Gilpin supervisors elect new leadership, but not without complaints
A change in leadership on the Gilpin board of supervisors isn’t sitting well with at least one township official. During the board’s annual reorganization meeting this month, Tina Thompson was elected as the new chairperson for supervisors in a 3-2 vote, replacing Charles Stull, who held the position for six...
Oakmont officials share plans for traffic control near Riverview Jr.-Sr. High School
Oakmont officials are making plans to reduce accidents at the place that has the most wrecks in town. They have identified that spot as an intersection near Oakmont Bakery and Riverview Junior-Senior High School. They blame many of the wrecks there on drivers making an illegal left turn from Third...
Pete Buttigieg to return to Pittsburgh as Transportation secretary role nears end
Pete Buttigieg will visit the Pittsburgh area on Friday in one of his final trips as U.S. Transportation secretary. Buttigieg is slated to make several stops to highlight transportation resources that have received federal support under the Biden administration. Buttigieg is expected to tour Pittsburgh’s three rivers, including the Emsworth...
Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board confirms new warden
The Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve a career state corrections officer as its new warden. Trevor Wingard, 55, who retired from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections in 2022, will start on Monday. The vote, after board members spent more than an hour peppering Wingard with...
Norwin area: North Huntingdon hires officer, appoints members to panels
North Huntingdon hires Irwin officer Irwin is looking for a new police officer and hopes to be able to hire one next month. Officer Ryan Krause resigned from the Irwin police department on Jan. 8. Krause, who was hired in August, took a job with the North Huntingdon police department,...
Jeannette man not guilty of ordering teen brother to shoot adversary
A Westmoreland County jury on Thursday cleared a Jeannette man of allegations that he ordered his teenage brother to shoot his opponent after losing a street fight nearly four years ago. Following just one of hour deliberations, jurors returned not guilty verdicts for all five counts against Brandon Ingram. Ingram,...
Kiski Area school bus, car collide in Washington Township
No children were hurt when a Kiski Area school bus was involved in a crash on Thursday afternoon in Washington Township, Superintendent Jason Lohr said. The collision between the full-size bus and a car at Route 66 and Mamont Drive was reported shortly before 4 p.m. Eight elementary school-age students...
Family ties: Jack and Jill Ball is a cherished tradition throughout generations
In 1981, Judith M. Davenport’s daughter, Allison, was a senior at The Ellis School. Her friends were talking about a local debutante ball where young women make a formal entrance into society. Allison submitted her name but was not invited. So Davenport reached out to other members of Jack and...
New Kensington-Arnold School Board schedules special meeting for budget vote
A vote this week will reveal if New Kensington-Arnold School District will seek to raise property taxes by more than its state-imposed limit for the 2025-26 school year. The board is scheduled to hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the boardroom at Valley High School “for the...
Mother, daughter accused of stealing $4.4M from Greensburg Beverage CEO’s estate
A mother and daughter were arrested Thursday on police accusations they stole a relative’s
$4.4 million inheritance from the estate of the CEO of Greensburg Beverage, according to court papers. Angela Lynne Valesky, 26, of Murrysville, and her mother, Lisa Anne Skatell-Valesky, 51, of Jeannette, are charged with theft and...
1 arrested, 1 at large in beating of Aliquippa man at VFW lodge
One man turned himself in Thursday while a second suspect remained at large in connection with the beating of a 52-year-old Aliquippa man inside a Veterans of Foreign Wars lodge. The family of Preston Coleman III said he was beaten, unprovoked and mercilessly, for nearly 30 minutes late Sunday inside...
‘I am so desperately sorry’: Sewickley man sentenced in fatal 2022 Christmas Eve crash
The statements read in court on Thursday ranged from regret to rage to profound sadness. A father’s torment for years and opportunities lost. A best friend’s longing for her soul mate. A mother’s unending ache. Camden Kiggins’ death in a car crash two years ago has upended all of their...
