Local category, Page 3209
10 people displaced by 4-alarm fire in McKees Rocks
Ten people were displaced after a four-alarm fire damaged three houses along the 200 block of Munson Avenue in McKees Rocks on Wednesday night. Allegheny County dispatchers said the call for the fire came in around 7:25 p.m. The fire began in one house and spread to two neighboring properties...
Boy, 15, charged as adult in North Braddock drive-by shooting
Police on Tuesday charged a 15-year-old boy as an adult in a drive-by shooting that critically injured a man in North Braddock. Corey Mickens, who turned 15 less than two months ago, is accused of shooting a 21-year-old man at least twice on Saturday night, a criminal complaint filed by...
Ligonier endowment grants boost festival, fort, fitness programs
The Ligonier Valley Endowment has awarded four grants totaling $33,250 for the first quarter of 2019, including money to help mark the anniversary of the annual Fort Ligonier Days festival next fall. A $25,000 grant will help Fort Ligonier Days Inc. prepare a special project to celebrate the 60th anniversary...
AHN postpones ceremonial ‘topping off’ of new Hempfield hospital
Construction crews at Allegheny Health Network’s Hempfield hospital postponed a “topping off” ceremony Wednesday because of the snowy weather, so the lifting of the final steel beam at the site of the almost 79,000-square-foot hospital along Route 30 west of Greensburg will have to wait. AHN Hempfild-Neighborhood Hospital is expected...
Riverview junior proposes solution to combat parking woes near Oakmont Bakery
Riverview High School junior Molly Collins wants to make sure her fellow students have a place to park while Oakmont Bakery officials work out some traffic issues. She launched an online petition to have about 30 spaces at Riverside Park, next to the high school, be designated student parking from...
Penn Hills in line to hike taxes more than 6 percent
Penn Hills School District officials moved one step closer to raising real estate taxes by more than 6 percent and becoming one of the highest taxing districts in Allegheny County. Board members Tuesday approved their 2019-20 preliminary budget and authorized the district to seek pension and special education exceptions to...
Car crashes into McKeesport creek, crews work to rescue 2 trapped inside
Two women were rescued after their car crashed over a hillside into a creek 30 feet below in McKeesport Tuesday night, Trib news partner WPXI reports. Allegheny County officials reported a two-vehicle crash on Long Run Road near Walnut Street about 5:30 p.m. The driver lost control and jumped the...
Hempfield man will attempt to reclaim Recorder of Deeds post
Republican Frank Schiefer will attempt to reclaim the Westmoreland County Recorder of Deeds post, a job he lost in 2015. Schiefer, 38, of Hempfield served as Recorder of Deeds from 2012 through 2015, when he was defeated by the man he originally beat four years earlier to win the office....
Rafferty announces run for Westmoreland judge
Jessica L. Rafferty, a lawyer from Unity, has announced she will be a candidate for one of two vacant seats on the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. Rafferty, 38, works as a lawyer with the Greensburg firm of Quatrini Rafferty and focuses her practice on family law and civil...
Westmoreland judge denies bid to have Monessen man’s case dismissed
A Westmoreland County judge Tuesday rejected a defense bid to have the case dismissed against a Monessen man charged with conspiracy in connection with a 2017 shooting. Defense attorney Ryan Tutera argued intentional misconduct by prosecutors caused the premature ending to the attempted murder and conspiracy trial last month of...
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey on Trump wall: ‘I am concerned’Video
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey said Tuesday he and his staff are working to determine whether President Trump has the authority to declare a state of emergency over funding for a border wall. Speaking with the Tribune-Review in his Downtown Pittsburgh office, Toomey said he agrees with Trump that some physical...
I-70 cleared after disabled vehicle snarls traffic
A disabled delivery truck caused major traffic backups on I-70 westbound near the 56 mile marker near New Stanton Tuesday night, according to Westmoreland County 911. The disabled vehicle was originally reported as a crash around 7 p.m., but first responders were unable to find any evidence of one, instead...
Irish genealogy workshop slated in Pittsburgh
With St. Patrick’s Day less than a month away, Irish genealogy experts will discuss genealogical research at the annual Irish Genealogy Workshop on March 18 at the Heinz History Center, Smallman Street, Pittsburgh. Irish genealogy experts Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt from the Ulster Historical Foundation in Belfast will participate...
