Local category, Page 3130
Tarentum considering buying demolition equipment
Tarentum is considering getting into the building demolition business. Council President Erika Josefoski is suggesting the borough buy its own equipment, such as an excavator. The borough could use the equipment to tear down abandoned and dilapidated buildings instead of hiring a contractor. The borough has a big enough budget...
Pittsburgh planning ‘artistic intersection’ in Shadyside to commemorate gay pride
Pittsburgh is looking to remake the intersection of Ellsworth and Maryland avenues in Shadyside with an artistic design commemorating the neighborhood’s history of gay activism and the 50th anniversary of riots in New York City that touched off the modern LGBT rights movement in the United States. The Public Art...
Emergency responders carry dog from burning Greensburg home
Firefighters rescued Zeus and Oliver, a Rottweiler and tabby cat, from a two-story Greensburg home that caught fire Wednesday afternoon. City fireman Jim Fontana found the dog near the front door of the house at 79202 Jefferson Ave. and pulled him out of the smoke-filled structure, Greensburg Fire Chief Tom...
‘Rocco’s Warriors’ come together to help family of 2-year-old leukemia patient
Brandon Monteleone of Penn Township had a tough time finding words to describe the outpouring of support his family has received since his 2-year-old son Rocco was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia on Dec. 30. “It’s hard to explain,” Monteleone said. “Just finding out that Rocco had cancer was so...
Mistrial in sex assault trial of Pittsburgh restaurateur, who is acquitted of stalkingVideo
A jury deadlocked on all sex crimes in the trial of former Istanbul Sofra owner Adnan Pehlivan and acquitted him of stalking and simple assault. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning declared a mistrial after the jury of eight men and four women announced that it could not...
Westmoreland shoppers unflapped by news 400 Family Dollars could close nationwide
Jaded shoppers took the news in stride Wednesday when they heard that about 400 Family Dollar stores are slated to close nationwide. “It seems like that’s all they do anymore is close stores,” said Cindy DeMann, referring to retailers in general. “I wouldn’t be happy about it.” DeMann of Greensburg...
Tarentum eyes new utility billing systems with part of park grant money
State grant money coming to Tarentum for a dog park may instead be used to update the borough’s outdated utility billing systems. The borough is slated to receive more than $200,000 in Keystone Communities grants. The bulk of it, $191,000, would pay for several repairs, improvements and additions at Riverview...
Student-made Little Free Library available at Dorseyville Middle School
There’s a new place for Fox Chapel Area students to grab a bestseller. A Little Free Library, constructed by a group of Dorseyville Middle School sixth-graders, is housed in the school vestibule along Saxonburg Boulevard. “There was some adult assistance with the assembly and technical aspects, but all of the...
Westmoreland Diversity Coalition fundraiser highlights bipartisan karaoke
The Westmoreland Diversity Coalition, a community nonprofit committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, showed its chops last weekend when it persuaded a group of political and civic leaders to take the stage at its first fundraiser “Westmoreland Has Talent.” Who knew there were so many aspiring entertainers just waiting to...
Municipal Police Officers’ Training Academy offers new program
A new session at the Municipal Police Officers’ Training Academy at Westmoreland County Community will begin June 4, WCCC officials said Wednesday. The 920-hour course, which provides the basic training required for municipal police officers in Pennsylvania, meets daily Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and one...
‘Ashes to Go’ just one of Ash Wednesday’s traditionsVideo
There’s a convenient way to receive ashes in Leechburg on Ash Wednesday. The Revs. Gary and Lisa Lyon, co-pastors at Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church in Leechburg, offer “Ashes to Go” annually at two locations: CoCo Coffeehouse on Market Street in the morning and outside their church on Main Street...
Vandergrift man charged with involuntary manslaughter in death of infant son
A Vandergrift man admitted he fell asleep with his infant son, who suffocated and died, according to police. Owen Labrenn Copney, 26, said he had been warned about falling asleep with his 1-month-old son, Isiah, on his chest. He faces a pair of felonies in connection with his son’s death....
