Covid pandemic exposed vulnerabilities but brought lessons in preparedness
Ordinary shopping trips became a scavenger hunt five years ago. Shoppers who felt fortunate enough to find toilet paper quickly filled their carts. Demand soared for items such as masks, lumber, liquor and computer chips. As covid-19 swept across the United States, empty store shelves spurred anxiety, heightened tensions and...
Black voters in Pittsburgh split over support for Gainey
Ed Gainey swept into office vowing to improve life for Black Pittsburghers. The new mayor of Pennsylvania’s second-largest city formed a diverse cabinet, expanded affordable housing and bettered the lot of minority contractors as he sought to reverse generations of disinvestment and neglect for Pittsburgh’s Black community. But three years...
Faced with a perfect storm, small local colleges try to navigate the future
“If you build it, they will come” was not the way to go about higher education in Pennsylvania, experts say. Declining birth rates and rising tuition costs are combining with other economic factors to make it harder — especially for smaller campuses — to fight enrollment declines and survive. “It’s...
Ligonier Township farm hosts 3rd annual Agricultural Appreciation Days
On Saturday, the Matson family farm in Ligonier Township was the site of children climbing on giant farm vehicles, fishing in the pond, playing on an inflatable bounce house and slide, eating food and seeing cows — all part of the family’s third annual Agricultural Appreciation Days. “We do this...
Westmoreland native returns from collegiate roles to lead Ligonier Valley Library staff
Lindsay Mattock began a new chapter of her life in mid-January when she took on the role of executive director of the Ligonier Valley Library and returned to her Westmoreland County roots. A native of Norvelt and a 2000 graduate of Mt. Pleasant Area High School, Mattock spent the past...
Women from across the nation gather in Shaler to train for the Irish sport of camogie
About 100 women from all over the nation have gathered in Shaler this weekend to hone their skills at what’s called “the fastest game on grass.” They’re playing the ball-and-stick sport “camogie,” described as a combination of field hockey and lacrosse and the women’s version of hurling, which is widely...
Search continues for suspect in Rostraver murder
Police continued their search Saturday for a suspect in the shooting death of a Rostraver woman, whose body was found in a home on Friday afternoon. The investigation into the death of Jennah M. Seibert is ongoing, said Melanie Jones, spokeswoman for District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli. Rostraver police and the...
Greensburg Salem Food launches food program through Ashley Kertes memorial fund
Christina Gongaware Noga knows her late sister would be proud that money raised in her memory is helping combat food insecurity at Greensburg Salem’s Hutchinson Elementary. Gongaware Noga launched the Ashley Gongaware Kertes Fund last year on behalf of her sister, who died unexpectedly at age 36 in March 2023....
Buffalo Township supervisor gives reopening date for Sheetz
The Sheetz location in Buffalo Township is set to reopen April 23, according to township Supervisor Michael Oehling Jr. The gas station and convenience store where Route 356 and Monroe Road meet closed in October to be torn down and rebuilt. Sheetz did not return requests for comment. Company spokesperson...
Pittsburgh man gets death penalty in state prison guard’s death
A Pittsburgh man already serving a life sentence for the 2014 murder of a man in Pittsburgh faces the death penalty in the murder of a guard at the state prison in Somerset. Paul J. Kendrick, 30, was sentenced to death Thursday by a Somerset County jury for the Feb....
Shooting at Stowe club leaves man critically wounded
A man was hospitalized in critical condition early Saturday morning as a result of a shooting in Stowe, Allegheny County Police said. The victim, who was not identified, was shot at about 5:10 a.m. at Club Imperium at 1107 Island Ave., an establishment featuring exotic dancers, according to its website....
‘Ms. Z’, 88, valued volunteer at the oldest African American church in Sewickley
Helene Zacharias’s sweatshirt sums up her life credo: “With God all things are possible” is the logo on a favorite sweatshirt worn by 88-year-old Zacharias as she volunteered April 1 at her beloved church in Sewickley. She’s at St. Matthews A.M.E. Zion Church most days and walks there from her...
