Western PA Local News category, Page 2915
3 projects proposed by McCandless environmental group get OK from council
McCandless’ Environmental Advisory Committee has the green light to proceed with spreading awareness about efforts to preserve the town’s natural resources. Council gave the committee the nod to develop a speakers series that will feature experts on sustainability and environmental issues. Council President Kim Zachary said an example of the...
Arnold moves closer to finalizing use of grant money
Arnold is another step closer to telling the state how it would like to spend nearly $300,000 in grant money. City council held a second public hearing Tuesday to get comments and suggestions from citizens on how it should spend the federal Community Development Block Grant money it will receive...
Penn Hills School District’s recovery ‘off to a good start’
Penn Hills School District has $1 million in borrowed money set aside to help cover spring bills. It’s part of a $1.3 million no-interest transitional loan through the state Department of Education for districts in financial recovery. The remaining $300,000 will be used for education, transportation and operational audits, public...
Police: Penn Hills man dead in Plum swimming pool car crash
A Penn Hills man died Wednesday morning after his car smashed through a fence and plunged into a backyard swimming pool in Plum. The Allegheny County medical examiner identified the man as William Gibson, 49. Police said they pulled Gibson from inside the Chevrolet Cobalt in the deep end of...
Author slated to speak at Flight 93 National Memorial: ‘One of the great honors of my career’
The author of the newly published “Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11” calls United Airlines Flight 93 an “extraordinary part of the the story.” Mitchell Zuckoff, a Boston University journalism professor who covered the September 11 attack while he was with the Boston Globe, will deliver the keynote speech...
Carlynton searching for new superintendent
The search for the next superintendent for the Carlynton School District is in full swing. The position was posted on the district’s website earlier this month, with applications being accepted until the end of August. The school board last month approved Diane Kirk, director of the Tri State Area School...
Person hit, killed by train in Charleroi
A person trying to cross railroad tracks Tuesday night in Charleroi was hit by a train and killed, according to the Washington County coroner. The person was killed at 10 p.m. on the tracks near Seventh Street and Railroad Way. The person was hit by a Norfolk Southern train and...
Carlynton’s paperless software aids efficiency, transparency
In an effort to be more efficient and transparent with the community, Carlynton School Board unanimously approved the purchase of BoardDocs, a paperless software program used by many school boards throughout the country. Carlynton directors decided to purchase the LT, or Light version, at a cost of $2,700. BoardDocs LT...
Elizabeth Forward delays start of school as bus dispute continues
Elizabeth Forward School District has delayed the start of school until Monday amid a legal dispute with its transportation provider. The school year was scheduled to start Thursday. “I apologize for any inconvenience that this delayed start may cause; however, please know that the district is continuing to work diligently...
Pittsburgh police seek Shadyside flasher
Pittsburgh police are looking for a man who allegedly exposed himself six times in four days. The suspect is a man between 20 and 30 years old with dark hair and a heavy build, police said. Be on the lookout: Six sightings of a male exposing himself. 20-30 year old...
Oakmont police adds a new officer
Oakmont police recently welcomed a new officer. Katelyn Goodman, 24, of Carnegie was sworn in by Mayor Christopher Whaley at last week’s council meeting. This is her first police job, having just graduated from the Allegheny County Police Academy in June. Whaley said Goodman was highly recommended by her instructors....
Kathryn Elder returns to Greater Latrobe School Board as appointee
Retired Greater Latrobe School Board member Kathryn Elder returned to take a seat on the board this week as a temporary appointee. Elder, who decided not to seek re-election in 2017, after 35 years of service as a school director, was named Tuesday to complete the remaining few months in...
Deer Lakes taps VanderSchaaff for acting East Union Intermediate principal
Deer Lakes School District has a new acting principal at East Union Intermediate Center. Jodi VanderSchaaff, a 1999 Deer Lakes graduate, takes over for Jamie Schweinberg, who is taking a school board-approved medical leave. VanderSchaaff holds degrees from Slippery Rock University and California University of Pennsylvania and has taught at...
