Western PA Local News category, Page 3176
Portion of Center-New Texas Road in Plum to be closed throughout April for emergency repairs
Center-New Texas Road from Patricia Lane and Plumcrest Drive in Plum is expected to be closed throughout April for emergency repairs, borough officials announced Wednesday. Crews from Plum-based A. Liberoni Inc. will repair and stabilize a section of the roadway damaged by landslides earlier this year. Borough Manager Michael Thomas...
North Huntingdon donates used police car to Norwin
The Norwin School District’s police officer has a police vehicle to drive between the district’s seven buildings — not a new one, but a used one from the North Huntingdon Police Department. The township commissioners unanimously approved a request on March 20 from Norwin to donate a 2014 Chevrolet Impala....
Light catches fire in Plum High gym, no injuries reported
No injuries were reported as a small electrical fire disrupted track practice Wednesday afternoon at Plum High School. Unity firefighters said they were dispatched around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday for a fire in the school’s upper gymnasium. A short burst of flames was seen from one of the ceiling lights. It...
Saint Vincent-Harvard education partnership to focus on adult-child interactions
The Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College is working with Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education to promote adult-child relationships in early learning. The new three-year collaboration continues a partnership between Dana Winters, assistant professor of child and family studies at Saint Vincent, and Junlei Li, former co-director of...
3 to graduate from Westmoreland drug treatment court
Three people will be recognized Thursday for graduating from the Westmoreland County Drug Treatment Court. Westmoreland Judges Christopher Feliciani and Megan Bilik-DeFazio will preside at the graduation ceremonies at noon Thursday in Courtroom 5 at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on North Main Street, Greensburg. The diversionary court program works to...
Sunoco cuts ties with Armstrong County gas station over ‘offensive’ billboard
Sunoco said Wednesday it is halting fuel deliveries to an Armstrong County gas station because its owner posted controversial messages to a digital billboard about a quarter-mile away. The fuel giant also started removing Sunoco signage and trademarks from the Worthington station, according to company officials. The digital billboard along...
Hempfield gets 2019 Governor’s Awards for Local Government Excellence
Hempfield was awarded the 2019 Governor’s Awards for Local Government Excellence for their work to sustain volunteer fire departments by applying for, and receiving, a federal grant. The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER grant, which was awarded in Sept. 1, 2017, by the Federal Emergency Management...
Wilkinsburg man pleads guilty to role in crack ring tied to West End gang
A Wilkinsburg man pleaded guilty in federal court to drug law violations in connection with his role in a crack cocaine ring with ties to the Greenway Boy Killas street gang, federal authorities announced Wednesday. Jewell Hall, 32, was among 28 suspects nabbed last summer in a wiretap probe targeting...
1 injured in motorcycle crash in Fawn Township
A motorcycle passenger was taken to a hospital Wednesday evening after a crash in Fawn Township, state police said. Dispatchers received a report at 6:20 p.m. of the crash along Route 908 at Lardintown Road. A trooper alleges Frank Novosel, 65, of Tarentum, failed to stop at a stop sign...
Finalists for Norwin superintendent’s job address school officials, teachers
The Norwin School Board has narrowed its choice for its next superintendent to two experienced administrators — the Mars Area superintendent and a North Hills assistant superintendent. Both finalists for the job — Wesley Shipley, 52, a Scottdale native, and Jeffrey Taylor, 46, a Canonsburg-area native — told the school...
Lawyers for Hempfield murder suspect claim confession was illegally obtained
The lawyers for a Hempfield man awaiting trial on charges that he killed his girlfriend claim a confession made to police hours after the murder was illegally obtained. Defense attorneys Donna McClelland and Eric Hoffman contend police handcuffed and placed Allen Eugene Trent in custody and improperly elicited statements in...
Missing Armstrong County man found unharmed a few miles from home
An Armstrong County man who had been missing for more than 24 hours was found unharmed Wednesday in the woods a few miles from his home, officials said. Officials confirmed they found Paul Walker sleeping on the ground in the brush shortly before 5 p.m., Trib news partner WPXI-TV reports....
