Western PA Local News category, Page 320
Disabled caseworker, Westmoreland County settle wrongful termination lawsuit
Westmoreland commissioners voted Thursday to pay $7,500 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a former children’s bureau caseworker who claimed he was improperly fired after one month on the job. Former Fayette County Controller Sean Lally contended he was discriminated against by supervisors in the county’s child welfare office...
Murrysville area: Blood drives, live music and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Walk for a Healthy Community East Suburban Citizen Advocacy will join Highmark officials with a team in the annual “Walk For a Healthy Community,” set for June 14 at Stage AE on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. The ESCA team is seeking donations and...
Meeting on Penn State campus closures scheduled next week
The fate of seven Penn State branch campuses — including New Kensington and Fayette — could be determined next Thursday. The board of trustees will meet virtually 5 p.m. May 22 to consider the recommendation to close the New Kensington, Fayette, DuBois, Mont Alto, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York campuses, according...
Law enforcement officer memorial unveiled on Westmoreland courthouse square
The absence of Trooper Michael Paul Stewart III is felt on a daily basis, said his brother, Jason Stewart. Now the family has a spot where he can be remembered by them and the entire community as a memorial honoring Westmoreland County’s 28 fallen law enforcement officers was unveiled Thursday....
Shaler commissioners formalize agreement between Mt. Alvernia developer, residents
The dispute between residents of a Shaler neighborhood and a Pittsburgh-based developer came to a civil and uneventful resolution this month. Commissioners on May 13 unanimously approved an ordinance that includes the agreement reached between the Hawthorne Neighborhood Association and Q Development, which is working on a $100 million redevelopment...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee reintroduces resolution for reparations
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee introduced a resolution Thursday that would effectively provide reparations to the descendants of Black American slaves amid a flurry of actions by President Donald Trump and a Republican-led Congress to remove what they term “woke” policies. Lee, a Swissvale Democrat who represents parts of Allegheny and...
Pittsburgh woman pleads guilty to defacing Jewish property
A Jewish woman accused of conspiring with an alleged Hamas sympathizer to vandalize two Jewish organizations in Pittsburgh last summer pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court. Talya A. Lubit, 24, of Pittsburgh pleaded to misdemeanor counts of conspiracy and damaging or defacing religious property. Those crimes call for a maximum...
2 campaigns promote candidates for 4 Ligonier Valley School Board seats
Seven candidates, divided into two campaign camps, are running for four seats on the Ligonier Valley School Board. Campaigning jointly and appearing only in the Republican primary are three incumbent board members — Donald L. Gilbert Jr., Cindy Brown and Josi Bennett — along with Robert J. Fryman, who previously...
Equalizing tax rates critical for Leechburg Area School District survival, residents told
West Leechburg property owners will get some relief from years worth of tax increases, according to Leechburg Area School District Superintendent David Keibler. During the school board’s Town Hall Tour on Wednesday night, Keibler told residents the district plans to earmark about $58,000 in Ready to Learn Tax Equity relief...
Report squarely blames Bucco Brick fiasco on Pittsburgh Pirates
A report commissioned by Pittsburgh’s Sports and Exhibition Authority places blame solely on the Pittsburgh Pirates for a controversial decision to scrap personalized, fan-purchased bricks at PNC Park without telling anyone. “It was the Pirates, not the SEA or any of its contractors, that made the decision to dispose of...
‘Global Scholars’ recognized at Chartiers Valley High School
Six Chartiers Valley High School seniors have been recognized for their efforts in learning a foreign language and global education. This year’s “Global Scholars” students at Chartiers Valley are Brady Baranowski, Mikayla Diyanni, Aislinn Myrah, Natalia Palumbo, Sky Schmidt and Sydney Trainor, said advisor and 26-year Spanish teacher Rochele Reitlinger....
ABC Transit celebrating end of school year with free community event in Shaler
ABC Transit will celebrate the end of the school year by asking folks to swing on by its Shaler terminal in June. The transportation and school bus company will host a free event for the community and their staff that they’re calling “Crash My Party” from noon to 4 p.m....
