Western PA Local News category, Page 2809
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...
Brackenridge couple receive community service awardVideo
Heather Rodgriguez wasn’t surprised months ago when the Allegheny Valley Marine Corps League Detachment 827 reached out to her about nominating her husband, Jay Rodriguez, for an award recognizing his service to the community. “They don’t have to ask him twice, he’ll be there,” she said of Jay, a retired...
Duquesne Police warn residents of fake bills
The City of Duquesne Police Department is asking residents to keep an eye out for fake cash that is being passed around in the Pittsburgh area, according to a Facebook post by the department Saturday. The post describes fake bills that have the word “replica” printed below the serial number...
Woman beaten during Penn Hills home invasion dies
Police are looking for two men in connection to an October home invasion in Penn Hills where a woman was beaten so severely that she died. The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. Oct. 30 in a home in the 900 block of Cimarron Drive. Penn Hills police were called to...
Tarentum firefighter Michael J. Sims Sr. honored 20 years after deathVideo
It’s been 20 years since Tarentum volunteer firefighter Michael J. Sims Sr. was killed on the job. But the sacrifice he made for his community hasn’t been forgotten. Nor will it be. Family, firefighters and community members Sunday gathered by the fireman’s memorial at Riverview Memorial Park to remember Sims,...
Pittsburgh Promise scholarship fund grows by $4.8 million
The Pittsburgh Promise scholarship fund grew by $4.8 million in new contributions this year, Executive Director Saleem Ghubril announced Friday. About $1.2 million of that total was raised through a fundraising gala, “A Night of Promise,” held Saturday evening. The event featured a performance by Grammy and Tony winner Leslie...
Detroit man sentenced to 10 years for selling deadly tranquilizer carfentanil
A Michigan man was sentenced last week to 10 years in federal prison for selling an elephant-tranquilizer drug that killed one Beaver County resident and seriously injured another roughly three years ago. Reginald Davis, 32, of Detroit, was convicted of distributing carfentanil, a synthetic opioid that is used on elephants...
Braddock police chief suspended with pay after arrest
The police chief in Braddock has been suspended with pay while an investigation into accusations of domestic violence are investigated, the borough’s mayor said Sunday. Guy Collins, 59, was arrested Saturday and is charged with simple assault. “We are investigating this to the fullest potential because we take domestic violence...
Hempfield building destroyed in fire
A Hempfield building was destroyed in a fire early Sunday. The blaze was reported at 4:33 a.m. at a structure on secluded Smith Road near Historic Hanna’s Town. A Westmoreland 911 dispatcher said no injuries were reported. Hempfield fire officials did not respond to a request for information. The property...
Allegheny County DA Zappala faces challenge from independent Middleman, a longtime public defender
Allegheny County Public Defender Lisa Middleman is the second candidate to try to topple District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.’s 20-year tenure. Turahn Jenkins challenged Zappala, 62, in the Democratic primary in May. Jenkins, who left his post as the chief deputy director of the county public defender’s office to...
John Oyler: Rocky Mountain High
I have just returned from a delightful trip to Colorado to visit my daughter Sara and her family. The official rationale for the trip was to see my grandson Ian perform in his high school play, “Clue.” However, the beautiful weather there encouraged Sara to take me into the mountains...
The fate of Colfax Elementary building in Springdale will be decided by Tuesday’s election
For most of the six candidates vying for five seats, the fate of Colfax Elementary School is still very much an issue. The general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 5. The current school board voted 6-3 in October to demolish the Colfax school after moving its students to the...
In state Superior Court race, four candidates vie for two open seats
Four candidates are running for two open seats on Pennsylvania’s Superior Court, one of the state’s two intermediate appellate courts. The Superior Court hears all appeals from the Court of Common Pleas and is made up of 15 judges. Appeals are generally heard by a three-judge panel. Only one candidate,...
Leslie Odom Jr. encourages young artists to take risks, love their craft at Pittsburgh CAPA
Think of love as a verb, Grammy and Tony winner Leslie Odom Jr. told the room of aspiring young artists Saturday in Pittsburgh. “If you love something hard enough, eventually, it will love you back,” Odom said, encouraging the high schoolers to find their passion and nurture it intensely. Success...
Veterans monument at Burrell’s Stewart School gets $8,000 facelift
After a portion of the veteran’s monument in front of Stewart Elementary School along Leechburg Road toppled earlier this year, state Rep. Bob Brooks, R-Murrysville, and others kicked in $8,000 to fix the deteriorating memorial for residents who served in World War II. Repairs started last week on the stone...
Republicans, Democrats run separate races for county commissioner, but both parties want to win controlVideo
Westmoreland County’s next board of commissioners will have a similar look, as three of the four candidates running want as little change as possible. Tuesday’s election features two incumbents and the chief of staff of retiring Commissioner Charles Anderson along with a challenger who is vying for his first elected...
Railcar enthusiasts to collect toys, cash for Toys for Tots on railroad line
The annual caravan of festive railcars collecting items for Toys for Tots will make the 40-mile trek from East Huntingdon to Hempfield on Nov. 16. Members of the North American Railcar Operators Association will brave the weather to collect new, unwrapped toys or monetary donations for children in need. The...
Freeport Area School Board will have new faces soon; the question is: How many?
There will be at least two, and possibly three, new faces on the Freeport Area School Board after Tuesday’s election. Three political newcomers, Greg Selinger, Ron Kobelenske and Adam Toncini, all of Buffalo Township, join three incumbents to make up the six candidate field. Toncini is the only one who...
New playground for Greater Parkview Church daycare is immediate hit with kids
The Stafford house was the place to be for children growing up in one Greensburg neighborhood. With six siblings and a pool, the West Pittsburgh Street home was always a busy place. “All of the kids hung out here,” said Dorothy Gerhardt. “It was fun growing up here.” Now, that...
Police: $33K worth of heroin, fentanyl seized from McKeesport home
More than $33,000 worth of heroin and fentanyl was seized from a McKeesport home Friday and two people were arrested, according to the Allegheny County Police. Camille Ann Pruitt, 27, of McKeesport, and Tyjior Leslie Brown, 18, of Pittsburgh, are facing drug and conspiracy charges. Authorities served a search warrant...
