Irwin council gives fire department extension to use former school property for new $1M station
The Irwin Volunteer Fire Department will get more time to try to build a new fire hall and ambulance base at the site of the former Sixth Street School in the borough. Irwin council Wednesday directed Zachary Kansler, borough solicitor, to prepare the deed for the former school property at...
Sheriffs arrest fugitive with warrants in multiple Pa. counties
A woman with multiple warrants in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties was taken into custody Wednesday by Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies. Carley L. Johnson, 27, who lists addresses in Irwin and Pittsburgh, has been a fugitive since April 2023, when she failed to appear in Westmoreland County district court on robbery...
Doubling real estate transfer tax could generate $150K in Latrobe in proposed 2025 budget
Latrobe may double its real estate transfer tax as part of a tentative $7.4 million 2025 budget. But it will leave the property tax rate unchanged. City officials also are debating a possible increase next year in fees that apply to mechanical devices, including games of chance, while Latrobe’s police...
Morning Roundup: Police rein in runaway horse; postal worker pleads guilty to stealing $6M in checks
Here are news items for Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024: Police return runaway horse Pittsburgh police in Zone 1 were chasing an unexpected suspect Wednesday — a runaway horse. Around 1:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of an escaped horse near Brighton Road and Harbison Avenue near the city’s Riverview...
The Stroller, Nov. 14, 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. Remembrance planned for NK...
Schools battle national shortages, pay disparity to keep nurses on the job
Aliza Zelina arrives for her school nursing job at Highlands Middle School in Harrison just after 7 a.m. each day knowing she won’t have much prep time before her patients begin to roll in. “We see kids bright and early,” she said. “It’s steady, seeing about 50 to 60 visits...
2024 free Thanksgiving dinners in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Will you be alone on Thanksgiving Day or unable to cook? Free Thanksgiving dinners are being offered in several communities in the Valley. Please note the reservation deadlines. Apollo • A free community Thanksgiving meal will be served from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Grace Assembly of God, 609...
Fox Chapel Area students submit ‘cool’ design for PennDOT’s annual Paint the Plow Program
Nine Fox Chapel Area High School students participated in this year’s Paint the Plow Program for PennDOT. Students from schools across the commonwealth were invited to design original artwork for a snowplow blade, which will be used on PennDOT’s trucks throughout the winter season as crews clear the roads. The...
Community fridge set to open at Garden City Food Pantry in Monroeville
Garden City Food Pantry in Monroeville is hosting an open house Nov. 17 to showcase its new community refrigerator. Located next to Fire Company No. 6, the site is at 500 Laurel Drive also is home to Garden City United Methodist Church. The indoor food pantry is open the second...
Fundraiser slated for North Huntingdon Wreaths Across America
The North Huntingdon chapter of Wreaths Across American will auction items and hold a raffle in its efforts to raise about $51,000 to buy 3,000 wreaths for veterans buried at the Union, Immaculate Conception and Long Run cemeteries in North Huntingdon and Irwin. Crafters and vendors will be selling various...
Latrobe Turkey Trot marks 30 years; party to follow
Racers who power through Latrobe’s Turkey Trot 5K course Thanksgiving morning can look forward to a treat after they cross the finish line. The race, open to runners or walkers, begins at 9 a.m. Nov. 28 at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium. Marking its 30th anniversary, the event includes an after party...
2 hospitalized after vehicle overturns into Rostraver creek
Two people were hospitalized Wednesday afternoon after their vehicle overturned into a creek in Rostraver, according to the Rostraver Central Fire Department. The vehicle veered from Ridge Road and overturned into Cedar Creek, located near Route 51, according to a social media post from the fire department. The crash occurred...
Gainey’s 2025 austerity plan plays well with Pittsburgh council budget director
Pittsburgh City Council’s budget director indicated Wednesday that Mayor Ed Gainey’s austerity plan for 2025 makes sense given the fiscal pressure facing the city. Presenting an overview of Gainey’s budget and financial forecast to City Council, Peter McDevitt acknowledged that several city departments will likely ask for additional resources during...
Veterans honored at Holy Cross Academy in Ross
David Graver posed with his 1943 Willys MB Jeep at a Veterans Day parade held Nov. 8 at the Holy Cross Academy campus in Ross. The McCandless resident proudly showed off his antique wartime warrior on wheels. This event was an important moment for Graver, who served 20 years in...
Judge shutters Oakland’s troubled Panther Pit bar for 1 year
An Allegheny County judge on Wednesday ordered that the Panther Pit Bar and Grill in Oakland be closed for at least one year. Common Pleas Judge Dan Regan ordered that the establishment on Meyran Avenue be padlocked last week after the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office filed a civil complaint...
Ross proposes real estate tax increase for 1st time in 14 years
Real estate taxes in Ross could rise by 1 mill, according to the township’s 2025 draft budget as presented at the Nov. 6 board of commissioners committee meeting. “I believe that this budget sensibly appropriates the funds to which the township has available, while real estate reassessments, inflation and large...
Judge exits Latrobe lawyer’s theft case
Westmoreland County President Judge Christopher Feliciani recused himself Wednesday from presiding over a bail hearing for a Latrobe lawyer jailed on charges that he stole money from a client. The judge cited a conflict of interest related to pending legal matters that involved an alleged personal relationship between attorney J....
Westmoreland happenings: Winter Lights at the Westmoreland, craft shows, ladies night out, more
Art • The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will open the free Winter Lights at the Westmoreland event from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 15 with immersive light experiences, carolers, ice carving, food vendors and a DJ. The exhibit at 221 N. Main St. will continue from dusk to 10...
Hempfield man accused of arson after garage fire
A Hempfield man accused of setting a fire at a garage attached to a house last week was denied bail Wednesday on arson charges. Jacob David Baker, 20, was extremely intoxicated at the time of the Nov. 4 fire and taken to Independence Health Westmoreland Hospital for an evaluation, police...
School news: Play at Pine-Richland spoofs Christmas films
Pine-Richland High School will present its fall play, “The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon,” Nov. 22-23 at the high school. Written by Don Zolidis, “The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon” packs in the filming of six holiday channel Christmas rom coms at once, following half a dozen couples, each representing...
Man, 70, shot outside Larimer nursing home
A 70-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday after being shot outside a Pittsburgh nursing home. The man was shot in the stomach about 12:35 p.m. outside Corner View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in the 6600 block of Frankstown Avenue in the city’s Larimer neighborhood, police said. The victim,...
Innamorato defends proposed budget and Allegheny County tax increase
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato defended her budget and proposed tax increase Wednesday, arguing that boosting the county’s tepid economic growth is more important than making large budget cuts. Innamorato in October proposed a 46.5% property tax hike to help balance her $3.1 billion budget, which will have a shortfall...
Veterans Day observed at Pine-Richland High School
Pine-Richland High School observed Veterans Day with a Nov. 11 assembly with guest speakers state Rep. Rob Mercuri, R-Pine, and Ron Schall, a community member and Vietnam era veteran. The program was hosted by the school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets and included a flag-folding ceremony, explanation of the...
Collier Eat’n Park reopens in a larger space
Bill Mitchell recalled his aunt and uncle writing down when the Eat’n Park across the street from their home in Collier was scheduled to open. The date was June 21, 1956, a Thursday. “Saturday of that week they took me to eat there,” said Mitchell, as he sat in the...
Authority calls for voluntary conservation in response to state drought conditions
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water customers are being asked to conserve water as drought conditions take hold throughout Pennsylvania. Conservation efforts are voluntary, and municipal authority officials said there is no immediate expectation mandatory cutbacks of water use will be required. “It’s not panic time. It’s nothing like that,”...
