How Pennsylvania broke through 135 days of budget gridlock
Forty-four states approved their budgets on time this year. Not Pennsylvania. When Gov. Josh Shapiro finally signed the commonwealth’s $50.1 billion spending plan Nov. 12 — 135 days late, dead last in the nation — it marked the end of a high-stakes negotiating marathon. Playing key roles in the final...
6 injured, hillside rescue required in North Fayette crash
Six people were transported to local hospitals after a crash Sunday morning required multiple emergency crews and a hillside rescue in southern Allegheny County, firefighters said. First responders were called to Mahoney Road around 3 a.m. Sunday in North Fayette for a report of a single-vehicle crash. Three people who...
Penn Hills man helps rescue Illinois crash victims
Evan McKenzie of Penn Hills was on his way back from dinner near Chicago with some U.S. Navy buddies on Nov. 11 when they noticed an overturned, smoking car on a nearby exit ramp. “You really don’t know what the situation is and how much time you have when you...
Fire breaks out in Turtle Creek, investigation ongoing
Emergency responders were called to a business in Turtle Creek for reports of a fire early Sunday. The fire was put out by around 8 a.m., said Kasey Reigner, a spokeswoman for the fire marshal. “From my understanding it is under control,” Reigner said. EOS Energy Enterprises confirmed the incident...
Pittsburgh police make several arrests during Light Up Night
Pittsburgh’s annual Light Up Night is known for its holiday cheer, but some spectators say they saw more than Christmas lights this year, as scattered fights broke out among some attendees and one man allegedly punched a police officer. Pittsburgh Police spokeswoman Emily Bourne said the Saturday night event drew...
Two arrested, one flees after Pittsburgh gunfire
Two people were taken into custody, while another is still on the run, after shots fired led to a crash and chase in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood overnight. Police were dispatched to the 400 block of Chester Avenue around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday after reports of gunfire. Officers who were...
Chartiers Valley area real estate transactions, week of Nov. 23, 2025
Bridgeville Fred Fujan sold property at 651 Bower Hill Road to Volodymyr Turchynskyy and Lyubov Melnyk for $55,000. Daniel Shea sold property at 1397 Pennsylvania Ave. to Luke Kitko and Olivia Eyerly for $300,000. Samantha Wozniak sold property at 1335 Terrace St. to James Rumbaugh and Stephanie Ertel for $140,000....
The Stroller, Nov. 23, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Leechburg Community Thanksgiving service...
How one Southwestern Pa. school district is trying to improve test scores — while on a budget
Monessen City School Superintendent Robert Motte is faced with a dilemma. Motte admits the district’s state test scores could use some improvement. On the 2024 Keystone Exams, 3% of the district’s students achieved a proficient or higher score in algebra 1. Students hitting that proficient or higher mark in biology...
Westmoreland happenings: Holiday house tour, photos with Santa, toy collection, blood drive , more
Fundraisers • Sage’s Army and Dream Life Recovery, 6044 Lincoln Highway, Suite 400, Greensburg, will hold a holiday toy drive for teens and children 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at the center. There will be food and opportunities for photos with Santa. Donations welcome during regular business hours. Details:...
Increased school funding could lead to higher test scores — but it’s often more complicated
When it comes to education spending, more isn’t always better. At least that’s what the numbers — standardized test scores and per-student spending — suggest about Southwestern Pennsylvania’s school districts. School districts that spend the most per student do not always have the highest test scores, according to data from...
Holiday cheer shines bright at Pittsburgh’s annual Light Up NightVideo
Pittsburgh ushered in the holiday season Saturday as crowds packed Downtown for Light Up Night, taking in tree lightings, street performances and celebratory fireworks. The event drew steady crowds eager to welcome the season, helped along by the mild, comfortable weather. Thousands of people, young and old, turned out wearing...
