La Roche University gifted buildings, including motherhouse, from Sisters of Divine Providence
A property transfer from a Catholic organization to La Roche University sets the college up for long-term growth, officials say. The Sisters of Divine Providence has gifted the Providence Heights Motherhouse and about 15 acres of nearby property to La Roche, the university announced Tuesday, Dec. 16. The transfer includes...
Ross property owners to see tax increase for 2nd consecutive year
Property owners in Ross will pay more in taxes to the township after commissioners approved a tax increase for the second consecutive year. While commissioners unanimously approved the township’s $46.7 million 2026 budget on Dec. 15, they voted 7-2 to approve the 8% property tax increase, from 3.7 mills to...
Pittsburgh mulls skipping annual $10M earmark for anti-violence program
Pittsburgh City Council has promised nothing is off limits as it tries to fix what members claim is a broken budget. On Tuesday council President R. Daniel Lavelle put his money where his mouth is. The Hill District Democrat proposed deferring a $10 million payment next year to a program...
35% tax hike approved as Collier commissioners adopt 2026 budget
Property owners in Collier will be seeing a 35% increase in their real estate taxes next year. Commissioners on Monday, Dec. 15, voted 3-1 to adopt the township’s 2026 budget which sets the real estate tax rate at 5 mills, a 1.3-mill increase. A homeowner at Collier’s median assessed property...
UPMC Presbyterian’s billion-dollar tower gets opening date
UPMC’s $1.3 billion hospital tower in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood finally has an opening date. On Jan. 24, 2027, scores of patients at UPMC Presbyterian will be transferred from the existing building to a new, 17-story facility right next door. Once all patients are moved, the old structure will become administrative...
Members of Gateway High School’s Leader Academy choose the gift of giving
Actions speak louder than words — and Gateway High School’s Chick-fil-A Leader Academy continues to validate its motto “Impact Through Action” by putting ideas into practice. Members of the group chose to make the holidays a little brighter for some of their fellow Gators by setting up an angel tree...
Incumbent retains East Deer commissioner seat
Incumbent Ed Kissel will keep his East Deer commissioner seat for the 21st year. The Nov. 4 race for the township’s 2nd Ward seat ended in a tie between Kissel, 75, and newcomer Alexander Gigler, 34. Each got 131 (49.8%) votes. After the results were certified by the Allegheny County...
Killing outside McKeesport bar leads to prison for woman who conspired
A woman acquitted of homicide in a 2020 shooting outside a McKeesport bar but convicted of conspiring to commit the crime is headed to prison for up to 14 years. Gabrielle Parker, who police arrested as the shooter, was sentenced Tuesday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Parker faced the...
Pittsburgh Brewing, Iron City Distilling host holiday tours
‘Tis the season for community, and Iron City Distilling is inviting just that. The distillery will temporarily open its doors for complimentary holiday tours. On Dec. 22 and 23, attendees will have access to the full benefits of a standard distillery tour for free. Features include two drink samples, a...
North Huntingdon plans to raise administrators’ pay
North Huntingdon is expected to vote Wednesday at the commissioners meeting to raise the pay of most of its department heads by 3%, with two of the newer leaders getting 5% raises. The salaries proposed for 2026 were based on employee evaluations, township Manager Harry Faulk told the commissioners this...
Harrison Township Water Authority says rate increase necessary
Harrison water rates will increase in January to help offset inflation and newly government-mandated but unfunded regulations, officials said. Residents will see a 10% increase beginning with their first bills after the new year. Minimum quarterly bills of $58.08 will climb about $5.80 to $63.90. For a typical family using...
Burrell bocce team drums up support for collaborative, competitive experience
Cold temperatures Tuesday morning didn’t stop hot drinks and sweet treats from being served up by members of Burrell High School’s unified bocce team. The team, comprising eight students with special needs and eight regular education students, was selling snacks and drinks at Cora Lee Cupcakes in Feldarelli Square, New...
