Local category, Page 2961
Celebrate summer — Go Skateboard DayVideo
Started in 2004 by the International Association of Skateboard Companies, Go Skateboard Day — June 21 — celebrates the summer solstice by encouraging skaters to make their favorite sport a top priority. Started in the late 1940s as a way for surfers to enjoy days without waves, skateboarding has more...
Recently released Fayette man accused of threatening witness in theft case
A Fayette County man released from prison last fall is in Westmoreland County prison after allegedly retaliating against a witness to his theft of landscaping equipment in 2016. Justin A. Pirl, 31, of Normalville, was charged Thursday by state police in Greensburg with retaliating against a witness and making terroristic...
Tornado confirmed in Indiana County, 4th in less than a month
Indiana County saw damage from its fourth tornado in less than a month on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. A damage assessment team visited Green Township on Wednesday and determined that the EF1 tornado — capable of moderate damage — touched down at 7:55 p.m. The...
Part of McFarland Road in Dormont, Mt. Lebanon closed this weekend for repairs
A portion of McFarland Road that runs through Dormont and Mt. Lebanon will be closed this weekend while repairs are made to the roadway, PennDOT announced. The road will be closed between Beverley Road and Dell Avenue between 9 a.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday. The project will include concrete...
Safety program set for Conemaugh River Lake this weekend
A festival to promote outdoor safety and raise awareness about the Conemaugh River reservoir, bordering Indiana and Westmoreland counties, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Conemaugh River Lake, 1665 Auten Road, Conemaugh Township. Tours of the dam, children’s activities, safety demonstrations and a free lunch...
State to audit gun instant background check system
Pennsylvania’s auditor general is launching a review of the state’s instant background check system for firearm purchases. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale is conducting the review at the request of a bipartisan group of state lawmakers, but not as the result of problems or complaints about how the system is operated....
Flood waters trap people in vehicle in Monessen
Emergency responders rescued occupants of a vehicle surrounded by flood waters around midnight Wednesday, according to dispatches from the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety. Monessen firefighters responded to Graham and Parente boulevards at 11:50 p.m. where about four people were stranded in a vehicle surrounded by flood waters. All...
Shaler Garden Club’s annual tour in full bloom
Located near a Ross shopping center, Alex and Sue Colaizzi’s property manages to feel secluded thanks to its gated entryway and curved gardens filled with Japanese maples, evergreens, hydrangeas and rare trees. The gardens surrounding their 1929 stone home are among five stops on the 12th annual Shaler Great Gardens...
Dreary June weather sinks attendance at Pittsburgh area pools
Sylvan Pool manager Nancy Tarella said the Harrison pool typically attracts more than 200 people a day during the summer swim season. But this June has been anything but typical. Lately, Sylvan’s attendance hasn’t been breaking 30 people. “This is not a good pool season so far,” she said. “June...
Western Pennsylvania wrestles with China’s recycling restrictions
The wall that China has built around imported recyclable materials like some plastics and glass is hitting home, as communities around Southwestern Pennsylvania will see costs rise while fewer recyclable materials will be collected. “It’s a national issue. This is a market-driven issue that is affecting everyone,” said Ellen Keefe,...
Pine and Richland real estate transactions for the week of June 17, 2019
Pine Showcase Properties Inc. sold property at 150 Alder Drive to Jay Walton and Kathryn Foster for $600,885. Dan Ryan Builders Mid Atlantic LLC sold property at 172 Alder Drive to Matthew and Kimberly Feigel for $573,912. AR Pond L.P. sold property at Arlo Drive to Loch Wess Properties LLC...
KKK flag photo prompts calls for Sewickley Township supervisor’s resignation
A Ku Klux Klan flag that hung inside the Sewickley Township public works building at least two years ago created a “hostile work environment” for employees, township officials were told amid calls for the resignation of the roadmaster who also is a township supervisor. Former supervisor Alan Fossi called for...
