Western PA Local News category, Page 364
Pa. mine safety, research offices targeted for closure as president touts coal
The health and safety of coal miners could be in danger if the Trump administration eliminates mine safety employees, including those working at the Mine Safety and Health Administration office in Hempfield that oversees nine states, according to a union official. The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency has trumpeted...
Lawsuit filed against driver, delivery company by family of woman killed in Oakland hit-and-run
The estate of a woman struck and killed in Oakland last year is suing the driver and his employer. Brian Maroney’s wife, Jessie Maroney, was killed on Dec. 5 as she crossed the road at Darragh and Terrace streets. According to the lawsuit, she was near the middle of the...
Staff cuts, health care savings put dent in Pine-Richland’s budget deficit
Savings in health care and those expected from staff cuts are putting a dent in the deficit that the Pine-Richland School District is forecasting for the 2025-26 school year. In addition to not replacing several departing employees, the school board also is being asked to consider increases in student activity...
Surprise Kevin Spacey appearance at Steel City Con draws social media ire
Many Western Pennsylvania comic enthusiasts reacted with disappointment to Steel City Con’s last-minute announcement that controversial actor Kevin Spacey would attend this past weekend’s event. CJ Gatsby, a loyal customer of Steel City Con, said he waffled on whether to attend this past weekend, but the Spacey announcement solidified it...
Tarentum man not guilty of assaulting police officer, guilty of lesser charges
A Tarentum man accused of slapping a borough police officer in 2023 was found not guilty of charges of aggravated assault, a felony, and stalking and terroristic threats, both misdemeanors. Bryaunt Williams, 40, instead was found guilty of two summary counts of disorderly conduct at a trial in Allegheny County....
Police shooting in East Vandergrift justified, says DA
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli has found police were justified in fatally shooting a suspect during a February raid in East Vandergrift. Ziccarelli announced her ruling Tuesday, marking the first official public account of why authorities opened fire on Lyle Cessna, 52. TribLive previously obtained court documents detailing the...
Rob Gronkowski returns to Woodland Hills to break in new fitness center
Rob Gronkowski remembers contending with rust on the bar when doing clean lifts 15 years ago at Woodland Hills High School. “It was dirty in here,” Gronkowski told a crowd of excited Woodland Hills student athletes Tuesday as he helped open the school’s renovated fitness center. Gronk, as the now-35-year-old...
Trial begins for Greensburg man accused in nephew’s overdose death
Daniel Rebosky insisted to a Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday that his son, Christopher, was not a drug addict. “He had a routine. He’d get up, go to church. He was a true believer and was someone who never missed a family event. He hosted dinners at this home and...
Video: Suspects grab $3K in merchandise from Hempfield Dick’s, flee storeVideo
Three people darted in to the Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Hempfield this week, grabbed $3,000 worth of merchandise and ran out, according to state police. Troopers arrested one of the suspects, but are seeking help to identify the other two. The theft was reported around 11:30 a.m. Sunday at...
Ew! Pittsburgh council member warns skeptics trash emergency is not rubbish
Pittsburgh City Councilperson Bob Charland stood Tuesday morning in a Knoxville alley where food wrappers and paper plates poked out of discarded garbage bags and a box of hypodermic needles lay smashed on the road. “I am sick and tired of our neighborhoods looking like no one cares about them,”...
Trump’s new insult ‘Panican’ becomes part of tariff debate
Fresh from Donald Trump’s insult factory is a new word: Panican. Trump unveiled the linguistic invention Monday in social media posts calling out those critical of his newly imposed tariffs. “The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO. Don’t be Weak! Don’t...
New Etna homes will ‘push back’ on forces making ownership unaffordable, Innamorato says
A trio of new, permanently affordable homes are expected to be completed in Etna by the end of the year. State, county and local officials gathered April 7 on Locust Street for a groundbreaking ceremony for the homes being built by City of Bridges Community Land Trust and Allegheny County-based...
