Local category, Page 3076
Westmoreland approves multiple polling location changes for primary
Westmoreland County Elections Board members on Tuesday approved changes to some polling locations for the May 21 primary. Officials moved several polls back into the proper voting districts, allowed for expanded parking and handicapped accessibility and in some instances approved changes in response to requests from landlords who no longer...
Westmoreland County Transit Authority launches mobile ticketing ability
Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus riders can now pay fares via smart phones. Authority officials announced Tuesday a mobile ticketing app has been launched to expand the agency’s ability to accept cashless fares. The app, WestMore Tix, can be downloaded through Google Play or the Apple App Store. Passengers who...
Belle Vernon School District seeks judge’s OK to sell former WCCC building to church
The Belle Vernon Area school officials want permission from a Westmoreland County judge to sell the former community college building in Rostraver to the Monongahela Valley C&M Alliance Church. Attorney Victor Kustra notified the court this week in a petition that Howard Hanna, the school district’s real estate agent, has...
Kiski Area students get real lessons from a real cop
The mood was sober during Allegheny Township police Officer Charity Butz’s presentation Tuesday on the dangers and penalties for driving under the influence for a freshman health class at Kiski Area High School. But the students perked up considerably when they wore goggles that simulate being drunk or under the...
North Huntingdon, Penn Township police to collect unwanted meds
Residents can get rid of old or unwanted prescription drugs at collection points set up Saturday by the North Huntingdon and Penn Township police departments as part of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. North Huntingdon police will have a collection bin at the police station at the Town...
West Mifflin police seek help finding 2 missing teen girls
West Mifflin police are asking for the public’s help finding two missing teen girls. Someone last had contact with Brianna Shumard, 17, on Feb. 24, police said. She is described as having dark or multi-colored hair, and weighing 130 pounds. Bailey Reagan, 15, was last seen between 2 a.m. and...
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald opposes bid to add state oversight to airport board
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald expressed concern Tuesday that a proposal to expand the county’s airport authority to add members appointed by state officials could hamper progress at Pittsburgh International Airport. Fitzgerald said even having a proposal like the one offered by state House Speaker Mike Turzai is hurting efforts...
Police say Homestead man shot in Kittanning over drug debt
A 40-year-old Homestead man was shot in the hand in Kittanning on Friday over a drug debt, state police said. Police said the incident happened in an apartment along the 100 block of South Jefferson Street at about 9:45 a.m. Willie Lunsford, 33, of Mount Union; Eric McKenzie, 32, of...
Armstrong County man charged with raping mentally disabled teen
An Armstrong County man already required to register as a sex offender is accused of raping a mentally disabled teenage girl last year, according to state police. Dwayne Edward Hawk, 52, of Manor Township also is charged with statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and three related charges. He was...
St. Paul Meals on Wheels offers Mother’s Day incentive
St. Paul’s Meals on Wheels will offer new members a free meal on Mother’s Day – May 12 – when they purchase a week’s worth of meals for $25. The group delivers to about 50 elderly residents of Pitcairn, Wall, Wilmerding, Trafford, Level Green and parts of Monroeville. About 700,000...
Deer Lakes High School hosts prom for senior citizens
If you’re over 55 years old and looking for an excuse to dress up and have some fun then you’re in luck. The Deer Lakes High School National Honor Society is putting on a Senior Citizen Prom Night in May as a way to provide a night of entertainment for...
Pittsburgh publicity video gets a seat in Times SquareVideo
Pittsburgh is inviting the world to have a seat in the Steel City. That’s the message in the latest marketing campaign launched on Tuesday by VisitPittsburgh, Allegheny County’s official tourist promotion agency. VisitPittsburgh parlayed Western Pennsylvanians’ quirk for using chairs placed curbside to save a parking space into a video...
Harrison commissioners OK removing roads from projects
Harrison may not be able to repair all the roads it planned to this year. The township sought bids to resurface 18 roads and to seal and coat nine alleys and lanes. The two contracts came in at $481,500, nearly $80,000 more than the township budgeted, according to township Engineer...
