Local category, Page 2677
Pittsburgh police, CAPA students join for pop-up Christmas caroling DowntownVideo
Pittsburgh police officers and students from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts magnet school spread holiday cheer Wednesday morning as the two groups met to sing Christmas songs together in Downtown. Students from the school’s vocal department and officers from Zone 2 belted out holiday favorites along Liberty Avenue as...
Leechburg students make blankets for guests of a soup kitchen in Pittsburgh’s Hill DistrictVideo
Fifteen students from the Leechburg Area High School life skills class crafted 30 no-sew fleece blankets in class this month for the needy. The project is in its third year. It doesn’t cost the district anything thanks to a $500 donation from Sue Jones. She is a school volunteer, area...
Duquesne man gets up to 14 years in prison for supplying fentanyl in 2017 overdose death
A Duquesne man convicted in September of supplying drugs that resulted in the 2017 fatal overdose of a Clairton man was sentenced Wednesday to up to 14 years in prison. Tyree Saunders, 27, was sentenced by Allegheny County Judge David Cashman for the March 22, 2017, overdose death of Jeremy...
Affordable housing expert hired as Pittsburgh’s economic development chief
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Wednesday announced the hiring of an affordable housing expert as the city’s new economic development chief. Marty LaMar most recently worked as a regional vice president for the property management company McCormack Baron Management and previously served as president and CEO of the Lucas Metropolitan...
Marigold, the wayward pig found in Indiana Township, remains unclaimed
A pig found wandering in Indiana Township two weeks ago remains unclaimed. The female adult mini-sized pig, named Marigold by its caretakers, is said to be healthy but “grumpy,” according to Blue Martin, co-founder of Pigsburgh Squealers, a nonprofit pig rescue farm in Frazer. “Pigs are incredibly social and sensitive,”...
Traffic stop, videos help police ID suspect in Murrysville, Penn Township thefts
A traffic stop in Murrysville led to the arrest of a suspect in multiple vehicle break-ins in several communities. Murrysville police Detective John Devlin stopped a damaged Nissan SUV for alleged equipment violations Nov. 22. It was identical to the SUV seen at the area of the vehicle break-ins: a...
Food Podcast: How SNAP changes could affect Western Pennsylvanians
Thousands of people could be affected by looming changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2020. SNAP provides benefits directly to low-income families through an EBT or debit card to be used at grocery stores or markets for food. Adam Morgan, advocacy coordinator at Greater Pittsburgh Community Food...
Harrison City man sentenced to federal prison, probation in ‘logic bomb’ case
A Harrison City man was sentenced Tuesday to six months in a federal prison for inserting codes into computer programs he designed as a contracted employee for Siemens Corp. that caused malfunctions in which he was called in to repair, according to federal authorities. David Tinley, 62, was ordered to...
Allegheny County sees 66% increase in flu cases over past week
The Pittsburgh area continues to lead the state in confirmed flu cases, with a large increase in Allegheny County in the past week. There were more than 6,900 confirmed influenza cases statewide as of the week ending Dec. 14, according to the state Department of Health. That is a 57%...
Police: Woman shot on Pittsburgh-Penn Hills border in critical condition
A woman was in critical condition after being shot along the border of Penn Hills and Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. Officers from both municipalities responded around 9:15 p.m. to a report that a woman had been shot multiple times in the 200 block of Eastgate Drive in Penn Hills, according...
Police: Butler County couple stole more than $340K from employer
State police say a Clinton Township husband and wife stole more than $340,000 from their former employer over two years. Adam Joshua Lesseski, 35, and Kara Lynn Lesseski, 37, took the money from Concrete Coring in Jefferson Township between January 2017 and last March , police said. Adam Lesseski was...
O’Hara man savors lifetime of Steelers memories as member of chain gang
The Immaculate Reception, he was there. The Steelers 1979 AFC Championship game victory over the Houston Oilers, he was there. The infamous Mud Bowl game in 2007 between the Steelers and the Miami Dolphins, yes, he was there, too. For 50 years, Leo Pilarski, 78, has been prowling the sidelines...
