Local category, Page 3169
As UPMC and Highmark split, patients agonize over having to switch doctors
A New Kensington man may have to say goodbye to his neurologist at an upcoming appointment after being under his care for roughly 25 years. Jack Swanger, 65, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1991 at age 37 when he experienced double vision while on the job as a heavy-machine...
No injuries in North Huntingdon house fire
No one was hurt in a house fire on Wilshire Drive in North Huntingdon on Saturday night, but the homeowner said the damage is extensive, WPXI reports. Dispatchers told WPXI that the fire started around 8:15 p.m. The homeowner, Carol Petrosky, said that she had noticed that the wood burner...
14 young professionals get Boy Scouts’ Trailblazer Award
The Westmoreland-Fayette Council of the Boy Scouts of America honored 14 Westmoreland County professionals with the 2019 Trailblazer Award. The annual award is given to professionals under the age of 40 who exemplify the 12 points of the Scout Law — a Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind,...
Two NA students selected to attend prestigious JROTC Flight Academy
In its second year of operation, the U.S. Air Force JROTC Flight Academy again chose multiple cadets from North Allegheny Senior High School to attend its highly selective nine-week immersive flight school. North Allegheny senior Aditi Edlabadkar and junior Stefan Kidd are two of only 12 students selected on the...
Etna Winter Street Skate slated for Feb. 24
Lace up your skates for outdoor merriment during the third annual free Etna Winter Street Skate from 4 to 9 p.m. Feb. 24. Etna is transforming Butler Street between High and Freeport Streets into a synthetic rink by renting a portable, 32-foot-by-40-foot rink from Wheeling, W.Va.-based All Year Sports Galaxy....
Greensburg man celebrates life with those who saved him during heart attack
“Never in a million years” would Martin “Marty” Myers have thought it could happen to him. Even after retiring from a physically demanding job at the Supervalu warehouse in New Stanton, 70-year-old Myers, of Greensburg maintained a healthy, active lifestyle. He never smoked, rarely drank and kept his weight down....
Shady Side Academy alumna’s Hello Neighbor to screen free film on journey of immigration
Shady Side Academy alumna Sloane Davidson started her nonprofit Hello Neighbor to partner local families with immigrants and help both to learn and grow. Volunteers help newcomers find their way around the Pittsburgh region and make connections with the city. The program also helps volunteers better understand the immigrant experience,...
Popular Pittsburgh auto show showcases models through Monday
Thousands descended upon the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Saturday for the Pittsburgh International Auto Show. The annual event runs through Monday in Downtown Pittsburgh. Participating this year are 40 manufacturer exhibits, from Acura to Volvo, and dozens of vendors from AAA East Central to WVU Eco Car. Hours...
Man surrenders to Pittsburgh SWAT in Mount Washington house
A man allegedly took a vehicle without permission in the Mount Washington section of Pittsburgh at about 12:50 p.m. Saturday then jumped out and ran into a house and refused to come out, a police spokeswoman said. Officers surrounded the house along the 100 block of Secane Avenue. The man,...
Women’s club: Westmoreland County Prison has become home to more female inmates
Editor’s note: Renatta Signorini participated as a 2018 jails and justice reporting fellow through a program by the John Jay Center on Media, Crime and Justice in New York City. The fellowship program supported journalists in examining issues related to jails in small towns and rural communities. Signorini’s work will...
Westmoreland ax throwers sharpen skill for national tourney
Paul Wedge has been practicing morning, afternoon and evening for the national ax-throwing championships. The Westmoreland City man remembers how tough the competition was last year when he first qualified through Valhalla Indoor Axe Throwing in Hempfield. “This year, I’m a lot more mentally prepared and I know what to...
Pittsburgh water authority issues ‘flush and boil’ advisory for 3 neighborhoods
About 2,000 households in portions of Hazelwood, Swisshelm Park and Greenfield are under a flush and boil water advisory from Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority following a water main break Friday night. The precautionary advisory, which was posted to the PWSA website and social media late Saturday morning, was issued...