‘A great celebration of the community’: Tarentum Brackenridge Christmas parade opens the season
The Rev. John Bailey summed up the 20th annual Tarentum Brackenridge Christmas parade that kick-started the holiday season Saturday: “It was just a great celebration of the community.” Leading off the parade was the Highlands High School Varsity Marching Band. Behind the trumpets, tubas and drums was a long line...
Free parking offer generates 3 truckloads of food donations from visitors to downtown Greensburg
Eight days of free meter parking in Greensburg resulted in at least three truckloads of food donations for the nonprofit Feeding the Spirit. City administrator Kelsye Milliron said three truckloads were dropped off to the nonprofit on Thursday. “They had to wait until (Friday) to do the rest because the...
‘Woot!’: Westmoreland volunteers enjoy their good deeds for those less fortunate
Sporadic hooting and hollering was coming from inside the Murrysville Christian Concern’s new community building in Export early Saturday, as a group of more than 200 volunteers adorned in blue hairnets scooped, measured and packaged oatmeal kits. The volunteers flanked long tables, which were lined with oatmeal, scales, funnels, toppings...
Man found shot 3 times in his legs in Clairton
A man was found shot three times in the legs in Clairton, according to Allegheny County Police. An emergency dispatcher said a call was received at 10:19 p.m. Friday of a shooting in the 1000 block of Marion Circle. Upon arrival, police reported finding an adult man with several gunshot...
Students’ weather balloon from Michigan lands (probably) in Brackenridge
From live leeches to building model rockets, a lot happens in Joe Graber’s Michigan high school science class. The most recent project is a weather balloon experiment that could lead to a scavenger hunt in the Brackenridge area. According to a Facebook post by Carrie Balk, a weather balloon launched...
The Stroller, Nov. 22, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Gift program benefits victims...
Westmoreland transit authority cuts ties with state lobbyists
A divided Westmoreland County Transit Authority board fired the agency’s state lobbyists this week. Four of the board’s seven members voted against retaining the Harrisburg-based firm, Malady and Wooten, which has represented the county transportation agency’s interests to state officials since 2022. The authority, which operates fixed-route local and commuter...
Overly’s light display — and Santa — return to Westmoreland Fairgrounds
The Overly’s Country Christmas annual holiday lights display is open for the season, ready to host old and new traditions for area families. The lights are accompanied by a Christmas village, model train display, Santa Claus and other attractions. The nonprofit organization regularly donates proceeds from the event to local...
Victim in fatal Duquesne shooting identified as Homewood man
A Homewood man was shot and killed in Duquesne on Friday afternoon, according to the Allegheny County Police. At 2:22 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 2600 block of Duquesne Place for reports of a shooting, police said. The Allegheny County Examiner’s Office identified him as Eugene Jackson, 61. Police...
Aluminum City Arts could make New Kensington ‘Destination City’
Tony Paletta remembers thinking negatively of New Kensington when he was growing up in the city. He remembers moving away to live on the West Coast for a number of years and returning to New Kensington five years ago. That’s when his perspective changed. “Coming back in 2020, so much...
Pittsburgh doctors cheer removal of black box warning on hormone therapies for menopause
Pittsburgh-area doctors are welcoming the removal of a black box warning — the strongest available to the federal Food and Drug Administration — from hormone therapies used to treat menopause symptoms. The agency announced the change last week, directing drugmakers to remove prominent labels alerting women of increased risks of...
Independence hospital staffers ‘trying to piece everything together’ in aftermath of merger announcement
Butler Memorial Hospital staffer Tara Erskine is ready for change. Erskine, 30, of Kittanning has worked as a CT scan technologist at the Butler hospital for eight years. A member of the hospital’s technologists union, Erskine is optimistic about Butler Memorial being partnered with West Virginia University Health System. Officials...
Wall fire at Lower Burrell supermarket causes evacuation
A fire in a wall Friday afternoon at the Community Supermarket in Lower Burrell caused an evacuation of the store for about a half-hour. Crews responded to the grocery store, at 3220 Leechburg Road, just before 4 p.m. for a smell of something burning, said Brennan Sites, chief of Lower...