McKeesport school officials say they did not block Black Student UnionVideo
McKeesport Area School District officials on Tuesday refuted claims in a civil rights lawsuit that they are trying to thwart formation of a Black Student Union. Superintendent Mark Holtzman, who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit along with the district, told reporters that the American Civil Liberties Union...
McCandless OKs Sheetz move; judge quashes 1 of 2 lawsuits filed by residents
A judge has quashed one of two lawsuits filed by residents opposed Sheetz’s plan to build a new gas station across the street from its current location on Perry Highway. But a second court action could delay the start of work even though the company can obtain a building permit...
Pennsylvania is tops in craft beer production, brewers group says
Pennsylvania is ranked No. 1 in the country in one craft beer category — production. The state’s 354 breweries produced more than 3.7 million barrels of craft beer last year, more than in any other state in the nation, according to statistics compiled by the Colorado-based Brewers Association, a national...
Police: Slickville man fondled 9-year-old girl
A Slickville man was arrested Tuesday on police accusations that he inappropriately touched a girl on two occasions about four years ago. Sean Rugh, 34, was being held at the Westmoreland Count Prison on $15,000 bail. Mt. Pleasant police said the victim’s grandmother reported the assault in December. The girl...
Photo Gallery: Earth Day cleanup at Beechwood Farms
More than 30 volunteers turned out to Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel for an Earth Day cleanup on April 20. Volunteers of all ages helped to remove invasive species from the 5 miles of trails at the 134-acre sanctuary. They also planted native varieties, spread aster and wildflower...
Police: Unity man fired rifle inside home while 2 girls were there
A Unity man is facing aggravated assault and related charges after state police said he fired a rifle inside his home while two girls were there. Mark William Slagle, 41, was arraigned Monday afternoon and is free on $5,000 unsecured bond. Troopers said they were called to Puriton Avenue at...
Highlands school board candidates outline priorities at Harrison forum
More transparency, more fiscal responsibility and a focus on teaching basic life skills to complement a strong curriculum were among the ideas expressed by Highlands School Board candidates at a forum in Harrison. “I’ve gone to many, many meetings and watched the deterioration and frustration of the community,” said Region...
Norwin music program 1 of 6 honored in Westmoreland
Norwin’s music program has joined 623 school music programs across the United States, as well as five others in Westmoreland County, to be designated as one of the 2019 Best Communities for Music Education. Norwin has a robust musical program with more than 20 musical ensembles involved in more than...
Keynote Café owner celebrates its ‘community of creative people’ as closing nearsVideo
Jill Sorrels just wanted to hear live music again when she made the decision to open Keynote Cafe on Jeannette’s Clay Avenue in 2007. “I missed the music,” Sorrels said of get-togethers at her home where friends would regularly play and sing. “I had enough money for about six months,...
Western Pennsylvania’s first rebranded Dunkin’ opens in Pleasant HillsVideo
Dunkin’ opened its first rebranded store in Western Pennsylvania on Tuesday. No “Donuts” here in Pleasant Hills. Just Dunkin’. “We all know that America runs on Dunkin’ and we’re excited to make it easier for Western Pennsylvania residents to run on Dunkin’ too,” Anthony Braun, chief operating and financial officer...
BizTown community simulation breaks ground in South Fayette
A new town is under construction in Allegheny County. What makes this future community unique? It will be run by 10- to 12-year-olds. Nestled inside Abele Business Park in South Fayette Township, Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania broke ground on April 4 on JA BizTown, a 10,000-square-foot interactive community simulation...
Penn Township commissioner resigns; replacement sought
Penn Township is seeking a replacement for Commissioner Grant Pence, who recently resigned from the board. Pence’s resignation was accepted at the April 17 meeting. Pence, who could not be reached for comment, has more than two years remaining on the four-year term he won in November 2017. Pence represented...
