Western PA Local News category, Page 378
Trafford authors to deliver talk on their literary work, small-town upbringing
Trafford authors Lori Jakiela and Dave Newman will give a talk on April 3 about the influence of their small towns on their literary works. The married couple live in Trafford, Jakiela’s hometown. Newman grew up in Irwin. They will read excerpts of their work before delivering their talks. A...
Monroeville area: Sedlak Cleanup Day, free Easter dinner, wine-tasting fundraiser, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Pet walk to benefit rescues planned for Boyce Park The Wildflower Pet Walk, formerly the Friends of Jupiter Pet Walk, will be held April 27 at the Tanglewood Shelter on Pierson Run Road at Boyce Park in Plum and Monroeville....
Monroeville adds 3 new officers, receives recognition from U.S. Secret Service
Monroeville added three new officers to its police force this month, including its first officer fluent in Spanish, bringing the department to 49 officers. Grady Fagan, Michael Ragan and Miguel Armijo were sworn in at council’s March 11 meeting. For the past few decades, all of the officers that have...
Local quilter’s ‘challenges’ showcased at Monroeville library
Karen Junge Luce’s “Challenge Accepted” quilt exhibit will be on display in the Monroeville Public Library Gallery Space from March 28 to April 22. The public is invited to a free opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. March 29. Many of Luce’s quilts will be available for purchase. The...
Penn Hills teachers reach contract agreement, avoid strike
Penn Hills teachers were able to avoid a strike after a contract agreement was reached with district administration. According to a news release from the Penn Hills Education Association, an unspecified majority of the membership voted to ratify their collective bargaining agreement with the district Wednesday night. The school board...
Jury renders split verdict for man accused of dousing ex with hot cooking oil
Tasha Lomax suffered second-degree burns over 20% of her body after hot cooking oil spilled down her left side. She claimed her ex-boyfriend, Herkley Fields IV, had doused her on purpose in McKeesport on Oct. 9, 2022. “‘This is what you and your friends get for playing with me,’” Lomax...
Female veteran from Greatest Generation: ‘Best thing that ever happened to me’
The world that young Emily Drake was navigating in the spring of 1942, armed with an Aspinwall High School diploma, was awash in war — in Europe, Asia, Africa and throughout the South Pacific. Drake, who lives in O’Hara, wanted to join the Women’s Army Corps to serve her country...
Pittsburgh navigates logistics of hosting 2026 NFL Draft sites split by a river
Pittsburgh officials preparing for the 2026 NFL Draft will face a unique logistical challenge never before encountered by a host city: how to get hundreds of thousands of fans around an event spanning two sites separated by a river. No one struck panic mode Wednesday during a discussion on the...
Greensburg’s Main Street reimagined with mix of housing, retail, restaurants
An ambitious attempt to revitalize some century-old buildings on Greensburg’s Main Street will likely involve some future scholars to reach its maximum potential. The Westmoreland County Housing Authority intends to convert the century-old First Commonwealth Building and adjoining PNC Bank buildings into housing, retail, office and meeting spaces in what...
Republicans axed from Norwin school board race
Three Norwin School Board candidates were removed Wednesday from the May primary ballots. A Westmoreland County judge ruled technical errors rendered nomination petitions submitted by incumbent Alex Detschelt, along with Republican hopefuls Tammy Moreno and Randall Pedder, as invalid. Detschelt, a controversial first-term member of the board who has twice...
Lawsuit claims Ligonier Valley police failures led to man’s death after 2020 crash
Surviving family members of a Latrobe-area man paralyzed in 2020 car crash in Ligonier Township claim failures of local police led to his eventual death, according to allegations raised in a lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County. The family claims that Ligonier Valley police detained Donald R. Hall, 49, outside a...
More than 200 students gather for anti-hate summit at Acrisure Stadium
In anticipation of September’s Eradicate Hate Global Summit in Pittsburgh, students from 25 school districts throughout Allegheny County convened March 26 at Acrisure Stadium to discuss their efforts to promote acceptance and counter hate in their communities. The conference, which marked a halfway point between last October’s Eradicate Hate summit...
