Western PA Local News category, Page 2931
This week in the Lower Alle-Kiski Valley
Here are some of the news highlights from around the Lower Valley for the week of Aug. 4: • Blawnox cracks down on code violations. • Fox Chapel Area ready for new school year. • Fox Chapel pastor encourages unity in wake of recent shootings nationwide. • Rabies bait to...
Boil water advisory remains for Jeannette, Penn Township, Irwin
A boil water advisory for Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers in the Jeannette, Penn Township and Irwin areas is expected to continue into Saturday. Water authority officials said Friday that an initial water quality test found no contaminants but that a second clear test is needed before the boil...
Pittsburgh mayor Peduto, state lawmakers call for vote on Pa. gun bills
Two Democratic state lawmakers say they are prepared to heed Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s call for a vote on more restrictive firearms regulations and added that leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature won’t allow that to happen. Republicans, however, have pointed to anti-violence laws they have passed and signaled a willingness...
New Kensington waterline work should lead to Carl Avenue paving — at some pointVideo
When a South Buffalo Township contractor’s crew finishes installing a large waterline under part of Carl Avenue in New Kensington, officials will have a decision to make: How and when to finally pave a stretch of Carl Avenue that normally is a popular shortcut between Tarentum Bridge and Craigdell roads....
Retention and recruitment workshop to be hosted for Westmoreland fire departments
Leaders from 60 Westmoreland County fire departments have the opportunity to attend a two-day retention training program this September. Hosted by Adapt Management, a grant management and marketing firm, the workshop will focus on recruiting and retaining firefighters, said Greg Redden, president of the firm. The workshop will focus on...
Pennsylvania distributes wildfire funds on Smokey Bear anniversary
Seven volunteer fire departments in Westmoreland County are among recipients of state grants for wildfire equipment and training. The funding is from the latest round of grants announced by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for departments in rural areas that regularly fight wildland and brush fires. “Too...
Westmoreland schools getting new turf in final weeks before classesVideo
Blame it on the rain. Crews for artificial turf companies have been scrambling the past few weeks to install the rubber-based green carpet at stadiums across the area — including Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem, Jeannette and Norwin — before school starts. While retired Pittsburgh Steelers running back Dick Hoak and...
Murrysville officials budgeting funds to address storm water damage
As Murrysville officials look at potential capital improvements over the next five years, one issue is starting to consume a larger percentage of the capital budget — damage from storm water. “We lost half of Beighley Road with the storm that came through Plum a couple weeks ago, and we...
No candidates yet for open Gateway seat
Who will fill a Gateway school board seat up for a special election come November remains unknown as no candidates have formally applied to fill it — and the person who currently holds the position doesn’t plan to. Dawn Neilly, 56, of Monroeville was nominated by the Gateway school board...
Jeannette family honored after saving 5-year-old from drowning
Nicole Hall pumped the chest of her 5-year-old cousin after his body was pulled from the family’s Jeannette swimming pool this summer. After a minute and a half of compressions, the boy again started to breathe. “He was lifeless,” said family member Patty Hall, 55, who provided oxygen while Nicole...
Census officials prepare for low number of applications ahead of 2020 survey
The Census Bureau is hiring — and officials plan to employ more than 500,000 part-time and temporary workers across the country. Between Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, officials expect to field about 12,000 applications, census spokeswoman Susan Licate said. “The hiring needs within each county vary and are ongoing,” she said....
KDKA returns to local DirecTV customers ahead of Steelers season
DirecTV customers, break out the black and gold. The Pittsburgh Steelers — starting with Friday’s first preseason game — will be back on your television thanks to an agreement reached by CBS Corp. and AT&T. The multi-year agreement, reached Thursday, ended a three-week blackout for viewers, which started as a...
Cryotherapy experts baffled by Antonio Brown’s frostbitten feet
The picture circulating on social media of Antonio Brown’s feet is reportedly the result of a cryotherapy session gone very wrong. From heel to toe, the bottoms of Brown’s feet are one big blister, with yellowish dying skin giving way to a shade of raw pink. Local cryotherapy experts wonder...