PennDOT hopes to have new Salina Bridge ready for use by winter
Drivers could be crossing the Kiski River on the new Salina Bridge as soon as the winter. PennDOT assistant construction engineer Mark Kmetz said crews are finishing an abutment on the Kiski Township side of the river before the rest of the bridge can take shape. The span carries Bridge...
Hempfield’s High Park, West Point fire stations aim to ‘continue what was started’ through merger
Hempfield’s High Park Volunteer Fire Department is coming out of retirement and merging with the West Point station on the opposite side of the township. Westmoreland County Orphan’s Court approved the merger this week, according to court documents. The joint station will be operate under West Point’s name and location...
The Stroller, April 12, 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. Plum Community Center seeking...
Southwestern Pennsylvania’s glassmaking tradition dates from late 18th century
The closure of the Pyrex cookware plant in Charleroi brings to an end 132 years of manufacturing at that facility, but the regional footprint of the glassmaking industry is far more widespread and earlier in origin. In 1797, James O’Hara and Isaac Craig opened their Pittsburgh Glassworks at the foot...
Police: 2 people hurt during car-to-car gunfight in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood
Pittsburgh police are investigating a shooting incident that resulted in two people being hospitalized Friday evening. Public Safety spokesperson Emily Bourne said officers were dispatched around 5:15 p.m. to the 1700 block of Crestline Street in the East Hills for two separate ShotSpotter alerts totaling eight rounds. Preliminary investigation revealed...
Developer, Shaler neighborhood group reach agreement on redevelopment of Mt. Alvernia
A Pittsburgh-based firm specializing in renewing historic buildings and a Shaler neighborhood group have reached an agreement on the firm’s plans for the potential $100 million redevelopment of the Mt. Alvernia property. Attorneys representing Q Development and the Hawthorne Neighborhood Association announced the agreement at the Shaler commissioners meeting April...
Parks Township nuclear waste cleanup now set to start in fall
The Army Corps of Engineers is targeting this fall to start cleanup of the Parks Township nuclear waste dump, which marks a slight delay caused by harsh winter weather from previously announced dates. “From the beginning, we have emphasized that safety will dictate the pace of the project,” said Lt....
Leechburg Area School Board appoints new member
The Leechburg Area School Board welcomed a new member Wednesday night. Jimmy Feudale of West Leechburg was appointed in a 5-3 vote to fill an empty seat. His swearing-in comes after the death of James Dunmire, whose term was set to end in December. Feudale, Danielle Reinke and Neill Brady...
Clairton woman charged with beating student, 11, outside elementary school
Clairton police have charged a parent with beating an 11-year-old girl last week outside an elementary school during morning drop-off in an assault captured on surveillance video. Jasmine Snow, 40, of Clairton struck and dragged the girl and threw her to the ground in front of at least one witness...
Police investigating woman’s homicide in Rostraver
Westmoreland County detectives and Rostraver police are investigating what is now being called a homicide. County Coroner Tim Carson said the body of Jennah Marie Seibert of Rostraver was discovered inside a home in the 400 block of Lenity School Road in the township shortly after noon Friday. Police secured...
Leechburg Tow Path Trail connects borough to counties, miles beyond
Visitors and residents of Leechburg have access to a prime spot for outdoor activity just in time for warm weather. After two years of planning and construction, the Leechburg Tow Path Trail is officially open to the public. It serves as a passageway to almost 600 miles of trail along...
Butler man charged with threatening to murder Trump
A Butler County man has been charged with threatening to assault and murder President Donald Trump, other U.S. officials and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, authorities announced Friday. Shawn Monper, 32, of Butler Township is accused of making threats between Jan. 15 and April 5, according to the Justice Department....
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium to open ‘Ice Age: Frozen in Time’ exhibit
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium in Highland Park is welcoming some new — well, actually really, really old — animals. More than 50 animated lifelike prehistoric figures from 31 species come to life in “Ice Age: Frozen in Time.” Dating back in time 2.58 million years to the deep freeze...