Bump-out planned on Bridgeville’s Bank Street aims to curb speeding
Bridgeville officials say a bump-out planned on Bank Street, at its intersections with Gregg Avenue and Winfield Street, will calm traffic in that area. PennDOT contractors and the borough are currently upgrading the wheelchair-accessible sidewalk ramps on Bank Street, said Manager Joe Kauer. “As part of this project, they are...
Podcast: Pittsburgh Mills’ pothole problems
Pittsburgh Mills has spent much of its 20-year existence as part of the discussion about dying malls around the area and the country. But lately, it’s potholes — not vacancies — that have people talking. These are not ordinary potholes — we’re talking three-foot-wide, one-foot-deep, bone-rattling holes that have damaged...
Event to admire, learn about North Park’s blooming Japanese cherry trees scheduled
The flower buds on North Park’s Japanese cherry trees began to swell in late March, and an event to take in their short-lived beauty is scheduled for the first Saturday in April. The Pittsburgh Sakura Project will host its annual cherry blossom viewing event from 2 to 4 p.m. April...
Alle-Kiski Valley communities rally behind lifelong public servant as he battles cancer
Willie Weber is a giver. The Arnold man has dedicated his life to public service, working at various Alle-Kiski Valley police departments and volunteering as a firefighter in Arnold. After decades of putting his energy into supporting his community and surrounding communities, Weber, 65, is now the one receiving support....
Grow Pittsburgh director recognized for expanding food access in urban areas
Denele Hughson is being the change she wants to see. Being the executive director of nonprofit Grow Pittsburgh, Hughson has advocated for the physical, mental and communal advantages of food access across the Pittsburgh area. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. Hughson, 38, was one of 19 women to receive...
Penn State commonwealth campus leader leaves for College of New Jersey
Penn State’s vice president for commonwealth campuses and executive chancellor Margo DelliCarpini is set to depart the university to accept a position at a different school. She will leave Penn State effective June 30 to take on a new position as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at...
Westmoreland happenings: Art exhibit, pancake breakfast, meetings, more
Art • The Greensburg Art Center will present a free exhibit “The 2025 Biennial” through May 5 at the center, 230 Todd School Road, Hempfield. The juried entries include art in all mediums and examples of pottery and other three-dimensional art. Public welcome. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays...
First New Kensington farmer’s market aims for healthy food, local business support
To Michelle Thom, goals for an upcoming farmers market in downtown New Kensington are twofold. The Downtown New Ken Partnership president wants to provide healthy, fresh food in the area and increase foot traffic for small businesses there. The farmers market — which Thom believes is the first of its...
Sewickley Academy student ditches technology for a screen-free semester
Arjun Kathju of Sewickley Heights has done what most teens would likely never consider. The 16-year-old Sewickley Academy sophomore went cold turkey on screen use, primarily with his cellphone and secondary with other digital/screen devices for three straight months while attending a high school academic program in Switzerland last fall....
2nd pedestrian struck March 11 while in crosswalk in Indiana Borough dies
A second pedestrian hit by a truck in Indiana Borough this month has died. Loretta Ann Reeger, 68, of Clarksburg, died Saturday at Conemaugh Memorial Hospital, according to her obituary. Borough police said they are continuing their investigation into the March 11 crash. A driver from Alliance Properties Group in...
Murrysville mobile home park residents’ water service restored
Residents of the Holiday Hills mobile home park in Murrysville are cautiously optimistic after property managers say regular water service was restored. Renters in the park, off Logans Ferry Road, have dealt with inconsistent water pressure — and frequently no water at all — since late January. The private water...
Morning Roundup: Water main break hits Pitt campus; Pittsburgh foster parent facing sex abuse charges
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, March 26: Water main break impacts Pitt campus A water main break Tuesday night along O’Hara Street in Oakland resulted in several University of Pittsburgh dorms losing water overnight, according to Pitt’s emergency alerts. The break was announced...
Former UPMC Children’s Hospital doctor pleads guilty to child pornography charges
Ashok Panigrahy, a former chief radiologist at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, has pleaded guilty in federal court for knowingly possessing images and videos of child pornography. On Tuesday, the Western District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the guilty plea, which took place before U.S. District Judge Christy Criswell...
