Western PA Local News category, Page 439
Westmoreland offers special education certificate program aimed at bolstering teacher workforce
Schools in Westmoreland County are struggling to fill special education teaching positions. They’re not alone. More than 2,000 teaching positions were vacant in Pennsylvania as of October, according to data released by the state. Though schools in and around Philadelphia bear the brunt of the shortages, Westmoreland County needs 30...
3 injured, 2 critically, in explosion at Lower Burrell steel plant
Two people were critically injured in an explosion Wednesday at Braeburn Alloy’s Steel Division in Lower Burrell, according to emergency officials. A Westmoreland County 911 public safety supervisor confirmed the incident at 11:57 a.m. at the site, 101 Braeburn Road. One of the critically injured people was flown to an...
Man who pleaded guilty to delivering cocaine from his Maserati headed to prison
A Washington County man accused by police of driving a Maserati to deliver cocaine around the region, will serve 12½ years in federal prison. Dirk Barfield Jr., 38, was still on supervised released from a 2009 federal case when he was arrested on the new charges. According to federal prosecutors,...
Westmoreland happenings: Chili cookoff, art exhibit, pancake breakfast, more
Fundraisers • Action for Animals Humane Society will sponsor a “Love Is In the Air” fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 8 at Rizzo’s Malabar Inn Reception Hall, Crabtree. Cost is $60 and includes an Italian dinner buffet, appetizers and dessert. There will be a cash bar, a basket...
New alert system coming to Allegheny Valley School District
Allegheny Valley School District officials hope a new alert system can provide a more effective way to respond to incidents. The school board approved purchasing badges to be worn by district staff members for the Centegix silent crisis alert system. “They are badges the staff can use in the event...
Single-digit temperatures make for trying night for South Greensburg firefighters
Icicles hung from a South Greensburg home Tuesday morning as firefighters hosed down the structure amid single-digit temperatures. It was a trying night for dozens of volunteer firefighters from around the region, said South Greensburg fire Chief Matt White. The fire on Parr Street was reported around 11:30 p.m. Monday....
25th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast highlights message of interconnectedness
Despite the freezing temperatures outside, attendees turned out and filled almost every seat in the Zappala Campus Center Square room at La Roche University to hear Dr. Angela Reynolds proclaim this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day to be “a day of recommitment and a purposeful decision to not give...
Shadyside entrepreneur heats up the local hot sauce scene
Artie Pitt is livin’ the spice life. After a successful 20-plus-year career in the cannabis trade and music industries, Pitt is pursuing a lifelong love of making spicy foods — particularly hand-crafted hot sauce. Pitt launched Artie’s Hot Sauce in October 2023 after cooking up batches of hot sauce and,...
2025 Pittsburgh/Allegheny County homicide victims
A look at each of the homicides that have occurred in Allegheny County in 2025: Jan. 4: Dorrel Ferguson Dorrel Ferguson, 19, of Wilkinsburg was found fatally shot with a single gunshot wound to the upper torso on a Wilkinsburg sidewalk. Read more: Police: Man found dead on Wilkinsburg sidewalk...
Cash 5 lottery winning ticket sold in Crafton
A lottery player is $75,000 richer after buying a ticket Sunday in Crafton. The winning ticket was sold at the Giant Eagle along Walsh Road, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. It was a Cash 5 ticket with Quick Cash that matched all five winning numbers — 7, 8, 19, 31...
Bridgeville-South Fayette Rotary takes on comfort bag project
Police officers often meet people on the worst day of their life, and the Bridgeville-South Fayette Rotary club is trying to ease the pain for families in some of those situations. The Rotary is putting together comfort bags, with necessities, for Bridgeville and South Fayette police officers to give to...
Delmont plans to repave Greensburg Street this year
Delmont officials are considering the best way to move forward with their annual paving program, for which the 2025 goal is repaving Greensburg Street. Borough council members were hoping to also secure a state grant to repave Freeport Street, but it did not come through. Greensburg Street was last paved...
Woman found shot dead in Pittsburgh’s Perry South
A woman was fatally shot Saturday in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood, city police said. Officers said they were called at about 12:30 p.m. to the 100 block of Hawkins Avenue. At the scene, officers found a woman inside a home with a gunshot wound to the head, according to public...
Morning Roundup: Water line break creates icy road in South Side Slopes; fire in Beechview
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 22: Water line break in South Side A water main break in Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes neighborhood has left one street an icy mess. Crews were called to Mission Street near South 21st Street early Wednesday, according...
Bird flu outbreak causes egg shortages, price increases in Western Pa.
There’s been a shortage and price increase of eggs available at grocery stores nationwide, and Western Pennsylvania is not immune. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as the bird flu, is the culprit. It’s a virus that Dr. Lee Harrison, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine and epidemiology...
Roku available for checkout at Sewickley Public Library
Get your Netflix or Amazon Prime fix for free with a Roku Express checkout kit from the Sewickley Public Library. “It’s great if you want to try it out or don’t have one or maybe just want to watch a movie,” said Richelle Klug, communications and social media librarian. The...
The Stroller, Jan. 22, 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. Local food bank seeking...
Unsung heroes brave the bitter cold to keep Pittsburgh movingVideo
Timothy Jones knows cold. But bundled in a heavy coat and snug-fit, black wool cap, the Shaler man appeared unfazed Tuesday morning as he quietly paced in one of the region’s coldest spots: a narrow walkway, exposed to the elements 60 feet above the ice-covered Ohio River, at the lock-and-dam...
Subzero temperatures require caution and planning
The region’s bout with frigid temperatures is not to be taken lightly, area doctors say. While Western Pennsylvania is familiar with the cold, it’s been some time since low temperatures dipped below zero, and that makes the cold more dangerous than usual. The last time it was this cold was...
Hempfield high school boys basketball coach resigns amid investigation
Less than a week after Hempfield Area announced an investigation into boys high school basketball coach Bill Swan, he has resigned from his coaching duties. Swan was placed on paid administrative leave from his coaching and guidance counselor positions Jan. 14 as the district investigated an allegation that school officials...
Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons spark legal scramble for Western Pa. lawyers
For defense attorneys representing people in Western Pennsylvania charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the last two days have been frenzied. President Donald Trump on Monday pardoned everyone charged in the Capitol riot four years ago, clearing the way for the release of hundreds of...
Gainey claims progress with Highmark on payments to Pittsburgh, but skeptics abound
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Tuesday announced that Highmark, one of the largest nonprofits operating in the city, is willing to make financial contributions to the city — but only if other major nonprofits pay up, too. In a statement, Gainey portrayed Highmark as taking a significant step forward to...
In brief: North Allegheny area happenings, week of Jan. 20, 2025
Bradford Woods fills commission posts Bradford Woods Council voted unanimously to appoint its members and others to borough commissions and local posts during its Jan. 13 meeting. • Vince Cannella will serve as the borough’s emergency management coordinator. • Kevin Rhule will serve on the Planning Commission. • Rich Andrus...
Greensburg mother pleads guilty but mentally ill to young child’s attempted murder
A Greensburg woman could face up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced this year for the attempted first-degree murder of her 8-year-old child. Skye C. Naggy, 32, pleaded guilty but mentally ill Tuesday to six criminal offenses in connection with an incident in which prosecutors claimed that,...
Lawyer for New Florence woman charged in mother’s slaying explores insanity defense
A New Florence woman will be evaluated by a psychologist to determine if she can be held criminally responsible for the killing of her mother last year. The lawyer for Melissa Sue Fox-Beacom told a county judge during a court hearing on Tuesday that questions remain about his client’s mental...
