Free Chamber concert in Tarentum to provide ‘backyard arts’
A Tarentum church will offer a free chamber music concert Sunday to “build community” and provide arts in “our own backyard,” organizers said. Central Presbyterian Church will partner with the Academy String Quartet and special guest Linda Fisher on bassoon. The concert is at 2 p.m. “The minute you say...
Demolition of former SCI Greensburg prison begins
Now that demolition at the former SCI Greensburg prison is getting underway, Hempfield officials are ready to look at the property’s future. Township supervisors could begin discussions this summer on how to reuse the 96-acre site off Route 119 between Greensburg and Youngwood. “We need to start that,” said Supervisor...
Police blame Hempfield Route 30 crash on wrong-way driver
A crash that injured two people Wednesday on Route 30 in Hempfield was the result of a wrong-way driver, said state police Trooper Steve Limani. Troopers are still investigating how the driver got onto the eastbound lanes of the divided highway going west, but think they may have entered at...
Ham radio broadcast to honor late Lower Burrell man, raise awareness for pancreatic cancer
Leeanna Ryba would often tease her husband, Rich, that he was off to Peter Pan’s “Never Never Land” when he’d go to Skyview Radio Society to partake in the amateur, or ham, radio activities. “He’d play with the boys. He enjoyed his time there,” Leeanna said of the society’s Upper...
Free garden containers aimed at providing access to fresh food in Sharpsburg
Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization wants residents to “bloom where they are planted.” Despite the borough being labeled as a food desert, officials believe healthy eating habits can form at home. Organizers will distribute free garden containers to the 40 people – first come, first served — in Sharpsburg, Etna and Millvale...
Pittsburgh’s Lou Astorino designed Vatican chapel used by Pope Francis
Pittsburgh’s connection to the Vatican was spotlighted for all the world to see this week. Pope Francis’ initial resting spot in death was the chapel of the Holy Spirit. It’s the work of Louis Astorino, the Pittsburgh architect who also designed PNC Park, PPG Paints Arena, UPMC Children’s Hospital of...
Hot enough for ya? Temperatures move above typical April in Western Pa.
Surprised by this week’s rise in temperatures? According to the National Weather Service’s Pittsburgh office in Moon, there is some validity to that reaction. Temperatures are forecast to reach into the low 80s on Thursday, with a 30% chance of going above 82 degrees, said meteorologist Liana Lupo. Late April...
Carnegie mayoral candidates want to tap into business potential
Editor’s Note: The Signal Item is only spotlighting contested races in the primary election. Both candidates seeking the Democratic nod for Carnegie mayor say they’re running to bolster growth and development in the borough. Sam Bigham, 23, and Dave Klug, 59, are the Democratic nominees seeking their party’s candidacy in...
2nd rally planned to support Penn State New Kensington
Another rally supporting Penn State New Kensington is planned this week as a decision on the Upper Burrell campus’s fate is anticipated to be made in less than a month. The “Too Fast, Too Final” rally will be at Penn State New Kensington’s main parking lot in Upper Burrell, 3550...
New Kensington’s Ethical Hope to cultivate life, community with larger space
Meredith Hedeen believes her newer and bigger space can provide people in New Kensington with a little more hope. She is nearly quintupling the size of her store, Ethical Hope, by moving to 938 Fifth Ave. and having a grand opening Friday during Downtown New Kensington’s Fridays on Fifth event....
The Stroller, April 24, 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. Free fishing event planned...
Plum School Board moves forward on proposed budget with 2.26% tax hike
Plum real estate owners will likely be paying 2.26% more in property taxes to the school district next school year. The Plum School Board on Tuesday approved its tentative 2025-26 budget, which would increase the tax rate from 23.3896 mills to 23.9159 mills. That increase is partially the result of...
Tariffs spark fireworks order cancellations as America’s 250th looms
Steve Kubrick believes he might have dodged a bullet for buying his fireworks for an Independence Day display in New Kensington last year before the U.S. tariffs on China came in. “I bought mine last year,” said Kubrick, owner of the AK Valley Park in New Kensington. “That might have...
