Breakthrough treatments offer some sickle cell sufferers a cure, but barriers remainVideo
Esther Nkemakolam runs her fingers through kinetic sand and sings a “Moana” song as UPMC Children’s Hospital nurse Taylor Brennan gets to work drawing blood. Esther is back for her monthly blood transfusion. It’s a frigid February morning, but the routine is familiar for Esther, a bubbly 7-year-old first grader...
Vendors flock to Westmoreland Mall for home, garden show
Dina Nicoletti carefully arranged dozens of colorful Tupperware dishes in the center of Hempfield’s Westmoreland Mall on Saturday morning, keeping an eye for shoppers walking past her booth. A Pittsburgh area business leader for Powerhouse Sales, Nicoletti has worked with the Tupperware brand for 25 years. She was one of...
Taking one for the team: Brave souls take a dip in frigid Buffalo Creek to aid Freeport Youth Baseball
For Nate Scott, the anticipation was the worst part. Scott gazed over Buffalo Creek in Freeport shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday, wondering just how cold it would feel when he and nearly 50 other Alle-Kiski Valley residents leaped into it to support a local fundraiser. The whole thing was over...
Tarentum man says Peace Corps still critical even after 64 years
Dennis Mialki enrolled in the Peace Corps in 1978 and found himself — at 22 — as the city engineer of Siguatepeque, Honduras, a farm town in the mountains of Central America. The Tarentum resident spent two years engineering roads, building kindergarten classrooms and establishing a building code. “I was...
The Stroller, March 1, 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. Free transportation available to...
Measles risk is real for those unvaccinated, experts say
A child’s death from a measles outbreak in West Texas has raised concerns about vaccination rates and the resurgence of preventable diseases. But about one in 1,000 cases of measles can be deadly or cause lasting harm, said Dr. Paul Offit, the Maurice R. Hilleman Chair of Vaccinology at the...
Hearing set on Rostraver landfill permit to dump treated leachate into river
A Penn Township environmental organization is opposing a draft permit the state has issued to a Rostraver landfill operator that wants to pipe treated leachate from its garbage dump into the Monongahela River. “Our main concern is with the leachate runoff. Are they going to process it properly?” asked Gillian...
Hempfield public works employee seeks Republican nomination for supervisor
A man with experience working in Hempfield’s public works department announced his candidacy for township supervisor. Tony DeGregorio said he will seek nomination on the Republican ticket. In an announcement, he said he has more than 20 years of experience as a township employee. “As a supervisor, I will listen...
North Allegheny middle schoolers advance to international Lego competition
After finding success at a statewide competition Feb. 15, six North Allegheny middle schoolers will head to an international Lego competition in June with their team Bands of Steel. The competition, organized by the international youth organization First Lego League, tasks participants with constructing and coding a Lego robot in...
Ukrainian community in Western Pa. shaken by Trump and Zelenskyy public spat
Negotiations between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy deteriorated into shouts Friday during what was supposed to be the signing of a minerals deal. The argument left some members of the Pittsburgh region’s Ukrainian community disturbed. The tense meeting occurred in the Oval Office over a proposed deal that...
Armstrong County Children, Youth and Family Services caseworkers get new deal, higher wages
After working without a contract for eight months, union members who work for Armstrong County Children, Youth and Family services and the county Assessor’s Office reached an agreement with the county that increases the starting wage to $20 an hour. That was a main sticking point during negotiations between the...
Zappala hits Palisades Plaza housing complex in Rankin with nuisance charges
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office on Friday filed nuisance charges against a Rankin public housing complex, listing complaints like backed-up sewage, broken windows and mold. The charges involving Palisades Plaza are similar to ones lodged against West Mifflin’s Mon View Heights in September. Both complexes were managed by the...
Apollo-Ridge superintendent to step down, take over as intermediate unit head
Apollo-Ridge School District Superintendent Matthew Curci is leaving his post at the end of the school year to take over as executive director of ARIN Intermediate Unit 28. “It’s definitely bittersweet,” Curci said. “Apollo-Ridge is my home.” Curci got the nod from the intermediate unit earlier this month. The former...
