New charges filed against Latrobe man arrested after manhunt, police say
Additional charges were filed Thursday against a man who, according to investigators, ran from police attempting to serve an arrest warrant this week and was armed with a knife when authorities apprehended him at a home in Latrobe. The manhunt started Tuesday night when Latrobe and Rostraver police teamed up...
Bradford Woods swears in new council member, 3 incumbents
Matthew Goss officially joined the rest of Bradford Woods Council during the borough’s reorganization meeting Jan. 5. With four open seats in the general election Nov. 4, Goss, a Democrat, received the most votes at 401. He ran uncontested. He joins Republican incumbents Daniel Dimond, who received 325 votes, David...
Morning roundup: Somerset County man killed in 2-vehicle crash; SWAT standoff ends with 1 person in custody
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Jan. 8: ______________________________ Somerset County man killed in 2-vehicle crash A man was killed Wednesday night in a two-vehicle crash in Fayette County. Michael Duritsky Jr., 28, of Addison, a tiny Somerset County town 5 miles north of...
Carnegie-based Better Business Bureau names new president
The Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania, based in Carnegie, has a new leader. Kate Sullivan became the BBB’s president and chief executive officer Jan. 1, succeeding Warren King. King stepped down after 40 years with the BBB. The Better Business Bureau is a nonprofit that helps people find trustworthy...
McKeesport man gets 2 life sentences for murdering his mother and her friend
Pennsylvania state law required an Allegheny County judge Wednesday to sentence a McKeesport man to life in prison without parole in the 2024 killing of his mother and her friend. Prosecutors and pair of mourning families, however, asked Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Satler to do more — and acknowledge “the...
The Stroller, Jan. 8, 2026: 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. Volunteer office help wanted...
Many Alle-Kiski homeowners paying more in taxes, service fees this year
After a year of school district tax hikes, Alle-Kiski Valley residents largely got a break from their municipalities, most of which avoided tax increases for 2026. That doesn’t mean they’re paying less to live in the Valley, though. While only four of the Alle-Kiski Valley’s municipalities raised taxes for this...
East Deer bakers have a sweet mission
Michael and Brittany Eckert have long been committed to giving back to their community. Be it through their nonprofit, Community Hope Project, or their bakery, Simply Tasteful Creations, the East Deer couple never stops trying to find ways to help others. Michael’s latest endeavor is Colossal’s Greatest Baker competition, a...
New year means jump in tax rates for multiple communities in Western Pa.
For a number of communities across Southwestern Pennsylvania, 2026 is arriving with higher property tax bills. Those cities, boroughs and townships have hiked their millage rates for the new year to contend with rising infrastructure costs, inflation and the exhaustion of pandemic-era federal subsidies. In Westmoreland County, many municipalities are...
New Lower Burrell public works contract calls for wage increases
A new five-year contract between Lower Burrell and its public works employees calls for wage increases each year. The agreement, approved by city council Monday, gives employees a 3.5% wage increase this year; a 3% increase in 2027, 2028 and 2029; and a 2.5% increase in 2030, according to City...
‘Long overdue’: Tenaska power plant faces hearing on emissions, monitoring
From his Mendon Road horse farm, Eric Metz watches white clouds billow daily from the 940-megawatt natural gas power plant looming over South Huntingdon. “It’s really not a problem,” Metz said of the emissions drifting from the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station over his property. The health of the 23 horses...
Westmoreland happenings: Turkey dinner, bingo, safe driving course, more
Church news Saint Vincent Basilica Parish, Unity, will offer the Discovering Christ course from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays Jan. 20 to March 3 in the parish assembly room, 300 Fraser Purchase Road. The free series for those 18 and older will address the meaning of life and basics of...
Fire kills 6 dogs at North Huntingdon kennel
Six dogs were killed Wednesday night in a fire that destroyed a wood-frame kennel in North Huntingdon, a fire chief said Thursday. The kennel at Bowser’s Dog Services was in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene at 3031 Baker School Road, Larimer fire Chief William Hardy said. A neighbor...
