Local category, Page 2830
Western Pa. libraries struggle with changing e-book rules
It’s never been easier to borrow an e-book from the library, but it’s getting harder for libraries to pay to make those books available. When a library buys a physical book, it often does so at a discount. Buying e-books, which can be read on digital devices like the Kindle...
State police seize marijuana from Apollo buildingVideo
State troopers Thursday morning removed marijuana plants and related items from a former funeral home in Apollo. The building at the corner of South Pennsylvania Avenue and North Second Street is next door to the First Evangelical Lutheran Church and across the street from a former school. The brown building...
Baldwin alum, Nepal native receives full scholarship to Villanova
Ritika Chamlagai has never doubted that she will someday be a doctor. As a child growing up in a refugee camp in Nepal, the hospitals were lacking even basic sanitation and people, if they had the money, were forced to travel to different countries to get the health care they...
Tour the new Thomas Jefferson High School at its open house
The long-anticipated opening of the new $95 million, 300,000 square foot Thomas Jefferson High School is finally here. On Aug. 18, the West Jefferson Hills School District will open the doors to the school, located at 830 Old Clairton Road, for the community to see. Following a VIP, invite-only ribbon...
Driller, public health consultant debate correlation-versus-causation at fracking hearing
Laura Dagley, a medical advocacy coordinator with Physicians for Social Responsibility’s Pennsylvania branch, could not say hydraulic fracturing operations directly cause negative health effects on nearby residents. But she said it is difficult to ignore the strong correlation that many studies have shown between a fracking operation’s arrival and an...
Families clash outside Greensburg courthouse as Arnold child rape trial starts
Greensburg police Thursday responded to a melee that erupted in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse to separate families involved in an ongoing rape trial. Officials said no arrests were made and testimony in the case against Delonte Haynes continued after Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway questioned each juror about...
New leaders seek to build on Salvation Army programs in Greensburg
Growing up in Tiffin, Ohio, Ashley Luzader remembers attending the local Salvation Army with her great-grandmother. “I would spend the night at her house on Saturday night … and go to church with her the next day,” she said. “I tried other churches, but I never felt at home.” Today,...
Ross installing radar warning signs to get drivers to slow down
Ross police say speeding is among the most frequently reported complaints from township residents. And while they take a no-nonsense approach when it comes to curbing speeding — especially in residential areas — they can’t be everywhere all the time. So the township is using technology to help remind motorists...
Route 910 bridge in West Deer to close until October
The Route 910 Bridge in West Deer Township will close beginning at 6 a.m. Monday for replacement work. The bridge spans a branch of Deer Creek between Oak Road and Frontier Drive. Traffic will be detoured through mid-October. It’s a $1.09 million dollar project, which also includes approach roadway work,...
Harrison Recreation Board seeks residents to help with community events
Harrison’s Recreation Board is already looking ahead to the holidays and seeking residents interested in helping put together the township’s annual Christmas festival and other community events. The seven-member board isn’t looking for new, formal board members, just those able to lend a hand, Commissioner Chuck Dizard said. In addition...
Ceremonial groundbreaking pauses work on New Kensington’s Pioneer ApartmentsVideo
An $18.2 million apartment and office building under construction in New Kensington is the latest example of the city’s revitalization, Mayor Tom Guzzo said at a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Wesley Family Services project Thursday. Work on Pioneer Apartments, a four-story building that will house 36 apartments and offices for...
Former Trib newsman remembered as dedicated, passionate
Bob Pastin was a passionate newsman who considered the newsroom his second home, making an appearance at least once a day, even on weekends. “He really just loved the newsroom. He just liked being there,” said Kim Palmiero, former managing editor for Trib Total Media’s weekly newspapers. After stints across...
Officials in Pa. exhume body of man found frozen in cave in 1970s to test DNA
HAMBURG, Pa. — Investigators in Pennsylvania have exhumed the body of an unidentified man who was found frozen in a cave along the Appalachian Trail about four decades ago. Officials in Berks County say the man’s dental records recently were matched to missing men from Florida and Illinois. Berks County...
