Local category, Page 2697
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...
Woman dies weeks after being shot in Penn Hills
A woman shot Dec. 17 in Penn Hills has died, authorities said. Ladea Terrell, 33, died Wednesday, weeks after being wounded multiple times, according to an Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office report. The incident occurred about 9:15 p.m. along Eastgate Drive, police said. Police said a man drove himself to...
Route 51 in Moon closed by landslide will remained blocked through Monday
A section of Route 51 in Moon Township will remain closed at least until Monday because a landslide early Thursday dumped tons of debris onto the busy road and knocked down utility lines, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reported. PennDOT spokeswoman Yasmeen Manyisha said engineers would monitor the slide area...
Police seek help locating Hazelwood woman
Pittsburgh police are seeking help to locate a Hazelwood woman missing since Dec. 30, 2019. Tonee Turner, 22, may have been in the Homestead area when someone last had contact with her at about 6 p.m., police said. She is described as 5 feet, 2 inches tall and 130 pounds....
Port Authority buses use lasers to track bus crowding, shares data with riders
Port Authority of Allegheny County just made it easier for riders to know exactly how packed a bus is at any given minute, day or night — and it’s using invisible sensors to do so. The real-time bus crowding data is accessible through Port Authority’s TrueTime data service available online...
Penn Township targets growth with comprehensive plan
Penn Township last adopted a comprehensive plan for the community in 2005. A lot has changed since then. Officials hope an updated plan will position the community for growth in the decade ahead. New housing developments are cropping up all over the township. Plans for a high-speed rail line, once...
The Stroller, Jan. 2, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Peoples Library seeking tutors Peoples Library in New Kensington is seeking adult volunteers to tutor elementary students in its afterschool program. Adult tutors work one-on-one with at-risk students from the New Kensington-Arnold School District from 4 to 5:20 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at the New Kensington library, 880 Barnes St....
Westmoreland’s first baby of 2020 arrives week earlier than expectedVideo
Serena Rose Spino came into the world a week earlier than expected — just in time to be Westmoreland County’s first baby born in 2020. She emerged at 6:29 a.m. New Year’s Day at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. Serena Rose, the daughter of James Spino, 31, and his...
Marathon mamas deliver the first babes of 2020 after laboring 24 hours or longerVideo
Born only seven minutes apart, the first two babies of 2020 in Pittsburgh took their sweet time to arrive as their first-time mothers labored for 24 hours or longer. Labor typically lasts an average of 12 to 24 hours for a first birth, according to WebMD.com. Erika Peoples and Kenneth...
