Fox Chapel resident organizes Diwali-themed event to educate others about Hindu celebration
A Fox Chapel woman is raising awareness to the public about the biggest annual celebration in India. Anita Nischal organized and sponsored a Diwali-themed Make-N-Take: Celebrate Diwali event Oct. 15 at the Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel. “I love doing things like this, and it’s the most important festival...
‘Life changing’: At-home dialysis allows assistant DA to focus on work while she awaits kidney
By day, Jennifer Dupilka fights for justice for crime victims as an assistant district attorney at the Westmoreland County Courthouse. At home, she has a different kind of battle — against her own body. Four days a week, her husband, Ray Dupilka, leaves his job as a county detective and...
Gaydos, Haas weigh in on issues affecting the 44th House District
The fight for Pennsylvania’s District 44 State House seat is on, and a winner will be chosen by voters Nov. 5. Republican Rep. Valerie Gaydos
— who has served as the district’s House representative in Harrisburg since 2018 — is facing Democratic challenger
Hadley Haas in a race Democrats hope to...
The Stroller, Oct. 31, 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. Happy Halloween! Many municipalities...
A Halloween twist: Rain could break drought spell
Western Pennsylvania’s spookiest surprise this Halloween might not be ghosts or goblins — it’s rain. While the region has been parched with drought, there’s a chance Mother Nature will break the dry spell with showers Thursday night. Meteorologist Rich Redmond of the National Weather Service in Moon said rivers and...
Blawnox Food Pantry marks 1 year of operation
When Blawnox Manager Kathy Ulanowicz saw residents were struggling to make ends meet years ago, she knew something had to be done. Some people were making the tough choice of buying food or paying bills. That discovery led to borough Thanksgiving food drives, a tradition that lasted for about a...
Nikki Haley stumps for Dave McCormick in Allegheny County, says his fate at polls tied to Trump’s
Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told a packed crowd at a northern Allegheny County music venue that former President Donald Trump will need to be re-elected in order for Dave McCormick to be successful in his bid to unseat Pennsylvania’s veteran U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. Haley spoke in support...
Pine-Richland student advocates on behalf of peers with dyslexia
Think back to the ups and downs of your early years in school. Then consider how the experience must have been for students like Brenyn Caplan. “I remember sitting in class, and I just wanted to read, but I couldn’t, at all. It was really difficult for me because everybody...
Allegheny County says voting process is secureVideo
What happens to your ballot once you turn it in? With the presidential election just days away, Allegheny County has been prepping and distributing voting machines to precincts across the county. Elections Division Manager Dave Voye, who explained the step-by-step tabulation process Wednesday in the county’s election warehouse on Pittsburgh’s...
Mt. Lebanon School District to pay $350K in legal fees to end lawsuit over transgender identity lesson
The Mt. Lebanon School District has agreed to pay $350,000 in legal fees to end a lawsuit that accused a teacher of violating parents’ constitutional rights when she gave a lesson on transgender identity to first-grade students. A federal judge in September ruled in favor of three mothers in the...
2 charged in vandalism of Jewish buildings in Squirrel Hill
Federal authorities on Wednesday charged two people with hate crime-related offenses in connection with vandalism at Jewish institutions in Squirrel Hill. Mohamad Hamad, 23, of Coraopolis, and Talya A. Lubit, 24, of Pittsburgh, are charged with conspiracy and defacing or damaging religious property, according to a criminal complaint. Hamad was...
Allegheny County debunks social media video about Bhutanese-Nepalese American voters in South Park
A video circulating online of voters at a satellite election office in South Park last weekend has gone viral in conservative circles, with some suggesting that a group of “non-English-speaking ‘citizens’ ” supporting Kamala Harris inappropriately jumped a long line of people waiting to cast a ballot. Allegheny County issued...
Probation sentence ordered for Monessen woman charged with assault on unborn child
A Monessen woman was ordered on Wednesday to serve two years on probation for what police said was assault against an unborn child. Brooke Linn, 18, was charged last month with one felony count of aggravated assault of an unborn child, simple assault and reckless endangerment in connection to an...
