Local category, Page 2658
North Hampton fire chief relieved of duties following suspected DUI crash
North Hampton Volunteer Fire Chief John Schwend has been relieved of his duties being charged with drunken driving and reckless driving. Charges stem from a Dec. 15 crash in Gibsonia. Schwend’s preliminary hearing’s set for Jan. 29 before Magisterial District Judge Tom Swan. The volunteer fire department announced via letter...
Buffalo Creek in running for Pennsylvania River of the Year
Buffalo Creek in Butler County is in third place in online voting being conducted to identify the Pennsylvania River of the Year. State residents have until Jan. 17 to cast their vote at the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers website. The group that nominated the winning river will receive...
Man injured in 2-car East Deer wreck
A man was injured Monday afternoon in a two-car wreck in East Deer, police said. East Deer police Chief John Manchini said a black Impala followed by another car crossed the New Kensington Bridge into East Deer at about 1 p.m. Monday. For an unknown reason, the Impala’s driver stopped...
Former Vandergrift cop gets probation in retribution scheme
A former Vandergrift police officer was sentenced Thursday to serve two years of probation for attempting to coerce a local couple to participate in a retribution scheme against his supervisor. Jared Edward Kepple, 28, of Hyde Park pleaded guilty in October to one misdemeanor count of official oppression in connection...
State police, Fayette DA will discuss possible North Union murder-suicide
State police said they suspect murder-suicide after the discovery of two bodies in a North Union Township home on New Year’s Day. Troopers were dispatched to a Republic Street home in the Fayette County township just before 4 p.m. on Jan. 1 for a report of two deceased individuals. Troopers...
North Huntingdon man sues township over tree-cutting order
Three North Huntingdon officials are being sued in federal court after the township had 10 trees removed from a resident’s front yard in October. Curt Orner of 500 Oakhurst Drive alleges in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh on Dec. 30 that the defendants — township Manager...
Researchers from Duquesne, Chatham to study water quality of Little Buffalo Creek
Researchers from Duquesne and Chatham universities will conduct testing of Little Buffalo Creek and its tributaries to try to determine the source of pollution that is sullying their waters. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania landed a $13,700 grant to pay for the testing, which will be done this year...
Westmoreland Transit buses run normally after county operations takeover
Lisa Snow drove the Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s 4F bus to and from Pittsburgh on Thursday, the same route she’s operated over the past few years. There were no differences in how and where the bus traveled, but for Snow and her passengers, it was the start of a new...
Rich Fitzgerald highlights goals for his final term as Allegheny County executiveVideo
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald was sworn in Thursday for his third and final term in office. He highlighted the region’s economic growth over the past 20 years and promised to continue improving the county’s transportation, educational opportunities and criminal justice system during his final term in office. His goals...
Pitt library digs into its archives to celebrate Science Fiction Day
National Science Fiction Day was the perfect opportunity for Ben Rubin, horror studies collection coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh Library System, to show people that the library offers even more resources than they realize. “People think archives and think it’s inaccessible,” Rubin said. “We want to demystify the collections...
Monessen police file multiple charges against man who barricaded himself in home
Monessen Police filed charges Thursday against a 47-year-old man who was involved in a 10-hour New Year’s Eve standoff at his home after city police attempted to serve him with a protection from abuse order. Jason G. Johnson was taken into custody 12:45 a.m. Jan. 1 by the state police...
Fearing climate change and worse air, Allegheny County to propose new pollution regulations
A temperature inversion that trapped pollutants close to the ground late last month was only the fourth such weather phenomenon in more than a decade. But after air quality in the Mon Valley exceeded federal standards for particulate matter for six consecutive days last week because of the inversion, heavy...
Jeannette hikes property taxes by almost 6%
Jeannette property taxes are increasing by almost 6% this year. After approving a $5.5 million preliminary budget in late November that carried no property tax increase, council approved a final 2020 spending plan this week that raises the tax rate by 2 mills, an increase of 5.9%. City officials expect...
