Local category, Page 2742
Norwin grad, business owner wins Miss Pennsylvania USA titleVideo
A Norwin graduate and owner of two boutique shops in Westmoreland County was crowned Miss Pennsylvania USA this weekend, giving her the chance to compete for Miss USA. Victoria Piekut, 23, of North Huntingdon — who owns Wight Elephant Boutique in Irwin and Greensburg — competed against 35 women for...
Weather expected to impact Westmoreland voter turnout on Tuesday
Beth Lechman, Westmoreland County elections director, predicted a turnout of 25% to 27% for the county, expecting voters to be deterred by the weather forecast of high winds and rain. The county has two Common Pleas judge positions up for election in addition to elections for county commissioner, sheriff and...
Indiana County teenager accused of threatening classmates on social media
A 14-year-old Indiana County youth was charged with making terroristic threats and disorderly conduct Monday for allegedly posting a threatening message on social media that he planned to bring firearms to Marion Center Junior-Senior High School and target classmates, according to state police. Police said the student, who attends the...
Cops: Mt. Pleasant Township man attacked workers with baseball bat over rental TV
A 55-year-old Mt. Pleasant Township man was so angry when two workers arrived to pick up an 82-inch television he had rented that he attacked them with a metal baseball bat, police said. State police say Gene R. Overly fled the scene after the Saturday afternoon incident, but eventually was...
Cops: Pair used fake IDs to buy $24K of iPhones in Westmoreland, elsewhere
A New York City man and woman are accused of using fraudulent identification cards to buy $24,000 worth of iPhones in Westmoreland and surrounding counties, according to state police. Jose Miguel Jorge, 31, and Jessica K. Cocco, 41, allegedly used identification information for people living in Utah, Missouri and Minnesota...
Parklet planned to mark Freeport’s history as canal port town
Plans to develop a small park recalling Freeport’s past as a port on the Pennsylvania Canal are moving forward. Two members of the Freeport Renaissance Association, Karen Lindbergh and Mary Bowlin, outlined plans for the Canal Park to Freeport Council last week. Lindbergh, the association’s vice president, presented a rough...
Trafford police say driver accused of 6th DUI told them he used heroin, meth, cocaine
A 34-year-old man awaiting trial for his fifth DUI told Trafford police Sunday he was under the influence of heroin when his SUV swerved into the opposing lane. Tyler E. Thimons of Gibsonia was stopped about 1:30 a.m. Sunday after patrolman Zlatan Avdic said he watched Thimons’ 2008 Ford Escape...
Small ATI locomotive leaves tracks but doesn’t block Norfolk Southern trafficVideo
A small locomotive used to pull rail cars between ATI’s two plants in Harrison left the tracks Monday. It was unclear how many people were aboard. No 0ne was injured in the mishap, according to ATI spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie. The front end of the shifter went off on the side...
Video, audio of foot chase, shooting of New Kensington officer played during murder trial
Brian Shaw, a wounded New Kensington police officer, called out for help moments after being shot three times in an alley where he chased a man believed to have run from a sports utility vehicle following a traffic stop. “I’ve been shot. I’ve been shot,” Shaw said into his radio...
Ohio men accused of burglary after being found sleeping in Salem house
An Ohio man was arrested Sunday after he apparently broke into a Salem home and went to sleep, according to state police. Brendan Scott Szrenkanyi, 37, of Cleveland, is charged with burglary, criminal trespass and loitering at night. A Salem resident called state police at 2:41 a.m. Sunday after he...
Police: Masked men robbed Mia Pizza in Bloomfield
Pittsburgh police are investigating an armed robbery that was reported at about 12:40 a.m. Monday at Mia Pizza on Baum Boulevard in Bloomfield. Two men wearing masks and hoods entered the store, pointed guns at two employees and forced them to open a cash register, according to police spokeswoman Cara...
2 arrested in Jeannette pistol exchange
Two men were arrested last week in Jeannette after police said they exchanged a pistol that had the serial number obliterated. Timothy Joshua Bertrand, 28, of Jeannette, and Joseph Raymond Thornton, 52, of Manor, are both being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail. City police and agents from...