Monroeville area: Markosek appointed to House committee, chorus seeks members, upcoming library programs, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Markosek to serve on housing committee State Rep. Brandon Markosek, D-Allegheny, has been appointed to serve as majority chair for the House Housing and Community Development Committee. The committee reviews legislation impacting the state’s cities and towns, focusing on housing,...
Harbor Freight opens New Kensington store, plans grand opening event
Harbor Freight opened its new tools store in New Kensington this week, marking another step in the redevelopment of Riverview Plaza following the closing and demolition of the Kmart department store. The Tarentum Bridge Road store is the company’s fourth in Westmoreland County and its 67th in Pennsylvania, Harbor Freight...
Murrysville area: Puzzle and cookbook sale, trail hikes and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. AAUW to host upcoming sale The Murrysville chapter of the American Association of University Women presented a $10,000 check to the Murrysville Community Library, proceeds from the association’s 2024 used book and puzzle sales. The AAUW and library will host a used...
Fox Chapel’s 2025 budget includes big investments in public safety
Fox Chapel property owners will not have to pay more in borough real estate taxes as part of its 2025 budget. Council unanimously voted Dec. 16 to pass the spending plan and maintain the millage rate at 2.95 mills. The borough has not raised taxes since 2019. No programs or...
Police: Pitcairn man initiated confrontation that led to stabbing
A 65-year-old Pitcairn man confessed to police that he stabbed another man over a dispute about money that was earmarked to buy marijuana, according to a criminal complaint. Allegheny County Police on Thursday filed charges against Barry Bishop, 65, in connection to a stabbing that sent both Bishop and another...
Tamburitzans alumni sponsor ‘Legacy’ show in Monroeville
Traditional folk dance and music from a variety of Old and New World cultures comes to Monroeville in the new Tamburitzans show, “Legacy.” For the second year in a row, the event is being sponsored by Erin and Frank Bozicevic – both Tamburitzans and Duquesne University alumni. The show begins...
Fox Chapel officially designated as a ‘Bird Town’
Fox Chapel is officially being recognized for its environmental efforts, especially pertaining to birds. Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania wildlife habitat educator Nick Stahlman recently presented borough council with a certificate from Bird Town Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Audubon Council as an official Bird Town. Stahlman also presented new Bird...
Oakmont budget raises taxes 33%
Oakmont property owners will be paying 33% more in real estate taxes this year. Oakmont Council passed a budget calling for a real estate tax increase of 1.22 mills, taking the rate from 3.73 to 4.95 mills. That means a home at the borough’s median assessed value of about $153,000...
Greensburg Salem considers accepting grant to train teachers in mental health program
Greensburg Salem teacher Taylor Guido has seen firsthand how taking care of her mental health benefits her students. But it wasn’t until she attended a mental health-focused camp in Somerset County that she learned this valuable lesson. That’s why the district has proposed a program to train its teachers in...
Mitch McConnell blasts Biden decision to block U.S. Steel-Nippon deal
By blocking the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, President Joe Biden sold out American industry, workers and national security to “Big Labor,” writes U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Wednesday. McConnell’s piece, titled “Nippon Steel Isn’t the Enemy,” criticizes Biden’s decision to...
Zynka Gallery marks 5 years of showcasing art in Sharpsburg
It’s a thrill for Jeff Jarzynka when the glass doors of his Sharpsburg art gallery are ajar and something inside catches the eye of a passerby. “The doors are open wide all summer, and you’ll have kids running up the street who stop and ask, ‘Is this a museum? Can...
Tarentum to tow vehicles in no-parking zone
Motorists who park in a no-parking zone at the intersection of East Street and West 10th Avenue in Tarentum have run out of chances. Moving forward, vehicles will be towed and violators will be responsible for costs. “We’re having a problem with people not complying,” Mayor Bob Lang said. “We...
Home for struggling women to rebuild, improve lives approved in Arnold
Arnold officials have approved a woman’s plan to turn a house in the city into a place where struggling women can be safe while rebuilding their lives. The three-member zoning hearing board attached several conditions to its approval of city resident Amanda Wheeler’s use of the house in the 1700...
