Western PA Local News category, Page 2989
Newhaven Court’s Pat Jackson offers piano tunes played by earVideo
“Pat, ‘Phantom of the Opera.’ ” “ ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ oh boy.” With that, Pat Jackson began to play. Jackson, 89, a resident at Newhaven Court at Lindwood, Hempfield, will take requests, but she mostly plays from the inexhaustible set list she has carried around in her head for...
Canonsburg man, 77, dies in North Strabane crash
A 77-year-old Canonsburg man died after a crash in North Strabane Township on Sunday afternoon, according to the Washington County Coroner’s Office. According to the coroner, Robert C. Boyd was traveling on Route 519 in North Strabane when he lost control of his vehicle around 1:30 p.m. His vehicle hit...
New Kensington fireworks ‘a go’ for tonight
Fireworks are set to fill the skies over New Kensington on Sunday night. The 20th annual New Kensington Fireworks Festival was held on Fourth Avenue on Saturday despite the day’s rain and storms, but the fireworks display to cap it off was canceled because rain got into the show’s equipment,...
2 women seriously hurt when tree falls, crushes car on Washington Boulevard
Two women were seriously hurt Sunday when a tree fell and crushed their car on Washington Boulevard. A Pittsburgh police officer was driving by when he saw the tree topple down from the hillside and onto the car just before 5 p.m. in the 1400 block of Washington Boulevard. The...
Police: North Versailles Walmart shooter drew weapon after being jumped from behind
A Penn Hills woman had been attacked by two other women before opening fire in a North Versailles Walmart on Friday night, according to a criminal complaint against her. Rojanai Germaine Alston, 22, fired at both of her assailants and hit one of them twice, in the hand and left...
Route 30 reopens in Ligonier Township after flooding
A flooded stretch of Route 30 in Ligonier Township has reopened, a county emergency dispatcher said. The road had been closed in both directions between Ruthies Diner, at 1850 Route 30, to Laughlintown in Ligonier Township. The road was closed around 5:30 p.m. It reopened about an hour later....
Pittsburgh police seek help identifying man in burglary, sex assault
Pittsburgh police asked for the public’s help with a burglary and sexual assault investigation on Sunday. The department released images of a black male they seek to identify in connection with an alleged burglary and sexual assault in Oakland. Anyone with information is asked to call the Pittsburgh Police Sex...
Work on Flight 93 Tower of Voices chimes continues 10 months after dedication
Ten months after the dedication of the Flight 93 Tower of Voices, only eight of the 40 wind chimes planned for the monument are installed. An alert posted to the National Park Service website for the Flight 93 National Memorial notes that field testing on the eight prototype chimes that...
20-year-old killed in Greene County crash
A 20-year-old man died after a crash in Greene County early Sunday morning, according to the county coroner’s office. He was identified as Landen L. Watters, of Cumberland Township. According to the coroner, Watters’ death was the result of a single-vehicle crash around 1:30 a.m. in the 600 block of...
Volunteers sought to work at Tarentum community garden
Some helping hands are needed at Tarentum’s community garden. The rain and warm weather has lead organizers to plan a “Garden Party” from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday at Tarentum’s Greg Blythe Friendship Garden. They plan to weed, plant, mulch and pick. “We have been fortunate that folks have...
Vendors, attendees brave weather on last day of Westmoreland arts festival
Several cars lined the parking lots at Twin Lakes Park in Hempfield on Sunday morning, waiting to peruse the last day of the annual Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival despite continued threats of rain that shut down the festival early on Saturday. Inside, vendors checked their products for water or...
Fallingwater, other Frank Lloyd Wright designs named to World Heritage list
Fallingwater, along with seven other Frank Lloyd Wright works, were officially named to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage list. Selected by the World Heritage Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan, the sites show the development and evolution of modern architecture in the first half of the 20th...
2nd day of heavy rain causes more flash flooding across region
More showers and thunderstorms moved through the area Sunday, and flash flooding occurred in parts of the region. Part of Route 30 in Westmoreland County was closed for about an hour Sunday, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., because of flooding, a county emergency dispatcher said. The road was closed in...
