Western PA Local News category, Page 331
Lawyers spar in Johnstown courtroom over government effort to deport Venezuelan
A skirmish in a nationwide battle over the Trump administration’s push to deport immigrants it claims are criminals played out Monday in a Western Pennsylvania courtroom. Attorneys for a Venezuelan man accused of being part of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang asked a federal judge in Johnstown to bar...
Trial begins for Connellsville man charged with child porn
Testimony in the trial of a Connellsville man accused of soliciting and distributing images of child pornography will begin Tuesday. Westmoreland County prosecutors charged Jonathan A. Dulaney, 30, with five counts, alleging that in December 2021 and January 2022 he and his then-wife surreptitiously recorded images of a teenage girl...
CMU professor Edda Fields-Black wins Pulitzer Prize in history
Carnegie Mellon University Professor Edda L. Fields-Black on Monday won a 2025 Pulitzer Prize in History for her book “Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War.” Fields-Black is a professor of history and director of The Humanities Center at CMU’s Dietrich College of...
Gainey: Overcrowding complaint, not bias, prompted inspection at Pittsburgh gay bar
A weekend compliance check at P*Town, a gay bar in Bloomfield, was prompted by an overcrowding complaint — not to target the LGBTQIA+ community, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said Monday. In explaining the city’s actions, Gainey appeared to be responding to social media commentary that sprang up after police officers...
Shaler Area to reopen May 6 despite no internet, phone service at some schools
Power has been fully restored across Shaler Area School District’s buildings, and all schools will operate on a regular schedule Tuesday, a week after destructive storms caused widespread damage throughout the Pittsburgh region. After initially planning to reopen schools Monday, Shaler Area used remote learning after losing all internet and...
Twin Lakes pavilion destroyed in March windstorm will be rebuilt
Westmoreland commissioners approved an emergency contract Monday to rebuild a picnic pavilion that was destroyed by a windstorm at Twin Lakes Park. Wind gusts in March uprooted a large tree, causing it to crash into the large wooden structure, according to Public Works Director Dante DeCario. Pavilion No. 3 is...
Southwest Greensburg residents report armed robbery, e-bike theft
Two men were arraigned Monday in connection with an armed robbery in Southwest Greensburg and an incident during a related search for the suspect in Greensburg, according to police. Southwest Greensburg police were called around 10:20 p.m. Sunday to an Oakland Street apartment where two residents reported a man wearing...
Restaurant Sushi i, with all-you-can-eat sushi, debuts in Downtown Pittsburgh
A new Japanese eatery is on a roll. Sushi i (pronounced sushi eye) opened Monday, serving an all-you-can-eat fresh sushi concept in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh’s growing restaurant scene. Nick Weryha of the South Side noticed the restaurant’s prominent orange fish-themed sushi sign and decided to check out Sushi...
Real ID deadline has arrived: What you need to know
Travelers planning a domestic flight this week should be prepared as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is no longer accepting state-issued identification that are not Real ID-compliant at security checkpoints. On Wednesday, all airline passengers 18 and older, including TSA PreCheck and Clear members, must have a Real ID or...
Highlands High School still without power, internet
Heavy storms that rolled through the area nearly a week ago still are impacting daily life in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Highlands High School remained closed Monday, with district officials blaming an ongoing power and internet outage. “This is all from last week’s storm,” Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said. “We are under...
Springdale Township commissioners take step toward removing sewage pump station
Allegheny County has galvanized Springdale Township’s pursuit of a state grant to eliminate the Carson Street sewage pump station. The township received a letter from Nicolas Binfield, of the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development, that supports the Carson Street project. The station has been used to pump sewage to...
Man jailed after stolen car burned in Trafford
A Delmont man was arrested Sunday on police accusations that he stole a car in Trafford and set it on fire near railroad tracks, according to court papers. Steven Ray Flenner, 35, was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail on charges of reckless burning, risking catastrophe,...