2 injured in East Huntingdon crashVideo
Medical helicopters took two people to the hospital after a Monday morning crash in East Huntingdon, according to Westmoreland County 911. The two-vehicle crash on Porter Avenue — also known as Route 819 — happened just before 7 a.m. One vehicle went over an embankment and was heavily damaged, with...
First graduating class of Westmoreland County Veterans Court set
The first graduate of Westmoreland County Veterans Court will be recognized on Nov. 19. County officials reinstated the program in May for veterans charged with certain crimes, allowing them to earn a reduced sentence. Veterans work through the six- to 12-month program that gives them opportunities to address issues such...
Saw Mill Run closed as PennDOT replaces Shaler Street Bridge using new techniqueVideo
The new Shaler Street Bridge was inched into place Monday afternoon over the course of several hours and the overall work to finish the bridge is expected to take about two weeks thanks to a new construction technique PennDOT is debuting. This is the first time PennDOT has used a...
Police investigate reported Downtown Pittsburgh robbery
Police are investigating a reported robbery that happened Sunday afternoon in Downtown Pittsburgh. A woman told police she was inside a business on the 400 block of Boulevard of the Allies around 1:45 p.m. when she was approached by a man who allegedly pistol whipped her and demanded her money,...
Brownsville building damaged in fire
Firefighters in Brownsville, Fayette County, spent hours early Monday morning extinguishing a blaze in a building under renovation. The fire started around 2 a.m., according to Fayette County 911. Firefighters told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV that the fire started because of an electrical problem. The building was undergoing renovation, with...
Allegheny Township woman is teacher, mom, blogger — and soon, book authorVideo
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things that they do. Stephanie Jankowski is a mother of three and teacher of many. She taught English at Valley Junior/Senior High School in the New Kensington-Arnold School District for five years and...
Former Mt. Pleasant Journal reporter revisits local tie to Iranian hostage crisis
On the day I was hired for my first job as a reporter, a cryptic two-inch-long story appeared on the front page of the paper that had hired me. The headline read “Local man held in Iran.” I’d never planned to be a journalist. But 40 years ago, in the...
40 years later: Mt. Pleasant tie to Iran hostage crisis revisitedVideo
Editor’s note: Portions of a first-person account from Janice Steinhagen, formerly Janice Malego, appear in italics throughout this article. Janice Steinhagen’s story based on an exclusive interview with former Iran hostage Jerry Miele sits in a box with 40 years’ worth of newspaper clippings. But as a story, it looms...
The Stroller, Nov. 4, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Volunteers needed to help with tree planting in Harrison Volunteers are needed Saturday to help with a tree planting project in Harrison Township. Volunteers will gather at 8:30 a.m. at the Highlands Community Center for coffee and breakfast rolls and sign in. A planting demonstration with the TreeVitalize staff will...
Thomas Jefferson gears up for ‘Game of Tiaras,’ the first performance in new auditorium
There will be sword fights, jabs and lots of laughs on the new Thomas Jefferson High School stage, as students come together to christen the auditorium with its inaugural show on Nov. 21 and 23. Students will perform “Game of Tiaras,” which combines Shakespeare’s King Lear with Disney princesses and...
Greensburg counselor aims to connect clients with disabilities to the communityVideo
Toward the end of his nine years as a certified nursing assistant, Elliott Howe had begun noticing recurring back pain. “I enjoyed it, but I was having a lot of back issues because of the labor,” Howe, 30, of Greensburg, said of his work. About the same time, two of...
Emotions high as trial of New Kensington officer’s accused killer begins
Rahmael Sal Holt insists he didn’t kill New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw two years ago, but his lawyers won’t have to prove or say who did, according to a legal expert who identified a potential defense strategy for the capital murder trial slated to start Monday morning. Bruce Antkowiak,...
Freeport Area cast set to bring ABBA’s hits to stage with ‘Mamma Mia’
Freeport Area High School expanded its musical theater program, adding a fall musical. A cast and stage crew of almost 60 students from grades 9 through 12 will showcase “Mamma Mia” on Nov. 16 and 17, with three performances at the Freeport Middle School Auditorium. Freeport Musical Director Tom Koharchik...
