Local category, Page 2733
Petition wants to bring back giant rubber duck in honor of Steelers’ Devlin Hodges
Welp, it looks like Pittsburgh has a new cult hero in Devlin “Duck” Hodges. The third-string quarterback, who didn’t even make the final cut for the season but has recently been named a starter, is loved by some yinzers so much that they are calling for the 40-foot inflatable rubber...
Bridge inspection will restrict I-70 traffic near Smithton
Motorists driving on Interstate 70 over the Youghiogheny River northwest of Smithton can expect delays Thursday as crews complete a bridge inspection, according to PennDOT. The inspection will trigger right-lane closures on the Smithton High Level Bridge, which carries the interstate across the Youghiogheny River, connecting Rostraver with South Huntingdon...
This weekend kicks off holiday events in Murrysville, Export and Delmont
Here are some of the holiday-themed events coming up in the Star’s coverage area. Do you have a holiday event coming up? Email staff writer Patrick Varine at pvarine@tribweb.com. • Export Light Up Night will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6 outside the Export Volunteer Fire Department on...
Allegheny County’s $1B budget includes no tax increase
Allegheny County Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt the proposed $1 billion county budget for 2020. The budget does not include a property tax increase. The $959.8 million operating budget is $27.4 million larger than the 2019 operating budget of $932.4 million, a 2.9% increase. The $100.1 million capital budget...
Lower Burrell receives $91,000 in grants for parks
Lower Burrell will use several grants to pay for new playground equipment at Veterans Park, develop a city parks plan and make other improvements. Outgoing Councilman Chris Koziarski, who oversaw the city’s parks department, and City Administrator Amy Rockwell announced Monday that the city secured two state grants totaling $69,900...
New Kensington proposes tax increase to combat blight
An ambitious program to eliminate blight in New Kensington is one factor behind a proposal to raise real estate taxes in the city by 11%. Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve an $8.1 million preliminary budget that would increase property taxes for the general fund from 27 mills to...
FBI warns of holiday scams as Western Pa. victims cheated out of $1M in 2019
Don’t be fooled this holiday season by scammers posing as charities or fly-by-night websites offering surprisingly steep discounts on popular gifts, FBI officials in Pittsburgh warned Tuesday. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Chad Yarbrough, FBI Pittsburgh assistant special agent in charge, said at the...
Kiski Valley Community Band concert series to raise money for food banks
A holiday musical tradition continues as the Kiski Valley Community Band prepares to present its “The Sounds of Christmas” concert fundraiser series. Four performances are scheduled, starting with a concert Saturday at Christ Lutheran Church in Murrysville. Concerts also are scheduled in Buffalo Township, Leechburg and Apollo. All shows benefit...
Greensburg celebrates 50th Luminary Night on Thursday
Greensburg merchants have been lighting up downtown for the holidays for half a century. Thursday is the 50th annual Luminary Night, when streets will be lined with luminary lights and downtown stores will be open late. “It’s kind of red-letter day for Christmas shopping in Greensburg,” said Mary Wilmes, owner...
Trial begins for Youngwood man accused of twice attacking girlfriend
Renee Scott said she thought her life was about to end as she struggled but failed to pull away from her boyfriend as he sat atop her and clasped both hands around her throat. “I thought this was it. I couldn’t even fight. He was too overbearing on me,” Scott...
Highmark First Night Pittsburgh invites people to share their vision for the futureVideo
A traveling public art installation known as the Dream Wall Project is a new addition to this year’s Highmark First Night Pittsburgh events on New Year’s Eve. The project, which promotes the idea of inclusion, is the work of artist and photographer Anna Schuliger, a Marshall native who lives in...
Elliott Group begins transforming former Jeannette Glass into new plant, jobsVideo
Elliott Group considered other options before deciding Jeannette was the best fit for a new $60 million testing facility, according to CEO Michael Lordi. Company officials checked out an industrial park in Reno, Nev., and other spots near Houston. They finally picked the former Jeannette Glass site, about 1.5 miles...
Handler of slain Pittsburgh police K-9 Rocco promoted to sergeant
The newest Pittsburgh police sergeant proved his ability as a leader on Jan. 28, 2014, when his partner, the police K-9 Rocco, was killed in the line of duty. Mayor Bill Peduto swore in Sgt. Philip Lerza on Tuesday. “The one thing I will always remember is your compassion,”Peduto told...
Aliquippa football coach Mike Warfield tapped as feds’ new law enforcement coordinator
The leader of Aliquippa High’s storied football program has a new day job. Mike Warfield recently completed his second year as the Quips head coach. On Monday, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady tapped Warfield, 50, of Center, to be the law enforcement coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the...
Pittsburgh man accused of ethnic intimidation, harassing 2 off-duty EMTs in Murrysville
Two black emergency medical technicians with Murrysville Medic One were first harassed after a farewell party and then nearly driven off the highway by a Pittsburgh man who tailed them in his pickup truck, according to police. Murrysville police on Tuesday charged Michael W. Klaus, 43, of West End, with...
Alaska Airlines to add another Pittsburgh-Seattle flight
Alaska Airlines is planning to add a second daily flight between Pittsburgh and Seattle starting in May. “We want to capitalize on the growing tech connection between the West Coast and Pittsburgh,” said Alaska Airlines spokesman Ray Lane. “We’ll take a close look to see how the second flight performs...
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...
