Gainey defends public safety record a day after Downtown shooting
A day after a teenager was shot in Downtown Pittsburgh, Mayor Ed Gainey on Thursday defended his administration’s public safety record, praised police officers for keeping the city safe and accused local media of not reporting more positive news. The mayor also stood by his choice for the city’s next...
Black Brilliance at Pittsburgh Public Theater centers Black mental health and wellness
The Pittsburgh Public Theater is championing Black wellness through its event Black Brilliance on Saturday. This is the second year for the wellness celebration, which takes place between two productions about Black stories. Pittsburgh Public Theater has put on a production called “Trouble in Mind,” and New Horizon Theater is...
Pine officially recognized as a Bird Town
Pine was officially recognized as a Bird Town during the Feb. 18 supervisors meeting. Bird Town Pennsylvania is a statewide, grassroots, municipal-level conservation program. Since 2011, it has worked with more than 50 municipalities to develop bird-friendly communities, reinforce the role people play in supporting bird populations, enhance habitat, reduce...
Etna swears in new member of borough council after brief vacancy
Etna Mayor Robert Tuñón swore in the newest member of borough council Feb. 18 after a monthlong vacancy in the First Ward. Brice Lynn, who has resided in Etna since 2019, was appointed to fill the seat left by Megan Tuñón after she resigned because of her “increasing duties” as...
Greensburg couple accused of child abuse
A Greensburg couple is accused of allowing children to live in squalid conditions, according to city police. The children were at the residence of Robert B. Conklin Jr., 39, and Erin E. Pitts, 38,, both of Allegheny Avenue, when a Westmoreland County Children and Youth Services caseworker found them living...
Injunction sought to halt planned demolition of condemned North Huntingdon tavern
The owners of a former restaurant on Route 30 in North Huntingdon have asked a Westmoreland County judge to halt the dilapidated building’s demolition. The Rivertowne Pub and Grille building has been vacant since it shuttered in 2018. Township officials in 2021 condemned the property after inspectors declared the building...
New tattoo shop, Wexford Tattoo Company, to offer ink to North Hills communities
Some new ink will soon be available on Perry Highway in McCandless. The Wexford Tattoo Company plans to open its doors March 15 at 10431 Perry Highway in the Phoenix Centre office building near North Allegheny Senior High School. The shop may be new, but it is not the first...
Case will proceed against mother, daughter accused of stealing from estate of Greensburg Beverage CEO
A mother and daughter accused of stealing a relative’s $4.4 million inheritance from the estate of the late Greensburg Beverage CEO will have criminal charges proceed in Westmoreland County Court, a district judge ruled Thursday. Angela Lynne Valesky, 26, of Murrysville and her mother, Lisa Anne Skatell-Valesky, 51, of Jeannette...
Rise in flu cases spurs alternative treatments
Flu cases are spiking in Western Pennsylvania and hospitals are dealing with increased patient traffic. Some people have tried to fight the flu by turning to alternative practices. While most homeopathic remedies are ineffective, there are some practices that can shorten your sick time, experts say. Megan swift joins host...
Journeys & Jazz celebrates Ahmad Jamal and Pittsburgh’s Jazz history
The legacy of Ahmad Jamal and Pittsburgh’s jazz roots were celebrated on Wednesday at the Community Engagement Center in Homewood at the Journeys & Jazz event. Jamal, a Homewood native whose career as a jazz pianist started as early as age 11, is having a collection of his work preserved...
Old Apollo High School could come down as soon as next week
The excavators are in place, the asbestos dealt with and anything of value removed from the old Apollo High School. All that’s holding up demolition is the weather. Work was initially planned for this past week, but freezing weather pushed it back, said Jace Myers, president of Ford City-based Myers...
Hampton author releases debut poetry collection
Hampton resident Bethany Jarmul has released her debut full-length poetry collection, “Lightning Is a Mother,” with ELJ Editions. The collection, which explores themes of identity, spirituality, motherhood and nature, became a passion project for Jarmul. “In the beginning, I didn’t set out to write a book. I was writing poems...
