Westmoreland voters opt for computers over paper ballots
The biggest winner on Election Day in Westmoreland County was the touch-screen voting machine. County voters overwhelmingly rejected the use of optional paper ballots at the polls, as just 5% of those who cast ballots at Westmoreland’s 306 precincts used pen and paper to vote Tuesday. “It proves me right....
As SNAP benefits remain in limbo, grocers brace for potential impact
Grocers who rely on sales from customers using federal food assistance are bracing for financial pain that could amount to millions of dollars in losses. Nationwide, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves an average of almost 42 million participants per month who spend almost $100 billion per year on...
Greensburg considers crackdown on false alarm fire calls
As many as seven trucks manned by volunteers hit the streets every time Greensburg Fire Department gets a call for an automatic fire alarm. They race to an address, not knowing what they’re going to find when they get there. But about 20% of the time, such a call turns...
Sharpsburg welcomes new junior councilperson
Sharpsburg teen Grace Cooper wants to make a difference in her community. The Fox Chapel Area High School freshman has earned a unique opportunity to do just that while bolstering her knowledge of local government. She was appointed the borough’s new junior councilperson and was sworn in by Mayor Kayla...
Westmoreland happenings: Gingerbread house contest, omelet breakfast, craft show, more
Art • The Greensburg Art Center will host its next exhibition, “The Art of Gifting – Merry and Bright,” through Dec. 20 at the center, 230 Todd School Road, Hempfield. Handcrafted art, sculptures, jewelry, pottery, vases, dishes and more will be on display. Fundraisers • The Holy Name Society of...
Art league recognizes winners in annual art exhibit contest
Seventeen artists received ribbons and a monetary award as winners for their entries in the Norwin Art League’s 49th Annual Art Exhibit last month. Several of the artists were winners in multiple categories in the contest judged by Jeffrey Jarzynka, owner of Jarzynka Gallery in Pittsburgh. The contests attracted 120...
Monroeville transplants have long family history of military service
As the nation observed Veterans Day on Nov. 11, honoring those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, the Boles family of Monroeville stands out for its deep, multi-generational commitment to military service. The tradition spans more than a century, from World War I trenches to modern-day naval medicine...
Cheswick sees slate of incumbents hold council seats
Four incumbents on Cheswick Council seeking reelection held onto their seats in Tuesday’s election. The election saw two races — one with five candidates seeking four four-year terms and another with two candidates seeking two two-year terms. Nicholas Pollino earned the most votes in both races but said he’d likely...
Remediation efforts to begin this winter at nuclear waste dump in Parks Township
Remediation efforts at the Parks Township nuclear waste dump will begin this winter. The announcement was part of an informational session hosted by officials from the Army Corps of Engineers’ Buffalo and Pittsburgh districts at the township’s fire hall Wednesday. A precise start date has yet to be determined. An...
West Deer voters retain 2 supervisors, chose a well-known, experienced newcomer
A busy night of races in West Deer resulted in two incumbents getting reelected and one newcomer being named supervisor-at-large. Republican Vince Mercuri, 68, earned 2,237 (50.1%) votes, securing him the supervisor at-large position. He beat Mark B. Schmidt, 70, a Democrat who earned 2,203 (49.4%) votes. “We’re very excited,...
2 hospitalized following North Huntingdon crash
Two people were taken to the hospital Wednesday evening following a multi-vehicle crash in North Huntingdon. A section of Route 30 reopened shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday after being closed to traffic as emergency crews responded to the crash. A North Huntingdon police dispatcher said the wreck happened near the...
Hampton School District inducts 8 veterans into Hampton Heroes program
The Hampton School District inducted eight local veterans into its 2025 Hampton Heroes program. The Nov. 3 event at Fridley Field included student speakers and performances by the chorus and band. Those inducted were: • Christopher Finnigan of Pittsburgh served in the Marine Corps for four years. He served on...
Food drive underway to support Shaler Area’s Backpack Initiative
A food drive to support the Backpack Initiative began Tuesday in the Shaler Area School District and will run through Nov. 14. The Shaler Area Backpack Initiative was created in 2014 to help district students in need of weekend food supplies. Each family participating in the program receives a bag...
