Sharpsburg launches plan for $1 million self-contained energy system
Sharpsburg Mayor Kayla Portis said the new year will usher in a public works project that is expected to be a game-changer for the borough. Allegheny County Health Department has awarded $1 million to Sharpsburg to build a resiliency microgrid, a self-contained independent energy system. Eyed as a series of...
‘I view public service as a gift’: U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan stepping down
Every day after the close of testimony in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial — no matter how emotional or gruesome the evidence — U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan and the team of prosecutors met with the victims and family members. They answered their questions, explained the intricacies of the legal system...
Charleroi glass plant closure delayed until April, layoffs will come in several waves
The owners of a Charleroi glass plant that makes cookware have delayed its scheduled closing for about two months until April 30, which is a move that impacts about 240 workers, according to a notice the company filed with the state. Corelle Brands LLC is moving its production from the...
Norwin director’s lawsuit: District criticism hurts electability
A Norwin School Board member revised his federal lawsuit that claims he was a victim of unlawful retaliation that violated his First Amendment rights. The suit is related to criticism by the school district and former superintendent of a post on social media. Alex Detschelt, a school board member from...
In brief: Happenings in the North Hills area
Tickets available for ‘Seussical Jr.’ The North Hills Middle School Drama Club will present its winter musical, “Seussical Jr.,” at 7 p.m. Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 in the school’s auditorium, 55 Rochester Road. Nearly 100 students in grades 6-8 are involved in the production as cast members, ushers and...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit to host info session on special education certificate program
The Westmoreland Intermediate Unit will hold an informational session next week on the special education certification process. Slated for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22, the session is open to anyone with a bachelor’s degree who is interested in pursuing a special education certificate. The program allows individuals to obtain...
In brief: Hampton-area happenings
AARP meetup to feature local historian The Allison Park AARP Chapter 3736 will hold its monthly meeting at 1 p.m. Feb. 13 in St. Ursula’s social hall, 3945 Kirk Ave., Hampton. This month’s entertainment will feature historian Jonathan Klemens, an expert on local lore and a frequent speaker and presenter...
Freeport’s new sewage treatment plant to cost $134K more than expected
A new West Penn Power policy will force Freeport to spend an additional $80,000 on electrical work for its new sewage treatment facility. Crews must lay power lines between the perimeter fence and control room underground instead of overhead, leading to the change order requested by Robert Horvat of KLH...
Feeding the Spirit, YWCA Westmoreland to fight food insecurity
Feeding the Spirit and YWCA Westmoreland County are teaming up to raise money for people facing food insecurity. The two Greensburg-based organizations will host the “Pay-it-Forward Chili Challenge” from noon to 2 p.m. on Feb. 2 at Greensburg Hose Co. No. 2, 137 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Attendees will be able...
At the library: Here are some upcoming programs available through Northern Tier Library
Kohl’s Cares grant helps to spruce up children’s area Northern Tier Library recently received a $2,000 Kohl’s Cares Shopping Grant. The donation enabled the library to update its Children’s Room with new furniture and toys, purchase new items for children’s cooking classes and renew the staff break room. Library partners...
Arnold loses its community development director and controller
Arnold is beginning the new year with two vacant offices at city hall. Council has accepted the resignations of longtime employee Rick Rayburg, currently the city’s community development director, and city Controller Toni Montemurro. Neither attended Tuesday’s council meeting, when their resignations were accepted. While Mayor Shannon Santucci and council...
Pittsburgh man arrested in connection with body found in Shaler
Allegheny County police arrested a 25-year-old man on homicide charges Thursday in connection with a body found in Shaler the day after Christmas. Eugene Jones of Pittsburgh is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, attempted criminal homicide, carrying a firearm without a license and recklessly endangering another person for an...
Burrell rejects bids for boiler repairs; architects to present construction proposals next month
Burrell School District officials think bidding their boiler projects a different way will result in lower costs. The school board on Tuesday rejected bids for a boiler replacement at Burrell High School and a rebuild at Bon Air Elementary School. It authorized administrators to rebid the project. Superintendent Shannon Wagner...
Westmoreland’s ‘librarian’s librarian’ honored
Westmoreland County’s library system is turning the page to 2025 and the woman appointed to serve as its chief traffic cop for all operations is expected to play a large role in what’s ahead. But, Melinda Tanner is no footnote to the system’s past success. She’s been credited with helping craft...
Penn Hills teacher dies after plunging down Parkway East hillside near Squirrel Hill Tunnel
The Penn Hills School District is mourning the loss of one of its longtime and beloved teachers. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Joshua Willy, 49, of Oakdale was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash Friday morning beneath a bridge in Pittsburgh’s Swisshelm Park neighborhood. Willy worked...
3 Democrats, 1 Republican vie to replace Pittsburgh Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith
Pittsburgh’s West End neighborhoods this year will elect a new City Council member for the first time since 2010, as Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith is poised to retire at the end of her term. Three Democrats and a Republican are running to replace her as the council member for District 2,...
Morning Roundup: Police charge 2 teens in knifepoint robberies; vehicle hits, injures woman carrying child
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Jan. 17: Police charge 2 teens in knifepoint robberies Two 15-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with two knifepoint robberies earlier this week at businesses on Pittsburgh’s South Side. Anthony Bennett of Pittsburgh and Adrian Butera of...
Westmoreland commissioners approve $1.7M tourism plan
Westmoreland commissioners Thursday allocated more than $1.7 million to promote and enhance tourism, with a primary focus on the county park system. Commissioners signed off on the 2025 tourism plan that is funded through 40% of the county’s hotel tax. The tourism plan this year focuses almost exclusively on Westmoreland’s...
Pittsburgh author’s book chronicles her family’s journey with autism
Jennifer Briggs and her husband struggled through their early years as parents. Their daughter, Sarah, was diagnosed with autism at 4 years old. She was nonverbal. It was a struggle to ensure she ate enough to stay healthy. “We’d tried lots of therapies, and nothing was working,” said Briggs, 47,...
O’Hara resident settles into leadership at Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services
A third-generation volunteer firefighter is continuing a family legacy of public service in Sharpsburg and Aspinwall. Shaler native Mike Daniher is the inaugural chief of Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services, or SAVES. The communities of Sharpsburg and Aspinwall merged their fire departments into a new company in 2023 in an...
Highlands community mourns No. 1 fan Eddie Teorsky
He was known as The Mayor, Mr. P.R. and Highlands’ No. 1 fan. Harrison native Eddie Teorsky was best known as a supporter of the Highlands community — but it was just as much of a fan of him. “He was at every practice and on every sideline of every...
The Stroller, Jan. 17, 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. Apollo police officer to...
New Valley High School lab equipment gives students hands-on learning for in-demand future jobsVideo
Valley High School biology teacher Kathy Jo Sagwitz learned how to do more with less for her students. “Before this year, I didn’t have a science room at all,” she said. “I was in a regular classroom with no lab area, no sink, no nothing. I was very limited in...
Casino revenues boost long-delayed projects in Alle-Kiski Valley communities
Oklahoma Borough, with a population of 788, doesn’t have hundreds of thousands of local tax dollars laying around to overhaul its community park, let alone pave the parking lot there. “(Officials) have talked about it in the past, and that project was just put on the back burner because of...
Paid Unity fire duty crews get go-ahead after successful 6-month trial
Firefighters from the Lloydsville and Crabtree stations in Unity had a head start last year when they answered a weekday call for a car crash on Donohoe Road. “We had a crew out the door within 30 seconds, they were on the scene within three minutes, and they had the...