Trump reschedules visit to Beaver County cracker plant
The White House said Thursday that President Trump has rescheduled his visit to a $6 billion ethane cracker plant being built in Beaver County for Tuesday. The president canceled a trip to the Potter Township site this week after two mass shootings over the weekend left 31 dead and dozens...
Kingfly Spirits hires Jeremy Bustamante from Superior MotorsVideo
Jeremy Bustamante, the respected bartender who poured drinks at Superior Motors restaurant in Braddock since it opened in 2017, has a new gig. He’s the the food and beverage director at Kingfly Spirits, a craft distillery, in the Strip District. Bustamante worked for Superior Motors chef Kevin Sousa since 2010...
Boater dies in Allegheny River near Harmar
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect hometown of the victim. Officials have identified the man who fell out of his boat and into the Allegheny River and died Thursday. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as John Franklin Kenawell, 76, of Ballwin,...
Uniontown nuns to host 85th annual pilgrimage Labor Day weekend
The 85th annual pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help will be held at Mount St. Macrina, Uniontown, Aug. 31-Sept. 1. This year’s theme is “Mary, Cause of Our Joy.” The Labor Day weekend event is the oldest and largest Byzantine Catholic pilgrimage in the country. A focal...
Woman killed, another hurt in Downtown Pittsburgh stabbing; McKeesport man arrestedVideo
A McKeesport man stabbed two women, killing one, in front of a Pittsburgh police officer during what investigators described as a random act of violence Thursday at a Downtown bus stop, officials said. Janice Purdue-Dance, 61, of Erie, died just after noon Thursday at UPMC Mercy hospital, according to the...
Fallen tree blamed for power outage for 1,300 in Lower Burrell, Allegheny TownshipVideo
A fallen tree along Route 56 in Lower Burrell Thursday morning caused a power outage for about 1,300 customers in Lower Burrell and Allegheny Township, according to West Penn Power and city officials. At about 9:30 a.m. a tree fell into the power lines near Midas Muffler on Route 56....
SBA loans approved for damage from July storms in Allegheny County
Residents in Plum and other Allegheny County communities may be eligible to receive disaster loans for damages to property from late July storms, the county’s Department of Emergency Services on Thursday said. The U.S. Small Business Administration declared a disaster in Allegheny County after communities were hit with flooding on...
Sandusky to be resentenced next month in molestation case
Jerry Sandusky will be taken from prison to a central Pennsylvania courtroom next month for resentencing on his 45-count child sexual abuse conviction, six months after a state appeals court ruled mandatory minimums had been improperly applied. Judge John Foradora filed an order Wednesday scheduling the proceeding for Sept. 23...
Man critically injured in fiery Allegheny Township crash
A 59-year-old man was critically injured Wednesday when his car crashed and burst into flames in Allegheny Township, police Chief Duane Fisher said. The crash happened about 11:40 p.m. in the 4000 block of Leechburg Road. Fisher said Richard Schmidt of East Pittsburgh was traveling south on the roadway, also...
16-year-old earns National Merit Scholarship following freshman year at Carnegie Mellon
For Carnegie Mellon University students in the “Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science” course, it may have taken a little time to adjust to a teaching assistant two years their junior. On the other side of the equation, that 16-year-old teaching assistant, Elena Swecker of Murrysville, was also adjusting to...
Police fired 10 shots at Donald Babbit in Shaler shooting
Three police officers fired a total of 10 shots when they killed a Shaler man who pointed a gun at them Tuesday afternoon, Allegheny County police Superintendent Coleman McDonough said. Donald Babbit, 49, was shot outside his home in the 800 block of Spencer Grove Lane. Two officers from Shaler...
Shaler roundup: Last Splash Pool Party, free movie, free yoga
Shaler Township’s Last Splash Pool Party for all Shaler Area School District friends and families will be held 6-9 p.m. Aug. 24 at Crawford Pool in Kiwanis. A donation of three school supply items per person is suggested to help fill the school bus. Class of ’69 preps reunion The...
