New Brackenridge councilman has long history of borough service
Larry Chifulini was meant to serve on Brackenridge council. Newly appointed for a second stint, Chifulini follows in his family footsteps, continuing decades of service to the borough where he was born and raised. His father, grandfather and grandmother all served on council. “The first time I was around, my...
Sewickley Academy senior develops coding program to encourage girls to pursue STEM
Sewickley Academy senior Brooke Busatto is the only girl in her advanced robotics class. But she’s on a STEM mission to change that statistic for female students following in her footsteps as she advocates to encourage girls to embrace careers involving coding, technology and science-related fields of study. “At first...
Pa. human relations commission wants to hear about your ‘Beloved Community’
While working on Robert Casey Sr.’s 1986 gubernatorial campaign, Democratic strategist James Carville once famously said that “between Paoli and Penn Hills, Pennsylvania is Alabama.” Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Executive Director Chad Lassiter never believed that. “You have counties full of people who love their children, their families and their...
Allegheny General Hospital emergency department preps for $43M expansion
Allegheny Health Network announced Tuesday a major expansion and renovations of the emergency department at its flagship Allegheny General Hospital on Pittsburgh’s North Side. The $43 million project will add 17 beds — bringing the total to 48 — and redesign much of the interior in five phases, bringing the...
Reports: Trump’s planned EPA overhaul jeopardizes Energy Star appliance program
Any budget-aware, environmentally conscious consumer scouting out new appliances knows to look for the Energy Star label. The familiar blue-and-white logo – stuck on refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, heat pumps, washers, dryers, water heaters and air conditioners – signifies cost savings and efficiency. But the program, run by the U.S. Environmental...
Penn State disappointed but doesn’t refute report on narrowed campus closure list
Penn State officials expressed disappointment over — but failed to refute — a report that disclosed seven commonwealth campuses are slated to be eliminated as part of a university austerity plan. The Fayette and New Kensington campuses in Southwestern Pennsylvania were among the seven. “It is regrettable that our communities...
Nox’s Tavern and Grille celebrates friendship, food at flagship eatery in Blawnox
They’re foodie best friends with a hankering for great food and drinks served with a hearty helping of hospitality. Brittany Schaffer of Shaler and Jennifer Carrozza of O’Hara co-own Nox’s Tavern and Grille in Blawnox. “This is what we know,” Carrozza said of the tavern named with a nod to...
The Stroller, May 13, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. 3-on-3 basketball tournament set...
Eberly family disheartened over PSU Fayette campus potential closing
Robert Eberly Jr. is keenly aware that part of his family’s legacy hangs in the balance as a decision looms about the future of the Penn State campus named for his father. Renamed Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus in 2004, the site in the largely rural county is among...
Lower Burrell Fire Co. 3 excited for future with new rescue-engine
A custom-made rescue engine for Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3, once deployed in 2028, will lower the number of vehicles in the company’s fleet but increase efficiency of emergency responses, its fire chief says. Company leaders last week signed a contract with Ohio-based Sutphen Co. to build a...
Hempfield Area to present new details on high school renovation, district budget next week
Hempfield Area School Board will present next week a schematic design for the district’s high school renovation. The district has discussed in recent years overhauling the high school building — gutting and renovating the interior while leaving most of the exterior intact. School officials declined to share details of the...
Norwin school board to consider maximum allowed tax hike under state index
Norwin school board members will vote later this month on a preliminary 2025-26 district budget that could include a 4.67-mill tax hike. At the board’s non-voting meeting Monday night, President Bill Bojalad requested that finance director Ryan Kirsch prepare a version of the new budget that includes the tax hike,...
Owner of Janet’s Dance Studio in Irwin inspired generations of students
Janet Naughton had the spirit of a Broadway hoofer and the calling to share her talent with generations of younger aspiring dancers. Naughton, who died Thursday at 88, wasn’t tall enough to realize her dream of becoming a Radio City Rockette. But she was overjoyed when students at her Irwin...
