Western PA Local News category, Page 350
The Stroller, April 22, 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. Leechburg Area Community Association...
Norwin’s $25M stadium renovation project panned by critics
The Norwin School Board members who voted last week for a $25 million stadium project were ripped Monday by critics who called it unnecessary, too costly in times of economic uncertainty and too much of a tax burden, particularly on senior citizens. “I think you failed in your fiduciary responsibilities...
Hempfield adjusts school start times to consolidate bus runs, address driver shortage
Board members of Hempfield Area School District voted unanimously — although reluctantly in some cases — to shift the start and end times for school next year. “I think this is the better option. But I still feel bad,” school board member Diane Ciabattoni said. The start and end of...
How will he be judged? Pope Francis’ legacy pondered across religious and social lines
Just a few months into his papacy, Pope Francis made a statement that drew global attention. Chatting with reporters in July 2013, on the plane back from his first foreign trip, he posited, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I...
Tiny Donegal Borough will cut council size in 2028, lack of participation cited
Donegal Borough Mayor Keith Deckinger is convinced his tiny town, which serves as the gateway to the Laurel Highlands, has an encouraging future. Its past and present, he said, had been stymied because of a lack of people willing to govern. Deckinger went to court Monday to ask a Westmoreland...
Millvale Community Library asking patrons to participate in expansion plans
The Millvale Community Library is preparing to expand. The library, located at 213 Grant Ave., will extend into a connected building at 211 Grant Ave., which is owned by the library and currently home to Abeille Voyante Tea Co. The library is using funding from a 2024 Allegheny Regional Asset...
Allegheny County public defender vows to keep fighting after being put on leave
Allegheny County’s chief public defender, who was abruptly escorted from her office on April 7 and put on paid administrative leave, claims her treatment was unjustified and denies allegations that she made offensive statements to subordinates. In a recent written message to supporters, Lena Bryan-Henderson called the claims “disheartening” but...
Pittsburgh, Greensburg Catholic bishops, other faith leaders remember Francis as an empathetic shepherd
Pope Francis will be remembered for his empathy, humility and gentle leadership, Southwestern Pennsylvania religious leaders told TribLive Monday. Francis, 88, died about 7:30 a.m. Rome time — about 1:30 a.m. locally. His death came the day after Christians celebrated Easter, the highest holy day of faith. “I think all...
Etna, Reserve consider combining police forces
Etna and Reserve are considering creating a regional police force, the borough and township announced Monday, April 21. In their announcement, the municipalities said they are at a very preliminary step in the process, which, if approved, would take several years to complete. A regional police force “may be a...
Former Vandergrift cop accused of having sex with underage girl waives charges to court
Former Vandergrift police Sgt. Anthony “Tony” Depanicis, who is accused of having sex with a minor about 100 times in the early to mid-1990s, waived his charges to court Monday. A criminal complaint filed by state police alleges he invited a 14-year-old girl to his Oklahoma Borough home for sex...
Submissions sought for coloring book to celebrate Shaler’s 125th anniversary
A community coloring book is being put together to help celebrate Shaler’s 125th anniversary. Township residents of all ages are being asked to design pages for the commemorative book. Submissions are due by April 30. To participate, sketch an image on an 8-by-10-inch piece of white paper, using a black...
Aspinwall police investigating vandalism of Little Free Library
Janet and Wes Rohrer of Aspinwall are the proud stewards of two Little Free Libraries on their property along Third Street. They installed the libraries in 2011 — one specifically for children positioned at a lower height and one for adults — but an act of vandalism over the weekend...
Cheswick turns to AI program to assess road conditions
Cheswick Council approved a contract that will enable the borough to scan its roads with AI-powered software to assess conditions and determine future projects. The borough inked the $12,000, three-year contract with German software company Vialytics for its RoadAI scanning program. To perform the scans, borough workers will attach a...