Democrats win all 4 seats on Plum Council
Democrats carried the day in Plum, unseating incumbent Republicans to claim four seats on borough council. Unofficial results show Ryan Delaney as the top voter-getter with 14.5%, followed by James McBride with 13.9%, Raymond Rall with 13.2% and Phoebus Apollo with 12.8%. The Democratic sweep renders incumbents Paul Dern, Steve...
Toney, DiCarolis victors in New Kensington Council election
Democrats Phillip Toney and Nicholas DiCarolis won two seats on New Kensington Council, according to unofficial results from the Westmoreland County Elections Bureau. In the three-candidate race for two seats, Toney had collected 1,800 votes, DiCarolis 1,534. Republican Chase Balla had 1,238. Toney, 70, and DiCarolis, 37, will take the...
Murphy, Cupples-Wisniowski, Downey win Collier commissioner seats
Julie Murphy, Mary Ann Cupples-Wisniowski and Tim Downey Jr. were elected to three seats on Collier’s board of commissioners. They were the top three vote-getters in a six-candidate race Tuesday, Nov. 4, according to unofficial but complete results from the Allegheny County Elections Division. Murphy had 1,828 votes, and Cupples-Wisniowski...
CMU researchers find selfish traits in cutting-edge AI
Artificial intelligence can be oh so human. New research from Carnegie Mellon University shows AI systems meant to mimic human reasoning have selfish tendencies, compared to simpler models. Teacher-student duo Hirokazu Shirado, an associate professor at the university’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and doctoral candidate Yuxuan Li released their findings last...
Problems and promise: Pittsburgh Mayor-elect O’Connor inherits good, bad and ugly
Coming off a resounding election win Tuesday night, Corey O’Connor tempered his victory speech with a dose of reality. “The road that we will travel is long and steeply uphill,” Pittsburgh’s mayor-elect warned a jubilant crowd of supporters. Come January, O’Connor acknowledged, he will take over a city facing serious...
Unofficial results show incumbent Springdale mayor winning by 1 vote
Unofficial election results show incumbent Springdale Mayor Joel Anderson ahead of his Democratic challenger by just a single vote. Allegheny County tabulations from Tuesday night’s election have Anderson, a Republican, with 517 votes and John Murray with 516. Among the 13 write-in votes, none listed either candidate. Anderson won an...
Irwin voters opt for 2 incumbents, 2 newcomers
Irwin borough council will see two new members join two reelected incumbents, based on unofficial results from Tuesday’s election. One newly appointed incumbent failed to win a full term. Councilman Tyler Baum, a Republican, led all candidates with 23.6 of the vote in his bid for a second four-year term...
LaSota reelected as Heidelberg mayor; incumbents return to council
Heidelberg voters returned Kenneth LaSota to the mayoral seat for four more years. According to the results of the Nov. 4 election from the Allegheny County Elections Division, LaSota, a Democrat, had 249 votes collected compared to Republican challenger Arnold Falcioni’s 155 votes. LaSota, a geology and Earth sciences professor...
Yough voters return all 4 incumbents to school board
Yough voters gave all four incumbent school board directors another term in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial results. Jared Filapose of Sewickley, current board president, led the ticket with 23.3% of the vote, followed by Linda Knor of Herminie at 20.3%. Matt Gardner of South Huntingdon, board vice president, received...
Whitehall dad’s front yard food pantry goes viral after surprise cash donationVideo
AJ Owen just wanted to help hungry neighbors with a front yard food pantry — he didn’t expect internet fame to show up, too. The Whitehall resident created the pantry to help people in fear of losing support from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). After the 36-year-old single...
Jeannette’s Langdon wins 2 races, will serve as mayor
There is expected to be an opening in Jeannette city government after one candidate won two seats in Tuesday’s election. Michelle Langdon will be notified of her victories for mayor and council once results are certified this month, said Scott Ross of the Westmoreland County Elections Bureau. Langdon will have...
Retired Army officer wins Mt. Pleasant Area School Board seat
A retired Army officer has won a two-year seat on the Mt. Pleasant Area School Board, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s election. Republican William Johnson of Mt. Pleasant Township received 51.6% of the vote, while Democrat Kathleen Ceroni received 44.8% of the vote. Ceroni, a retired Southmoreland High School...
