Western PA Local News category, Page 395
Police detail events leading up to woman’s shooting death in Rostraver
Robert S. Chaplin was standing in the yard, flailing his arms and yelling, when police arrived at his Rostraver home for a reported shooting Feb. 5, according to township police Officer Brian Dove. Dove testified Tuesday that a distraught child shouted to arriving officers, “Mum’s in the basement.” That’s where...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission approves $31M Arts Landing project Downtown
A $31 million overhaul in Downtown Pittsburgh that will create an outdoor recreation and event space earned approval Tuesday from the Planning Commission. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is looking to breathe new life into an underutilized, 4-acre site that stretches down 8th Street from Fort Duquesne Boulevard along the Allegheny...
McKeesport police officer sues over racial discrimination, retaliation claims
A Black McKeesport police officer is suing his employer and the city’s mayor over claims of racial discrimination in how the police department promotes and disciplines. Julian Thomas, 38, of McKeesport, alleges the city has long ignored its own civil service rules, resulting in mostly white officers being promoted by...
One Oxford Centre acquired for $92M less than 2016 sales price
Rugby Realty President Aaron Stauber started his Tuesday morning with 45 minutes of swimming at the Rivers Club in One Oxford Centre. “I was at work and in my office by 9:15 a.m.,” Stauber said. He’s part of the group that now owns the 1-million-square-foot, 45-story, aluminum and glass tower...
Fox Chapel resident leads all-female real estate team
Julie Rost loved her childhood growing, learning and playing in Fox Chapel so much that she never left. The Pittsburgh native is a nationally recognized top-selling Realtor in the Pittsburgh region with a focus on the Fox Chapel and East End communities. Raising her three “almost empty nest” children in...
WhaZoodle, new audio adventure series, launches at Sewickley Public Library
It’s a cool new all-audio collection for kids, sporting a wacky name. Introducing Whazoodle, a screen-free audio speaker sidekick learning device, now available for checkout in weeklong increments at the Sewickley Public Library. Sewickley children’s librarian Bridget Clark is excited to share a screen-free, kid-focused alternative in place of cellphones...
Stormwater fee tabled, but stark fiscal challenges stand for Allegheny Township
A plan to provide dedicated funding for Allegheny Township’s stormwater system is on hold. On Monday, supervisors tabled a proposed ordinance that would charge most homeowners an $8 monthly stormwater fee after hearing some disapproval, but mostly confusion, from a packed room of residents. “I’m not sure if I’m for...
United Steelworkers vote down ATI contract
ATI and United Steelworkers are still without a contract. A tentative agreement was reached Feb. 28, just hours before the most recent contract was set to expire. But it failed to pass a union vote Monday. ATI spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie said company leadership is disappointed the union vote was unsuccessful....
Missing Pitt student’s clothing found on Dominican Republic beach
Clothing belonging to missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki has been found on the beach in the Dominican Republic where she was last seen Thursday as the search continued Tuesday for the 20-year-old Virginia woman. Officials in Loudoun County, where she lives, said investigators from the U.S. and the...
Morning Roundup: Shooting injures 1 in Clairton; restrictions on I-70
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, March 11: Shooting injures 1 in Clairton Allegheny County Police are investigating a shooting Monday night in Clairton that sent a boy to a hospital. The shooting was reported to county 911 dispatchers shortly after 9 p.m. in...
Man dies after being thrown from vehicle in Pittsburgh crash
A 19-year-old man who was critically injured in a Saturday vehicle crash in Pittsburgh has died at a local hospital, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. Authorities have not released the man’s name. The man was thrown from the vehicle when it struck a pole Saturday night in the 3800 block...
Tarentum history museum hosts native author of ‘Gun Smuggling, Castro’s Cuba and the Pittsburgh Mafia’
Gun smuggling, Swiss bank accounts, Fidel Castro and the New Kensington mafia converge on the pages of Richard Gazarik’s newest book, a harrowing tale of local ties to the criminal underworld. In his seventh release, Greensburg resident Gazarik dives into declassified FBI files stemming from the mafia’s grip on New...