I-70 reopens after crash in Hempfield
I-70 westbound was closed for about an hour near the Smithton exit in Hempfield Township after a crash involving a tractor-trailer Tuesday, according to Westmoreland County 911. Dispatchers said a tractor-trailer lost its load around 5:30 p.m., and two other vehicles hit the debris. Nobody was hurt. State police reopened...
Irwin joins other towns in granting tax credits for firefighters, EMS
Irwin has joined the growing list of municipalities giving active volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services personnel a tax break as an incentive to volunteer. Council approved an ordinance last week providing borough residents active in either the Irwin Volunteer Fire Department or EMS the opportunity for a 20 percent...
Harrison zoning officials tender resignations
Two officials in Harrison’s zoning and ordinance office have submitted their resignations, and one is already gone. Office Supervisor Lindsay Fraser and department Coordinator Jody Lamison announced in an email to township officials on Friday their intention to resign effective March 1, according to township Commissioner Charles Dizard. Despite that...
Greensburg fires longtime city planning director
Barbara Ciampini, who has run Greensburg’s planning and development department for decades, has been fired. Greensburg City Council met Monday in a special session to handle the matter, Mayor Robert Bell confirmed. Council’s decision was unanimous, he said. Bell said he could not immediately discuss the reason for the firing,...
Brackenridge officials eye restoration of honor roll memorial in wake of vandalism
Someone’s ill-advised attempt to improve the honor roll memorial in Brackenridge Memorial Park will speed up its proper restoration. Borough officials are considering going ahead with a full restoration of the 54-year-old memorial’s bronze and stone, including removing unwanted silver paint that was recently applied to it. The memorial, featuring...
Trying to tie the knot for cheap? Ollie’s Bargain Outlet has you covered
“Good stuff cheap” and … weddings? Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is getting into the marriage business, selling wedding dresses and bridesmaid gowns over the course of five days. The discount store is taking regularly priced wedding gowns and slashing prices, dropping the regular price of thousands of dollars to the lower...
Westmoreland sheriff staffer suspended, accused of working on political campaign at work
An assistant office manager in the Westmoreland County sheriff’s department has been suspended indefinitely without pay based on allegations she worked on a campaign while on the job, according to the county controller’s office. Officials would not publicly comment on the suspension of Tiffany Schomer, but sources at the courthouse...
Furry friends focus of upcoming exhibit, fundraiser at North Hills Art Center
The North Hills Art Center is going to the dogs — and the cats, gerbils, snakes and other critters people keep as pets. A juried animal-themed art show to benefit local animal rescue groups kick off on Saturday, March 9 with a grand opening from 7 to 9 p.m. The...
Pittsburgh Council considering bill requiring affordable housing in Lawrenceville
Developers would have to make 10 percent of any residential project involving 20 or more homes in Lawrenceville affordable, according to a bill proposed Tuesday by Pittsburgh City Council. Councilwoman Deb Gross of Highland Park, who introduced the legislation, said it would create a zoning overlay district exclusive to Lawrenceville...
Woman accused of fleeing police in Allegheny Township arrested in Tarentum
Allegheny Township police said they tracked down a woman who avoided arrest Sunday night. Cally Jade Mills, 26, was arrested Tuesday in a traffic stop in Tarentum. Mills is accused of climbing out of a window when police pulled up to a home in the 700 block of South Leechburg...
Cooper Station Restaurant abruptly closes in Winfield TownshipVideo
The landmark Cooper Station Restaurant has abruptly shut down. The popular restaurant along Route 356 in Winfield Township posted a closing notice Monday on its Facebook page. “Effective immediately, Cooper Station Restaurant will be closed indefinitely. Thank You, Management,” the notice read. The signs posted on the locked double doors...
Plans to turn former Forbes Elementary site into senior housing move forward
Penn Hills council unanimously approved a Pittsburgh development firm’s plans to demolish a former elementary school and build in its place an apartment building for senior housing along Saltsburg Road. The project depends on whether the firm, A.M. Rodriguez Associates, receives funding for the project through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance...