Shapiro reveals he spoke with Trump about arson attack, U.S. Steel
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro revealed Monday he spoke with President Donald Trump two days earlier, nearly a week after authorities said an arsonist set fire to the governor’s residence while Shapiro and his family were inside. Shapiro, appearing at the Mt. Lebanon Fire Department to unveil $30 million in grants...
May Mart plant sale returns for 56th year in Greensburg
The Westmoreland Garden Council will host its 56th annual May Mart plant sale May 2 and 3. The sale will be held on the front lawn of the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road, from noon to 7 p.m. May 2 and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m....
4 vying for Highlands School Board in Region 2
Four people are competing for two positions to represent Highlands School Board Region 2. Incumbent Debra Lehew will go up against newcomers Shane Chesher, Jeff Thimons and Whitney Washington in the May 20 primary. Incumbent Nicole Kocon is stepping down. Region 2 includes Brackenridge and parts of Harrison. All of...
Recently retired Cardinal O’Malley — who grew up in Western Pa. — is headed to the Vatican. Could he be the next pope?
BOSTON — Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, who recently retired as Archbishop of Boston, will attend Pope Francis’s funeral at the Vatican but will not vote for the next pope. O’Malley, who turns 81 in June, lost his coveted voting rights once he turned 80, an aide close to O’Malley tells...
Masses to be offered for Pope Francis as Pittsburgh area Catholics, including Bishop Zubik, mourn pontiff
Pittsburgh Roman Catholic Bishop David A. Zubik remembered Pope Francis as a merciful pastor Monday morning as he joined others around the world in mourning Francis, who died at 88. “He really had a beautiful way of respecting every single individual,” Zubik said. The pontiff will be remembered for the...
Penguin Court offers native plant sale, plans master naturalist course
Home gardeners looking to add some local color to their flower beds might choose the purple blossoms of tall larkspur or the broad yellow petals of the wood poppy. They’re two of the more than a dozen new species featured in this year’s native plant sale at the Brandywine Conservancy’s...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week for April 21, 2025
Free paper-shredding event open to households State Reps. Joe McAndrew, D-Penn Hills, and Abigail Salisbury, D-Swissvale, are teaming up for a free document shredding event from 9 a.m. to noon May 3 at the former Westinghouse site, 1310 Beulah Road, Churchill. The event will take place weather permitting. Vehicles should...
Federal cuts threaten to close Allegheny County lab that certifies N95s and other respirators in June
Most Americans learned what an N95 mask was during the covid-19 pandemic. But what many still don’t know is that every one of them was certified by a single, government-run lab in Bruceton, in Pittsburgh’s South Hills. It’s called the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory. The name N95 actually comes...
Carlynton School board candidates key in on communication, transparency, finances
Editor’s note: The Signal Item is only spotlighting contested races in the primary election. Communication, transparency and finances are top of mind for the six candidates seeking four nominations on the Carlynton School Board. Brittany Bova, Tina Geer and Reece Smith, and incumbents Leeanne Mitchell-O’Brien, Susie Puskar and Christine Simcic...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area news, events for the week of April 21, 2025
Plum Council approves new batting cages Plum Borough Council unanimously approved an application from the Plum Baseball and Softball Association to build new batting cages at the Plum Creek municipal ballfields. The cages, which can hold up to four batters at a time in addition to a warm-up area for...
In brief: Bridgeville, Carnegie area news and events, week of April 21, 2025 and beyond
Events at Scott Library Scott Township Public Library is hosting fundraising events in the upcoming days. The Spring Vendor Fair is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 26 at the Scott Township Municipal Building, 301 Lindsay Road. The event is free. Raffles, food truck and various vendors will be...
‘Very humble and very patient’: W. Pa. Catholics mourn Pope Francis
Meeting Pope Francis made for a memorable, albeit unusual, 25th wedding anniversary celebration for Nat and Melanie Pantalone. The Greensburg couple, about 20 priests and several others celebrating their anniversaries had a private Mass in April 2015 in Rome with the first Latin American pontiff. Nat Pantalone remembered being nervous...
