Local category, Page 2791
Pet of the Week: Aurora, a retriever mixVideo
Everyone, meet Aurora! This sweet girl is TribLIVE’s Pet of the Week, and she’s available for adoption at Animal Friends of Westmoreland. Age: 3 or 4 years old Breed: Retriever mix What she likes: Taking car rides and going for walks. She’d make a good partner for exercising and taking...
Leechburg Area, teachers have tentative contract agreement
Leechburg Area School District and its teachers union have a new, tentative contract. Both the district and the union still have to formally approve the proposed five-year deal for the district’s 63 teachers, but Superintendent Tiffany Nix said negotiators for both sides OK’d it. If approved, the so-called “early bird”...
Question of turf at Allegheny Valley soccer field draws residents’ ire
Some Allegheny Valley School District residents say the district’s soccer field is in bad shape and should be converted to artificial turf. But they don’t want to do it just so a private soccer club can play there. The comments came during a special school board meeting Thursday afternoon, during...
Greensburg Rotary plans fall scholarship fundraisers
The Greensburg Rotary will hold two fundraisers this month to raise money for scholarships. First up is a Wellness Check blood screening event to be held Sept. 14 at Senior Life Greensburg, 123 Triangle Drive, from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. The rotary hosts these wellness checks twice a year in...
Dogs, their owners enjoy their own day at Bushy Run Battlefield
Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society hosted its first dog-friendly Paws in the Park community event Saturday at the park in Penn Township. Designed in a festival-like manner, Paws in the Park celebrated one of Bushy Run’s highest attending group of visitors — dog-walkers. The event included activity stations and vendor...
Green Gathering speaker will discuss Westmoreland recycling changes
Recent changes in many curbside recycling programs will be the focus of the next Green Gathering, set for Sept. 22 in downtown Greensburg. As with the inaugural gathering in June, this second meeting will provide an opportunity for environmentally-minded citizens to network in an informal setting. There is no admission...
Butler County woman lied about husband to get $60K in Social Security benefits
A Butler County woman has pleaded guilty to receiving more than $60,000 in fraudulent Social Security benefits by lying about her husband, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Pattie Lou Smith, 56, of Connoquenessing admitted to making false reports to the federal government on documents required to determine eligibility for benefits between...
3 men arrested in $20K drug bust in New Kensington
Three men are behind bars on drug charges after police said they found about $20,000 worth of ecstasy, cocaine and methamphetamine hidden inside a home in the Mt. Vernon section of New Kensington. Andre Butler, 34, and Shawn Taylor, 47, both of Pittsburgh, and Dennis Corbett, 33, of New Kensington,...
Woman hurt when SUV overturns in 2-vehicle crash on Route 30 in UnityVideo
Firefighters had to cut off the roof of an overturned sport utility vehicle Thursday afternoon to free the woman who was trapped after her SUV collided with another vehicle along Route 30 at a Unity furniture store, fire officials said. The woman, whose identity was not released, was transported to...
North Side man caught with 100 bricks of heroin gets nearly 4 years in prison
A Pittsburgh man caught with more than 100 bricks of heroin at his North Side home has been sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Kawama Hightower, 41, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute heroin and crack cocaine and maintaining a drug-involved...
Allegheny County Judge Kim Berkeley Clark will lead county jail oversight board
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark will serve as the interim chair of the Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board. Clark replaced Allegheny County Judge David Cashman, who resigned in August, at the board’s meeting Thursday. “We have to give the jail credit for the good...
Police: Man who snatched baby brother arrested after cops surround in Clairton woods
A man who fled into the woods with his baby brother Thursday morning was arrested after allegedly holding a Clairton woman against her will inside a residence, police said. Allegheny County Police said the suspect, Erron Jenkins, 22, fled with his 1-year-old brother from the rear of a house in...
Boulevard of the Allies ramp to Parkway East set to close Friday
The ramp from the inbound Boulevard of the Allies (Route 885) to inbound Parkway East (Interstate 376) in Pittsburgh will be closed from 7 p.m. Friday night through 9 a.m. Saturday morning, PennDOT said. Crews will conduct concrete repairs on the ramp. Traffic will be detoured. The work is part...