Pittsburgh police: Kidnapping in Plum related to Greenfield shooting
Police believe an armed kidnapping in Plum is connected to a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood on Wednesday night. Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Eliza Durham said the department learned of the armed kidnapping reported to Plum police at
6:15 p.m. Wednesday. A family member told Plum police that his brother had...
3 men shot in Arnold gunfight, part of a domestic dispute, officials say
Three men were taken to the hospital after they were shot in Arnold on Wednesday night. Mayor Shannon Santucci said the incident stemmed from a domestic dispute. A report of shots fired came in just after 7 p.m. Wednesday in the 2100 block of Leishman Avenue. Chief Rob Haus said...
Highmark, spurred on by state law, offers no-cost breast imaging
Highmark has introduced no-cost breast imaging as part of an above-and-beyond push to comply with a new Pennsylvania law. The Pittsburgh-based insurer, which boasts more than 7 million members, began fully covering advanced mammograms, ultrasounds and MRIs in the new year. Doctors use these tests to investigate possible signs of...
Pa. regulators assess how electric companies handled deadly April storm
A comprehensive report issued this week by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on the deadly April 29 storm in Southwestern Pennsylvania found utility companies’ preparations were “generally appropriate” but said there was room for improvement. The commission analyzed how electric companies responded to the massive storm whose 70-80 mph winds...
Westmoreland jury convicts defendant of drug offenses who refused to attend his trial
A Westmoreland County jury took just nine minutes to convict a Philadelphia man of three drug offenses after he refused to appear in court for his trial. Rysheid Malik Baldwin, 44, was to serve as his own lawyer in what was expected to be a three-day trial on charges that...
Jury expected to begin deliberations in child endangerment trial for Monessen parents
One of two Monessen parents charged with endangering their 2-year-old twins told a jury Wednesday he had not seen his children on the day they were found by police. The children were trapped in an upstairs bedroom surrounded in squalor, according to Westmoreland County prosecutors. Jerimiah Roberts, 32, testified he...
Pittsburgh investment manager pleads guilty to $3.7M wire fraud
A Pittsburgh investment manager pleaded guilty Wednesday to a single count of wire fraud to resolve accusations he diverted more than $3.7 million from a family’s investment fund. Thomas Pipich Jr., 74, will be sentenced May 12 in federal court. The maximum sentence can include up to 20 years in...
Freeport appoints 2 new council members
Two residents became the newest Freeport Council members on Monday night, but not three, as there could have been. Carrie Irvine and Pete Wesolosky were both unanimously appointed to their seats by the rest of council. One of the two seats was left open because of a discrepancy on Freeport...
McCandless couple charged in ‘elaborate’ food-stamp fraud
Pennsylvania’s attorney general has charged a McCandless couple with running an “elaborate scheme” to illegally buy food stamps at a cut rate, use them to purchase nearly $180,000 in food from area stores, then resell the items at their Pittsburgh deli and restaurant. Rachna Anwar, 46, and her husband, Munir...
Fox Chapel Area telethon tops $101,000 to benefit local nonprofit
A nonprofit that helps Fox Chapel Area children and families has found itself on the receiving end of community outreach. Fox Families Care was awarded $101,000 over the holiday season as the beneficiary of the Fox Chapel Area School District telethon. The 36th annual fundraiser on Dec. 23 involved students...
Harrison’s new trash hauler, Noble Environmental, asks for patience
Some Harrison residents are questioning the township’s move to a new garbage hauler after what they say was a bumpy first week of collections. But Noble Environmental is ensuring that kinks in the new collection routes will be ironed out quickly. And they are asking for patience. “We’ve been inundated...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announces closure
Owners of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced Wednesday they will cease operations May 3, shuttering one of the oldest metropolitan newspapers in the country. Jodi Miehls, president of Block Communications, informed staff of the decision during a pre-recorded, 2½-minute Zoom call Wednesday afternoon. Block Communications, which has owned the Post-Gazette since...