Driller makes its case for first fracking well in Murrysville
Murrysville residents got a detailed look at the proposed Titan well pad on Wednesday night, during a public hearing before municipal council that will continue next month. Huntley & Huntley Energy Exploration, or HHEX, wants to construct a 350-by-500-foot well pad on a 71-acre property off Bollinger Road in eastern...
Greensburg Salem school board approves ’17th tax hike in the last 19 years’
The Greensburg Salem School Board approved a $47 million budget with a 1.5-mill real estate tax increase this week. The tax hike brings the total millage to 89.72, and will cost the average property owner an extra $25.51. The votes for the budget and the tax increase were both 6-2....
Marco’s Pizza closes, Family Video winding down operations in Latrobe
Marco’s Pizza restaurant in Latrobe closed Monday, and the adjacent Family Video store is set to end operations by the end of June. The phase-out of the two related stores is a result of the sale of the property they share on Depot Street, according to Stephanie Miller, assistant manager...
PennDOT considers traffic signal changes at Route 22 crash site
The state is studying the timing of traffic signals at routes 22 and 819, as well as taking other safety measures, after that area was the site of several crashes, including one fatality earlier this month. PennDOT employees checked the traffic signals at the Salem Township intersection Wednesday after state...
Glow-in-the-dark ball pit pop-up bar coming to PittsburghVideo
Get ready to have a ball in September, when a pop-up bar featuring a glow-in-the-dark adult ball pit will be in Pittsburgh. The Ball Pit Party! will be in Pittsburgh on Sept. 28 and 29. For $20 to $25 , attendees can swim through the pit as many times as...
Pennsylvania bald eaglet knocked out of nest days before first flightVideo
A bald eagle parent knocked one of its two eaglets from its nest near Codorus State Park in Hanover when bringing in a fish to feed to its excited offspring Tuesday. The maturing young birds are within just days of taking flight. A live webcam operated by HDOnTap caught all...
Ed Saliba Sr. remembered as icon of New Kensington firefighting
“Chief 56” has acknowledged his last call. An icon of New Kensington firefighting, J. Edward Saliba Sr. died Wednesday afternoon. “He was 89 and a half,” said his son Edward Saliba Jr., who followed his father’s footsteps and now is the city’s fire chief. “It’s a sad day for New...
Burrell School District extends contract with Lower Burrell police
Burrell School District students will continue to have a familiar face as their school resource officer for at least another three years. School board members agreed Tuesday to keep Lower Burrell Detective John Marhefka as the resource officer, extending the district’s contract with Lower Burrell through June 30, 2022. The...
Jeannette man pleads guilty to 30 child porn counts
A Jeannette man will remain on house arrest for the next three months after he pleaded guilty Wednesday to possession of child pornography. But Curtis House, 75, faces a potentially long prison sentence as a result of his plea. “You could spend the rest of your life in jail,” said...
MAWC spent more than $100,000 for tests following Beaver Run Reservoir gas well breach
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County spent more than $100,000 on air and water quality tests conducted in response to gas well breach in late January at Beaver Run Reservoir, officials said. “We will forward those bills to CNX,” authority manager Michael Kukura said. CNX Resources, which operates the 55...
Latrobe-area dispensary opens as legal pot booms
Latrobe and Unity residents will be able to get medical marijuana a lot closer to home beginning Thursday. The Rise dispensary at 117 Beatty County Road in Unity is the third medical marijuana dispensary in Westmoreland County, joining facilities in Greensburg and New Kensington. Things have changed a lot from...
Airport Authority partners with Carlow University to improve customer service
The Allegheny County Airport Authority is teaming up with Carlow University to improve customer service at Pittsburgh International Airport. Four Carlow graduates will be working shifts at the airport, looking for people who may need help navigating the terminal. They started making rounds in the terminal June 8 and will...
Man convicted in Latrobe drug dealer robbery-turned-homicide files court appeal
A Latrobe man serving up to 20 years in prison for his role in a robbery and murder wants a judge to overturn his third-degree murder conviction. Colin Gearhart, 21, in an appeal filed this week, said evidence used to convict him in a jury trial in March did not...