Hot water problems put Allegheny County Jail on modified lockdown
An issue with the Allegheny County Jail’s water tower has led to a modified lockdown at the facility through Sunday, jail officials said. Warden Orlando Harper said in a statement there is no hot water available from the ground floor up to level five of the Second Avenue facility. The...
Pittsburgh-based The Incline news website is for sale
Spirited Media officials announced Wednesday the company is selling its three online publications, including Pittsburgh-based The Incline. Chris Krewson, vice president of strategy at Spirited Media, announced on Medium that the company had already sold Denverite to Colorado Public Radio and is looking to sell The Incline and Philadelphia-based Billy...
Bishop Zubik offers Ash Wednesday Mass, comments on pastoral letterVideo
Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik celebrated the beginning of Lent during Mass at a packed St. Mary of Mercy Church in Downtown Pittsburgh on Ash Wednesday. Zubik offered a full Mass but did not publicly address a pastoral letter, released Monday, in response to listening sessions after the release of an...
Warehouse catches fire in Etna, 50 firefighters respond
About 50 firefighters from a dozen units responded to a warehouse fire Wednesday morning in Etna, officials said. No one was injured. When officials arrived shortly after 11 a.m., they found an interior section of the warehouse on Bridge Street near Main Street consumed by flames, Etna Fire Chief Greg...
Jury begins deliberating in case of 2016 Thanksgiving crash that killed family
Jurors must decide whether the man charged with causing the 2016 Thanksgiving crash that killed a family of three truly intended to cause harm that day or if the crash was the unintended consequence of reckless actions. The jury began deliberating Wednesday, weighing not whether 24-year-old Demetrius Coleman is guilty...
Tarentum Friendship Garden planning spring cleaning, planting dayVideo
The ground may still be frozen and lightly covered with snow, but organizers behind the Tarentum Friendship Garden have their eyes on spring. The garden, located next to Dreshar Stadium along First Avenue, will enter its fifth season this year. To get ready, the annual spring cleanup and planting day...
Water main break closes Second Street and Cuyler Avenue in Jeannette
Pat Pfeil, who lives on Cuyler Avenue in Jeannette, admitted she had a difficult time getting her 2-year-old grandson to take a nap Wednesday. He “was looking out the window and saw we had a water gusher squirting into the air. All the fire trucks were here directing traffic, and...
Pennsylvania imposes $1.5M fine on gas pipeline builder
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The builder of a natural gas gathering pipeline system in southwestern Pennsylvania is agreeing to a $1.5 million fine for failing to prevent sedimentation and erosion into streams during construction. The consent agreement between the state Department of Environmental Protection and Rice Midstream Holdings was released this...
Human services group seeks scholarship applicants
High-achieving, community-minded high school seniors seeking college aid might want to consider applying for the $10,000 Jamie Ellenberger Memorial Annual Community Service Scholarship. Officials at the Passavant Memorial Homes Foundation said the organization will accept scholarship applications from students in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Butler, Cambria, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Fayette,...
Penn Hills School District financial recovery ‘not just a numbers game’ for state-appointed officer
Daniel Matsook has a daunting task ahead of him. As Penn Hills School District’s chief recovery officer appointed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Matsook is tasked with developing a plan to bring the financially struggling district back to solvency. Without one, the district could be placed into receivership, giving...
Export officials hope to begin McKinley Avenue wall repairs by mid-AprilVideo
The prospect of losing federal grant money is the latest reason Export officials hope to quickly fix a retaining wall along the north edge of McKinley Avenue. The main reason is that the wall is visibly failing and is located close to multiple homes as well as the borough building....
Pittsburgh’s Cinderlands in running as nation’s top new brewery
Cinderlands Beer Co. in Lawrenceville is one of 20 new breweries in the country in a competition to be voted the best in the land. The brewery and restaurant landed on USA Today’s list of the top 20 new breweries in the country. It was ranked No. 6 on the...
Sharpsburg pastor offers ‘Ashes to Go’Video
O’Hara resident Glenn Drexler walked briskly down Main Street in Sharpsburg until he came upon the Rev. Ben Phipps outside Roots of Faith. He gave a rowdy hello and stood outside to chat, despite temperatures that hovered in the teens just before 10 a.m. on March 6. “This fits perfectly...