The Stroller, March 11, 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. 5K run to benefit...
4 receive Heart of Hampton awards at Hampton Alliance for Educational Excellence celebration
“No one deserves it more than them” was a frequent refrain in video testimonies recorded by the many friends, co-workers and family members of this year’s four Heart of Hampton winners. The Hampton Alliance for Educational Excellence held the event Feb. 22 at Lucky Sign Spirits Distillery to honor excellence...
Businesses voice concern over Breezewood interchange revamp
Still a decade away, the proposed revamp of the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Breezewood interchange will likely take a toll on businesses that have built up around the highway’s connections to Interstate 70 and Route 30. The changes are expected to make the trip more convenient for the more than 2.5 million...
Greensburg adds 2 new police officers
Greensburg council hired two new full-time police officers Monday. Jacob Fazekas and David Judy will be paid about $56,000 each. Fazekas had been working in Jeannette and Judy was in Trafford, said Greensburg police Chief Charles Irvin. Both were expected to start work in Greensburg this month. They were sworn...
Norwin hires new board secretary; school police officer retires
The Norwin School Board has a new secretary and the district’s superintendent has a new excutive assistant. The school board Monday hired Leslie DeZorzi as the board secretary and as executive assistant to Superintendent Natalie McCracken at a salary of $59,000, prorated for the remainder of the school year. DeZorzi...
Purchase of 26 new golf carts for Mt. Odin approved by Greensburg City Council
Greensburg will buy 26 new golf carts for Mt. Odin Golf Course from a New York-based vendor. City council on Monday unanimously approved the $166,400 bid from Nutall Golf Courses. The new golf carts will replace some from the 1990s at Mt. Odin off Tollgate Hill Road. Two bids were...
Pine to host 2nd Earth Day event with more environmental activities, vendors and 5K run
After large crowds and a positive reception last year, Pine is set to mark the second iteration of its Earth Day celebrations. The event, which will take place throughout the grounds of the Pine Community Center and its surrounding park, will feature workshops, merchants and food vendors, resembling something close...
Pitt freezes all hiring amid funding cutbacks
The University of Pittsburgh has instituted a hiring freeze of all faculty and staff that takes effect immediately. It will remain in place at least for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends June 30, the university said. “In response to a shifting federal landscape and in order to...
Appeal in Loyalhanna triple murder case identifies potential new suspects
New attorneys for a former Loyalhanna business owner on death row for the murder of his sister, mother and elderly aunt in 2009 claim they have identified two other men as the potential killers. The evidence, they say, bolsters arguments that a new trial is warranted. Kevin Murphy, 64, of...
Theft case against Latrobe attorney is postponed
A Westmoreland County judge Monday delayed a trial for a Latrobe attorney accused of bilking a jailed client. Acting on a defense request, Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio approved the two-month postponement of the theft case filed against attorney John Allen Roth. The defense said the delay was to await a prosecution...
‘We’re all just worried’: Pitt students on edge as classmate still missing in Dominican Republic
Students who returned to classes Monday at the University of Pittsburgh were talking about a classmate who wasn’t there: Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old student who went missing last week while on spring break in the Dominican Republic. “These things can happen to anybody,” said Mackenzie Shearon, 19, of Cranberry. A...
Raising chickens costly but worth it: ‘It really is an investment’
The price of eggs may be through the roof, but that doesn’t mean you’ll save money with a chicken coop. While the popularity — and legality — of backyard chickens is spreading, the economics doesn’t add up for most people thinking of bypassing the grocer for their own hens. Just...
Etna to relocate borough’s headquarters to higher elevation with purchase of building
After years of seeking higher ground, the Borough of Etna purchased a building March 7 that eventually will become the municipality’s new headquarters. The location, at 30 Pine St., sits almost directly above the current borough building at 437 Butler St. The 47,570-square-foot building is an industrial space formerly occupied...
