursday along the 1700 block of Soles Street. McKeesport police confirmed the incident occurred, but could not release any other...
Walking for health inside the mallVideo
Rain and cold temperatures Thursday didn’t stop nearly 300 people from participating in the Excela Health Mall Walkers event. Started nine years ago, the event is held on the fourth Thursday of each month for a health education presentation, screenings, a light breakfast and walking. For 65-year-old Mike Setmire of...
One person hospitalized after crash in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood
One person was sent to a local hospital with injuries suffered in a crash Thursday evening in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood. Allegheny County 911 dispatchers said a call came in shortly before 6:30 p.m. for a vehicle that crashed into multiple parked cars near Forbes Avenue and Van Braam Street. No...
Murrysville police arrest 3 connected to thefts in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
The arrests of three people in Murrysville this week may help solve multiple crimes in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties. Murrysville police searched a Wiestertown Road home, where they seized a quantity of crystal methamphetamine, smoking pipes, digital scales, a stolen handgun and multiple other stolen items, according to court papers....
North Primary teachers collaborate for Black History Month lessons
It all started with a conversation in the hallway, said Joe Scheller, a music teacher at North Primary School in the Kiski Area School District. Shelley O’Malley and Rochelle Bires, both fourth-grade teachers, were struggling to engage their students in their lessons on the poetry of Langston Hughes, which they...
Peduto seeks to enlarge PWSA board of directors
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is asking the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to expand its board of directors by two members, and on Thursday he announced the creation of a committee to recruit and recommend people for the positions. PWSA directors could vote on the mayor’s request as early as...
Food Podcast: Preparing for Empty Bowls, an event to remind us of hunger issues in the Pittsburgh area
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and Just Harvest are teaming up again for Empty Bowls, an event consisting of some simple things. The event offers a meal of soup and bread, designed to remind people of the one in eight residents of Allegheny County who are facing hunger. The event...
State Supreme Court turns away appeal in Latrobe robbery killing
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court won’t hear the appeal of a Johnstown man convicted of killing a good Samaritan who who tried to intervene in a 2016 Latrobe robbery. In a one-sentence order released this week, Supreme Court justices said they won’t consider the appeal filed by Austin Krinock, who was...
Police chief: Officer gave East Deer man ride home, where man then killed dad
An East Deer man who hopped in a police car for a courtesy ride to his father’s home hours before he allegedly killed him was “polite and compliant,” a police chief said. Police Chief Mike Naviglia of the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department said Shane Howard was walking along Freeport...
Mayor Peduto: Facebook symbolizes Pittsburgh’s changing economyVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Thursday described Facebook’s new facility in the Strip District as a symbol of the city’s changing economy. Peduto said high-tech companies along with the city’s educational and medical institutions have replaced the former industrial base that drove Pittsburgh markets for more than a century. High-tech...
Pitt Greensburg launches esports teamVideo
The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg is getting into gaming with Westmoreland County’s first college esports team. The players met for their first official practice this week, gathering in a classroom to play “Overwatch,” a popular team-based competitive shooter game with a Saturday morning cartoon aesthetic. Al Thiel, director of...