Run of good weather continues for Plum Chamber’s annual Touch-A-Truck
The Plum Chamber of Commerce’s streak of beautiful weather for its Touch-A-Truck event remains unbroken. The chamber hosted its fourth Touch-A-Truck on the campus of Plum Middle School and Holiday Park Intermediate School under sunny, blue skies and comfortable temperatures Saturday. Around 1,000 people were estimated to have attended, said...
‘Everything I thought it would be’: East Vandergrift school revived as senior housing
It’s a new dawn for the old East Vandergrift Elementary School following its conversion into Morning Sun Senior Lofts. The $17 million, 42-unit affordable housing complex recently welcomed its first tenants. It came after more than five years of planning, design and construction, transforming the historic building from a crumbling...
Ticktock: Officials unveil 2026 NFL Draft countdown clock
Football fans wondering how long they have to wait until Pittsburgh hosts the 2026 NFL Draft can now stop by the North Shore for a to-the-second countdown. The 18-foot-tall clock — showing just over 346 days at its debut Monday — sits in the sprawling lawn across from Stage AE....
Daughter’s threat against mother allowed as evidence in upcoming murder trial
Evidence that a New Florence woman threatened to kill her mother years before she and two teen-aged boys, according to Westmoreland prosecutors, conspired to commit murder is admissible at trial, a judge ruled Monday. Prosecutors contend that investigators overheard Melissa Sue Fox-Beacom say to her mother, “I am going to...
DA blames South Side slaying on sloppy housekeeping
The prosecution says a jury should find Destiny Jenkins guilty of homicide because her sloppy housekeeping habits set in motion the events that led to Eddie Kimber’s death. But Jenkins’ lawyer said his client didn’t pull the trigger and should be acquitted regardless of what led up to the fatal...
Penn Hills School Board candidate given go ahead after lawsuit was scrapped
A Penn Hills School Board candidate’s run for a seat will continue after a suit challenging her residency was thrown out. Board President Erin Vecchio filed a lawsuit on April 8 against candidate Qiana Buckner that accused her of living in Monroeville. A person living outside of a borough, city...
Penn State trustees to meet Thursday, but no vote on campus closures expected
Penn State’s trustees will meet Thursday morning, but a decision on branch campus closures will not be made then, according to a university spokesman. The board of trustees tentatively scheduled a public meeting Thursday to discuss President Neeli Bendapudi’s recommendation regarding the possible campus closures. University administrators in February announced...
Inaugural Jim Roddey Leadership Awards to honor legacy of 1st Allegheny County executive
The inaugural Jim Roddey Leadership Awards will recognize two local leaders and honor the legacy of the first Allegheny County executive. The first recipients are Laura Ellsworth, partner-in-charge of global community service initiatives at law firm Jones Day, and Mark Nordenberg, former chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. Roddey died...
Rostraver convenience store sells $3 million winning scratch-off
The Pennsylvania Lottery said Monday a $3 million winning ticket in the “3’s a Charm” scratch-off game sold recently in Rostraver. The winning ticket was sold at the Exxon station on Rostraver Road, lottery officials said. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. “3’s a...
The Wall That Heals, a Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica, in region for Memorial Day
A three-quarter replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will make its only appearance in the Pittsburgh area this year in Shaler. The Wall That Heals and a mobile education center will be at Shaler Area High School over the Memorial Day weekend, May 22-26, as the cornerstone...
Jeannette man dies after motorcycle crash
A Jeannette man died after a motorcycle crash Sunday night in Penn Township, according to police. Lt. David Loughner said Corey Cramer, 32, was traveling east on Route 130 when the motorcycle left the road at a bend and collided with an embankment and stone wall. The crash, at the...
22 candidates vie for 8 open seats on Allegheny County Common Pleas Court
Eight seats are up for election on the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court bench in this month’s primary. Twenty-two candidates will be on the ballot for the 10-year seat. Under state statute, the court is allotted 43 judges. They sit in four divisions, including civil, criminal, orphans’ and family. The...