2 boys shot in McKees Rocks
Two boys, ages 8 and 17, are recovering after being shot in McKees Rocks Tuesday night, according to Allegheny County Police. The older victim was shot in the arm on the 400 block of Locust Street shortly before 9:30 p.m. The younger boy was standing outside in the Hays Manors...
New McKeesport nesting platform protects osprey family from power lines
When a pair of osprey that have been nesting in the Homestead and McKeesport area decided to build their nest on a utility pole this year, Duquesne Light and the Erie Bird Observatory got busy and successfully moved the nest. A new nest pole and nest platform were erected in...
‘Short Edition’ dispenses words of wisdom at Carnegie Mellon UniversityVideo
This vending machine dispenses food for thought. “Short Edition” is based on the concept of pressing a button and, instead of drinks or snacks coming out, the user receives a story or a poem. It prints quickly. The paper is biodegradable. It’s available 24 hours a day. There is no...
Allegheny County Council supports health department’s enforcement actions against U.S. Steel
Allegheny County Council on Tuesday endorsed enforcement actions taken by the county health department to curb air pollution at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock and Clairton Coke Works in Clairton. The endorsement was intended to support the Allegheny County Health Department in its efforts to maintain the standards...
Wife of Plum boater missing in Lake Erie waits for search crews ‘to bring him home’
Ray Burns relished the chance to unwind by fishing ever since learning to cast a rod as a young child alongside his brother and dad. “He always just loved to be able to throw out a rod and relax and wait for a bite,” recalled Marcy Burns, his wife of...
Westmoreland County training program highlights LGBTQ communityVideo
Jo Tauber knows firsthand the challenges that members of the LGBTQ community face every day in Westmoreland County. Tauber, 30, of Penn Township, said she’s been lucky to have been accepted by her family and friends but she understands her story may be different from others who identify as lesbian,...
Divers recover body of swimmer who drowned in Yough River
Rescue teams recovered the body of a male swimmer who apparently drowned in the Youghiogheny River Tuesday evening in Perry Township, Fayette County. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Phillip E. Reilly confirmed that divers recovered the body of the victim, who “was swimming across in an area and went under.” He...
Franklin Regional opens school year with new website, stadium upgrades
Franklin Regional school officials made upgrades to their football field as well as their website in the run-up to the new school year. Online visitors will see a brand-new, revamped website launched in mid-August with a simplified address: FRSDk12.org. The new site features a revised directory, new teacher pages and...
Lawmakers step in to keep Allegheny River locks open next summer in Armstrong County
A state lawmaker from Armstrong County said Tuesday that $160,000 in grant money has been secured to help a Kittanning nonprofit pay to keep locks open next year in the county’s portion of the Allegheny River. The announcement from state Rep. Jeff Pyle, R-Ford City, came a day after the...
Red Cross closes overnight shelter, continues to help people displaced by West Oakland fireVideo
The American Red Cross and other social service agencies stepped up to help those displaced by an apartment complex fire in Pittsburgh’s West Oakland neighborhood, the president of the tenants’ council said Tuesday. “They have brought us clothes, brought us food, gave us medical supplies, personal supplies,” said Mischelle McMillan,...
Petition to change Hempfield stadium name in honor of Terry Ranieri gaining tractionVideo
It took only 15 hours for over 3,500 people to sign a petition to have the name of Hempfield’s Spartan Stadium changed to honor a longtime Spartan football and band fan, inching just shy of the 5,000-signature goal. Terry Ranieri, who would greet fans at games while watching the band...
Cheswick, Harmar, Springdale Township team up for Low Grade Road improvements
Officials from Harmar, Cheswick and Springdale Township are teaming up to apply for grant money to improve a road that goes through the three municipalities. Officials are applying for a nearly $550,000 Gaming and Economic Development Fund grant to pave the entire length of Low Grade Road. Harmar Engineer Matt...
