Teen gets at least 4 years in state prison for shooting near Westinghouse Academy
A Clairton man who was just 16 at the time he shot four people near Westinghouse Academy in Homewood will serve four to nine years in state prison. James Pritchard, now 18, pleaded guilty on Thursday to four counts of aggravated assault and was sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas...
Ross takes first steps in what could be big changes to township’s fire services
After an extensive study recommended changes last year, Ross is taking the first steps in what likely will result in a yearslong revamp of the township’s fire services. During a meeting earlier this year, the township commissioners tasked Robb Consulting, a Central Pennsylvania public safety consulting firm, with finding a...
Despite looming ‘fiscal cliff,’ Westmoreland Transit isn’t eyeing cuts, director says
Those riding Westmoreland County’s transit system are not in danger of massive service cuts like the ones facing those who rely on Pittsburgh Regional Transit, county transportation officials said this week. “We are not there. I don’t think we’re at that point yet,” said Alan Blahovec, executive director of the...
Walgreens in McCandless set to close May 1
A Walgreens pharmacy location is set to close its doors in McCandless come May. The location at 30 Pine Creek Road will shutter May 1 after 18 years at the site. The closure comes after the pharmacy chain announced last year it would shut down 1,200 of its locations over...
ACLU demands University of Pittsburgh lift suspension of student group supporting Palestine
A letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh’s Students for Justice in Palestine called for the immediate revocation of the chapter’s interim suspension. The letter, addressed to Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel, stated that the university violated SJP’s First Amendment rights by...
Gun found in vehicle on North Allegheny School District campus
A gun was found Friday afternoon in a North Allegheny School District employee’s vehicle, the district said in an email to parents. McCandless police alerted the district’s police of the situation about 1:16 p.m. Neither police nor the district said how they learned there was a gun in the vehicle....
Judge sets bond in New Kensington attempted murder case
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday set a $500,000 straight cash bond for a former Ohio man charged in connection with an alleged shooting two years ago in New Kensington. Iven Cashua Miller Jr., 37, who was previously identified as being from Cleveland and now lists a New Kensington address,...
High school students flock to career day at Westmoreland Hospital
About 200 high school students gathered Friday at Independence Health System’s Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg to learn about jobs in the medical field. Students from at least six Westmoreland County school districts — Greensburg Salem, Greensburg Central Catholic, Hempfield Area, Jeannette, Penn-Trafford and the Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center...
Allegheny County DA launches investigation of Pittsburgh Mills owner Namdar Realty
Already facing a civil lawsuit over the condition of its roads at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer, owner Namdar Realty Group now could face criminal charges. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Friday it has executed a search warrant aimed at Namdar and opened a criminal investigation. “We can confirm...
‘They kept fighting’: Robert Morris fans proud of hoops team after loss to Alabama
Watching Robert Morris play in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Friday kept Kassidy Mislan and her friends on the edge of their seats at a campus gathering. The Colonials took the lead over the heavily-favored Alabama Crimson Tide with just a little bit over 7 minutes remaining in the...
3 former WPIAL standouts sign with Pittsburgh Riveters
Less than two months out from the start of their inaugural season, the Pittsburgh Riveters added three more players, including two with Westmoreland County roots, to bring the pre-professional team’s roster to 21. Pittsburgh will play in the USL W League with its opener set for May 16 against the...
School board hopeful bounced from ballot; more candidate challenges on tap
A Republican candidate seeking a spot on the Penn-Trafford School Board was removed Friday from the primary ballot, and a decision on another candidate vying for a seat on the Franklin Regional School board was deferred. Additional court hearings are scheduled for Monday on challenges of three Jeannette and one...
Cause of 2024 Jeannette fire that killed 5 cannot be determined, investigators say
The cause of a fire last year in Jeannette that claimed five lives has been ruled undetermined, police Chief Derek Manley said Friday. A state police fire marshal has spent the past year sifting through evidence from the March 20, 2024, blaze on Guy Street. Family members and friends gathered...
