The Stroller, March 7, 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. Bowling fundraiser to aid...
Safer schools: Pa. program has intercepted over 120 weapons in schools before they could be used
Thirty-five weapons were intercepted before they could be used to commit acts of violence in Pennsylvania schools last school year, as officials credited the anonymous safety reporting system Safe2Say Something for preventing catastrophes. Since the program’s inception six years ago, at least 123 weapons — including guns and knives —...
Plum residents raise objections to 2nd proposed injection well
The Plum Zoning Hearing Board will reconvene on March 31 as the borough and environmental advocacy group Protect PT expect to wrap up testimony in their case against allowing development of a second injection well at a site along Old Leechburg Road. The board continued the hearing for a third...
Greensburg teen’s Eagle Scout project revitalizes gazebo at Unity’s St. Xavier preserve
A gazebo at the St. Xavier Nature Preserve in Unity no longer has a roof covered in moss and filled with gaping holes. That’s thanks to the work of Greensburg teen Ty Schlesman, who gathered materials and recruited helpers to renovate the structure as his Eagle Scout project. The gazebo...
Western Pa. wood carver recalls special gifts he made for President Carter and first lady Rosalyn
It’s not every day that a person gets to give a work of art to a former U.S. president and first lady who also were fellow trout anglers, but that is what happened to a member of the Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited. With the death of 100-year-old former...
Ingomar Living Waters fundraiser to help hydrate thousands around the world
Gazing out over Pittsburgh’s three rivers from the Carnegie Science Center, attendees of Ingomar Living Waters’ upcoming fundraiser will be considering the waters elsewhere. The group, founded as a charity organization among parishioners at Ingomar United Methodist Church in Franklin Park, has held its Turning Wine Into Water event since...
Jury finds Greensburg man guilty of child rape
A Westmoreland County jury on Thursday convicted a Greensburg man of the sexual assault of a young child. James A. Swanson, 48, was found guilty of two felony offenses, rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, in connection with allegations of improper conduct with a 3-year-old boy in 2019 and 2020....
Longtime Westmoreland transit board chairman Frank Tosto Jr. passed over for reappointment
Republican Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday replaced longtime Westmoreland County Transit Authority board member Frank Tosto Jr., saying it was time for change on the board that oversees public transportation. “Nobody is to be on a board forever. Yes, he has knowledge and experience, but the board, as a recommendation,...
Ross tabbed as new Westmoreland County Election Bureau director
The Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday tabbed the county’s head of information technology to serve as the new election bureau director. Scott Ross of Youngwood was formally appointed to run the courthouse office that oversees elections as part of a newly created position that combines election functions with the job...
Forum will include updates on control of Hempfield fire stations
A forum for firefighters Saturday will provide updates on the progress of fire stations in Hempfield coming under the township’s control, as well as what officials see as successes over the past year as they prepare for the future. The forum is planned for 9 a.m. at the Hempfield municipal...
‘This is to keep all of us safe’: Officials urge travelers to get Real ID before deadline
The countdown is on: In just two months, U.S. travelers will need a gold star on their driver’s license to fly domestically — the symbol of a Real ID. Starting on May 7, anyone 18 years of age or older will need a Real ID or another acceptable form of...
Disciplinary board tosses complaint against Allegheny County District Judge Xander Orenstein
The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board has dismissed a complaint by a state legislator against controversial Allegheny County District Judge Xander Orenstein about how they handled bail for defendants. In a letter dated Feb. 14, Melissa Norton, chief counsel for the board, said its review, requested by state Rep. Valerie S....
Impaired driving campaign begins in advance of St. Patrick’s Day
With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, authorities are reminding drivers to not get behind the wheel if they’ve been drinking. They also are reminding motorists to be aware of how prescription medication, which includes medical marijuana, can interact with alcohol. “More than half of our DUI arrests now are...
Murrysville area: Play auditions, modern media discussion and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. AAUW speaker discusses modern media The Murrysville chapter of the American Association of University Women will welcome guest speaker Andrew Conte at its March 13 meeting, 10 a.m. at the Murrysville Community Library. Conte is the director at Point Park University’s Center...
Dump truck flies over hill in Parkway East crash that sends 3 to hospital
Three motorists were taken to the hospital Thursday after a three-vehicle crash on the Parkway East in Pittsburgh shot one car into oncoming traffic and flipped a dump truck over a hill, authorities said. The crash occurred when an eastbound dump truck and sedan collided on Interstate 376 about 11:25...
Springdale preps for round 2 of boiler house demolition
What’s hopefully the last attempt at pulling down the boiler house at the former power plant in Springdale is scheduled for Saturday morning. The demolition — which was about 70% successful last weekend — is anticipated to occur between 9 and 11 a.m. Saturday, according to the Allegheny County Police....
Norwin area: Church to sell pirohi, soups; Lamp Theatre gala set
Church to sell pirohi Stephen Byzantine Catholic Church at 90 Bethel Road, North Huntingdon, will sell priohi from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 28. The potato and cheese pirohi and sweet cabbage are $14 per dozen; sauerkraut is $15; lekvar is $16; and cottage cheese is $17. Pirohi may...
Leechburg Youth Baseball Association creates 12U team, switches to Pony League
After an almost complete overhaul and rebuild, the Leechburg Youth Baseball Association is offering a program for players 12 and younger for the first time in 10 years. Jonathan McLaughlin, president of the organization, said the association’s board has mostly new leadership after previous board members’ children aged out of...
Penguins invest $500K in Hill District recreation center, but community frustration lingers
The Pittsburgh Penguins will donate $500,000 to help modernize the Ammon Recreation Center in the Hill District as part of an agreement meant to mitigate decades of neighborhood disinvestment dating back to the development of the Civic Arena. Teddy Werner, the Penguins’ alternate governor, called the 85-year-old recreation center just...
Man struck in January by truck plowing snow in Hempfield dies
A man who was hit by a pickup truck that was clearing snow in Hempfield died Sunday in a Pittsburgh hospital. Paul Tucci, 73, of Southwest Greensburg, died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and torso, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. State police said...
Etna’s Bread of Life Food Pantry seeking donations after number of shoppers ‘skyrockets’
During the Lenten season, the Bread of Life Food Pantry in Etna is seeking donations to provide Easter hams to local families and bear the weight of a “dramatic increase” of people seeking its services. Alexis Weber, manager of the pantry located in Calvert Memorial Presbyterian Church at 94 Locust...
Allegheny County touts ‘competent and compassionate’ government for job prospects
Allegheny County’s portal to entice federal employees to explore their options with the county launched Thursday. A similar portal was also created by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. The idea is to provide a soft landing for any of the 16,000 federal employees in the Pittsburgh region who may lose their...
Holiday Park VFD life member remembered as loving volunteer
Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department is mourning the loss of life member and staple at its Plum social hall. Annabell Ratner was someone firefighters could count on while recovering from a big emergency call. “Ann was always the person who was here when we came back from a fire and...
Holiday Park VFD starts fish fry season with Ash Wednesday lunch
The Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department kicked off its fish fry season with lunch on Ash Wednesday. About 20 volunteers operated multiple stations and served more than 200 pieces of fish at the start of the Lent fundraiser at the Tuttle Social Hall off Old Abers Creek Road. Josh Scalamogna,...
Then and Now: Stone walls are sole link to the Allegheny County Workhouse in O’Hara
Gambling, keeping a disorderly house, accessory to illegal marriage and drunkenness were just some of the crimes committed by inmates housed in the Allegheny County Workhouse and Inebriate Asylum, which opened Aug. 6, 1869, and sat on the far eastern side of O’Hara. The Workhouse sat along Freeport Road between...
