The Stroller, Jan. 14, 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. Concordia speakers bureau offers...
Mondays mean volunteering at hospital for 99-year-old Greensburg woman
A maintenance worker at the former Jeannette District Memorial Hospital was confused when he saw Rosemary Kindelan’s familiar face in the building on a Friday. “He threw his hands up in the air and said, ‘Don’t tell me it’s Monday,’ ” Kindelan recalled. Kindelan, who turned 99 on Dec. 27,...
Civil trial begins in 2018 Kopy’s brawl between undercover Pittsburgh police and Pagans
In clip after clip, the video showed the bartender at Kopy’s on the South Side pouring double and triple shots of Jack Daniels. Over the course of four hours, based on the footage shown to the jury, Pittsburgh police undercover Det. David Honick had at least 20 shots. But, he...
‘A nightmare’: Ligonier native takes to skies to battle Los Angeles fires
Capt. RK Smithley has been one of about a dozen aerial firefighters battling the Los Angeles wildfires, which have killed at least 24 people. “This is kind of a historical event that we’re operating right now,” he said. “My gut reaction was it’s a nightmare.” A Ligonier native, Smithley, 65,...
Suspended Arnold police chief claims setup, seeks dismissal of criminal charges
Arnold’s suspended police chief on Monday claimed his arrest was a result of a setup orchestrated by his former wife. Joshua I. Stanga, 42, was charged with five misdemeanor counts including theft, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence and related offenses in connection with what state investigators described as a...
Unity man pleads guilty to lesser charge in knife attack
A Unity man who faced attempted homicide charges in connection with a stabbing last year pleaded guilty to a lesser charge as part of a deal with prosecutors Monday. Prosecutors agreed to allow William Kennet Evans Jr., 62, to plead guilty to one felony count of aggravated assault. They dismissed...
Judge rules appointment to Ligonier Valley Police Commission invalid
Ligonier Township resident Scott Gongaware’s recent reappointment as a citizen member of the Ligonier Valley Police Commission was invalid, according to Westmoreland County Judge Harry Smail Jr. Smail on Monday barred Gongaware from participating in Tuesday’s meeting of the regional police commission as the judge granted a preliminary injunction on...
Wegmans to open first store in Pittsburgh area
Wegmans announced Monday it is planning to open a location along Cool Springs Drive in Cranberry, its first store in the Pittsburgh region. The New York-based supermarket chain operates more than 100 stores in the Eastern United States. As of January, its closest locations to Pittsburgh were in Erie and...
412 Gives Back Gala at Fox Chapel Golf Club raises $165,000 for Make-A-Wish
Given that the event sold out within five hours of tickets going on sale, meeting a fundraising goal of $100,000 pretty much was a foregone conclusion. By the time everything was accounted for, proceeds from the second annual 412 Gives Back Gala totaled $165,000. The money benefits Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania...
Cleveland-Cliffs still interested in U.S. Steel if pending merger fails
Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves said Monday his company is ready to make another offer for U.S. Steel if its attempted merger with Japan’s Nippon Steel fails for good. “We have an all-American solution,” he said during a fiery news conference at the company’s stainless steel plant in Butler. Details were...
Iron City Beer ad removed from billboard atop Mount Washington
The Iron City Beer advertisement on Mount Washington no longer hovers over Pittsburgh. The sign — visible from many points throughout the city, including Point State Park — was taken down Monday. According to Pittsburgh Brewing Company, Iron City Beer used the prominent billboard from 1938 till the mid-1950s. The...
Chartiers Valley holds special pep rally before Steelers playoff game
The Pittsburgh Steelers got some support from Chartiers Valley High School students during a pep rally the day before their Jan. 11 NFL wild card-round playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens. With Charlie Batch and Steely McBeam on hand on Jan. 10, students received terrible towels, hats and signs. Winter...