‘You are definitely ready’: Roger Goodell says of Pittsburgh hosting NFL Draft
The countdown to the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh continues, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell believes the Steel City is prepared to handle the spectacle. “You are definitely ready. You know, this town knows all about football, and how to celebrate football, and that’s what it’s all about,” Goodell told TribLive...
Kraft Heinz names new CEO to oversee its breakup
Steve Cahillane, the food and beverage industry veteran behind Kellogg’s recent split, has been tapped by Kraft Heinz to manage its pending breakup. The packaged food giant with dual headquarters in Pittsburgh and Chicago announced Cahillane’s hire as CEO on Tuesday. He’ll start Jan. 1, replacing Carlos Abrams-Rivera after about...
Frigid temperatures hamper Buffalo Township fire response
It was 4 degrees Tuesday morning when Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief Matt Cypher and his crew were called to a house fire. Crews responded to the 600 block of Sarver Road in Buffalo Township at 1:30 a.m. When they got there, Cypher said, the five people living in...
Public tribute planned for late Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire
A tribute to late Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire will be held Jan. 2, three years after he was shot and killed in the line of duty. McIntire was ambushed during a hunt for a fugitive on Third Avenue in Brackenridge, just four doors from the house where he grew...
Chipotle eyes Irwin as 1st Pa. site of its new design
A nationwide Mexican food chain is planning to make Irwin the first site in Pennsylvania with an updated interior design for its restaurants. Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to build a restaurant next year at the site of the Denny’s along Route 30, said Bill Zuccarello, construction manager for Chipotle. The...
Morning Roundup: 3 jailed in alleged rape of 2 teens in Kennedy; rescuers save dog from scamper on Allegheny River ice
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Dec. 16: 3 men jailed in alleged rape of 2 teens in Kennedy Three men are behind bars after Allegheny County Police said they restrained two girls, ages 14 and 16, and raped them in a Kennedy home,...
McCandless eyes adding paid staff at volunteer fire departments to help ease workload
A paid full-time fire chief and two part-time firefighters may be the answer to helping out the volunteer fire departments in McCandless. Council approved a 6% increase in contributions for the town’s three volunteer fire departments — Highland, Ingomar and Peebles — with each receiving $200,000 for 2026, up from...
The Stroller, Dec. 16, 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. Free dine-in dinner set...
‘We weren’t going to win on Saturday’: Plow, salt crews weather weekend snowstorm
Hempfield Public Works Director Austin Erhard was upfront with his plowing and salting crews as nasty weather began to roll in this past weekend. “I was very clear with them: We weren’t going to win the day on Saturday,” he said. “We just weren’t going to be able to have...
Army Corps of Engineers receives another $32M for Parks Township remediation work
Another $32.4 million is on the way to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help remediate a former nuclear waste dump in Parks Township. Known as the Shallow Land Disposal Area by federal agencies, the 44-acre site will soon enter what’s set to be a yearslong cleanup process. The...
McCandless’ budget for 2026 marks 21 years of no tax increase for town’s residents
The Town of McCandless 2026 budget of more than $20 million was passed unanimously by council Dec. 8 with no change in real estate tax for the 21st year. A proposed budget was first presented to council at its Nov. 10 meeting, and a public hearing was held Nov. 24....
A guide to Pittsburgh’s budget crisis
Pittsburgh City Council members agree they won’t pass the 2026 budget Mayor Ed Gainey proposed. Though the Gainey administration is staunchly defending its budget, council members aren’t buying it, and neither is the city controller or council’s budget director. They claim the spending plan is not balanced and grossly underestimates...
Ex-Steeler Devin Bush acquitted of assaulting girlfriend in fight over mashed potatoes
A judge Tuesday found an ex-Pittsburgh Steeler not guilty of assaulting his girlfriend during a May dispute over mashed potatoes at the linebacker’s Sewickley-area home. Devin Bush, Jr., 27, of Bell Acres was accused of injuring Shkurte Leka, also 27, after she started filming an argument between them on her...