Flowers are a common theme for artist featured at Monroeville library
As a child, Stacey Pydynkowski didn’t encounter much art in the traditional sense of visiting galleries or museums, but was instead fascinated by the visual imagery in everyday life — especially in nature. “The vibrant flowers in my neighbor’s garden bed in the trailer park I grew up in inspired...
Penn Hills Peace Coalition mobilizes toward reducing violence in the area
The Penn Hills Peace Coalition gathers residents of Penn Hills and the surrounding areas, as well as members of local nonprofit organizations, to create more safety and care in the township. The team mobilizes and supports efforts toward violence reduction, creating continuous dialogue — even around hard conversations. “We formed...
Monroeville mayor’s seat, 4 council seats open in upcoming election
Monroeville council will see some changes after this year’s elections, with second-term mayor Nick Gresock finishing his time with the municipality and multiple council seats in play. Four seats are open on council, however only one of those seats will have multiple candidates vying for it in the May 20...
Monroeville area: Gateway seeking sponsorships, cheer camp, car show, more
School district seeks sponsorships Gateway School District officials are seeking sponsors for numerous facilities throughout the district. Individuals or businesses interested in sponsorships can email Jeremy Tepper at jtepper@gatewayk12.org. Divine Mercy Academy cheer camp Registration is open for Divine Mercy Academy’s Saber Summer Cheer Camp, which will be held from...
3 candidates vying for 2 Democratic seats on Penn Hills Council
According to the Allegheny County Office of Elections’ unofficial candidate list, there are three Democrats running for two four-year Democratic seats in Penn Hills. The list includes Stephen Zelahy as the lone Republican candidate running for one of two four-year Republican seats. Here are the Penn Hills residents running in...
Penn Hills School Board has 9 candidates seeking party nods to run for 4 seats
Penn Hills residents are going to see a busy race for school board in the primary. With nine candidates running for four open seats, only two out of nine candidates are only seeking the Democratic nod. The rest of the candidates are cross-filed, according to the Allegheny County Office of...
Gateway students decorate, distribute bags for Earth Day project
Kassandra Poliziani started organizing school Earth Day projects before she began teaching at Gateway. “This is my sixth year doing the project at Gateway and I previously started it at Blairsville school district,” Poliziani said. The kindergarten teacher begins by picking up paper bags — which are donated by Giant...
Aliquippa man sentenced to 15 years for making, selling fake drugs on the darknet
An Aliquippa man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison in connection with a sweeping drug distribution scheme in which he manufactured counterfeit Oxycodone, Adderall and Xanax pills to sell. Jacob Blair, 27, pleaded guilty in December before U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson to a charge...
Retired attorney, Social Security judge selected to fill vacant Ligonier Township supervisor seat
A retired attorney and former administrative law judge has joined Ligonier Township’s board of supervisors to fill a vacancy through the end of the year. The remaining four supervisors voted 3-1 Tuesday to appoint John Fraser, 69, to a seat vacated by the recent abrupt resignation of D. Scott Matson....
Eastbound Route 30 reopens near Cedar Street exit in Hempfield after 4-vehicle crash
Two people were taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville on Wednesday after a four-vehicle crash on Route 30 in Hempfield, according to Mutual Aid spokesperson Shawn Penzera. Their conditions were unclear. Traffic was affected for four hours. The eastbound side of the highway was shut down in the area...
Lawsuit: Greensburg Central Catholic student injured after exposure to toxic fumes, fall
An eighth grade student at Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Hempfield was injured after being exposed to toxic fumes in the school’s gymnasium, his father said in a lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County court. The lawsuit claims the student was among several children who became sick while attending...
Churchill drug trafficker’s plea for leniency fails to sway judge at sentencing
A Churchill man who federal officials said had hundreds of thousands of doses of fentanyl he planned to traffic in the Pittsburgh area will serve 21 years in prison. Leon C. Ford Sr., 58, was sentenced on Wednesday by Senior U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab. A jury found Ford...
