Local category, Page 2700
Judge sends Tarentum billboard case back to borough’s Zoning Hearing Board
A company denied permission to place a billboard next to the Tarentum Bridge scored a victory Tuesday with an Allegheny County judge ruling that Tarentum’s Zoning Hearing Board must determine whether the borough’s zoning bans billboards. Common Pleas Judge Joseph James issued the single-sentence order in America First Enterprises’ appeal...
Hempfield budget won’t budge on taxes for 30th year
Hempfield’s annual tradition of not raising property taxes has now reached 30 years, with a preliminary 2020 budget approved by township supervisors. The budget, which is more than $14 million, keeps on track with the current rate of 3 mills, a number that has not budged since 1990. Compared to...
2 men suffer non-life-threatening injuries in 2-car collision in Springdale Township
Two men suffered non-life-threatening injuries when their cars collided Monday in Springdale Township, Allegheny Valley Regional police Chief Mike Naviglia said. The crash involving a gray Ford and a white Volkswagen occurred about 5:10 p.m. in the 2800 block of Freeport Road near John & Gerry’s Fruit Market. Both men...
Pittsburgh police find mystery cookie gifter
Pittsburgh police have found the source of an unexpected delicious delivery. “The Cookie Angel, as we have come to call her, has identified herself,” Pittsburgh Bureau of Police posted to their Facebook page Wednesday. The police on Tuesday posted to Facebook that “a kind woman delivered a significant amount of...
Greensburg First Presbyterian Church designated architecturally significantVideo
A landmark, 101-year-old Greensburg church now has earned architecturally significant status from a Pittsburgh preservation organization. The First Presbyterian Church along South Main Street may be Westmoreland County’s first house of worship to receive the designation from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, according to Karamagi Rujumba, the foundation’s communications...
Pittsburgh council requires owners of alligators and other reptiles to register with cityVideo
Pet owners in Pittsburgh must register alligators and other dangerous reptiles with the city under an ordinance City Council approved on Tuesday. Councilwoman Darlene Harris, who represents the North Side and sponsored the bill, said the regulations are needed, particularly after several incidents this year of alligators being caught in...
West Penn warns of utility bill scamVideo
West Penn Power in Greensburg is alerting customers to be aware of scammers who may try to trick them into paying fictitious bills this winter on the false pretense that electricity will be shut off. FirstEnergy, the Ohio-based parent of West Penn Power and nine other utilities, said its companies...
Route 51 Elizabeth Bridge work begins Thursday
Short-term closures of the Route 51 Elizabeth Bridge in Elizabeth and West Elizabeth boroughs will begin Thursday. Cable replacement work is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. with short-term closures, no longer than 45 minutes according to PennDOT, occurring on the bridge. Traffic will be detoured during each replacement. The...
Elliott Group helps county development corp. save $2 million
A domino effect that began with the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp.’s cleanup of the Monsour Hospital site has led to millions in savings, some of which will be put toward improvements at the Jeannette Industrial Park. Using a combination of local, state and federal funding, the Monsour site was...
Pittsburgh Council advances plans for North Side pedestrian bridge
Pittsburgh is moving forward with plans to build a pedestrian bridge in place of the North Side’s demolished Davis Avenue Bridge. City Council on Tuesday unanimously authorized the Mayor’s Office to apply for a $1.8 million grant from PennDOT’s Multimodal Transportation Fund and pledge matching funds totaling $772,943 for the...
Police apprehend Indiana County man charged in alleged Black Friday crime spree
State police Tuesday apprehended an Indiana County man accused of stealing a pickup truck from one home and a rifle from a second before allegedly attempting a break-in and armed robbery at two other homes. David P. Dilts Jr., 36, of Penn Run, wanted on more than 30 charges related...
Man accused of exposing himself in busy Hempfield shopping plaza parking lot
A 40-year-old video game enthusiast exposed himself in the parking lot of a busy Hempfield shopping plaza Saturday, state police reported. Gregory M. Galek of Hempfield is charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct in connection with the 11:45 a.m. incident in the parking lot of Hempfield Square, according to...
‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ moves to be shown outside in Regent Square
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without at least one showing of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Unfortunately, the one theater where Pittsburghers could count on seeing it has shuttered, at least temporarily. The Regent Square Theater, which showed the Frank Capra classic on an annual basis, was suddenly closed last week...
No tax hike proposed in Oakmont’s 2020 spending plan
Oakmont property owners should not expect to pay more in real estate taxes next year. Borough Manager Scot Fodi presented the proposed 2020 budget at a workshop meeting Monday night. It is expected to be adopted at council’s Dec. 16 voting session. “We are still watching very closely our inflows...
Norwin board member resigns
A year after the Norwin School Board had to have Westmoreland County judges name a replacement when directors could not agree on who should fill a vacancy, the board could find itself in the same position. Board member Barbara Viola of North Huntingdon, who had been the president, resigned Monday....
Deadlock delays Greater Latrobe board reorganization, vote on bus contractVideo
Greater Latrobe School Board will hold a special meeting Thursday to reorganize and to act on a new busing contract — items the board didn’t resolve at a scheduled meeting Monday. With Dr. Michael Zorch, Mike O’Barto and newly elected Paul McCommons absent, the six remaining board members were deadlocked...
Coast Guard still investigating cause of barge crash into Smithfield Street Bridge
There are no long-term impacts after empty barges hit the Smithfield Street Bridge late Sunday night on the Monongahela River, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Investigators have yet to determine how many barges hit the bridge at about 11:20 p.m., Ensign William Russell said. There were 15 empty barges...
Brentwood and Carrick receive 11 new street trees
On Nov. 16, Brownsville Road in Brentwood and Carrick received 11 new street trees thanks to a grant from TreeVitalize and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Shade Tree Commission organized the event and gathered volunteers to plant the trees in the long-vacant tree pits. The trees were specially selected...
Bugging out with Catherine Giles at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
While in Honduras in 2017, Catherine Giles spotted an enormous Black Witch Moth and started to cry. But her tears weren’t caused by fear or repulsion, but pure love. The 27-year-old is a self-confessed “crazy bug lady.” “I’m into spiders and scorpions, too,” she says. “Ticks are cool as long...
Fred Rogers Productions CEO to speak at Saint Vincent College commencement
Paul Siefken, president and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions, will deliver the address for the December commencement at Saint Vincent College in Unity, the college announced. The 15th annual December commencement will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 14 at the Robert S. Carey Student Center. Siefken joined Fred Rogers...
Police: Man used bed sheet to strangle cellmate at state prison in Mercer
A man serving time at the state prison in Mercer County is accused of strangling his cellmate with pieces of a torn bed sheet, according to state police. Investigators say Darl Heverly, 35, will be charged with criminal homicide and other crimes in connection with the Dec. 2 murder of...
Man shot multiple times in Wilkinsburg
A 37-year-old man was injured in a shooting overnight in Wilkinsburg, according to Allegheny County police. Wilkinsburg officers responded to a report of shots fired at 1 a.m. Tuesday in the 1300 block of Singer Place. They found the man hiding under a vehicle. Police said he was shot multiple...
Hempfield golf course hosting auction as it goes out of business
Golf balls will be auctioned by the bucket next week, along with other items at Valley Green Golf & Country Club in Hempfield. Valley Green, located between Armbrust Brinkerton and Albrights Lake roads, will close Dec. 31 after operating for 54 years — a decision owner Linda Rusnock attributed to...
4 Republican state lawmakers from Westmoreland County seeking re-election
Four Republican state lawmakers representing Westmoreland County this week announced their joint candidacy for their respective seats. Reps. George Dunbar, Eric Nelson and Mike Reese and state Sen. Kim Ward are seeking re-election. Dunbar, 59, of Penn Township, represents the 56th District, which includes Penn Township, North Huntingdon, Trafford, Irwin,...
Part of Wood Street in Downtown Pittsburgh closed; bus stop location changed
Wood Street between Sixth and Liberty avenues will be closed until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for film crews working in the area, the Port Authority of Allegheny County announced. The Nos. 39, 40 and 44 buses will bypass the stop at Wood Street and Sixth Avenue. During the closure, the buses...
