Thousands remain without power in Western Pa.
Thousands of people across Western Pennsylvania remained without power Monday afternoon, a day after high winds caused power outages in multiple counties. Late Monday afternoon, Duquesne Light was reporting 6,000 customers without power, according to company spokesman Nick Ruffolo. He said the company sought help from 50 contractors to assist...
Westmoreland happenings: Bingo at civic association
Fundraiser news • Lincoln Heights Civic Association will have bingo from 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 2 at the center, 42 Millersdale Road, Hempfield. There will be 20 regular games and five quickies. Payout is 50/50. Free coffee. Cost: 25 cents for a three-card board; $1 for quickies. Submissions from...
Condemned Rivertowne Tavern slated for demolition
The Rivertowne Pub & Grille building along Route 30 in North Huntingdon is going to be demolished next year, six years after its owner filed for bankruptcy and closed the tavern and more than three years after the township condemned the building as unsafe and uninhabitable. North Huntingdon has advertised...
Monroeville Mall incident shows how good intentions can spread false information
“Craziness at Monroeville Mall!!!” “Shooting at Monroeville Mall. Too many guns.” “Active shooter at Monroeville Mall in Allegheny County.” “Hearing reports that some people were trampled in a stampede.” These posts and others like them spread across social media the Sunday afternoon before Christmas, when the mall was packed with...
The Stroller, Dec. 29, 2024: 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. Christmas tree recycling locations...
2050 look-ahead: Pennsylvania’s influence may shrink in next 25 years as political winds shift
Editor’s note: One-fourth of the way through this century, TribLive is looking ahead to the next 25 years, using the events of the past 25 as a roadmap of what possibly is to come. This installment of the occasional series looks at politics. In late December 2000, America waited for...
Extending sewage to Crabtree would need approval from Hempfield, Salem and Unity
There’s been talk of providing sewage to the Crabtree area for about two decades. The topic came up earlier this month when Salem supervisors discussed a study that explores how to bring public sewage to the neighborhood, which includes parts of Salem, Unity and Hempfield townships. Most residents of the...
Salem residents want proper permits, enforcement for concrete plant
On Dec. 18, Salem Township supervisors voted to approve the development of a storage yard and concrete batch plant for Daniels Concrete on Route 819, according to their meeting agenda. The problem with that, according to neighboring residents, is owner Jim Daniels already has developed the property and has been...
Families have fun counting birds at Fox Chapel nature reserve
Stacy Ogutu has the eyes of a red-tailed hawk and the quick note-taking skills of an educated song sparrow. Both of those talents were on display as the McCandless youth marked down every bird she and her other family members saw along the paths of Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in...
Bird count helps mark the impact of a changing climate
Walking along the Westmoreland Heritage Trail on Saturday morning, counting the birds flying around the woods of the Saltsburg and Slickville areas, Alex Busato said the tally serves a larger purpose than just counting birds one day in the winter. The Christmas Day bird counts in some sections of Westmoreland...
1 injured in crash along Route 28 in Aspinwall
One person was injured in a single-vehicle crash Saturday morning along northbound Route 28 at Exit 7 in Aspinwall. The incident led to temporary closure of the exit as responders cleared the scene. Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services fire Chief Mike Daniher said the crash was reported at 6:53 a.m....
2-year-old girl dies in East Hills fire; chief says apartment condemned
A 2-year-old girl has died following a fire Friday evening in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Praise Lemons was identified as the victim in an apartment fire that broke out at Maple Ridge Apartments about 9 p.m. in the 2000 block of Park...
Christmas tree, string light recycling benefits environment, coats for kids project
Live Christmas trees can serve a new purpose when the holiday season is over through recycling at one of several drop-off locations in Westmoreland County. The trees are typically chipped into mulch and returned to nature and used to beautify community parks, said Michael Skapura, executive director of the Westmoreland...
Artists hope to expand New Kensington downtown alley art project
Artists hope to get to work on a second block of downtown New Kensington’s Ivy Alley next year. More than $23,000 in grant funding has been obtained to continue the Art in the Alley project between 10th and Ninth streets, said Michelle Thom, president of the New Ken Downtown Partnership....
Advocates push for historic designation of Donny’s Place, once a popular Pittsburgh gay bar
A grassroots group trying to thwart the demolition of one of Pittsburgh’s oldest gay bars is pushing for Donny’s Place to be designated as a historic city landmark so it can’t be torn down. The defunct establishment at 1226 Herron Ave. in Polish Hill opened in 1973 and closed two...
A look at Western Pennsylvania’s changing restaurant scene in 2024
As another year comes to a close, so do some restaurants in the Western Pennsylvania region. But not all is lost — while several well-known establishments either shut their doors for good or announced end-of-year closures, others opened. Here’s a look back. Openings Barcelona Wine Bar Visitors to Pittsburgh’s Cultural...
Councilwoman resigns in Freeport
Freeport Councilwoman Jeannie Mazurowski has resigned from her post. Appointed in January, Mazurowski confirmed her resignation to TribLive on Friday, citing prioritizing her family obligations as the primary reason for her decision to exit public service. “I don’t think I have the time to put into the borough that I...
The Stroller, Dec. 28, 2024: 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...
Suspect in Crafton armed robbery arrested
Allegheny County Police have apprehended a man suspected of committing an armed robbery Thursday in Crafton. Allegheny County detectives said Trey D. Bell, 30, is suspected of robbing the T-Mobile store on Foster Avenue around 7:45 p.m. Thursday evening. Police earlier put out a description of him and asked for...
84-year-old Connellsville man killed in fire
An 84-year-old man was killed and six people who lived in neighboring homes were displaced after a Friday morning fire in Connellsville, authorities said. Ronald Veshnesky, was pronounced dead by Fayette County Deputy Coroner Bob Furin. The blaze destroyed one home and damaged two others on the 400 block of...
Leechburg man remembered as a pure soul who brought joy to family, friends, neighbors
Nancy Wickham nicknamed her son, Cameron, “the happy child.” “I would often refer to him as the happy child,” said Wickham of Leechburg. “It was like the only state of emotion he was ever in. It was amazing. He loved people.” About 10 years ago, the family moved from Ohio...
Dogs left in boxes outside White Oak Giant Eagle
Two miniature pinschers were at an animal shelter Friday after they were found in taped-up boxes left outside the Giant Eagle in White Oak. “We got a call around 12:30 p.m. from a good Samaritan who saw the boxes and knew something wasn’t right and picked them up,” said Mackenzie...
Culinary couple embrace their restaurant roots in Point Breeze
A neighborhood eatery housed in a historic building that once hosted Sammy Davis Jr. is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary in Point Breeze. Point Brugge Cafe will celebrate 20 years in business in 2025 as its cousin restaurant, Park Bruges in Highland Park, is set to close its doors...
Kia, Hyundai vehicles targeted by thieves in New Kensington’s Mount Vernon area
A New Kensington restaurant owner whose car was stolen from in front of her home said she worries about what the theft says not only about her neighborhood but the entire city. Jillian Ludwiczak, who owns Jillian’s Restaurant with her husband, Phillip Call, said her 2014 Kia Optima was taken...
Body identified that was found in woods in Shaler the day after Christmas
Allegheny County detectives are treating the body found in Shaler on Thursday as a homicide because the victim had an apparent gunshot wound to the head. The victim was identified Saturday as 45-year-old Andre Wallace of Millvale by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Few other details have surfaced since...