Greensburg native, Juilliard grad will perform senior recital at hometown churchVideo
A piano sounds like a piano. A trumpet sounds like a trumpet. A big old church organ is another matter. A talented organist, using all of the instrument’s stops, levers and pedals, can make it sound like just about anything he or she wants. “I love that the organ can...
In brief: Happenings from the North Allegheny area
Northern Regional police seek photos for website The Northern Regional Police Department is looking for the community’s assistance as it delves into its history. The department is on the hunt for any photos that capture its journey — from past police chiefs and department vehicles to memorable moments in the...
Photo gallery: Pittsburgh Marathon runs the city
An estimated 23,000 runners showed up Sunday morning to run the 2025 Pittsburgh Marathon and Half Marathon. The 26.2-mile and 13.1-mile races wound up, down and around the city. Thousands of spectators lined the streets to cheer on the runners....
‘I want him to rot’: Pitcairn man who killed Uber driver gets life in prison
Christina Spicuzza’s family called her killer a coward. Three years ago, Calvin Crew marched Spicuzza, an Uber driver, into the cold, dark woods, ignoring her pleas to spare her life. He didn’t show up for his own sentencing Monday. It went on without him. Crew, 26, of Pitcairn was ordered...
KT Tunstall, Ashley Cooke lead Allegheny County summer concert series
Allegheny County announced its 2025 summer concert series, with a diverse lineup ranging from country to jazz to the British Invasion to funk. The free concerts, which start May 30, take place at either the South Park Amphitheater or the Hartwood Acres Amphitheater in Hampton. Rising country singer Ashley Cooke...
Lawsuit claims West Mifflin cops left hurt New Kensington man in holding cell without medical care, leading to death
West Mifflin police officers left a visibly injured assault victim untreated in a holding cell for more than nine hours after arresting him last summer, leading to his death three days later, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed Monday. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh,...
Special Olympics honors schools for engaging students across activities, curriculum
The inclusive atmosphere at Hempfield Area High school has been beneficial for students in Amanda Montell’s autistic support classroom. They love to work with their peers and build their social skills, she said. “They are just so excited to be included,” Montell said. The collaboration, often in the form of...
Norwin library gets new look with $500K renovationVideo
The Norwin Public Library renovation project of almost $500,000 is close to completion, the library director said this week. The library remodeling that began in January should be completed in mid-May, with the cost less than initial estimates, said Diana Falk, director of the library on Caruthers Lane in Irwin....
Derry native donates to IUP’s proposed osteopathic medicine college
A Derry native and veteran has made a $50,000 donation to the proposed osteopathic medicine college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Lt. Col. Barry Gasdek, a 1964 IUP graduate, offered the donation, which is part of $32 million the university has collected in private and government funding to develop the...
Greensburg teen pleads guilty to armed robbery
A Greensburg teen pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of a man last year in Hempfield. Cayden Essway, 17, has been in jail since his arrest after being charged as an adult with counts related to what police said was a violent armed robbery on Mt. Pleasant Road on April...
If Harvard loses its tax-exempt status, Western Pa. universities, nonprofits could be in trouble
Harvard University could lose hundreds of millions of dollars annually if the federal government is able to revoke its tax-exempt status. But University of Pittsburgh law professor Philip Hackney suspects the move, vocalized by President Donald Trump for a second time Friday, could mean big trouble for higher education institutions...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area news, events for the week of May 5, 2025
Victorian May Day celebration on tap The Kerr Memorial Museum will host a Victorian May Day celebration from 1 to 4 p.m. May 18 to teach people about traditions of the Victorian Era. Participants can make a floral crown, tour the Victorian garden and watch junior docents perform a Maypole...
Wrong-way detection project starting on Route 28
PennDOT is set to begin installing wrong-way detection technology along Route 28 on Monday. The technology will be added to off-ramps in Pittsburgh, Millvale, Sharpsburg, Etna, Aspinwall, Shaler, O’Hara and Harmar. Shoulder restrictions will occur weekdays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Millvale exit through Friday. Officials will...
