The Stroller, April 10, 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. Tarentum event to mark...
Uncertainty still abounds for Western Pa. businesses, consumers despite tariffs pause
Many consumers and business owners across Western Pennsylvania responded Wednesday with a sense of relief to President Trump’s decision to pause most of his hefty reciprocal tariffs on imported goods — and the stock market responded with historic gains. But the 90-day pause doesn’t apply to China, one of the...
Penn-Trafford student raises more than $18K for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Penn-Trafford sophomore Abby Rayman and her team of fundraisers generated more than $18,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, exceeding the $10,000 goal she set in February. A national nonprofit with a branch in Pittsburgh’s South Side, the society supports advocacy, families facing cancer diagnoses and research for a cure....
Penn-Trafford junior named ‘High School Sports Journalist of the Year’ during Point Park’s Myron Cope Awards
Penn-Trafford High School student Annabelle Aquino grew up playing sports with her brothers, Joey and AJ, in the sprawling backyard of her family’s Harrison City home. “My mom always wanted us to go outside,” said Aquino, 17, a junior. “All my neighbors are guys, so we just played sports all...
Take aim: Gateway forms skeet shooting team
To an untrained eye, the five Gateway students working their way around a shooting arc at the Trafford Sportsmen’s Club are simply taking aim and trying their best to target the clay pigeons shooting across their field of vision. But Mike Buvalla, coach of the newly formed Gateway Skeet Club,...
Volunteers needed for Monroeville cleanup, planting projectsVideo
As spring starts to bloom across the region, Monroeville residents with a mind toward civic improvement are looking for volunteers to help welcome the season and beautify the town. For Joe Sedlak, tidying the municipality’s roads is an old habit. This year Sedlak will mark the 30th anniversary of the...
North Allegheny’s CARE club makes cancer education, research accessible to teens
Avni Khandelwal’s curingwithCARE is there to help young people who are dealing with the effects of cancer. The North Allegheny senior started the group after seeing the challenges firsthand in her own family. “My cousin battled synovial sarcoma while living with my family, and his journey made me realize how...
Reports: Trump voices opposition to Nippon purchase of U.S. Steel
Shares of United States Steel Corp. fell Wednesday when President Donald Trump renewed his opposition to the sale of the American steel producer to Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp., according to published reports. Trump called U.S. Steel a “very special company,” reported Kyodo News. He reportedly told reporters that, despite his...
Tarentum mourns public works supervisor Mark Anuszek
Tarentum officials are remembering the borough’s longtime public works director for his staunch commitment to town. Mark Anuszek, 55, died Tuesday following a brief illness. “For 35 years, Mark was an unwavering pillar of our community,” the borough posted to social media. “He was not just a dedicated public servant...
Former Indiana Township man who induced sexually explicit images from minor sentenced to 20 years
A former Indiana Township resident was sentenced Wednesday to two decades in prison for receiving material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, according to federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh. Cam John Zmenkowski, 28, persuaded a minor to send him nude and sexually explicit images and videos from August to September...
Deer Lakes parents push for recording, posting school board meetings
Some parents want Deer Lakes School Board meetings to be video recorded for the public to see. The topic caused tension in an otherwise routine board meeting Tuesday. Leonard Verdetto III, a West Deer resident elected to the board almost two years ago, said his priority is transparency, and he...
‘I only have a semester left’: Carnegie Mellon student among those whose visas were terminated
Jayson Ma received the same email as everyone else at Carnegie Mellon University on Monday afternoon. The message, sent by the provost, announced the federal government had terminated the visas for two of Carnegie Mellon’s current international students, making them ineligible to continue studying in the United States. “I was...
Driver run over by own garbage truck sues Penn Township, property owner for negligence
A garbage truck driver has filed a lawsuit against Penn Township and a resident, claiming he was run over by his own truck after it struck a leaning and overhanging tree. Tyler Spade of Uniontown, a driver for Republic Services, which provides garbage removal services in Penn Township, claims he...