Aspinwall police charge East Deer man for harassment of Trump supporters
An East Deer man was cited for harassment and disorderly conduct by Aspinwall police in connection with two separate incidents in which it appears he targeted supporters of President Donald Trump. In October, Christopher Brown, 60, allegedly stood in front of a Fourth Street home and yelled profanities and insults...
1 injured, dog killed in West Deer fire
A man was transferred to the hospital early Friday morning after his mobile home caught fire. The fire was reported just before 6 a.m. on the 300 block of Inwood Court in West Deer Township. When emergency crews arrived, they found that the man living in the home had escaped...
69-year-old man found dead, 40 cats rescued from Ligonier Township home
A 69-year-old man was found dead and about 40 cats were rescued from a home in Ligonier Township. The man, who was not identified, was found dead after police were asked to do a welfare check Monday evening, according to Coroner Tim Carson. The death is not considered suspicious. Jen...
Jury finds man guilty of 1st-degree murder for killing ex-girlfriend in front of their toddler
An Allegheny County jury only needed about three hours Friday before finding Terrence Washington guilty of first-degree murder in the 2020 shooting death of his ex-girlfriend, Makeida Thompson. The prosecution had lobbied for the verdict, telling the jury that Washington meant to kill the mother of his child during a...
Scaled-back South Buffalo housing plan set to break ground this spring
Armstrong County’s first housing development since the 1980s, planned for South Buffalo’s RIDC Armstrong Innovation Park, has been scaled back from 90 to 60 homes. County Commissioner Pat Fabian told TribLive that Butler County-based developer America First Enterprises has pulled back on the plan it announced last year, which called...
Remains found in North Carolina linked to former Westmoreland resident
Remains found in North Carolina in 2022 have been linked to a woman who has ties to Westmoreland County. Sharon Johnston told the Anson Record last week that officials in Anson County said DNA results indicate the remains of an unidentified woman belong to her daughter, Amber Rae Johnston. Anson...
At the library: Here are a few special programs happening at Shaler North Hills Library
As one of the busiest libraries in Allegheny County, Shaler North Hills Library prides itself in offering a wide variety of programs for children, teens and adults. The library at 1822 Mt. Royal Blvd., which opened in 1942 with 3,000 books, today provides free access to more than 130,000 items,...
Acmetonia environmental program expands outside the school’s walls
Acmetonia Elementary School student Maverick Gniewkowski was surprised when he learned there are 86,000 miles worth of rivers and streams in Pennsylvania. “I thought there would be less than that,” said Maverick, 10. That fact was one of 100 questions Maverick and his fourth-grade peers studied this month when preparing...
Allegheny Valley school officials approve construction of $2.68 million athletic field
Allegheny Valley School Board has given its final approval for construction of a proposed multipurpose athletic field. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to spend $2.68 million for the field. Located along Butler-Logan Road, across from Springdale Junior-Senior High School, the field will provide a home for the district’s football, soccer...
Upscale, nature-inspired housing plan progresses in Fox Chapel
A niche housing plan is the result of two former Fox Chapel siblings determined to honor their late parents’ legacy and preserve the land of their beloved family homestead in Fox Chapel. Susan Bailey and her brother Dan Sciullo co-own Willow Farms, a custom home development in a country-like setting...
Schedule set for demolition of Homer City power plant towers
Preparations are underway for the expected demolition Saturday morning of the stacks and towers at the former Homer City Generating Station. The operation will be weather dependent. It could be delayed for hours or days if weather conditions including wind speed and barometric pressure are not favorable. The old coal-fired...
Bridgeville gears for 125th anniversary with logo contest
Bridgeville is kicking off its 125th anniversary with a logo contest. The borough was incorporated in 1901, and borough officials and organizations are planning a weeklong celebration next summer to commemorate Bridgeville, its history and its residents. “We chose to do a logo contest because this event is all about...