Retired KDKA-TV personality Jon Burnett dies
Former KDKA-TV weathercaster and daytime talk show host Jon Burnett died of suspected CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) following a 2022 diagnosis of the disease, according to KDKA. He was 71. Burnett shared his diagnosis with KDKA viewers in February 2024 reports by his longtime “Pittsburgh Today Live” co-host Kristine Sorensen,...
Violation notice issued to Lower Burrell steel plant for spill
The state Department of Environmental Protection plans to cite the operator of Braeburn Alloy Steel in Lower Burrell following a hydraulic oil spill at the site this month. DEP spokeswoman Lauren Camarda said the state agency has not determined yet whether any fines or other sanctions are warranted as its...
Box truck kills man near UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh, victim identified
A man was killed Thursday morning after he stumbled into a road in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood and was struck by a box truck, according to city police. Pittsburgh police were dispatched at 10:30 a.m. to Forbes Avenue and Pride Street, close to UPMC Mercy hospital, where they found the man...
Then and Now: 1875 O’Hara home is among oldest in township
One of the oldest existing homes in O’Hara stands along Freeport Road overlooking the Allegheny River. According to township historian Tom Powers, the home was among the first built in the Montrose Plan and is at least 150 years old. It sits in an area of the township not far...
Former Fawn Primary Center could go back on the market
The former Fawn Primary Center in the Highlands School District could be going back on the market. The school board last week voted to hire Integra Realty Resources to prepare a valuation on the building at 5591 Ridge Road. The cost for the appraisal is $2,500. The board did not...
Latrobe Shop’n Save sells winning Cash4Life lottery ticket
A customer at the Shop’n Save in Latrobe is Pennsylvania’s 18th million-dollar winner in the Cash4Life lottery game. The winning ticket is worth $1,000 week for life, or $1 million cash, and was sold for the Feb. 19 drawing. The ticket correctly matched all five balls drawn — 13-21-29-38-57 —...
Murrysville area: Irish rock presentation, children’s dance classes and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Rock Talks explores Irish music The Murrysville Community Library and municipal recreation department will host another “Rock Talks!” session with speaker Erik Selinger. It will be at 6:30 p.m. March 11 at the library, 4130 Sardis Road in Murrysville. The topic will...
Western Pa. picked baby names Oliver, Olivia most in 2024
When it comes to baby names, the O’s have it. Across Allegheny Health Network in Western Pennsylvania, O names rose to the top of people’s lists in 2024 — specifically Oliver for boys and Olivia for girls. Across AHN’s maternity care units, those were the two most popular names given...
Latrobe police force switches to 12-hour shifts; 5 officers get promotions
Latrobe police switched to 12-hour shifts this month, after the departure of a veteran sergeant and the promotion of three patrol officers. Police Chief Richard Bosco said the change to two daily 12-hour shifts, from three eight-hour ones, will make filling shifts easier when some officers are on vacation. Bosco...
Tickets available for 4th annual New Kensington Restaurant Ramble
A dozen New Kensington restaurants will participate in the fourth annual Restaurant Ramble in March. The event featuring the city’s downtown eateries will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 22. It is sponsored by Shop Small Shop New Ken, Voodoo Brewing New Kensington Pub and the...
Franklin Regional curriculum committee to examine student cellphone policy
Some Franklin Regional school board members think the district should reexamine its current policy on student cellphone use. “Our current policy allows teachers to make their own decisions, and I just thought it was worth throwing out there,” said board member Deb Bucciero. “There’s all different kinds of research about...
Pine-Richland High School will return to the classics with ’42nd Street’ musical
Students at Pine-Richland High School will offer “big number” performances and plenty of tap routines during five showings of “42nd Street” next month. The 1980 musical, based on a 1930s novel and film adaptation, is a meta-musical romance that follows an often troubled Broadway production during the Great Depression. The...
Shaler’s public works crew applauded for keeping roads safe during winter months
During the winter months, it is easy to spot where the work of Shaler’s public works crew begins and ends. That has produced hundreds of compliments on social media during January’s winter weather, with many of those messages citing the crew’s consistency and the difference in road quality compared to...