Teens learn public safety through hands-on training, build ties with policeVideo
Fifteen-year-old Greta Mueller pulled her car over and sat still as two police cars stopped behind her flashing their red and blue emergency lights. “Driver in the vehicle, put your hands up,” a man said over a loudspeaker. Mueller complied. “Throw the keys out the window,” the man continued. Out...
Video: Top Lower Valley stories of the weekVideo
Here are some of the news highlights from around the Lower Valley for the week of June 30: • Fox Chapel teen bikes across country for Parkinson’s. • Bear cub spotted on camera in Sharpsburg. • Fox Chapel Area Superintendent to retire. • Delays expected for Route 28 road work....
Furries parade in Pittsburgh
On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of participants in the annual Anthrocon Convention gathered for the parade through the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. Here are some sights from the event....
Rain can’t dampen spirits at New Kensington Fireworks Festival
Erika Plunkett remembers watching fireworks with her mother, Kathie Males, on her grandfather’s house boat. “It was always very near and dear to my mom’s heart,” Plunkett said. For many years, Males brought fireworks to all of New Kensington, until she died in 2014. Now, her daughter has taken over,...
Westmoreland municipalities count on windfall from natural gas impact fee
For communities across Westmoreland County, Act 13 is the gift that keeps on giving. “I don’t know where we’d be without it,” Sewickley Township Supervisor Brian Merdian said. Of the 65 municipalities in Westmoreland County, Sewickley enjoyed the biggest increase in natural gas impact fee windfall this year — from...
Dozens of classic tractor-trailers gather in New Stanton for annual show
Tim Hoover has 15 antique tractor-trailers at his Saltsburg home, but he brought only two to this year’s Steel Valleys Antique Truck Historical Society’s classic truck show. “The truck shows, there’s no competition here,” said Hoover, 61. “Everybody’s equal. It doesn’t matter what you bring, how you bring it. It...
Flooding follows storms, heavy rain in Westmoreland, Allegheny counties
Flooding followed heavy rain across parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties after storms moved through the region Saturday afternoon. The National Weather Service warned of the storm around 4 p.m. It contained heavy rain, frequent lightning and wind gusts up to 60 mph. Rainfall amounts of up to an inch...
Beltzhoover shooting victim reported to be in stable condition
One person was shot in the thigh early Saturday morning in Beltzhoover, according Pittsburgh police. Officers responded to the 600 block of Curtin Avenue around 1 a.m., where they found a male who had been shot outside a home. The victim, who was alert, told police he was walking outside...
Erie coke plant to keep operating pending ruling on appeal
A coke plant in northwestern Pennsylvania will be allowed to continue operating until a hearing board rules on its appeal of state environmental officials efforts to shut the plant down. A judge on Pennsylvania’s Environmental Hearing Board on Friday granted a delay pending a hearing beginning Wednesday of an appeal...
Staycation destination: Polymath Park in Mt. Pleasant Township
Need a break? Looking for new adventure? There’s no reason to leave Western Pennsylvania. In this occasional series, we highlight “staycation” ideas found in our own backyard. Imagine being able to tour a Frank Lloyd Wright home — it’s easy if you try because Fallingwater is only an hour’s drive...
3 hurt in 3-vehicle Allegheny Township crash
One person was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital and two others also were hurt in a three-vehicle crash Saturday in Allegheny Township. The crash happened around 10:45 a.m. at the intersection of routes 56 and 356. According to township police Sgt. Dan Uncapher, Daniel Hoffman, 50, of Vandergrift was taken...
Philly got Patti LaBelle’s name wrong on honorary street
Philadelphia honored singer Patti LaBelle with her very own street earlier this week. Unfortunately, the signs didn’t get her name right. The city’s Streets Department didn’t capitalize the “b” in the legendary soul singer’s last name on the signs that were put up before Tuesday’s ceremony on Broad Street. A...