Indiana County man sentenced to prison for 2020 fatal crash in Derry Township
A Saltsburg man will serve up to five years in prison for causing a fatal crash four years ago in Derry Township Martin J. McKnight, 47, pleaded guilty this week to a felony charge of vehicular homicide for his role in a two-vehicle crash on Sept. 15, 2020. Police said...
North Huntingdon family sues UPMC Children’s over treatment of son, mother
A North Huntingdon woman is suing UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, claiming doctors performed unnecessary surgery on her son and staff concocted criminal allegations against her when she complained about the boy’s treatment. The woman, Dawn Lewandowski, was found not guilty of disorderly conduct and harassment Monday in Allegheny County...
Harrison police investigate shots fired at Sheldon Park
Harrison police are investigating after a flurry of gunshots rang out early Wednesday. Officers responded just after midnight to the area of Park Avenue, near the Sheldon Park housing plan, an Allegheny County-run apartment complex behind Heights Plaza. “We responded after several people called to say they heard gunshots. We...
Tarentum gets boost in $4M fix of failing water system
Tarentum officials are one step closer to ensuring a long-term solution to the borough’s aging water system and avoiding a tax increase to pay for it. Manager Dwight Boddorf said the failing distribution system, with 100-year-old lines and routine collapses, can’t guarantee access to clean water in future years. He...
Woodland Hills school board member censured for sharing confidential district emails online
Woodland Hills School District Board of Directors voted Tuesday to approve the censure of board member Darnika Reed during a special meeting. The vote was 5-4. The school district in a statement said that Reed had “made a series of social media posts in which she shared internal district email...
Attorney says Arnold police chief facing trial for theft was entrapped by integrity test
What prompted state authorities to test Arnold police Chief Joshua Stanga’s integrity remains undisclosed as a criminal case against him moves forward. Stanga, 41, of Arnold was ordered Wednesday to stand trial following a nearly two-hour preliminary hearing before Washington Township District Judge Jason Buczak. The hearing was moved there...
The Home Stretch: Here’s the election news for Oct. 30
Six days to go and the presidential race continues to heat up. Massive rallies, celebrity guests and controversial remarks are the hallmarks of the campaigns for the White House. Here’s what’s going on and what can be expected today. Where is everyone? Candidates are state-hopping at an impressive rate today....
Acting Pittsburgh police Chief Ragland wants to be a steady hand, not a ‘superhero’
After working in the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for more than three decades, Christopher Ragland this week said he’s hoping to provide steady leadership and bolster recruitment as he steps into the role of acting chief during a turbulent time for the force. Ragland takes the helm of an understaffed...
Mt. Pleasant councilman earns independent music awards 4 years in a rowVideo
Andy Davis may want to consider a standing airline reservation for Nashville each fall. For each of the past four years, the Mt. Pleasant resident has headed south to accept one — or more — Josie Independent Music Awards. The Josies are the country’s largest independent music awards ceremony, given...
Hempfield residents share concerns about Fosterville Road, where speeds reach triple the posted limit
Terri Wolfinger didn’t hold back when asked about safety issues on her Hempfield street. She says cars and trucks routinely speed down Fosterville Road, residents can’t walk or bicycle along the street and motorists come close to rear-ending vehicles pulling out of driveways. Wolfinger said she’s yelled at drivers to...
Westmoreland happenings: Spinning exhibit, cabbage roll dinner, meetings, more
Art • The Loyalhannon Spinners Guild will host a free display of some of their finished works and the raw fleece and tools used to get wool ready for spinning through Nov. 14 during regular operating hours at the Greensburg Art Center, 230 Todd School Road, Hempfield. Membership in the...
Fundraiser to benefit veterans programs features oldest living Steelers player
A North Huntingdon veteran who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957 will be the keynote speaker at a program next month to support veterans and veterans groups in the area. Bill Priatko, 93, a second lieutenant in the Air Force, will discuss his experiences during the program at 5:30...