Westmoreland libraries rebrand, announce name change
Westmoreland County’s library system is freshening up its vibe. The network of 26 locations and branches has rebranded as Westmoreland County Libraries and has started to distribute new cards to its nearly 60,000 users to reflect the name change. “We did an entire rebranding and polled the community to design...
ATI reaches tentative contract agreement with United Steelworkers
A tentative agreement was reached between ATI and the United Steelworkers on Friday, according to statements released by both the metals company and union officials. The union released a statement saying it’s a six-year deal impacting 1,000 union members across locations including Brackenridge, Harrison, Vandergrift, Latrobe, Washington, Pa., and Lockport,...
Hempfield farm providing beef for local school nutrition programs
Students in Hempfield Area and New Kensington-Arnold school districts are getting something special in their lunches these days. Both have partnered with Logan Family Farms in Hempfield for a monthly supply of ground beef. It became the star of the show for a smash burger event held at Hempfield Area...
Pine-Richland students win 1st place at Shakespeare competition; teacher honored
“Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs, myself am moved to woo thee for my wife.” With those words, amid a flurry of puns and Shakespearean sparring, two Pine-Richland seniors took first place on Feb. 24 in the upper-level scene category of Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Shakespeare Monologue & Scene...
‘It’s life and death’: Advocates fear dangers of any Medicaid cuts
Erin Gabriel for the last 15 years has relied on Medicaid to cover the costs of doctor’s appointments, medications, physical therapists and tests to help her daughter Abby navigate life with disabilities. Abby is autistic and non-speaking and uses a wheelchair. Doctors are still learning more about a rare, progressive...
2 new hotels slated in Harmar
Two new hotels soon will be added to Harmar’s landscape after approvals from township officials this week. Plans call for razing the Days Inn hotel, off Landings Drive, to make way for a Home2Suites and a Fairfield Inn at the site. The township supervisors approved the land development plans for...
Main Street gas line project bumped up for impending streetscape in Sharpsburg
A four-month gas line replacement is underway along busy Main Street in Sharpsburg. Contractors are on site, working between 19th and 23rd streets, at the entrance to town. Traffic is limited to one-lane in that area. The project is not being paid by borough tax dollars, manager Christine DeRunk said....
Luxury estate modeled after Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello for sale in Sewickley Heights
A storied estate with an impressive architectural pedigree is for sale in Sewickley Heights. The prominent Pittsburgh architect Benno Janssen designed the former Verner Purnell estate, modeling it after Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello home in Charlottesville, Va., in 1930. The home is on the market for $3.9 million. “Living in Sewickley...
2025 fish fries in the Alle-Kiski Valley
All menus are subject to change and availability. Allegheny Township Markle Volunteer Fire Department, 470 Joyce St., 4 to 7 p.m. or until sold out Fridays through Good Friday. Dine in or takeout. Menu: hand battered fish sandwich dinner, $15; chicken tenders meal, $12, include coleslaw and fries or pierogi;...
Hempfield Italian bakery owner known for work ethic, devotion to family, love of sports
David Linsenbigler was devoted to his Greensburg-
area Italian bakery business, but even more so to his family. “Regardless of how hardworking he was, we always came first,” said daughter Peydon, one of the Hempfield man’s three children. “He always wanted to be there to support us.” That included volunteering to...
Paving project is the 1st step in Verona’s transportation improvements
Transportation is going to become smoother on Arch Street in Verona. A paving project is set to take place sometime next year, said borough Manager Stefanie Woolford. “The biggest change is paving and some revitalization,” Woolford said. She said the “revitalization” aspects of the project have remained undecided since borough...
Morning Roundup: No injuries reported in early morning Plum fire
Here are a few news items for Friday, Feb. 28: No injuries reported in Plum fire No injuries were reported in a fire early Friday morning in Plum’s Renton neighborhood. Four fire companies responded to a home on the 200 block of Plum Street at 3:48 a.m., according to Renton...
