Western PA Local News category, Page 36
New executive director of Northland Public Library to start role March 23
A new executive director has been hired to take over Northland Public Library following the retirement of Amy Steele. The Northland Public Library Authority Board voted to approve Amanda DeKnight for the position at its Feb. 24 public meeting. DeKnight is set to begin March 23. “The board is eager...
The Stroller, March 4, 2026: 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. Burrell HS cabaret concert...
Leetsdale gets new public works truck, seeks to improve trash collection
Leetsdale trash collection is about to get a little easier with the help of a new public works garbage truck. The borough recently purchased a 2026 International L9 Cummins truck with a Heil body and a mechanical arm called a tipper to help with collection. It replaces a 2012 International...
A 2nd person dies from fatal Liberty Bridge crash; survivor faces rough recovery
A second person has died in connection with a Sunday morning fatal crash along the Liberty Bridge. Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office late Wednesday identified the second victim as Jaren Wilkerson, 28, of Duquesne. A GoFundMe has been setup to help the family with burial expenses. Its organizer, Peri Lee,...
Irwin still seeking solution to replacing closed bridge
Irwin officials Tuesday once again were faced with the reality that there will be no easy solution to reopening the closed Colony Drive Bridge, which is the closest connection between a 226-unit apartment complex and Route 30. Colony Drive Bridge was closed Jan. 15 because of a hole in the...
Event organizer feuds with Pittsburgh over 2026 NFL Draft permit
An event organizer with a history of clashing with Pittsburgh officials is once again at odds with the city, accusing it of slow-walking his permit application to host 100 Black vendors Downtown for the NFL 2026 Draft. William “B” Marshall is alleging the city, a Downtown nonprofit and the NFL...
Ross recognizes 2025 police officer of the year, leadership award recipients
A one-time school custodian who became a police officer has been recognized as the 2025 officer of the year in Ross. Officer Jason Pokorny earned the award “for modeling what the ideal Ross police officer should be,” Ross police Chief Cristyn Zett said. “Officer Pokorny’s enthusiasm and positive attitude are...
West Newton man pleads guilty to accessing intimate images on hundreds of victims through their Snapchat accounts
A West Newton man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to hacking into hundreds of individual Snapchat accounts, accessing intimate videos and images stored there and then trading them online. Michael Yackovich, 30, will be sentenced on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft by Chief...
Pittsburgh VA expanding emergency room at Oakland hospital
The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System is expanding the emergency room and renovating spaces for physical therapy, neurology and vascular care at its Oakland hospital. Upgrades to the emergency department at the University Drive medical center will allow for faster triage, shorter wait times and more patient beds, the Pittsburgh VA...
Judge rejects Westmoreland sheriff’s request to halt inmate transports
A lawsuit that sought to reverse a court order issued two decades ago requiring the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department to transport jailed inmates to preliminary hearings was dismissed Tuesday. Common Pleas President Judge Christopher Feliciani issued a one-paragraph order that terminated the legal action filed in January by Sheriff James...
Bloomfield’s White Whale Bookstore designated Friendliest Small Business in Pennsylvania
White Whale Bookstore, open in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood for a decade, has been named the friendliest small business in Pennsylvania. By analyzing 3,104 consumer responses and cross-referencing them with Google review scores, the Advance Funds Network released a list of the “Top 150 Friendliest Small Businesses in the U.S.” Through...
Partnership provides resources for community cleanups ahead of America 250
The nonprofit Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation, is offering free cleanup supplies and reduced waste disposal rates through the end of May as communities prepare for America’s 250th anniversary. On Thursday, volunteers at Pittsburgh’s kickoff cleanup event located...
Woman’s death at Westmoreland prison was suicide by hanging, coroner says
A woman who was found dead in her cell at the Westmoreland County Prison in October died from asphyxiation due to hanging, according to a ruling from the county coroner’s office. Amber Knepshield’s death was deemed a suicide, chief deputy coroner Ken Bacha said Tuesday. Knepshield, 32, was pronounced dead...
West Deer residents appeal to Commonwealth Court in fight over fracking wells
A case argued Tuesday before Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court could test the reach of local efforts to challenge natural gas fracking. Concerned Residents of West Deer (CROWD), a local advocacy group, has raised concerns for years about the Leto fracking well, which is located near the heart of the West Deer...
Reading nooks surface across Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh locations
The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh launched a new initiative designed to support language skills and emotional regulation in children. The Early Literacy Initiative — launched during National Read Across America week and led by pediatrician Johanna Vidal-Phelan, who is The Children’s Institute’s president and CEO — added nine reading nooks...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette files closure notice with Pennsylvania
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s planned closure will affect 171 workers, according to a WARN notice filed Tuesday with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The WARN Act, meaning Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, is designed to protect workers, families and communities, according to the commonwealth. Through the act, employers are...
Franklin Regional 5th graders prepare for ‘Olympus: A Greek Rock Musical’
Franklin Regional’s high school musical had one of its biggest casts yet this year, and the elementary school isn’t far behind. A team of more than 125 student performers, crew members and set designers will debut “Olympus: A Greek Rock Musical” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Franklin...
Penn-Trafford to spend nearly $667K to purchase tablets for middle school students
Penn-Trafford will spend nearly $667,000 in the next four years to buy iPads for its middle school students. The school board voted unanimously Monday night to purchase the 1,300 devices. It will cost about $166,700 per year through the 2029-30 academic year. The vote comes nearly a year after the...
Judge calls Pittsburgh crash death ‘textbook example’ of why DUI is illegal
No one showed up in court for either side. Not for the victim, a 33-year-old immigrant killed in Pittsburgh last year by a drunken driver. And not for the defendant, a 22-year-old woman who created a good life for herself and her twin sons despite a string of difficult life...
Oliver Bath House, Pittsburgh’s only indoor public pool, to reopen this weekend
Oliver Bath House, Pittsburgh’s only indoor public pool, is scheduled to reopen this weekend after a yearslong closure for renovations. Located in the city’s South Side neighborhood, the two-story structure is more than 100 years old. “It means a lot to South Side, but it’s not just South Side,” Councilman...
Where does Pitt rank in federal medical research funding?
A tumultuous time for federal research funding didn’t stop the University of Pittsburgh from increasing its annual haul through the National Institutes of Health. For the year ending Sept. 30, Pitt received roughly $670 million from the country’s top funder of medical research, up from $661 million the year prior....
Video plays key role in Wilkinsburg homicide arrest
Police have arrested a Wilkinsburg man for fatally shooting another man in the back of the neck and leaving his body in the middle of a borough intersection. Wilkinsburg police said they were dispatched around 8:40 p.m. Jan. 13 to the 700 block of South Avenue for a call about...
Secret Service probes $5M Unity scam as duo indicted in similar multi-state ‘gold bar’ scheme
The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a scam that netted more than $5 million from a local resident through transactions in Unity. Meanwhile, two men are facing an indictment in Ohio federal court for a similar multi-state scheme that tricked senior citizens, including a West Newton man who reported losing...
How many new housing units are built in Pittsburgh each year? A new tool will track that
Discussions about Pittsburgh’s housing stock last year led to public bickering by the city’s mayoral candidates. During a debate before the May primary, Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor slammed his predecessor over the topic. Did Ed Gainey deliver 1,600 units of affordable housing as he boasted? Or, as O’Connor put it,...
Peregrine falcons to be protected during Tarentum Bridge construction project
Peregrine falcons that nest under the Tarentum Bridge will be protected as best they can during an upcoming, long-term construction project along the span. PennDOT is working with the state Game Commission to safeguard the nest — one of six in Allegheny County — when the $97.5 million rehab project...