Shaler man to head jury of ‘Twelve Angry Men’
When Mark Spondike isn’t providing music education to students at Pittsburgh’s Creative and Performing Arts school, he’s appearing onstage in the region, including with the Pittsburgh Opera. Next month, he’ll have a man’s fate in his hands, as foreman of the jury in Prime Stage Theatre’s production of “Twelve Angry...
Independence Health cuts 151 workers, locations not specified
Independence Health System is laying off 151 employees as it looks to cut costs. Kelly Skoloda, chief marketing and communications officer for the financially challenged regional health care provider, confirmed the staff cuts Wednesday in a statement mirroring a message sent to employees by the system’s president and CEO, Ken...
‘We keep the country running’: Federal workers rally in Pittsburgh for union rights
Maria Snell feels her work as an Internal Revenue Service contact representative is under attack. She worries about her job, given President Donald Trump’s recent efforts to slash the size of the federal workforce and end collective bargaining with federal labor unions. “Federal jobs, they used to be secure,” Snell...
‘It is a public hazard’: Waste-filled New Kensington sinkhole alarms neighbors
What started as a sewer repair in a New Kensington alley has devolved into a public safety and health hazard, neighbors say. “It’s technically not a sinkhole, but it turned into one,” said Vince Davis, who owns property nearby. “The hole originally was like (the width of) a manhole, 13...
Egg hunt will move to Monroeville Convention Center
In light of a chilly weather forecast for this weekend, Monroeville’s annual egg hunt will shift venues, from Community Park West to the Monroeville Convention Center. The “Egg-Stravaganza” will take place April 12 at the center, 209 Mall Boulevard, and will start at 10 a.m. Participants will still be grouped...
Westmoreland happenings: Egg hunt, turkey dinner, living Last Supper, more
Art • The works of members of the East Suburban Artists League will be on display through April 19 at Latrobe Art Center, 819 Ligonier St. Admission to the exhibit is free. A free public reception will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 11. Details: 724-537-7011 or latrobeartcenter.org. Church...
New Pittsburgh Airport terminal cost now pegged at $1.7B as project nears completion
The $1.7 billion Pittsburgh International Airport modernization project is hundreds of millions more than initially planned. Inflation isn’t solely to blame for the rising cost of the project, Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis said in a statement. Instead, the authority is performing other maintenance and improvement work at...
Valley biology teacher wins grand prize in National Science Teaching Association competition
A Valley High School biology teacher has been nationally recognized for her efforts in the classroom. Kathy Jo Sagwitz, who has taught at Valley for 17 years, was selected as the grand prize winner in the Shell Science Lab Regional Challenge, administered by the National Science Teaching Association. “Great teaching...
Monessen club sued over March shooting
A private club in Monessen is being sued over claims that failed security led to a member’s injuries last month. Amir Reid, address unknown, contends the Monessen Elks Oaky Lodge No. 697 knowingly served an intoxicated guest and failed to act when he brandished a firearm during a fight outside...
Are you smarter than a 6th grader? Western Pa. middle schoolers compete in Civics Bee
Which unmet constitutional standard did James Madison and Thomas Jefferson cite in their arguments against establishing a national bank? If your answer to that query was not the “Necessary and Proper Clause,” you may not have performed well against the 18 middle school students who competed in the Civics Bee...
Allegheny County chief public defender placed on administrative leave
Allegheny County Chief Public Defender Lena Bryan-Henderson is on paid administrative leave pending an ongoing human resources investigation. “The county prioritizes dignity and respect for all our employees, and we will not comment on personnel matters,” said county spokeswoman Abigail Gardner. Bryan-Henderson, who was appointed in January 2024, had no...
Morning Roundup: Man shot into South Oakland residence, Pittsburgh police say
Here are a few morning news items from across the region for Wednesday, April 9: Police say man shot into South Oakland residence A Pittsburgh man is facing criminal charges after police say he shot into a residence in South Oakland on Tuesday night. According to a criminal complaint, Pittsburgh...
