Western PA Local News category, Page 3225
Ross police arrest man for rash of vehicle break-ins
Ross Township police have arrested a man for allegedly breaking into numerous vehicles in the southern section of the municipality. The suspect, whose name has not been released, had multiple stolen items in his possession when he was arrested on Sunday, according to police. Police say the man admitted to...
Victim identified in fatal South Huntingdon crash
A Hempfield woman died early Monday after the car she was riding in crashed in South Huntingdon Township, according to the Westmoreland Coroner’s office. Sarah E. McDonald, 25, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said she was a rear seat passenger in a Nissan Altima traveling just before 2...
Sunday’s snow gives way to frigid temperatures for much of the week
A winter storm that coated much of the region with between 1 and 3 inches of snow Sunday will give way to bitter cold temperatures lasting through mid-week. The overnight temperature dipped to a low around 17 degrees with scattered flurries, according to the National Weather Service. Monday’s temperature will...
Winchester Thurston grads test science project in Uganda to combat dehydration
Two college students from Pittsburgh want to use a 3D-printed tube to help save lives. Their invention is meant to help combat diarrhea caused by disease that can leave children dangerously dehydrated. Jack Waters and Jacob Dubner created their device, called the ORTube, as part of a science class at...
Local Civic Club celebrates 40 years of service
Green Tree Woman’s Civic Club is celebrating its 40th year of service to the community by holding its annual Spring Fashion Show on March 23 at the DoubleTree Hotel, 500 Mansfield Ave., Green Tree. One of their recent good deeds was sponsoring a craft at December’s Light Up Night at...
Pennsylvania lawmaker to host Real ID event
Got questions about Real ID? State Rep. Lori Mizgorski, R-Shaler, will host an event at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Richland Community Room at Northern Tier Library at 4015 Dickey Road in Richland. The Real ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, established...
Pittsburgh Public Schools eases consequences for students caught with pot
Pittsburgh Public Schools students caught with small amounts of marijuana will no longer face an immediate suspension or risk being removed from their schools for six weeks or more. Starting this month, first-time offenders in possession of less than 5 grams of marijuana will have the option of a five-day...
Cicadas will swarm Southwestern Pa. this spring
The swarm is coming. A massive brood of cicadas is expected to emerge from the ground this spring after its 17-year infancy, and Southwestern Pennsylvania will be right in the center of it. “In some areas, you can get as many as a million and a half individuals per acre,...
17-year cicadas are coming already? Here’s why
If cicadas emerge from the ground only once every 17 years, why do they seem to show up so often? There are actually 15 separate broods of cicadas in the United States — five of which include Pennsylvania as part of their territory. Related story: Cicadas will swarm Southwestern Pa....
Murrysville man joins supercomputing research team at Berkeley lab
So far, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., has been home to 13 Nobel Prizes, and hosted the discovery of 16 elements on the periodic table as well as more than 600 isotopes. Late last year, and two more times in 2019, it will be home — albeit...
South Greensburg man loved dancing
Frank J. Rossi of South Greensburg enjoyed ballroom dancing so much, and was so good at it, that he was an instructor at an Arthur Murray dance studio in the 1950s in Pittsburgh. “He loved to dance. He was still dancing up until the last few years,” said his son,...
Pittsburgh Festival Opera welcomes Christopher Powell as executive director
Christopher M. Powell was named executive director of the Pittsburgh Festival Opera effective March 12. Powell was the director of artistic initiatives for the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y., for the past four years. He will work alongside Artistic Director Jonathan Eaton into the opera’s 42nd season. The upcoming season...
Northern Tier Library experiencing spike in popularity of ebooks
Circulation was up at the Northern Tier Regional Library in 2018 thanks to the growing popularity of electronic books that patrons can borrow online. Director Diane Illis said that circulation remained roughly the same from 2016 to 2017, but then took a jump of 5,300 in 2018. Their ebook circulation...
No Bad JuJu to play for NHCO fundraiser
Fans of No Bad JuJu will be able to see them at the North Hills Community Outreach’s Neighborhood Block Party fundraiser March 24 to benefit those in need. The fifth annual event will take place from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at The Chadwick on Perry Highway in Wexford. The event...
Talbot THON fundraiser slated
A community hour will kick off the Hampton Township High School student council’s Talbot THON event March 29, giving the public a chance to help raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation. The student-led Talbot THON replaces the former mini-THON held annually at Hampton the past four years....
Shaler promotes long-time employee to assistant manager
The Shaler commissioners recently approved the promotion of Judy Kording, the township’s finance and administration director of 30 years, to assistant manager. In addition to taking on the new role, she will retain her former title and duties. She will have no salary change. As finance and administration director, Kording,...
Elliott Group opens new facility in India
Elliott Group announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in India as part of an expansion there. The new facility is equipped to design, manufacture and test steam turbines as well as house employees and a training center, according to a news release. The company has its U.S. headquarters...
Armstrong DA approves extradition of three Virginia men accused of stealing from Walmart
Three Virginia men accused of stealing more than $6,000 worth of merchandise from an Armstrong County Walmart will return to Pennsylvania to face felony theft charges, state police in Kittanning said. The Armstrong County District Attorney approved the extradition of Shawn Terrance Acklin, 27; Adarrus DePriest Ferguson, 27, and Brandon...
Judge rejects bid to have Hempfield man released from prison pending jury trial
A Hempfield man charged in two separate criminal cases of rape and assault against the same woman will remain in jail until an unrelated drunken-driving case is resolved. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway on Monday rejected a defense bid to have Harold M. Franks released on nominal bail...
PennDOT approves more turning restrictions near new Oakmont Bakery
PennDOT has approved more turning restrictions at a busy Oakmont intersection that the borough’s mayor said was a problem before the popular Oakmont Bakery opened a new location there and compounded traffic headaches. Westbound motorists on Hulton Road who are headed toward Hulton Bridge will be prohibited from turning left...
Level Green multiphasic blood test slated
A multiphasic blood screening test to check a person’s levels of cholesterol, hemoglobin, triglycerides, prostate-specific antigen, as well as thyroid function, will be conducted from 7 to 10 a.m. March 23 at the Level Green Community Building. 123 Murrysville Road in Penn Township. The blood screening also will test levels...
Empty Bowl fundraisers feeds hungry
Serenity Struble of McCandless was having a good time Sunday afternoon, one of a few hundred people who patronized the Empty Bowl luncheon that benefits the needy and hungry served by the Westmoreland County Food Bank. “It is really a great thing for a great cause … ’cause it is...
Oakmont manager search extended through March
Oakmont officials’ search for a new borough manager has been extended. Council wanted to have a manager in place by the end of January, but opted to appoint retired Avalon Manager Harry Dilmore as its interim administrator and repost the position. Interested parties can email cover letters and resumes through...
Snow causes a rash of mostly minor accidents across the region
The winter storm that swept across large portions of the country wasn’t as bad locally as was feared, but it was enough to make roads slippery Sunday evening and contributed to several crashes across the region: • Route 28 southbound at the Route 8 off-ramp in Etna was closed because...
Crash injures man, shuts down part of Second Avenue in Pittsburgh
A man was taken to a Pittsburgh area hospital in critical condition following a crash along Second Avenue in the city Sunday evening. Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Alicia George said police, firefighters and EMS were dispatched to the 700 block of Second Avenue around 4:40 p.m. for a vehicle into...