62nd Street Bridge reopened after overturned tractor trailer caused closure
All lanes of Route 8 were reopened on the 62nd Street Bridge hours after tractor trailer crash partially closed them Thursday afternoon, according to PennDOT. The crash was reported about 2:33 p.m., an Allegheny County 911 supervisor said. PennDOT officials announced all lanes were reopened shortly after 6 p.m. Pittsburgh...
Census workers get pay raise as officials work to fill positions
Census workers in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties are getting a slight pay raise as officials push to fill positions ahead of the upcoming population survey. Workers in Westmoreland will earn $18 per hour compared to the $16 per hour wage suggested last year, while those in Allegheny will earn $21...
Seniors can still use blue, yellow transit cards for Port Authority rides
Port Authority of Allegheny County will continue to accept blue and yellow Pennsylvania Senior Transit Cards, state lawmakers announced Thursday. The agency’s new Senior Citizen ConnectCards caused some confusion among senior citizens about whether the state transit cards would still be accepted, according to a trio of Republican state lawmakers....
State licensing process delays opening of Hempfield hospitalVideo
Almost two months after officials held a grand opening ceremony for one of the region’s first “micro-hospitals,” doors to the new facility remain closed. The 120,000-square-foot Allegheny Health Network Hempfield Neighborhood Hospital, located at Route 30 and Angew Road, was slated to open in the weeks following the Nov. 9...
Police: North Side man says stabbing at New Year’s party was in self-defense
A man from Pittsburgh’s Central North Side told city police he stabbed a man in the ribs early Wednesday in self-defense because the man wouldn’t leave a New Year’s party after fighting with his brother, according to a criminal complaint. Dalbert Banks, 38, told police he was the man they...
Mt. Pleasant Township woman jailed after New Year’s Day standoff with troopers
A Mt. Pleasant Township woman faces multiple charges stemming from a domestic altercation early New Year’s Day that resulted in a short standoff with state troopers. Kelly J. Wigginton, 35, was arraigned Thursday on charges of resisting arrest, simple assault, theft and illegal possession of a firearm as a result...
Lottery: Cash 5 ticket worth $125K sold in Penn Hills
A Cash 5 ticket worth $125,000 and matching all five numbers in Tuesday’s drawing was sold at a Penn Hills store, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. The ticket was sold at Penn Hills Convenience, 12120 Frankstown Road. The store will receive a $500 bonus for selling the ticket. The winning...
UPMC to present updated plans to Jefferson Hills planning commission
UPMC will present updates to its plans for a new 63-bed hospital that it hopes to build in Jefferson Hills to the borough’s planning commission in January. Residents for more than a year have fought plans for the new hospital and the zoning permit to allow the project to proceed...
No tax increase in Carnegie budget
Real estate taxes will remain the same for Carnegie residents in 2020. Borough council members unanimously approved the municipality’s spending plan at a special meeting on Dec. 30 that included holding the tax rate at 6.75 mills. The budget includes a $6.8 million general fund, $3 million sewer fund and...
New Derry man accused in Latrobe police chase
A New Derry man was arrested Thursday after Latrobe police said he fled a traffic stop and crashed into a boulder. Nicholas E. Armitage, 19, is charged with fleeing from police and reckless endangerment along with 19 summary traffic violations. An officer attempted to pull over a Toyota Scion at...
Pittsburgh-area stations removed from cable providers
Some Pittsburgh-area cable subscribers expecting to view local television news on New Year’s Day couldn’t see it on WPXI-TV or Pittsburgh Cable News Channel — depending on who their provider is. In a statement released Wednesday, Cox Media Group, which owns WPXI, said, “after weeks of negotiations, Verizon has unexpectedly...
Police: Suspect claimed to be Westmoreland sheriff’s deputy in $7K scam
A man claiming to be a Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputy scammed a New Alexandria woman out of $7,000, according to state police. The suspect told the woman in November that she could get out of a warrant for her arrest if she bought Reloadit prepaid cards. The man falsely represented...
