Scholarship, memorial to honor Domenico Schiano di Cola’s memory at St. Joseph High School
The Schiano di Cola family wants to give back to the school and community that’s meant so much to them. The family is establishing a scholarship in the late Domenico Schiano di Cola’s memory that will run in perpetuity at St. Joseph High School in Harrison. It’s his alma mater...
The Stroller, Feb. 2, 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. Soup cook-off planned by...
Hempfield park solar power project to be revisited
A proposed solar power project at what is to be Hempfield’s new emergency management headquarters and municipal park was put on hold last week over concerns that federal funding designed to fuel clean energy projects might be in danger because of the actions of the new administration. But that hold...
Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter after seeing shadow
The largest Groundhog Day crowd to date greeted the news from Punxsutawney Phil with a chorus of boos Sunday. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club declared the famous rodent saw a shadow at sunrise and predicted six more weeks of winter. The prediction at 7:25 a.m. came as thousands who gathered at...
Less money, more coverage: Regional police forces becoming more attractive
The Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department’s budget increased by 5% this year — but it still costs its member communities less than what they were paying for their individual departments years ago. Cheswick, East Deer and Springdale Township each will pay about $272,000 toward the regional police force this year....
Historical society marks 65th anniversary of Southern lunch-counter protests
Kelton Edmonds doesn’t just know the history of the “Greensboro Four,” the group of Black freshman students at North Carolina Architectural & Technical State College, who staged the first lunch-counter sit-in protest. He got a firsthand account of it from Jibreel Khazan, who was known then as Ezell Blair Jr.,...
Abandoned North Side church catches fire
Pittsburgh fire crews put out a fire at a long-shuttered North Side church Saturday afternoon. Crews were dispatched at around 3 p.m. Saturday to St. Wenceslaus Church, located in the 800 block of Progress Street, for reports of smoke and fire coming from the building, said Emily Bourne, a public...
Donegal man accused of scamming insurance companies out of $30,000
A Donegal man faces multiple counts of insurance fraud and theft on accusations that he scammed two insurance companies on separate occasions with false claims totaling more than $30,000. Walter A. Smith Jr., 45, was charged on Friday by the state Attorney General’s Office. Smith faces eight counts of insurance...
Forward Township warehouse fire under investigation
A marina warehouse fire near the Monongahela River Bridge in Forward Township is under investigation. Fire crews were called to the area of Liggett Avenue and Edsel Lane just after 1 a.m. Friday morning, arriving to find a large one-story warehouse with fire coming from the roof. Gallatin Sunnyside VFD...
TribLive Black History Month series aims to preserve history, legacy, stories
I recently looked in the back of a large recipe book, searching for something I could make with ingredients I already had. From the very back of the book, a purple envelope dropped out and landed at my feet. I picked it up, smiling at the recent memory of my...
Jeannette couple plans to distribute $10K in scholarships through nonprofit
A $1,000 boost from a local nonprofit helped Jeannette native Noah Sanders buy books and pay for student housing at college while he works on a degree in business and finance. A 2024 high school graduate, Sanders is hoping to become an accountant after completing coursework at Defiance College in...
Former West Deer Municipal Building demolition to begin
Demolition of the former West Deer Municipal Building is expected to begin in this month but there’s a chance a small portion of it will remain to benefit homeless dogs. Chairwoman Beverly Jordan said the board is considering a plan to renovate the old police carport area into a 26-foot...
The Stroller, Feb. 1, 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. Animal Protectors plans evening...
Failing private wastewater treatment prompts $10.8M Donegal Township sewage project
Failing private sewage systems have led to excess levels of ammonia and fecal coliform bacteria in Donegal Township’s Minnow Run. To help clean up that stream, whose waters ultimately wind up in Indian Creek and the Youghiogheny River, the township is preparing to construct its first-ever public sewage system. Tom...
Longtime physical therapy business in Scottdale sold to regional group
George Hoffman can only speculate about how a new ownership group will run his former business, Scottdale Rehabilitation. But he’s pretty sure about one thing — they won’t be making deals with patients where payment comes in the form of a pie or cake. “My wife used to make fun...
Massachusetts man accused of impersonating a police officer in Hempfield during alleged fraud scheme
A man who state troopers said portrayed himself as a Pittsburgh police officer on a Hempfield doorstep Friday morning is behind bars. State police said they were called to a home on Crows Nest Road just before 10 a.m. by a resident who reported a suspicious person knocking on her...
Oakmont Council welcomes first youth representative
Rocco Brown is a busy kid. The 16-year-old Riverview junior is president of the school’s prom committee, president of French club, treasurer for student council, treasurer for his school’s key club, a member of the inclusive leaders club and a member of the National Honor Society. He recently added Oakmont...
Freeze-thaw cycle wreaks havoc on road surfaces
Greensburg Public Works Director Tom Bell took a good bit of verbal abuse this week about a road he’s not even responsible for maintaining. “Next time, leave your phone number, and I can explain to you why and who maintains that roadway and takes care of those potholes,” Bell wrote...
Relic of ‘God’s Influencer’ visits Saint Joseph High School in Harrison
Carlo Acutis was much like the typical teen boys of today: He was a fan of soccer and spent a lot of time on his computer. He also was deeply religious and, in April, is expected to be the first person from the millennial generation to be canonized as a...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s chief of staff resigns
Jake Wheatley, chief of staff to Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, has resigned, the mayor’s office said Saturday. A statement sent to the media Saturday evening did not list a reason for the departure. Wheatley’s resignation was effective Jan. 29. “Jake has made extremely important contributions to my administration and the...
WVU scraps Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division office
West Virginia University in Morgantown has scrapped its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division and is replacing it with a new initiative, keeping in line with the state’s governor who declared an end to DEI offices. State-owned WVU said the move was in compliance with Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s executive order prohibiting...
Taco Bell manager who killed employee testifies he feared victim
Zairyre Simmons was abused as a child and grew up in the foster care system. He watched a person get shot while playing basketball at a Homewood playground and later lost his best friend and older brother to violence. All of those circumstances — along with a 2018 incident when...
Experts warn Trump tariffs could depress U.S. economy
Bill Mohler can see hard times coming. Co-owner of Sendell Volkswagen, east of Greensburg, Mohler said President Trump’s expected 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada will have a dramatic impact on his business. “It will mean the price of cars and parts could go up 25%,” Mohler said...
Monroeville Mall sold for $34 million; buyer not disclosed but store employees, shoppers hopeful
The Monroeville Mall and its annex have been sold for $34 million in cash, the mall owner said Friday. CBL Properties of Chattanooga, Tenn., did not disclose the buyer. In a statement, CBL said the sale will allow it to focus its efforts on properties with a higher productivity than...
Lawsuit accuses Allegheny County, McCandless police of civil rights violations in DUI arrestVideo
An Allegheny County Jail corrections officer taunted a handcuffed Hampton man while shocking him with a Taser last year, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit. “That feels good baby,” the lawsuit claims a corrections officer said to plaintiff Brian Estep, 30, who was being processed at the lockup on...