Police: DNA evidence helped ID man who tunneled into Leechburg bank
DNA evidence helped police identify a man who they said made off with nearly $1,400 last year after tunneling into a Leechburg bank, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday. Carlin Mitchell Quinn, 27, of West Leechburg, is accused of stealing $1,371 from First Commonwealth Bank at 152 Main St....
Traffic delays expected during nearly 2-year-long ramp closure on I-579 in Pittsburgh
A northbound exit ramp on I-579 to Seventh Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh will close for 700 days starting Friday morning for construction of a “cap” over the expressway. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reminded drivers to find alternative routes for Downtown access from the highway running between the Liberty Tunnels...
Pittsburgh pension board delays vote on divestment in guns, gas and private prisons
A board overseeing Pittsburgh’s pension plans delayed a vote Thursday on Mayor Bill Peduto’s request to pull investments from companies dealing in fossil fuels, firearms and for-profit prisons Peduto was unable to attend the meeting and members of Pittsburgh’s Comprehensive Municipal Trust Fund board said they wanted to hear the...
Firefighters mixed on call for Pennsylvania funding reform
Pennsylvania’s auditor general wants to reduce restrictions on how firefighters can spend state aid, but Western Pennsylvania fire departments have mixed feelings over whether change is needed. “The law has not kept pace with changing times and, in my view, puts too many restrictions on how relief associations can spend...
Pittsburgh man tossed from World Series of Poker for nudity, shoe-throwing facing terrorism charge
Some antics at the poker table were just the start of the growing troubles for one Pittsburgh man. Ken Strauss, 45, had a seat at the table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas earlier this summer, reports Deadspin. His behavior was questionable from the start...
Redesigned bike lanes could protect cyclists in Pittsburgh area
A demonstration of how parked cars can protect bicycle lanes and their users may be a sign of things to come in Pittsburgh and other communities along the region’s three rivers. Local lawmakers and bike advocates will hold a demonstration Sunday in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood to teach residents about...
Comcast expands program providing free internet for low-income AmericansVideo
Nate Woods thought he was attending a job fair Thursday during an event hosted by Comcast at the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania headquarters in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Woods, 52, of Sharpsburg said he nearly fainted when a Comcast official announced that he and 29 other veterans in attendance...
Police: Allegheny Valley officer makes arrest after landing in swimming pool
An Allegheny Valley Regional Police officer made a splash while chasing a suspected drunken driver last month, falling into a swimming pool before making the arrest, according to court records. Police said they pulled over a car driven by David G. Hoover, 34, of Springdale at Riddle Run and Freeport...
Freeport life-skills students to join cheerleaders for Friday’s football game
Fans at Freeport Area High School’s football game Friday might notice a few extra cheerleaders on the sidelines. Students from the school’s life-skills class have been invited to be cheerleaders for the night. One of the cheer captains, Megan Rossey, 17, wanted to include them in an activity they otherwise...
Sheetz appears to call peace with Wawa, others in convenience store feud
It looks like the great Sheetz-Wawa rivalry has entered a new chapter. In a tweet Thursday, the Altoona-based convenience store chain seemed to call a stop to online arguing about which store is the best. Sheetz went on to call Wawa “cool,” while also complimenting Quik Trip, Pilot Flying J...
Monessen’s Temple Beth Am closing, estate sale FridayVideo
Jack Bergstein was there when the light went out. A lifelong member of Temple Beth Am in Monessen, the 79-year-old recently attended the deconsecration service for the Reform synagogue. Part of his job was to put out the ner tamid, the “eternal light” found in every synagogue in front of...
Harrison to start hydrant flushing Monday
The Harrison Township Water Authority announced that it will start flushing fire hydrants on Monday. The project, which involves flushing 280 hydrants, is expected to take about six weeks to finish, authority general Manager Charles Craig said. Craig said crews will start in the Natrona area and work their way...
