Western PA Local News category, Page 2982
Walnut Street in Springdale reopens
Walnut Street in Springdale reopened Wednesday afternoon after being closed since Sunday. A portion of Walnut Street at the intersection with Porter Street was damaged after heavy rains Saturday caused water to get into a seam and lift and crack some of the asphalt. Borough crews had to dig up...
Hoboken church in Blawnox marks 140 years with ‘big party’
When Hoboken Presbyterian Church first opened its doors in 1879 — 140 years ago — parishioners turned out to worship in a small school building near the Allegheny County Work House. The congregation grew and moved to the cavernous red brick building on the corner of North Avenue, just off...
Sewickley Township officials condemn home due to ‘terrible living conditions’
Sewickley Township officials say a home on Fifth Street has been condemned due to “terrible living conditions,” said supervisor Brian Merdian. “We’ve been getting numerous complaints about the condition of the entire property particularly about garbage and trash mounting, odor, and animals roaming there for a few years,” Merdian said....
Kiski Township couple invites everyone to share fruits of their labor
The biggest, juiciest red raspberry of the season can barely contain itself, ripened to perfection but still hanging on the cane at a small farm along Kiski Township’s Old State Road. The perfection is by design as Martin Krezolek, 42, researched and planted what he believes are the best kinds...
Squirrel Hill chess grandmaster stays sharp before U.S. Senior Championship
Alex Shabalov prepares his mind and body for chess matches the way some elite athletes train for competition. Once a week for the past few weeks, the 51-year-old chess grandmaster has spent 90 minutes in the morning immersed in the salty, body-temperature water of a sensory deprivation tank. He takes...
Murrysville space enthusiast talks moon landing at Monroeville library
A self-described space enthusiast from Murrysville will commemorate the 50 years since a man landed on the moon by talking about his lunar-inspired art and sharing his experience seeing it live on television in 1969. The Monroeville Public Library is displaying Bob Bickers’ artwork through July. He will give a...
Graduates of former Bellevue High School hosting alumni picnic in North Park
Graduates of the former Bellevue High School are holding their 10th annual alumni reunion picnic Aug. 3 at the Rose Barn pavilion in North Park. Admission is free, but donations are being accepted to help support the event, which runs from 1 to 10 p.m. The picnic is open to...
Calumet VFD cancels drag queen bingo after low ticket sales, warnings from churches
A popular fundraiser at the Calumet Volunteer Fire Department that could have raised almost $8,000 has been canceled, leaving officials scrambling to find funds needed to repair and replace trucks and provide training to firefighters, said department secretary Robin Obarto. The Sparkling Queens of Drag, a group that performs drag...
Local magisterial courts to hear complaints filed by Pittsburgh’s DOMI
All civil complaints filed by Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure will be heard by district judges with jurisdiction over the neighborhood where an alleged violation occurred, according to a recent Allegheny County court order. DOMI sought a change because it found that judges familiar with a neighborhood had a...
Highlands hires new assistant superintendent from Wilkinsburg
Highlands School District has a new assistant superintendent. The school board hired Cathleen Cubelic, who has been an assistant superintendent in the Wilkinsburg School District since May 2017. She was hired with a starting salary of $126,000 under a three-year agreement. When she will start at Highlands is not yet...
Police: Penn Township woman failed to report suspected child sexual abuse
A Penn Township woman is accused of failing to report suspected child abuse involving a family member in May while she was considered a mandated reporter, according to court papers. Barbara Lynn Desmond, 55, was charged Tuesday by Greensburg police with failure to report. Police said Desmond was notified of...
Driver rescued after truck goes down Squirrel Hill hillside
Authorities say a driver was rescued after a tri-axle dump truck rolled over and went down a hillside in Pittsburgh. Officials in Allegheny County said the truck was carrying a load of asphalt at the time of the accident shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood....
Bolivar man wanted for Indiana hotel shooting in custody; mom also arrested
While a Bolivar man was surrendering Wednesday in Indiana County in connection with a July 1 shooting at a hotel, state troopers 22 miles away in his hometown were arresting his mother for allegedly assisting in his purported drug-selling operation. State police in Indiana announced David Lee McGinnis, 26, of...
