Turtle Creek man indicted on charges he robbed 7 businesses over a year
A Turtle Creek man already charged with shooting a Monroeville police officer multiple times in January was indicted in federal court on Tuesday, charged with robbing seven businesses at gunpoint over the course of a year. Jamal Brooks, 32, is named in an 18-count indictment handed up in U.S. District...
Dave McCormick joins Republican chorus calling for local judge to resign
Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick joined a group of Republican lawmakers in calling for the ouster of Pittsburgh District Judge Xander Orenstein as he lamented progressive policies and their impact on crime. McCormick held a news conference Tuesday in Moon with police union members, local Republicans and conservative commentator Ben...
Clinton backs Harris, defends Middle East policy during Pitt-Greensburg campaign stopVideo
Former President Bill Clinton gave an impassioned plea in support of Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign stop Tuesday afternoon at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Clinton spoke before a standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 who jammed into the Campana Chapel and Lecture Center in Hempfield. His...
History, community combine at Bradford Woods coffee shop
Imagine “The Sound of Music” with Julie Andrews’ voice supplanted by kazoos. Sure, cacophony may come to mind. But for the folks who raggedly buzzed the melody of “Do Re Mi” during Open Mic Night, the operative word was fun. And that’s what Christi Wilcox wants people to have when...
Vacancy emerges on Jeannette council after member resigns
Jeannette City Council is in need of a new member. Chad Krawtz submitted his resignation, which was effective immediately, on Sunday, said city solicitor Tim Witt. Letters of interest are being accepted until Nov. 13 by city manager Ethan Keedy. Council likely will vote on Krawtz’s resignation during its Nov....
Goat Donut Co. to host grand reopening in Leechburg, introducing new lunch menu
Jeremy Smail never expected Goat Donut Co. to evolve the way it has when he and his wife, Ashley Coudriet, opened the business in February 2022 in Leechburg. “We owned the building, and we really didn’t have a solid plan for it,” Smail said. “We just thought about what could...
Construction underway on new home for Plum sports training facility
Construction on a new home for a sports training facility in Plum is underway after a delay. Crews with Pugliano Construction began work in October getting a site at the end of Sheena Drive ready for a 27,000-square-foot building for GAMA Sports Training. In May, owner Joe Fischetti thought he...
Upcoming Burrell fireside chats give community a chance to share opinions
The Burrell School District once again is inviting students and families to pull up a lawn chair and chat during an event in November. The district is bringing back its “fireside chats” from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 7 in the high school’s student parking lot, 1021 Puckety Church Road....
Pittsburgh puts early end to $1.8M annual tax break for Squirrel Hill property
A blighted piece of land in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood will return to the tax rolls nearly a decade earlier than expected. The property, an old slag heap that overlooks the Parkway East near the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, had a 20-year tax break to spur development. But that will...
Pittsburgh to spend $600K on 11 public restrooms throughout city
Mobile bathrooms will be popping up throughout Downtown Pittsburgh and other parts of the city over the next two years. City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to allocate $600,000 in federal covid-19 relief money to bring 11 public restrooms to areas where bathrooms are hard to find. The city will...
Audit blasts city for ‘mismanagement’ of payments for Phipps’ steam usage
The City of Pittsburgh failed to collect more than $800,000 from Phipps Conservatory, the botanical garden complex in Oakland, as part of a longstanding utility reimbursement agreement, according to an audit released Tuesday by Controller Rachael Heisler. Phipps, a nonprofit, has since paid the city the bulk of that sum....
Seafood restaurant, bar in the works to replace Park Bruges in Highland Park
A new seafood restaurant and bar will replace Park Bruges on Bryant Street in Highland Park in the new year. “We’re hoping to close in January on the deal, maybe use the month of February to change things up,” said Angela Earley, who will take over the space. Earley, co-owner...