Arnold woman accused of shooting threat jailed without bond
Editor’s note: All charges against Mayona Harrington were withdrawn by the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office on Jan. 23 after, police say, prosecution witnesses fail to appear to testify at a hearing on the charges. An Arnold woman accused of an attempted home invasion is in jail. Mayona Dania Harrington,...
Free at-home radon test kits available in Allegheny County
Free radon test kits are now available through the Allegheny County Health Department. While supplies last, over 900 kits can be picked up between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Housing and Community Environment office — 3190 Sassafras Way. Approximately 40% of homes across Pennsylvania are...
Amazon: $20M upgrade at Findlay warehouse to displace 432 workers
Online retailer Amazon said Monday it will displace 432 of 500 workers at its Findlay sorting center in March as the company makes more than $20 million in improvements at the facility over six to eight months. The package and delivery giant filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or...
Teacher’s surgery recovery at center of lawsuit between Freeport Area School District and union
Freeport Area School District has sued its teachers union in a bid to overturn an arbitrator’s ruling that an employee was not required to use Family and Medical Leave Act time off. A lawsuit filed last week in Butler County Court against the Freeport Education Association claimed first-grade teacher Claudine...
West Deer resident praises emergency response after fire, says ‘could’ve been a whole lot worse’
Larry Hopper lost some expensive “tools and toys” when fire ripped through his West Deer garage Sunday, but he woke up Monday feeling grateful that the damage was limited to material items. “Our fire department was so on point,” said Hopper, 42. “There was an army of people at my...
Pine holds reorganization meeting
The Pine board of supervisors held its annual reorganization meeting on Jan. 6. The board elected Ryan Colombo as chair and Audrey Mackie as vice chair. Supervisor Pat Avolio made a motion to approve the following reappointments to various committees for 2025 during the meeting. The motion was seconded by...
Richland taxes hold steady in 2025 budget
Richland residents will see their property taxes hold steady for another year, according to the 2025 budget. The Richland board of supervisors voted to pass the proposed 2025 budget at its Dec. 18 meeting. For 2025, a millage rate of 2.696 mills is levied on all commercial, residential and nonexempt...
Coroner identifies man killed in Route 993 crash in Manor
An Irwin man was killed Monday morning on Route 993 in Manor when a passing dump truck hauling a trailer rolled over onto his car, the Westmoreland County Coroner said. Vincent B. Neal, 86, was driving a Hyundai Kona northwest on the road when the collision with the southeast-bound truck...
Exchange students from Hungary, Italy, Spain enjoying their time at Plum High School
Plum High School is hosting exchange students from Hungary, Italy and Spain this school year. Angela Malanga, from Italy, and Zalan Negele, from Hungary, are seniors, while Miguel Iglesia Lazaro, from Spain, is a junior. They are in Plum through the district’s partnership with EF High School Exchange Year, a...
Pa.’s Real ID deadline is looming — here’s how to get one before you’re banned from flying
The Real ID deadline is coming in a few short months, so Pennsylvanians who haven’t gotten one yet might want to get their plans — and documents — in order. Here’s what you’ll need to get your Pennsylvania driver’s license updated to meet the new federal security standards. What is...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area news, events for the week of Jan. 13, 2025
Plum man waives right to preliminary hearing on attempted arson, other charges A Plum homeowner accused of trying blow up his home with natural gas in November waived his right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Michael J. Doyle on Jan. 8, according to court records. Borough police charged...
Morning Roundup: Route 28 crash causes backup in O’Hara; burglary at Bethel Park gun shop
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Jan. 13: Crash on Route 28 causes backups in O’Hara A crash along Route 28 southbound Monday morning caused traffic backups for several hours, according to 511 Pennsylvania. The crash was reported around 6:30 a.m. in the area...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of Jan. 13, 2025
8% tax hike approved Penn Hills Council approved an 8% property tax increase last month. Council members Joanne Fascio, Shawn Kerestus and Alan Waldron voted for the tax increase, while Mayor Pauline Calabrese and Deputy Mayor Catherine Sapp opposed it. The millage rate is up from 6.444 mills to 6.944...