Pa. principal who wore blackface to take sabbatical, be teacher
GLEN ROCK — A Pennsylvania school principal who wore blackface to a staff meeting last year is taking a one-year sabbatical and will return as a teacher. The York Dispatch reports that minutes from a June 20 school board meeting indicate that Friendship Elementary School principal Lisa Boyer’s yearlong leave...
2 fined, face license revocations for illegal fishing in Armstrong County
Two men accused of keeping illegal fish from the Allegheny River in Armstrong County could lose their fishing licenses for two years and be forced to pay thousands of dollars in fines. A state Fish & Boat Commission officer said another fisherman called the commission May 7 to report that...
$10.6M settlement awarded to truck driver who lost legs in accident at Duquesne pipe yard
A Mercer man who had portions of both legs amputated six years ago after they were crushed in a Christmas Eve accident at a Duquesne pipe yard will receive a nearly $10.6 million settlement, attorneys announced Wednesday. Robert R. Ryder, 59, was a truck driver dropping off a load of...
Penn Hills launches aggressive anti-dumping campaign
Penn Hills is going to have the most aggressive anti-dumping campaign in Allegheny County, the municipality’s manager said during a news conference Wednesday. Penn Hills Manager Scott Andrejchak was joined by Councilman John Petrucci, Chief of Police Howard Burton and other staff to outline a new plan aimed at stopping...
3 North Allegheny seniors receive scholarships from McCandless Democratic Committee
The McCandless Democratic Committee has awarded a pair of $1,000 college scholarships to North Allegheny seniors — Nina Ruffolo and Roshie Xing. A third senior, Kacey Yip, received a $500 honorarium recognizing her high school achievements. The annual scholarship program is open to North Allegheny high school seniors who are...
Woman dies of injuries after being struck by train in Sutersville
A 28-year-old woman who was struck by a CSX train in Westmoreland County Tuesday has died of her injuries, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. Crystal Dahlstrom of Aliquippa died Tuesday of her injuries at Jefferson Hospital in Jefferson Hills after being hit by a train in Sutersville,...
Presidential hopeful Kirsten Gillibrand to campaign in Pittsburgh
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand will bring her presidential campaign to Pittsburgh on Thursday. Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2009, is scheduled to meet with health care workers to discuss the rising cost of prescription drugs, according to a statement from the...
Chase Bank to fill long-vacant O’Hara property
Construction along Fox Chapel Road in O’Hara this fall will put an end to musings about potential projects for a former Sunoco gas station property. Council on July 9 approved a minor land development proposal by Chase Bank to build at 50 Fox Chapel Road, the previous longtime site of...
Man involved in Ross SWAT incident won’t face charges
Ross Township police say a man who refused orders to come out of his house Tuesday morning when officers checking on him smelled a strong odor of natural gas will not face criminal charges. The man, whose name is not being released, was involved in a domestic dispute at the...
Gilpin bicyclist injured in Route 66 mishap
A 71-year-old bicycle rider was injured Tuesday when his bike hit the side of an SUV in Gilpin, township police said. Sam Iusi of Gilpin was riding a bike on Route 66 north toward Bethel Township near Jack Road at about 10 a.m. when his bicycle collided with the side...
Verona joins Allegheny County’s Live Well Allegheny initiative to promote healthy living
Verona officials are pushing for ways residents can live healthier through Allegheny County’s Live Well Allegheny campaign. The nearly half square mile town recently joined the more than 60 communities, 51 restaurants, 32 workplaces and 18 school districts already in the program designed to promote physical health, mental wellness, personal...
Repairs begin on crumbling section of Westmoreland courthouse parking garage
Emergency work to repair crumbling ceiling concrete above the upper parking level of the Westmoreland County Courthouse started this week. County commissioners are expected to approve a nearly $70,000 contract later this week to pay for the construction work to install and fortify support beams needed to fix damage in...
