Local category, Page 2875
Mr. Rogers inspired fifth career for newly sworn-in Pittsburgh medic
At 57, Marvin Balk was ready for a career change — his fifth. Among other careers, he ran his own company for 27 years. He sold it and set his sights on his next endeavor: months of training to become a Pittsburgh paramedic. “I decided I wanted to do something...
McKeesport woman gets life sentence for smothering 17-month-old son
A McKeesport woman was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for suffocating her 17-month-old son because she thought her boyfriend was cheating on her. Christian Clark, 24, won’t be eligible for parole, according to the sentence handed down by Allegheny County Judge Edward J. Borkowski, who also tacked on an...
Westmoreland food bank seeks donations to replace truck lost in fire
The Westmoreland County Food Bank is hoping donors will help the organization replace a truck that was destroyed by fire last year. The truck and more than 3,000 pounds of food were lost when its engine caught fire in North Huntingdon last June. It was one in a fleet of...
Thomas Jefferson High School auctioning off furniture, mementos
If you ever dreamed of owning your old high school locker or the desk from your ninth-grade English class at Thomas Jefferson High School, now you can. The West Jefferson Hills School District, through J. Dunmire Auction Services, will host a series of auctions later this year to sell what’s...
Thomas Jefferson adding security to new, larger high school
Security features start before you even enter the property at the new 300,000 square-foot Thomas Jefferson High School. With the official grand opening of the new $95 million TJ set for August, district leaders are ensuring all security measures are in place. School board members on June 25 approved the...
Several areas of North Hills hit hard by flash flooding
Heavy rain through much of the morning on Thursday caused widespread flash flooding in the North Hills. Numerous roads, including sections of Babcock Boulevard were closed down as stormwater sent debris down hillsides. Emergency responders had to pump water out of the basements of a number of homes along Girty’s...
Storms force closure of Penn Hills Park
Penn Hills Park has closed after storms caused “excessive damage” to the property, the municipality announced Thursday. The announcement, published to Penn Hills’ website, did not say when the park would reopen or characterize the damage. Parks director, John Scaglione, was not immediately available to comment. The administration also published...
Greensburg man accused of setting fire in woman’s apartment
Greensburg Police have an arrest warrant for a 40-year-old man acccused of intentionally lighting a pair of jeans on fire inside woman’s closet after an argument early Dec. 2. In addition to arson, Timothy J. Rosenberry of Greensburg is charged with reckless endangerment, criminal attempt and risking a catastrophe. Police...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust plans open house for new Palace Theatre apartments
In downtown Greensburg, a man’s home could be his Palace. The last four apartments developed by the Westmoreland Cultural Trust above the Palace Theatre are ready for occupancy. One of the third-floor apartments is already spoken for, but the other three range in size from 808 to 1,218 square feet....
Leechburg begins work on borough roadways
Leechburg Borough officials have announced streets that will be repaved or repaired this summer. Mayor Wayne Dobos said improvements will be done on parts of Main, First, Second, Pitt streets. This summer’s projects also include Kiski, Siberian Washington, Logan, Madison and Lincoln avenues. Crews have started some of the work,...
Flooding causes Monroeville road closures
Several Monroeville roads were closed Thursday due to flooding. Monroeville administration sent out Nixle alerts that notified residents of the following road closures: • Old Frankstown Road near Hochberg Road; • Abers Creek Road; • Westbound section of the Triboro Expressway before the Patton Street exit; • The crossover from...
Tarentum Council meeting canceled
The Tarentum Council meeting scheduled for tonight has been canceled, the borough announced. The meeting was called off because not enough council members would be present to conduct business. At least four of the council’s seven members are required. Council next will meet for an agenda meeting on Aug. 6...
Murrysville consumer advocate named to PUC advisory council
Murrysville consumer advocate Mary Bach has been appointed to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s Consumer Advisory Council. Bach was one of five new members appointed by the PUC on Thursday. The council meets every other month and advises the PUC commissioners on issues important to utility customers. Members serve on...