Federal crackdown on foreign students hits CMU, Pitt, Penn State
The U.S. government in recent weeks has terminated the visas of international students at universities across Pennsylvania, including in Pittsburgh, as part of a national crackdown on foreign scholars. Students have been targeted at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University, the University of Pennsylvania and elsewhere....
Greensburg plans to replace old traffic signals
Greensburg council will vote Monday on a project to update some of the oldest traffic signals in the city. Mayor Robb Bell said a recommendation from city officials called for council to approve a contract with Bronder Technical Services, which had the lowest bid at $384,764.31. The project will address...
Yes, Western Pa. pays more for gas. You might be surprised how much more
If you feel like Western Pennsylvanians pay more for gasoline, you’re right. You can blame geography, experts say. Within the state — already home to the nation’s ninth-most expensive gasoline and the country’s third-highest gas tax — fuel costs more in the Pittsburgh region than almost anywhere, including the Philadelphia...
App aims to help drivers avoid potholes
A New Kensington man and his business partner are taking pothole matters into their own hands … or phones. George Brian has partnered with City Bucket List, an app that helps people get around Pittsburgh while also highlighting attractions and places to eat and drink. He wants the app also...
Scrapping $200 fee, Vandergrift instead hopes to enforce existing $50 charge on landlords
Vandergrift backed off a fourfold increase to its rental licensing fee on Monday but pushed ahead with the rest of a proposal to rein in unscrupulous landlords. The draft ordinance calls for annual inspections on rental properties and a $50-per-unit fee for their owners. Only after a code enforcement officer...
Driver faces trial on charges of being high when he struck man in wheelchair, breaking his neck
A 63-year-old man was high on methamphetamine and driving with a suspended license when he darted his car around a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus in Duquesne last September and struck a man in a wheelchair, breaking his neck, police said. The driver, Nicola Migliori, of Monongahela, had his preliminary hearing...
Man accused in carjacking, theft of Lucky the dog extradited to Westmoreland CountyVideo
Linda Folino hopes the extradition Tuesday of a man accused of carjacking her father in East Huntingdon and stealing his dog Lucky brings some closure to the family. “We just want to know what happened to Lucky,” Folino said. State police hope they can find out. Troopers planned to interview...
Crashes snarl traffic on I-79, Parkway West during morning commute
Most sections of I-79 and the Parkway West near the Bridgeville area are open and clear after nearly a dozen crashes snarled traffic on those highways during the Tuesday morning commute. Pennsylvania State Troopers said in a statement Tuesday morning that there may be some residual traffic and advised drivers...
Morning Roundup: Fire damages home in Upper St. Clair; man shot in Pittsburgh’s Marshall-Shadeland
Here are a few morning news items from across the region for Tuesday, April 8: Fire damages roof of Upper St. Clair home A fire Monday afternoon in Upper St. Clair left a massive hole in a home’s roof, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Fire crews were dispatched just...
The Stroller, April 8, 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. Free rides available to...
Westmoreland County agrees to settlement in age discrimination lawsuit
Westmoreland County will pay $16,000 to settle a federal age-discrimination lawsuit. The settlement agreement calls for the county to pay $11,000 to Wayne A. Piscar, who sued the county in October 2024 for not hiring him to work at the Regional Youth Services Center. An additional $5,000 will be paid...
Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center plans expansion
The Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District is planning an expansion that will include a new theater, exhibition space and classrooms. “The expansion will help secure long-term sustainability for the museum and further position the History Center as a premier cultural attraction in Pittsburgh,” Brady Smith, a...
‘Wicked’ leads PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh 2025-26 season
Lovers of musicals can start 2026 with “Wicked.” The popular show takes center stage from Jan. 14 to Feb. 15 at the Benedum Center, as part of the 2025-26 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season announced Monday by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Presented in partnership with Broadway Across America, the series...