Route 48 reopens in Lincoln Borough, Elizabeth Township after downed trees are cleared
Route 48 from Mansfield Road in Lincoln Borough to Fey Road in Elizabeth Township reopened Saturday night after being closed for hours due to trees blocking the roadway, according to PennDOT. PennDOT worked throughout the afternoon to have the trees removed. A photo posted by the Elizabeth Township Police Department...
Coroner: Cambria Co. woman, 97, found dead in home died of hypothermia
PORTAGE, Pa. — A coroner says a woman found dead inside her western Pennsylvania home earlier in the week died of hypothermia. Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees says 97-year-old Mary Sopata was found by a neighbor Tuesday in her Portage Township home. The (Johnstown) Tribune-Democrat reports that the home apparently...
Inbound Liberty Tunnel lanes reopened at 4 p.m. today
Both inbound Liberty Tunnel lanes reopened at about 4 p.m. Saturday after crews spent hours removing debris on McArdle Roadway, according to PennDOT. This was about an hour earlier than predicted by PennDOT. The road had been closed between the Liberty Bridge and Grandview Avenue, and traffic was reduced to...
Latrobe-area hotel to become a Hampton Inn in April
A plan to appeal more strongly to business travelers has prompted a renovation and re-branding effort by a Unity hotel. The former Wingate by Wyndham hotel, on Route 30 just east of Route 981, is slated to debut as a Hampton Inn in April. While an interior makeover continues, about...
Amateur radio society recruiting members young or old
Amateur radio operators relay radio messages during natural and man-made disasters and fun events like Pittsburgh’s Great Race. And they don’t get a dime. They can’t, according to Federal Communications Commission regulations. Instead, their noncommercial messages relay information — often when cellphone towers are damaged and unavailable, such as in...
Vincentian Academy set to perform ‘Annie’
According to director Dan Kirk, selecting the right show is often a balancing act between what will become a good draw at the box office, what will be fun for the students, what fits the actors and actresses you have, and what is appropriate for a given school or culture....
Navy veteran presents Legion centennial program at libraries in Herminie, Derry
Bob MacPherson, a retired Navy officer, will present a program at two Westmoreland County libraries on the history of the American Legion, the veterans organization that is marking its 100th year and has numbered MacPherson among its members for 43 years. His presentation, “The American Legion at 100,” is slated...
WPXI parent company Cox Media Group is being sold
An international company has reached a deal to purchase the majority interest of Cox Media Group, impacting 14 television stations, including Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV. According to a release on Cox Enterprise’s website, Apollo Global Management, LLC, an alternative investment manager, will soon manage the stations along with Cox’s radio, newspaper and...
Hays bald eagles lay 2nd egg in Pittsburgh nest
The bald eagles in Pittsburgh’s Hays neighborhood laid their second egg of the season at their nest Friday. The Hays eagles, in their seventh season, generally lay two to three eggs in their nest overlooking the Monongahela River and the Pittsburgh skyline. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, which operates...
Patagonia brings clothing repair roadshow to Seven Springs this weekendVideo
After years of hosting pop-up Worn Wear events, Patagonia on Friday brought its clothing repair and exchange program to Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion. The crew will remain at the resort, its last stop on the East Coast tour, through Sunday. Beyond repairing articles of clothing from any brand...
Kittanning police searching for missing woman, 27
Kittanning Borough police are getting tips about the whereabouts of a missing 27-year-old woman, but she was still missing as of 3 p.m. Saturday. Katie L. Stoner, 27, has been missing since 6:30 p.m. Thursday. “We’ve had some tips and we want others to call,” Officer Ken Bussard said. Police...
Westmoreland Conservation District will host Q&A sessions Tuesday, Wednesday
Last year, one of the Westmoreland Conservation District’s rain gauges measured 72 inches of total rainfall — far above the typical 40 to 45 inches that the region sees annually. “It really brought home the stormwater issues we have,” said Kathy Hamilton, stormwater technician and landscape architect at the conservation...
Picklesburgh needs your vote to be picked Best Specialty Food Festival
This is a really, really big dill. Picklesburgh has been nominated by USA Today as one of the best specialty food festivals in the country. The festival has been held on the Roberto Clemente Bridge. This free festival celebrates all things pickled, has attracted national attention that has included the...
