Western PA Local News category, Page 3218
Butler woman who worked at UPMC pleads guilty to disclosing health information
A Butler woman who worked at UPMC pleaded guilty Wednesday to wrongfully disclosing health information, according to the U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh. Linda Sue Kalina, 61, worked as a patient information coordinator with UPMC and its affiliate, Tri Rivers Musculoskeletal Centers in Mars, from March 7, 2016 to June 23,...
New Florence man gets house arrest for setting fire in apartment building
A New Florence man will serve three months on house arrest for using his girlfriend’s sweatpants to set fire in her apartment last year. William Teeter, 21, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony count of risking catastrophe in connection with a fire set in St. Clair Manor apartment during a...
McKnight Road lane restrictions begin Thursday night
Lane restrictions on southbound McKnight Road begin Thursday night, weather permitting, PennDOT announced. Crews from Peoples Natural Gas will conduct service line repair work between McKnight Circle and Patrick Place from 8 p.m. Thursday night until 5 a.m. Friday morning. Two of three lanes will be closed to traffic....
GOP candidates for Westmoreland commissioner refuse donations tied to no-contract bids
Republican candidates for Westmoreland County commissioner, continuing a coordination effort in early campaigning, said they won’t accept donations from vendors awarded contracts for county work without any formalized competition. Four of the five declared candidates signed what they called a “taxpayer protection pledge” in which they promised to refuse money...
Greensburg officials fired planning director at ‘informal’ meeting, plan official vote on Monday
Greensburg City Council’s decision to fire longtime Planning Director Barbara Ciampini happened when members “met informally” rather than during a public meeting, according to Mayor Robert Bell. The mayor and all four council members attended an unrelated recreation advisory board meeting on Feb. 18. They stayed after to privately discuss...
‘Get your ash in here’: Greensburg church takes unconventional approach to Ash Wednesday
The Rev. Dawn Lynn Check and her dog Daisy stood outside First United Methodist Church in Greensburg on Wednesday, putting ashes on the forehead of anyone who wanted them. A sign near the church door read “Get your ASH in here.” Check said the cheeky messaging is part of an...
Pittsburgh police welcome largest student academy class for 10-week course
Pittsburgh’s Student Police Academy began Wednesday with its largest class since its inception in 2015, according to police. Thirty-four high school students will learn directly from Pittsburgh police officers for the 10-week course. The students are from parochial, charter, Pittsburgh Public and suburban schools. The course allows students to learn...
Potholes top Pittsburgh’s ‘Most Wanted’ list
Pittsburgh has classified potholes as public enemy No. 1. The city’s 311 Response Center created a pothole wanted poster on Wednesday to draw complaints from residents about the annual western Pennsylvania street menace. WANTED: Suspect is known as POTHOLE with known aliases such as crater & rut. If seen avoid...
More Vince Lascheid melodies to be heard at PNC Park this season
Longtime Pirates and Penguins organist Vince Lascheid may have passed away 10 years ago, but his music lives on at PNC Park. Devoted fans of Lascheid’s distinctive keyboard stylings will be able to hear more of his ballpark melodies as more have been digitized and will be played at PNC...
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...