The Stroller, Dec. 18, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Youth football association to collect new and used shoes Allegheny Valley Youth Football Association is collecting gently-used and new shoes from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays Dec. 21 through Feb. 15 at Veterans Memorial Field, Lincoln Avenue, Springdale. Shoes will be redistributed through the Funds2Orgs network of small business partners...
Trafford library’s search for library director hampered by funding limitations
For almost four months, the Trafford Community Public Library has remained open six days a week thanks to volunteers. The small library on Brinton Avenue has not had a director since Jessica Beichler took over as the Penn Area Library director in Harrison City in early September. Beichler, who replaced...
Family honors Forbes Road WWII veteran’s service on his final day
The men called them flying coffins, and for many of the American paratroopers in March 1945, that’s what the gliders became. Cpl. James J. Sackett dodged a bullet and lived — but not without taking flak in his leg and back and spending months recuperating in a stateside hospital. Sackett...
Plum school officials say 4% tax hike might be needed for next year
Plum School District property owners could see their real estate taxes jump by more than 4% as school district officials try to plug a $1.3 million budget shortfall in next year’s budget. Instead of adopting a resolution to keep any tax increase at or below the state’s Act 1 index...
Trial period for off-leash dogs and bicycles extended in Oakmont’s Dark Hollow Woods
A trial period for off-leash dogs and bicyclists in Dark Hollow Woods in Oakmont has been extend until at least March as officials postponed a vote on a recreation board proposal. Council also agreed to relaunch a survey to get more public input prior to making the rule change permanent....
State grants fund traffic light upgrades in Salem, Latrobe
State traffic safety grants announced this week will improve a signal at routes 22 and 819 in Salem and will provide flashing signs to warn motorists of a reduced speed limit next to Latrobe Elementary School. The grants of $120,000 to Salem Township and $122,000 to the City of Latrobe...
Unity considers changing residential zone near airport, reducing minimum lot sizes
Unity Township officials are considering changing the residential zoning classification of about 20 properties along a stretch of Route 981 near the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport to give owners more flexibility in developing the lots. Solicitor Gary Falatovich said township supervisors likely won’t act on the proposed revision until February...
Protesters call for Trump’s impeachment outside Conor Lamb’s office in Mt. LebanonVideo
Saying America’s democracy is at stake, more than 150 people rallied Tuesday night outside U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb’s office in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon, calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump. “It’s the right time to do the right thing,” said Joe Shaughnessy, 52, a Mt. Lebanon...
Westmoreland County impeachment rally draws more than 100Video
With light-up signs reading “IMPEACH” and chants of “save our Constitution,” more than 100 protesters gathered outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse Tuesday evening to call for the removal of President Donald Trump. “The goal is to show the support among the general population for impeachment and removal,” said protest organizer...
Pittsburgh zoo mourns death of northern elephant seal
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium reported Tuesday that its northern elephant seal, Coolio, died during a veterinary procedure. According to zoo officials, gross necropsy results indicated that 7-year-old Coolio suffered from congenital abnormalities, including blood vessel abnormalities, which likely resulted in severe hypertension. “Our animals are like family and...
Pittsburgh residents voice concerns over proposed Shadyside development
Pittsburgh residents Tuesday criticized the proposed redevelopment of a Giant Eagle shopping plaza in Shadyside, saying it would add to traffic congestion and building density in an area that’s already overcrowded. Echo Realty, which owns the plaza at Penn and Shady avenues known as Shady Hill Center, has yet to...
Youngwood woman pleads guilty to assaulting her grandmother over volume of Steelers game
Michael Amorino told a Westmoreland County judge that his niece lived a troubled, isolated life with her mother that was marked by mental illness and abuse, all factors that led to the August 2017 beating inflicted on his elderly mother during a dispute over the volume of a Pittsburgh Steelers...
Tarentum, other communities receive more than $700K for traffic safety projects
Tarentum is getting $226,000 in state funds to pay for traffic improvements at the intersection of East 10th Avenue and Corbet Street, officials announced this week. The money comes from PennDOT’s Automated Red Light Enforcement Transportation Enhancements Grant Program (ARLE Funding Program). It will be used to upgrade the intersection’s...