‘God’s blessing’: Murrysville family farm predates AmericaVideo
The Murrysville land farmed by Herb Gearhard and his family is older than America. The Gearhard farm, the oldest continuously worked farm in Westmoreland County, dates to the late 1760s, and marks its 250th anniversary this year. On April 3, 1769, Robert Hays paid 45 pounds, two shillings and sixpence...
Heidelberg native cast in ‘Hello, Dolly!’ playing at Benedum
Davis Wayne couldn’t stop smiling as he stepped onto the Benedum Center stage. He was home. “I love Pittsburgh, and I won’t shut up about it, and everybody knows that,” said Wayne, 23, a native of Heidelberg. For the past year, he’s been traveling the United States as part of...
Westmoreland Cleanways adds glass to drop-off recycling service
Residents searching for a place to recycle glass can go to the Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling facility in Unity. Cleanways is accepting glass because many community recycling programs and waste haulers no longer accept the material for curbside collection or drop-off in public bins, Executive Director Ellen Keefe announced this...
Township officials: Unity race track to take steps to curb late-night noise
Residents who live near Latrobe Speedway in Unity say late-night stock car races kept them up into the early hours last Sunday. They hope there’s no repeat performance this weekend. Township officials this week said the race track operator has agreed to take steps to curb noise and restrict races...
Lower Burrell gets parking lot; century-old cemetery gets needed upkeepVideo
A parking lot surrounded by graves might seem odd at a city hall, but in Lower Burrell, it’s benefiting the living and honoring the dead. The new parking lot — situated between graves next to the current police station along Bethel Street — is part of a $3.1 million renovation...
After 18 years, Lidia’s Pittsburgh to close
Lidia’s Pittsburgh, a longtime staple in the Strip District, is closing. The expected closing date is sometime in September, said Gregg Perelman, CEO and managing partner of Walnut Capital, owner of the restaurant’s building at 1400 Smallman St. He said he is awaiting specifics from the restaurant’s general manager. “There...
Round Hill Spray Park reopens after weeklong closure
Round Hill Spray Park is reopening on Friday after having been closed for a week, the Allegheny County parks and health departments announced. The Elizabeth Township spray park had been closed since Aug. 2 because bacteria levels in the water exceeded Health Department regulations. The system was drained of water,...
Level Green veteran Joseph Katkowski remembered for life history
Joseph Katkowski spent most of World War II taking care of soldiers in France. And it didn’t matter if they were American or German soldiers. He was always there to help, his daughter Nancy Katkowski said. Spending two years overseas as an Army medical technician, Joseph Katkowski saw plenty of...
Plum’s Monday Market returns to Plum Creek Park
Plum’s Monday Market has returned to Plum Creek Park. The farmer’s market was moved from the park to the borough building parking lot at 4575 New Texas Road due to the flooding of the park across the street. Vendors noticed a drop in sales as a result of the move....
Little Sisters of the Poor celebrates 150 years in America with Brighton Heights mass
As a child, Sister Marcel Joseph wasn’t too keen on old people. But, as a member of the Junior Legion of Mary, an organization dedicated to the spiritual development of young Catholics, she was assigned to visit a Little Sisters of the Poor nursing home on a weekly basis. “I...
FirstNet communications network to be topic at W. Pa. Firemen’s Convention
Volunteer firefighters attending the Western Pennsylvania Firemen’s Convention business meeting Tuesday, Aug. 13 in Arnold will hear about the nation’s first special communications network for police, fire and emergency services crews. The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) overseeing the communications network selected AT&T to provide the broadband network. Michael Varney,...
Erie County man drowns in Lake Erie
MAYVILLE, N.Y. — Federal and local authorities are continuing the search of Lake Erie for an Erie County man who drowned while swimming at the Ripley Beach area in Chautauqua County, New York, late Thursday afternoon. The man who drowned has not been identified. Information released by the Chautauqua County...