River, a 4-legged fixture on Grant Street, resigning as Pittsburgh’s canine ambassador
Pittsburgh’s first canine ambassador is resigning after more than two years of tippy-tapping through the City-County Building in Downtown, according to the pup’s resignation letter. River, a golden retriever, submitted his resignation letter, dated March 26, to Mayor Bill Peduto. “My mom has recently accepted a new job, and it’s...
Commissioner Cerilli to donate campaign money from man tied to human trafficking case
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli said she will donate money given to her campaign by a man investigators contend was linked to a human trafficking and prostitution ring before he committed suicide last year. In a post made on her private Facebook page late Tuesday, Cerilli said she was “outraged...
Attorney claims police made false statement in search warrant for Pittsburgh Mills mall store
The attorney for a Pittsburgh Mills mall store owner charged with selling counterfeit merchandise has accused a former Frazer police officer of lying in a search warrant that ultimately lead to the criminal proceedings against his client. Attorney Casey White again asked a judge to throw out the charge against...
Latrobe man loved sports, family
James Hauser had just gotten back from serving in Korea when he met his wife-to-be, Virginia. “I was sitting there, and he came over and asked me to dance,” Virginia Hauser said. “We started dancing and he introduced himself. So the next time he came over, he said he was...
Hempfield creates citizens task force to help with fire department changes
A five-person citizens task force will soon help Hempfield officials make important decisions for fire and emergency management services. With several big decisions on the horizon in regard to the township’s 12 fire departments, the committee will be tasked with studying policy, discussing funding, examining coverage areas and reviewing the...
Sewickley Township to build new $3M library, rec center
For decades, the Sewickley Township Recreation Center and the Sewickley Township Public Library have shared a space in the old Sewickley Area High School building on Highland Avenue in Herminie. They’ve been through thick and thin, including torrential rains in August that caused an estimated $20,000 in damage to the...
Portion of Saltsburg Road in Plum to be restricted to one lane
A section of Saltsburg Road in Plum will be restricted to one lane of traffic starting April 1 and lasting until possibly April 8, a Turnpike Commission spokeswoman said. The lane restriction will be implemented from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. near the I-76 bridge on Saltsburg Road near Fazi...
McCandless council considering zoning changes needed to redevelop former Trader Horn site on Blazier Drive
McCandless council will consider altering the zoning requirements for the property along Blazier Drive where the former Trader Horn store was located so that it can be redeveloped more easily. Officials held a public hearing March 25 to consider amending the 23-acre commercial property’s zoning to allow a personal care...
Field of council candidates in Pittsburgh’s North Side shrinks as Swatson bows out
The Democratic field running for a North Side Pittsburgh City Council seat is down to three candidates, including incumbent Councilwoman Darlene Harris. Quincy Kofi Swatson, 27, of Spring Hill announced Wednesday in a post on Medium that he is withdrawing from the race “to create a united front” that supports...
Units responding to Washington Township barn fire
Firefighters from multiple departments were responding to a barn fire in Washington Township Wednesday afternoon, the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety reported. Several tankers were dispatched to the fire at 260 Echo Ridge Road. It was reported at 3:40 p.m. Additional details were not immediately available....
Bell Township man flown to hospital with severe burns from brush fire
A Bell Township man was flown to a local hospital with severe burns suffered in a brush fire outside his home Wednesday afternoon. The brush fire was reported just before 2:40 p.m. in the 300 block of Bell Point Road, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatch supervisor. Fire Chief...
Students to participate in National History Day competition at Heinz History Center
More than 400 students from 30 area schools will participate this weekend in the annual National History Day Competition at the Senator John Heinz History Center in the Strip District, officials said. The event has been held since 1989. Students compete individually or as part of a small group in...
57th Carnegie International exhibit drew over 200,000 guests
Over 206,000 visitors attended the 57th Carnegie International contemporary art exhibit, officials said. The exhibit opened Oct. 13 and closed Monday at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Oakland. It featured the work of 32 artists from around the world and represented 16 nations, the release said including Bahamas, Cherokee...