Sewickley Academy trio’s project raises money for livestock feed for animals in N.C. affected by Hurricane Helene
During the Christmas holiday break, Maria Sirianni thought the most joyous time of the year wasn’t so joyous for people in North Carolina. They were still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, which struck the mid-South in September, claiming 248 lives and causing widespread damage in seven states. The...
Pine-Richland teachers union issues no confidence vote of school board majority
Members of the Pine-Richland Education Association issued a vote of no confidence in the school board majority Wednesday night. Accoridng to a news release from the association, concerns have been growing among educators and community members since 2023 when they fielded attacks from the board on social emotional learning and...
Union heads, elected officials demand $15-an-hour minimum wage in Pa.
When Aaron Allen took a minimum wage job in 2009, he found the $7.25-an-hour rate was barely enough to pay his rent. Allen worked more than 40 hours a week at a restaurant but put off medical treatments because he couldn’t afford to see a doctor. He recalled how he...
North Allegheny Foundation announces scholarship winners
The North Allegheny Foundation presented scholarships to 16 students at the May 7 school board meeting. The nonprofit received more than 120 applications for its 14 available scholarships, said Tiffany Thirkell, chair of the NA Foundation scholarship committee. “This year’s applicants exhibited high academic achievements, strong leadership skills, commitment to...
Jeannette’s 2-term Republican mayor faces challenger in Tuesday’s primary election
A political newcomer is challenging an incumbent in Tuesday’s Republican primary election for mayor of Jeannette. Ed Day hopes to bring a new face to the seat, while Curtis Antoniak is seeking his third term. The winner will face Michelle Langdon, the lone Democrat seeking a nomination and current councilwoman,...
Minivan slams into barn along Eisaman Road in Hempfield
Firefighters had to work quickly — and carefully — Thursday morning to free a motorist who became trapped after crashing a minivan into a barn in Hempfield. Hempfield Fire Assistant Chief Dan Thoma said the vehicle slammed into a load-bearing wall of the structure along Eisaman Road around 7:20 a.m....
35-year police veteran takes reins as Bridgeville police chief
Bridgeville officials didn’t have to look far to find the borough’s next police chief. Council on Monday, May 12 appointed Sgt. Gary James, a 35-year veteran of the borough’s police department, as chief. “It’s a great honor to be able to represent this community as chief of police,” said James,...
‘Person of interest’ in death of Jennah Seibert awaiting extradition from Florida
A “person of interest” in a Rostraver woman’s death is awaiting extradition from Florida on unrelated burglary and robbery charges stemming from an incident in Donora. Dorian C. Jeri-Greene, 39, of Monessen was booked into the Orient Road Jail on Tuesday after being arrested on a warrant by police in...
North Huntingdon martial artist honored
A North Huntingdon martial artist instructor has been nominated for special martial arts award as one of the World’s Greatest Martial Artists G.O.A.T. — the greatest of all time. John Morgart Jr., a 31-year-old sensi who started in martial arts in 2004, shares the recognition with martial arts icons such...
Dick’s Sporting Goods to buy Foot Locker for $2.4 billion
Dick’s Sporting Goods announced early Thursday that it will acquire Foot Locker in a $2.4 billion deal. The Findlay-based company said it plans to operate Foot Locker as a standalone business and maintain its brands. The acquisition will place Dick’s, already one of the largest domestic sporting goods company, into...
Morning Roundup: Body found in Mon; car crashes into house in Derry
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 15: Body found in Monongahela River A barge operator found a man’s body in the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The unidentified man was found near the Brownsville...
The Stroller, May 15, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Touch-a-truck and safety fair...
Transparency, recreation and solar: 7 candidates share key issues in East Huntingdon races
Seven candidates are vying for two supervisors seats in East Huntingdon, as the township navigates a commercial solar lawsuit and brainstorms how to use the former Ruffsdale Elementary property it bought more than four years ago. Incumbent Justin G. Morrow, a Republican who works for the township’s road crew, is...
