Western PA Local News category, Page 35
911 calls that range from heroic to hilarious for National Dispatcher WeekVideo
The second full week of April is National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week in the U.S., shining a spotlight on the dedication emergency dispatchers bring to the job every day. And while the job can be stressful, there are also those occasions when the call that comes in is, well …...
Shaler Area’s new athletic director embraces positive, student-driven environment
Editor’s note: The following story was submitted for the Shaler Area Student Section, a collaboration between TribLive and The Oracle, the student newspaper of Shaler Area High School. In February, Stephanie Strauss took over for Clint Rauscher as Shaler Area’s athletic director. She most recently was the athletic director at...
Blawnox upgrades borough website to make it more ADA accessible
Blawnox officials have revamped the borough’s website to make it easier for residents and visitors to use. The site was updated with new software and assistance from CivicPlus in order to be more Americans with Disabilities Act compliant on March 31. The biggest change is the accessibility tool to the...
Construction begins on $10B natural gas power plant and data center in Indiana CountyVideo
Construction has begun on a proposed $10 billion project to create a 4.4-gigawatt natural gas-fueled power plant and hyperscale data centers on a hilltop outside Homer City in Indiana County. The aboveground construction began more than a week ago, after extensive underground foundation work was completed at what the company...
Exodus of federal prosecutors ripples through Pittsburgh office
Since January 2025, nearly a third of the federal prosecutors based in Pittsburgh have left their jobs, joining a national exodus under the Trump administration. Pressured by increasingly heavy workloads linked to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, the waning independence of the Justice Department and disruptions at several high-profile offices,...
Once quiet, now colossal: NFL Draft turns Pittsburgh into football’s epicenterVideo
The NFL Draft started in the 1930s as a quiet affair in a hotel ballroom with no cameras and little buzz. Over the decades, it has transformed into a worldwide media spectacle that will draw more than 1,800 reporters and photographers to Pittsburgh next week. While the NFL’s headquarters are...
Motorcyclist killed in Uniontown crash
A motorcyclist was killed in a crash Monday afternoon in Uniontown, according to TribLive news partner WTAE-TV. The victim, who was identified as Kevin Glover, 34, was fatally injured in a two-vehicle crash around 5 p.m. along East Main Street, WTAE said. A spokesperson for the Fayette County Coroner’s office...
Motorcyclist hurt in Washington Township crash
A motorcyclist was hurt in a crash Monday night along Route 380 in Washington Township, a Westmoreland County Public Safety supervisor said. The motorcyclist was transported by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment, the supervisor said. The accident was reported at about 7:45 p.m. along Route 380 near the...
New contract includes interior cameras, GPS tracking for West Mifflin school buses
West Mifflin Area School District’s new transportation contract calls for a new and modernized bus fleet with enhanced safety technology, district officials say. The district entered into a 5-year contract with Krise Transportation for student transportation, said Mireille Mobley, West Mifflin spokeswoman. Krise will replace Sun Coach Lines, West Mifflin’s...
Jury acquits man in daylight shooting of teen in Downtown Pittsburgh
A Beltzhoover man accused of shooting a teenager last year in the middle of the afternoon in Downtown Pittsburgh was found not guilty on all counts on Monday. Martel Hedge Jr., 22, alleged he was defending himself on Feb. 19, 2025, when he fired the single shot in the 400...
Lawsuit claims Allegheny County Jail guard failed to protect inmate attacked in cell with spork
A formerly incarcerated man is suing Allegheny County after he claims he was sexually assaulted in his jail cell with a spork. The complaint, filed last week against Allegheny County and Corrections Officer Van Lieu, includes claims for failure to protect, and failure to train, supervise and discipline staff. Although...
German educators begin weeklong tour of Pa. public schools at North Hills High School
A group of German educators began a weeklong tour of public schools across Pennsylvania at North Hills High School in Ross on April 13. The seven-member group, which included teachers, principals and administrators, were also visiting North Allegheny that day and expected to visit Penn Trafford the next before making...
