Westmoreland-based water authority hikes rates, blames increase on inflation, upgrade needs
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers will be charged an additional 9.5% for water and sewer services starting in April. The authority board approved a $129 million budget that included the second rate hike in the past two years. The latest, officials said, is attributed to costs for energy, construction...
Repurposed rails from Brilliant Branch to make line running through Penn Hills, Verona quieter
A more than 2-mile stretch of rail line passing through Penn Hills and Verona is set to quiet down. In the coming months, Allegheny Valley Railroad will pull up track from its soon-to-be abandoned Brilliant Branch and use it along part of the Allegheny Subdivision, which follows the south bank...
Tardy salt deliveries, dwindling supply prompt Ligonier borough and township to emergency declarations
At least two more Westmoreland County municipalities — Ligonier borough and township — declared a state of emergency this week related to a lack of road salt. Meanwhile, Jeannette’s emergency declaration this week led to an agreement with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to get salt from PennDOT, if necessary,...
Woman arrested after pursuit through North Huntingdon neighborhoods; drugs seized from car
A Wilkinsburg woman being pursued by police was traveling at least 80 mph Monday afternoon through residential areas of North Huntingdon, according to court papers. Magdelena Ludwig, 27, was denied bail during her Tuesday arraignment on charges of fleeing from police, resisting arrest and numerous drug counts. Township police said...
Effort to block Pittsburgh from doing business with Israel spurs City Council backlash
Pittsburgh City Council members want voters to make it official that the city cannot discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin or association with foreign nations when it conducts business. A measure to seek a referendum on the matter comes after a pro-Palestinian group last year sought to...
Pittsburgh councilman seeks more candor in wake of Scirotto refereeing fiasco
A Pittsburgh councilman wants people appointed to run city departments and bureaus to answer council’s questions under oath. The move by Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, comes after council learned that Larry Scirotto, the city’s former police chief, was less than candid during public questioning about whether he would continue to...
Etna Council member resigns; borough seeks replacement from First Ward
Etna Council accepted, “with regrets,” the resignation of longtime member Megan Tuñón at its Jan. 21 meeting. Tuñón, who has served on council since 2018, submitted her resignation earlier this month because of her “increasing duties” as executive director of the Etna Community Organization. That organization will oversee the construction...
PETA calls for ‘weather reveal’ cake to replace Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day
In lieu of Punxsutawney Phil forecasting the weather on Groundhog Day, the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering to send a “weather reveal” vegan cake this year. PETA sends a letter annually to Punxsutawney Groundhog Club President Tom Dunkel suggesting an alternative predicting method...
Westmoreland offers special education certificate program aimed at bolstering teacher workforce
Schools in Westmoreland County are struggling to fill special education teaching positions. They’re not alone. More than 2,000 teaching positions were vacant in Pennsylvania as of October, according to data released by the state. Though schools in and around Philadelphia bear the brunt of the shortages, Westmoreland County needs 30...
3 injured, 2 critically, in explosion at Lower Burrell steel plant
Two people were critically injured in an explosion Wednesday at Braeburn Alloy’s Steel Division in Lower Burrell, according to emergency officials. A Westmoreland County 911 public safety supervisor confirmed the incident at 11:57 a.m. at the site, 101 Braeburn Road. One of the critically injured people was flown to an...
Man who pleaded guilty to delivering cocaine from his Maserati headed to prison
A Washington County man accused by police of driving a Maserati to deliver cocaine around the region, will serve 12½ years in federal prison. Dirk Barfield Jr., 38, was still on supervised released from a 2009 federal case when he was arrested on the new charges. According to federal prosecutors,...
Westmoreland happenings: Chili cookoff, art exhibit, pancake breakfast, more
Fundraisers • Action for Animals Humane Society will sponsor a “Love Is In the Air” fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 8 at Rizzo’s Malabar Inn Reception Hall, Crabtree. Cost is $60 and includes an Italian dinner buffet, appetizers and dessert. There will be a cash bar, a basket...
New alert system coming to Allegheny Valley School District
Allegheny Valley School District officials hope a new alert system can provide a more effective way to respond to incidents. The school board approved purchasing badges to be worn by district staff members for the Centegix silent crisis alert system. “They are badges the staff can use in the event...
Single-digit temperatures make for trying night for South Greensburg firefighters
Icicles hung from a South Greensburg home Tuesday morning as firefighters hosed down the structure amid single-digit temperatures. It was a trying night for dozens of volunteer firefighters from around the region, said South Greensburg fire Chief Matt White. The fire on Parr Street was reported around 11:30 p.m. Monday....
25th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast highlights message of interconnectedness
Despite the freezing temperatures outside, attendees turned out and filled almost every seat in the Zappala Campus Center Square room at La Roche University to hear Dr. Angela Reynolds proclaim this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day to be “a day of recommitment and a purposeful decision to not give...
Shadyside entrepreneur heats up the local hot sauce scene
Artie Pitt is livin’ the spice life. After a successful 20-plus-year career in the cannabis trade and music industries, Pitt is pursuing a lifelong love of making spicy foods — particularly hand-crafted hot sauce. Pitt launched Artie’s Hot Sauce in October 2023 after cooking up batches of hot sauce and,...
2025 Pittsburgh/Allegheny County homicide victims
A look at each of the homicides that have occurred in Allegheny County in 2025: Jan. 4: Dorrel Ferguson Dorrel Ferguson, 19, of Wilkinsburg was found fatally shot with a single gunshot wound to the upper torso on a Wilkinsburg sidewalk. Read more: Police: Man found dead on Wilkinsburg sidewalk...
Cash 5 lottery winning ticket sold in Crafton
A lottery player is $75,000 richer after buying a ticket Sunday in Crafton. The winning ticket was sold at the Giant Eagle along Walsh Road, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. It was a Cash 5 ticket with Quick Cash that matched all five winning numbers — 7, 8, 19, 31...
Bridgeville-South Fayette Rotary takes on comfort bag project
Police officers often meet people on the worst day of their life, and the Bridgeville-South Fayette Rotary club is trying to ease the pain for families in some of those situations. The Rotary is putting together comfort bags, with necessities, for Bridgeville and South Fayette police officers to give to...
Delmont plans to repave Greensburg Street this year
Delmont officials are considering the best way to move forward with their annual paving program, for which the 2025 goal is repaving Greensburg Street. Borough council members were hoping to also secure a state grant to repave Freeport Street, but it did not come through. Greensburg Street was last paved...
Woman found shot dead in Pittsburgh’s Perry South
A woman was fatally shot Saturday in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood, city police said. Officers said they were called at about 12:30 p.m. to the 100 block of Hawkins Avenue. At the scene, officers found a woman inside a home with a gunshot wound to the head, according to public...
Morning Roundup: Water line break creates icy road in South Side Slopes; fire in Beechview
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 22: Water line break in South Side A water main break in Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes neighborhood has left one street an icy mess. Crews were called to Mission Street near South 21st Street early Wednesday, according...
Bird flu outbreak causes egg shortages, price increases in Western Pa.
There’s been a shortage and price increase of eggs available at grocery stores nationwide, and Western Pennsylvania is not immune. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as the bird flu, is the culprit. It’s a virus that Dr. Lee Harrison, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine and epidemiology...
Roku available for checkout at Sewickley Public Library
Get your Netflix or Amazon Prime fix for free with a Roku Express checkout kit from the Sewickley Public Library. “It’s great if you want to try it out or don’t have one or maybe just want to watch a movie,” said Richelle Klug, communications and social media librarian. The...
The Stroller, Jan. 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. Local food bank seeking...
