Local category, Page 2834
New Stanton robbery suspect accused of spitting in jail guard’s face
A New Stanton man arrested in connection with a robbery spree last month was charged Tuesday for allegedly spitting in a guard’s face at the Westmoreland County Prison. Westmoreland County detectives said Anthony David Gillingham Jr., 31, spit in the male guard’s face when he was denied an extra blanket...
Westmoreland Historical Society seeking nominations for 2019 Arthur St. Clair Award
The Westmoreland Historical Society is accepting nominations for the annual Arthur St. Clair Historic Preservation Award. The award honors individuals or organizations that have made a “significant and sustainable” contribution to the preservation of Westmoreland County’s historic places, documents, records or stories, the society said. Nominations can be submitted by...
Ross fires officer charged with illegally using police computers
Ross commissioners Monday fired a township police officer charged with illegally using department computers to search internal files. Following a nearly two-hour closed-door session during its Aug. 5 meeting, the board voted 5-4 to terminate Officer Mark Sullivan, 39, an eight-year veteran of the Ross police department. Sullivan was charged...
Singer Ben Folds talks about his new book, playing in PittsburghVideo
Ben Folds is not only a prolific songwriter and performer, he is also an author. Folds has just written his first book, a memoir called “A Dream About Lightning Bugs.” Of course he is also a singer and musician who has recorded many memorable songs including “Brick,” “Landed,” “Song for...
The Lonieros of Cubbage Hill celebrate 62 years
Happy 12th birthday to Nathan BeHage, who celebrates Aug. 12. Nathan is the son of Rose and Colin BeHage of Carnegie and will enter eighth grade this year. Carmie (Giammatteo) and Clyde Woods of Cubbage Hill celebrate their 47th wedding anniversary Aug. 7. They are the parents of four sons,...
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger’s Hampton mansion for sale for $2.3 million
If you’re in the market for a new mansion and have about $2.3 million to spend, Ben Roethlisberger’s house in Hampton could be yours. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is selling the gated, 5-acre estate that includes eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a six-car garage, home theater, wine cellar and game room,...
Police: 2 teens shot, one critically, while walking to Homestead store
Two teens were shot, one critically, while they were walking to a convenience store Monday night in Homestead, according to Allegheny County police. The shooting was reported shortly before 9 p.m. in the 1600 block of West Street. When Homestead police and paramedics arrived, they found two 17-year-old boys with...
Woman arrested after police find guns, drugs in Duquesne home
Duquesne police seized more than 800 bags of heroin and two guns while serving a search warrant Monday night in Duquesne. Police said they arrested Tosha Daniel Cunningham, 40, after executing the warrant at her home along Lincoln Avenue. Cunningham allegedly told officers that neither the drugs nor guns were...
2 hurt when boat becomes trapped under barge on Ohio River
A man and a woman were hurt when their boat became trapped underneath a barge that was being towed by a tug boat on the Ohio River early Tuesday morning, according to Pittsburgh public safety officials. The incident was reported around 12:15 a.m. in the area below the Point and...
Leechburg Public Library to reopen after Labor Day
Leechburg Public Library hired a librarian and its collection should reopen next month, according to the president of the library board. Board President Karen Freilino said Leechburg resident Lisa Flick Kimbrugh was hired to direct the library when it reopens sometime after Labor Day inside Leechburg Junior/Senior High School. The...
Two people shot in Homestead
Two people were taken to local hospitals after being shot in Homestead Monday night. Allegheny County dispatchers said calls came in for the shooting shortly before 9 p.m. along the 100 block of West 14th Avenue. One victim is reportedly in critical condition. No further information was available. Anyone with...
New Kensington swears in police dog honoring slain Officer Brian ShawVideo
New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo swore in the newest member of the city’s police force Monday evening — after the new recruit was done scratching. Deuce, an almost 2-year-old Belgian Malinois, was acquired with the help of slain police Officer Brian Shaw’s family. His parents, Stephan and Lisa Shaw, and...