Sewickley man detained by ICE for weeks expected to return home within next few days
A Sewickley man will be released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after spending weeks in detention, following an immigration judge’s decision Monday to grant him bond. Bruno Guedes da Silva, a native of Brazil, is expected to be freed on a $5,000 bond set by the judge after he...
Penn Hills police unveil new design for patrol vehicles
Penn Hills residents can expect a new look from the township’s police department. The department unveiled a new design for its patrol vehicles April 12 on social media. “This design wasn’t just about changing the look of a vehicle,” the post said. “It was about creating something that reflects our...
Man who posted online as ‘Mr. Satan’ pleads guilty to threatening to kill Trump, ICE agents
A Butler man who threatened in online posts last year to kill President Donald Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday. Shawn Monper, 33, will be sentenced Aug. 12 by U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy on two counts of influencing, impeding or...
Former Manor police officer sentenced for impersonating UPMC officer, theft
A former Manor police officer was sentenced to three years of probation for impersonating a UPMC police officer at a health system building and taking credit cards and a key from an employee’s office, according to Allegheny County court records. Justin R. Hall, 41, of Washington Township pleaded guilty and...
Pittsburgh pediatrician’s psychological thriller ‘Basic Psych’ to debut on Amazon, AppleTVVideo
Long before he was thinking about a career in medicine, Dr. James Tucker was thinking about the movies. “I love movies,” said Tucker, 73, of Fox Chapel. “They move my life. My first year of college, I saw the movie ‘M*A*S*H.’ I was so entranced with that movie that I...
Vandergrift fire departments temporarily halt service after lapse in workers’ comp coverage
Vandergrift’s two fire departments are stuck at their stations until the borough reinstates workers’ compensation coverage for the volunteers, according to a statement from Mayor Lenny Collini. The statement said borough officials noticed a lapse in coverage late Friday and couldn’t resolve the issue over the weekend. Coverage is expected...
Building the Valley: Owner of Springdale restaurant builds bonds on ‘Calabrian Girl Tours’
Kathy Marsico never thought she’d end up spending half the year in the Italian countryside as a tour guide. The New Kensington resident worked as a hairdresser and eventually a restaurateur at Ladles in Arnold before she moved it to its present Springdale location. Though she grew up speaking Italian...
4,000 Band-Aids, 1,400 water bottles, 1 mobile clinic: Allegheny Health Network prepares for NFL Draft
Cuts, scrapes, bruises, dehydration, allergic reactions — Allegheny Health Network expects to see it all when thousands of people pack Downtown Pittsburgh and the North Shore in less than two weeks for the 2026 NFL Draft. The system’s mobile clinic will park in Market Square for the duration of the...
Point Park University raises tuition
Point Park University students will pay about 3% more in tuition next academic year. Tuition for a full-time undergraduate student in Point Park’s schools of education, business, communication or arts and sciences will be $20,130 per semester, or $40,260 per year, in the 2026-27 school year. That’s an increase from...
World’s largest rubber duck arrives ahead of NFL Draft
What is yellow, large — standing 61 feet tall and 64 feet wide — and will be taking over Green Tree ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft? The world’s largest rubber duck. From April 17 to 22, the largest inflatable rubber duck in the world, a popular tourist attraction, will...
Program between Chatham, West Allegheny to give students immersive reality college credits
West Allegheny High School students will trade the books for virtual reality headsets as part of a new collaboration with Chatham University. Chatham and West Allegheny will launch a dual enrollment program in virtual reality and immersive design fields next fall. The West Allegheny School District serves Findlay, North Fayette...
Paws Across Pittsburgh installs blessing box for struggling pet ownersVideo
Pet owners in need can get a helping hand 24/7 through a Tarentum nonprofit. Paws Across Pittsburgh on East Sixth Avenue unveiled a blessing box Friday, stocked with small bags of food for dogs and cats. “This special box is here to support pet families who may be going through...
Clinical trials offer hope for multiple sclerosis treatment breakthrough
Longtime runner Annie Saunders didn’t let a 2021 diagnosis of multiple sclerosis sideline her passions. If anything, the 40-year-old Irwin native pushes harder — through weakness and imbalance caused by the neurological disease — to keep her body strong. Saunders remains hopeful because she believes a cure will be found...
