Local category, Page 2861
Fire chief: Cutting tool sparked oil tank fire in Derry Township
Firefighters from Bradenville and Derry quickly doused a tank of home heating oil that caught fire during demolition of a mobile home Monday evening on West Third Street at Hickory Avenue in Derry Township. Fire units were called to the scene after 8:15 p.m. and knocked the flames down within...
Franklin Regional OKs $35 million bond sale for Sloan Elementary projectVideo
The Franklin Regional School Board agreed to issue up to $35 million in bonds to fund the bulk of the Sloan “elementary campus” project, the same week that the district will be in court to face a group opposed to the plan. The project includes construction of a new elementary...
Highlands awards contracts for Tarentum elementary school work
Highlands School Board awarded three contracts for work at the district’s elementary school in Tarentum. Two of the contracts, totaling about $92,100, are for repairs to Highlands Elementary’s deteriorated clock tower. The district will pay Marsa Inc. $60,800 for restoration work on the clock tower’s masonry and BurMac Roofing $31,282...
Ex-Uber driver gets a year in jail for kidnapping, assaulting woman picked up in Downtown Pittsburgh
A former Uber driver convicted of kidnapping and assaulting a woman he picked up while off-duty in Downtown Pittsburgh nearly two years ago will spend another eight months behind bars. Soumana Dao, 32, was sentenced Monday to a year in jail, and he will receive about four months of credit...
Pittsburgh man accused of dealing heroin-fentanyl mix that caused overdose death
A federal grand jury indicted a Pittsburgh man on charges of delivering the heroin and fentanyl mix that resulted in a drug user dying of an overdose last year, prosecutors said Monday. Davonte Dugger, 20, faces narcotics charges stemming from a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into the overdose death and...
Geibel Catholic launching awareness campaign to boost enrollmentVideo
Faced with a drop in enrollment and the challenge of operating a private school in a region with declining demographics, Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School officials Monday unveiled a visibility plan for re-branding the school and a social media push to increase awareness of its quality education. “The goal is...
Murrysville’s Sardis precincts boundary lines questioned
Westmoreland County elections officials said Monday they suspect voters who live near the border between Murrysville and Washington Township might be casting ballots in the wrong municipality. Elections Bureau Director Beth Lechman said the county believes for the last two decades it has used outdated maps to determine voting districts...
Got unwanted ink? Elimination Station, laser removal business in Tarentum, aims to fade tattoo woes
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 Amber Halliwell regrets not eating more the day she...
Monroeville Convention Center to host Just Between Friends Consignment Sale
Families looking to save money on back to school shopping, or possibly make money through consignment, can do both this week at the Monroeville Convention Center. Just Between Friends brings its consignment sale back to 209 Mall Blvd. It’s open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m....
Search warrants in Unity woman’s disappearance to remain sealed
Seventeen search warrants detailing the investigation into last year’s disappearance of a Unity woman will remain under seal, at least for another month, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Monday. Following a closed-door hearing with two county prosecutors and a state police trooper, Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger ordered the...
Allegheny River group concerned it was victim of alleged scam
Boaters who can’t use locks on the upper reaches of the Allegheny River can count themselves among the alleged victims of what state prosecutors say was a scam. The Allegheny River Development Corp. (ARDC), a Kittanning-based nonprofit, canceled the opening of locks 6 through 9 in Armstrong County this past...
Pitt students begin moving in
Students started moving in Monday for the fall semester at the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt spokesman Kevin Zwick said 7,800 students, including 3,800 “first-years,” will be moving into on-campus housing this week. The first day of classes is Aug. 26. The university received 32,000 freshman applications and offered admission to...
Happenings in Oakmont and Plum this week – Aug. 19, 2019
Need to find something to do in Plum and Oakmont this week? Here are some suggestions:Riverview High School band boosters will host their annual Pie Night starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Riverside Park. Pies will be served next to the concession stands at the field. Cost is $3 per...
Rostraver Eat’n Park waiter serves up simple act of kindness to WWII veteran
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle. Or so the saying goes. On Saturday evening, Lisa Meilander saw an example of simple kindness that so struck her she decided to post something publicly about it on Facebook. “I don’t normally make my posts public,” she said....
Assault, DUI cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court – Aug. 19, 2019
Penn Hills District Judge Anthony L. DeLuca handled the following cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Charges were filed by Penn Hills police unless otherwise noted. Held for court • Sheldon Pinnock, 33, of Verona on charges of terroristic threats, recklessly endangering...
One person reported injured in Murrysville accident, dispatchers say
One person was reported injured Monday in a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Vincent Hall Road and William Penn Highway in Murrysville, according to Westmoreland County dispatchers. The accident occurred at 4:13 p.m., dispatchers said. The injured person had to be extricated from a vehicle that overturned following the...
March for Parks surpasses $1 million in fundraising
The county’s annual March for Parks event has surpassed the $1 million fundraising mark, as residents, businesses and organizations have come together since 2003 to raise money for improvements at places like the Westmoreland Heritage Trail, Mammoth Park and Cedar Creek Park. The 17th annual March for Parks this past...
Harmar property rezoning looks to boost access to Twelve-Mile Island
Harmar supervisors approved the rezoning of three undeveloped properties along the Allegheny River from industrial to residential to pave the way for a private group to build a parking lot so they can access Twelve-Mile Island. Supervisors unanimously approved the change as the first step for Maple Island Campers Association,...
Police: 6-year-old started West Oakland fire that displaced nearly 80 peopleVideo
A 6-year-old boy started a fire in the laundry room of a second-floor apartment Saturday afternoon, causing a blaze that displaced nearly 80 people from a West Oakland apartment building, Pittsburgh Public Safety officials said Monday. The boy, who isn’t being identified or charged by police, told investigators he used...
St. Margaret employees raise more than $129K for patients in need
The employee giving campaign hosted by St. Margaret Foundation drew record-breaking results this year, topping $129,000 to help patients in need. President Mary Lee Gannon said the total reaffirms that UPMC St. Margaret employees are confident that the foundation makes a meaningful difference. “They see first-hand the tragedies our patients...
Missing Lake Erie boater identified as Plum man
A man missing in Lake Erie since Saturday morning is from Plum, according to information provided by Ohio authorities. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources identified the missing man as Raymond Burns, 58. The agency said Burns was in a recreational fishing boat that was swamped by a squall around...
Cops: Ex-Duquesne basketball players involved in South Side fracas
The two men who are charged for their part in a fracas on Pittsburgh’s South Side early Sunday morning are former Duquesne University basketball players. Pittsburgh police said that two officers were hurt while responding to the incident, which caused a large, unruly crowd to gather. Tarin A. Smith, 23,...
Practicing for career success topic of upcoming program at Franklin Park church
A Franklin Park church is offering a free career development program to teach some the fundamental behaviors practiced by successful people who have enjoyed longevity in their careers. “Practice Makes Perfect: Achieving Career Success” will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at Saints John and Paul Church....
Annual St. Teresa of Avila Festival draws families, friends for fun and games
St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Ross Township drew residents from around the region to its annual church festival Aug. 12 to 17. The nightly event featured homemade dinners, live musical performances, rides, games, crafts and plenty of cold drinks and sweet and savory snacks. There were lots of hidden...
Pittsburgh, national gas prices continue fall
Gas prices have continued to fall in the Pittsburgh region and across the nation, according to the price-tracking website GasBuddy.com. “For a surprising fifth straight week, the national average has declined, ushering in lower gas prices to every state and providing relief to consumers who’ve watched the stock market tank,...