Re-enactors to fire cannon, display frontier skills at Compass Inn
Visitors to historic Compass Inn this month will see demonstrations of past frontier skills representing such 18th-century trades as the gunsmith, blacksmith and midwife. Members of Proctor’s Militia, a local re-enactment group that portrays a Revolutionary War-era militia unit of the same name, will camp at the restored 1799 Laughlintown...
New Kensington Council approves liquor license transfer for Sheetz
New Kensington Council on Monday approved the transfer of a liquor license for a Sheetz in the city despite the objections of several residents, including one armed with a petition. A remodeling of the convenience store and gas station on Freeport Street will include an addition with seating for 30...
Diving has become way of life for owners of Scott’s Scuba in FreeportVideo
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Czebiniak at mczebiniak@tribweb.com. Scuba diving quickly became a way of life for...
Nick Cumer, Dayton shooting victim from Western Pa., was ‘someone we all could look up to’
Nick Cumer spent many long days and nights at Washington High School polishing his craft on the trombone. But, when he enrolled as a freshman at Saint Francis University, Cumer was told that the Cambria County school’s newly forming band had enough trombone players. What they needed was someone who...
What you do when a shooter strikes could save or cost you your life
The median police response time to an active shooting incident is three minutes, according to FBI statistics. While fast by law enforcement standards, potential victims are essentially on their own in those first critical minutes. “Most of the violence is over in less than five minutes,” said J. Pete Blair,...
Plea deal rejected in Arnold child rape case, suspect faces 100 years to life at trial
A Washington, D.C., man on Monday rejected a plea bargain offer that would have sent him to prison for at least 15 years for the alleged sexual assault of a young boy in Arnold. Delonte Haynes, 28, faces a potential life sentence if he is convicted of all four counts...
Happenings in Oakmont and Plum this week – Aug. 5, 2019
Looking for some fun things to do in Oakmont and Plum this week? Here are some suggestions: • Karsaz returns to the Oaks Theater for their 4th annual End of Summer Oldies show Saturday at 310 Allegheny Ave. in Oakmont. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the show starting at...
Lower Burrell firefighters save kittens from a storm sewer
During a meeting of junior firefighters Sunday at Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3, someone asked if they really receive emergency calls about cats stuck in trees. “Yeah, we do it, but the stories about how it really happens are a bit exaggerated,” Brennan Sites, assistant chief, told the...
Trial to start for Jeannette man accused of selling drugs used in brother’s fatal overdose
Opening statements will begin Tuesday in the murder trial of a Jeannette man accused of selling drugs his brother used to fatally overdose three days after Christmas 2016. Markus McGowan, 31, is charged with one felony count of drug delivery resulting in death. Police contend he sold $60 of fentanyl...
State fines Uniontown mayor for votes to promote himself, daughter to public positions
Uniontown Mayor Ed Fike has been cited for a conflict of interest violation stemming from his appointment as mayor in January 2018, the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission said Monday. Fike must reimburse the city $2,446.04 and pay $500 to the state ethics commission for violating the Public Official and Employee...
Safe2Say fields tips, puts focus on mental health services for students
Between Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, almost 3,240 calls were reported through Pennsylvania’s Safe2Say Something Program, a 24-hour tipline that allows students, parents and teachers to anonymously report something suspicious online or from a person who poses a threat to themselves or others. According to a report released by Pennsylvania Attorney...
McCandless hosting free program about historic Old Economy Village settlement
A representative from the Old Economy Village historic settlement in Beaver County will conduct a free program in McCandless on Thursday about the last of three settlements established by the Harmony Society in the United States. David Miller will lead the discussion about the Harmonists, a 19th century communal religious...
Blawnox cracking down on code violations
Blawnox code enforcement will have extra teeth thanks to an ordinance recently approved by council. The Quality of Life law is meant to enable Code Enforcement Officer Mallori McDowell to crack down on time-sensitive issue like high grass, trash and snow removal. “The biggest problem we had was that the...