Westmoreland sees flooding, damage during torrential rainVideo
Roads scattered across Western Pennsylvania — including some major highways — closed Thursday as heavy rains caused flooding throughout the region. In North Huntingdon, a sinkhole opened outside of a North Huntingdon daycare center, forcing its evacuation. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning at 7:30 Thursday evening for...
Democratic presidential hopeful Gillibrand touts health-care policies in Pittsburgh
Presidential hopeful Kirsten Gillibrand kicked off her “Trump Broken Promises” bus tour in Pittsburgh on Thursday, meeting with health care workers at the Hilton Garden Inn in Oakland to present her policies against rising health care prices and to support union workers. “I will make sure that workers’ rights are...
Allegheny CleanWays removes 11,300 pounds of trash from Allegheny River
Volunteers collected 11,300 pounds of trash from the Allegheny River and its shorelines during 16 cleanups held in June from Millvale to Freeport, according to the nonprofit Allegheny CleanWays. “We’re so pleased with it,” Hannah Samuels, volunteer and outreach coordinator with Allegheny CleanWays, said. “It was so high quality.” Samuels...
Man killed in Homestead after answering knock at front door, police say
A 20-year-old man was shot and killed Thursday morning when he answered a knock at the door of a house in Homestead, Allegheny County police said. Police said he was at home with family members when he answered the knock at about 9 a.m. and was shot several times by...
Landslide causing traffic delays in Penn Hills
A landslide has led to a partial road closure in Penn Hills on Frankstown Road, said a PennDOT spokesman Thursday. The road, also known as state Route 380, has been restricted to alternating, single-lane traffic between Beulah Road and Erhardt Drive as road crews address the landslide, said Steve Cowan,...
Accused Arnold killer already was on the run from police
The man accused in a fatal Arnold shooting last month already was on the run from police before he became a murder suspect. Court records show Allen Duwayne Herring, 32, of Braddock was wanted for failing to appear in Westmoreland County Court in February to face drug possession charges filed...
Irwin woman receives national award for infection prevention efforts
Terri Lee Roberts of Irwin has made infection prevention her life’s work, and that work was honored recently with the 2019 Heroes of Infection Prevention Award for Education, presented by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Roberts is a senior infection preventionist at the Patient Safety Authority...
Jeannette woman accused of assaulting boy during argument over cellphone
A Jeannette woman was arrested Wednesday after she allegedly assaulted a boy under 12 years old during an argument over a cellphone, city police said. Nicole L. Gogolsky, 39, was charged with simple assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal trespass. She was arraigned before District...
Expect another huge blob of algae on Lake Erie this summer
TOLEDO, Ohio — Scientists are likely to warn that another massive harmful algae bloom will blanket western Lake Erie this summer when they release their forecast. It will be released Thursday. Researchers are expecting that record-setting rains in Ohio and neighboring states in recent months will fuel a large mass...
Westmoreland commissioners OK emergency repairs to courthouse parking lot
An emergency contract for repair work at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Thursday got a formal OK from the county commissioners. The board approved the nearly $70,000 contract with Maccabee Industrial, Inc. of Belle Vernon for labor, materials and equipment needed to fix damage in the underground parking area of...
Prosecutors go to court in support of Philly drug injection site
PHILADELPHIA — More than 60 prosecutors and other law enforcement officials have filed a court brief in support of a proposed supervised drug injection site that Philadelphia’s top federal prosecutor is trying to block from opening. The officials say that Safehouse’s proposed injection site would prevent overdose deaths and help...
Council delays vote on Monroeville pool sale
Monroeville Council delayed a vote that would put the municipality’s public pool up for sale, giving a committee time to get answers for concerned residents. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) has said it will purchase Monroeville Community Pool along Abers Creek Road for $956,000 when pool season ends in September....