Pittsburgh halts discounted vacant land sales program
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday voted to halt a program that allows property owners to buy vacant city-owned properties for a steep discount. The Side Yard Sale Program allows property owners to purchase certain vacant, city-owned parcels that sit adjacent to their own for $200. But City Council on Tuesday...
Parkway East’s Penn Hills off-ramp, Exit 81, to close for paving
The eastbound Interstate 376 ramp to Penn Hills, which is Exit 81, will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, for asphalt paving. PennDOT’s posted detour is to take Exit 80, which is the Monroeville/Buisness Route 22 off-ramp, and turn left at the light on Rodi...
Gateway school board takes a pass on sponsoring student trip to Costa Rica
Gateway School District will not be sponsoring a proposed student educational trip to Costa Rica next year. Teacher Lynn Martin plans to take a group of students to Costa Rica in June. Last week, EF Educational Tours representative Shea O’Sullivan addressed the board to explain the difference between school-sponsored travel...
North Huntingdon OKs 3-year contract with police department’s 29 officers
North Huntingdon police officers have a new three-year contract that will give officers a 5% pay raise in 2025, followed by two years of 4% pay raises in 2026 and 2027, according to the township. The new contractwith the North Huntingdon Police Fraternal Relief Association covers 29 officers in the...
Victims, survivors of domestic violence have safe voting options
Every election cycle, Americans are encouraged to exercise their right to vote, but, for some, it isn’t that simple. Just like in other aspects of their lives, victims of domestic abuse can find themselves in situations that make it difficult, if not dangerous, to exercise their rights. “We have had...
Buffalo Township movie theater reopens under family management
The former AMC theater in Buffalo Township quietly reopened as South Pike Cinemas on Saturday, more than two months after America’s largest movie chain declined to renew its lease. Before leaving, AMC removed its payment systems, monitors — even its soda fountains — giving owner Nick Mulone plenty to do...
Latrobe Hospital fundraiser features remembrance ceremony, holiday tree lightingVideo
Residents can shine a light on loved ones by participating in an annual holiday display and fundraiser organized by the Latrobe Area Hospital Aid Society. Now in its 37th year, the Lights of Love program illuminates an evergreen tree outside the main entrance of Independence Health Latrobe Hospital, with each...
PennDOT plans to upgrade Route 30 bridge in Ligonier Township, replace Rostraver foot bridge
The bridge that carries the eastbound lanes of Route 30 over the Loyalhanna Creek in Ligonier Township is due for a roughly $2 million upgrade next year, including deck repairs and drainage improvements. Near the western edge of Westmoreland County, PennDOT is also set to replace a foot bridge that...
Pittsburgh council wants answers about Scirotto’s referee deal with Gainey
Pittsburgh City Council will try today to uncover details about how lame-duck police Chief Larry Scirotto struck a secretive deal with Mayor Ed Gainey to return to part-time college basketball refereeing while also running the city’s police force. Council is expected to question Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt and Acting...
The Stroller, Oct. 29, 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. Donations sought for Thanksgiving...
Board drama drags on as Penn Hills looks to revive economic development committee
A new wave of players in Penn Hills civic life are going after vacant land and blighted properties in historically neglected neighborhoods in hopes of attracting new residents and, in turn, amenities. And while some of that work is happening through Elevate Penn Hills, an initiative of the Penn Hills...
Hempfield supervisors nix tax hike, but some warn fire funding issues remain
Hempfield supervisors on Monday narrowly rejected a 3-mill property tax increase for 2025. But they hinted that the proposal could return when it comes time to prepare the 2026 budget. “Guess what, you’re kicking the can down the road,” said Supervisor George Reese, who voted in favor of the 3...
Pitt plans to spend $14.5M to tame ‘Cardiac Hill’
Anyone who’s climbed “Cardiac Hill” for a basketball game or class at the University of Pittsburgh will tell you — perhaps after catching their breath — that having an upper and lower campus can be taxing. That’s why Western Pennsylvania’s largest university is prepared to spend $14.5 million to make...
