Western PA Local News category, Page 463
Salem approves 55,000-square-foot Westmoreland Food Bank expansion
The Westmoreland Food Bank cleared another hurdle on the way toward a planned expansion that will double the size of the nonprofit’s food cooler, receiving approval from Salem supervisors to proceed. “We’re expanding by about 55,000 square feet and it’s being funded through (federal American Rescue Plan) funds through the...
Leaders of community garden hope to nurture young residents with scholarship program
Organizers of the Sharpsburg Community Garden are hoping to grow a new generation of people with a passion for planting. The garden, situated behind the community library along Main Street, is launching a scholarship program for 2025 through which a newbie can get their hands dirty and harvest crops such...
Grand jury indicts Braddock man shot by security at Harrisburg courthouse
A convicted murderer living in a Braddock halfway house who was shot after authorities said he tried to stab a security officer at the federal courthouse in Harrisburg has been indicted. Joseph Louis Camino, 56, is charged with assaulting a federal officer and possessing a dangerous weapon in a federal...
Allegheny County must pay ex-jail guard $1.5M over former boss’ racist comments
Allegheny County will pay a former jail guard $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit alleging he was fired for reporting racist comments by a supervisor. Jeffrey Kengerski was fired in November 2015 after reporting that a superior officer called Kengerski’s biracial relative “a monkey.” He sued the county in federal...
More than just books: Cooper-Siegel Community Library closes in on funding for $2.5M expansion
Tools, 3D printers and musical instruments probably aren’t what most people associate with libraries. But Cooper-Siegel in Fox Chapel is far from ordinary. The $6 million, 24,000-square-foot facility along Fox Chapel Road has grown its lending libraries, programs and classes to meet the demands of patrons who number nearly 30,000...
15 local seniors among young women presented during 61st annual Medallion Ball
Fifteen seniors from the Fox Chapel Herald coverage area were honored Nov. 29 during the 61st annual Medallion Ball at the Pittsburgh Wyndham Grand Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh. The students and their schools are Ainsley Anderson (Fox Chapel), Claire Auffenberg (Fox Chapel), Ridglee Boychuk (Fox Chapel), Emma Callahan (Our Lady...
Living large: Relaxed approach to parenting keeps family of 11 happy and humming in Fox Chapel
Bigger is apparently better for a family of 11 in Fox Chapel. “I always wanted a big family,” said Stephanie Wilkinson, wife and mother to nine biological children she’s raising with her husband, Jim. “I told my mom I wanted at least eight kids.” The Wilkinson children, four boys and...
Christmas story tradition continues at Acmetonia Elementary School in Harmar
Allegheny Valley School District Superintendent Patrick Graczyk read a classic story, “The Night Before Christmas,” to kindergarten students at Acmetonia Elementary School in Harmar on Thursday. Students wore their pajamas as part of the tradition that’s been happening for about a decade. Graczyk and the students shared what they were...
Pittsburgh Public Schools board raids reserve fund to close 2025 budget deficit
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board on Wednesday approved a 2025 spending plan that includes no tax increase but relies on the district’s financial reserves to balance the budget. The nearly $775 million budget will draw about $28 million from the district’s reserve fund to fill in the gap between projected...
Hempfield nixes plan for ‘fire tax,’ maintains 3-mill tax rate for 35th straight year
For the 35th consecutive year, the millage rate in Hempfield will stay at 3 mills in 2025. Township supervisors Wednesday unanimously approved the $17 million spending plan for next year. The millage rate has been unchanged since 1990. “We are pleased to provide a balanced budget going into 2025 with...
Lender demands $143M from Station Square owners in mortgage foreclosure suit
The owners of Station Square must pony up nearly $143 million in overdue loan payments or face foreclosure amid a challenging year for the popular tourist spot on Pittsburgh’s South Side. In a lawsuit filed Nov. 4 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, Delaware-based lender Wilmington Trust demanded the remainder...
BJ’s Country Store in South Buffalo going out of business
Matt Hughes and Cory Stivanson hardly said a word walking into BJ’s Country Store late Tuesday morning, but cashier Janet Greene knew what was on their minds. “A yes and yes?” she asked from behind the worn wooden countertops. The pair assented, and Greene got to work on an Italian...
Blawnox to see no rise in real estate taxes, garbage fees; water/sewage bills will increase
Blawnox property owners will not have to pay more in borough real estate taxes next year. Council unanimously voted Dec. 11 to pass its 2025 budget and maintain the tax rate at 10.85 mills. Garbage collection fees also remained the same. Council raised taxes by 1 mill for the 2023...
Tarentum real estate tax increase to benefit volunteer fire departments
Tarentum property owners will pay 9% more in real estate taxes next year, ending a 20-year run with no increase. Council approved the borough’s $4.7 million budget, raising the millage from 5.48 to 5.98 mills. The hike is to institute a fire tax, meant specifically to benefit the borough’s three...
No change in Aspinwall’s real estate taxes, sewage fees for 2025
Aspinwall property owners will not have to pay more in borough real estate taxes next year. Council voted 6-0 on Dec. 11 to pass its 2025 budget and maintain the millage rate at 8.36 mills, including 0.5-mill for public safety. Councilman Lou Curcio was absent. One mill generates about $150,000...
Fawn-Frazer Water Authority raises rates
Customers in the Fawn-Frazer Joint Water Authority will see a slight increase to their bills next year. “We are looking at a $2 increase,” said Ed Adams, authority chairman. The rate, effective Jan. 1, will increase from $31 to $33 monthly, Adams said. It was approved by the water authority...
Harp and Hound Jewelry brings Celtic-inspired designs to Blawnox
A professional metalsmith and jeweler with more than 22 years of custom jewelry experience has opened a studio in Blawnox. Dan Jacko of Verona opened Harp and Hound Jewelry on Dec. 7 at 238½ Freeport Road, the former site of Marlene Harris Collection. Jacko designs and creates artisan and handcrafted...
Teenager dies after shooting in Beaver Falls
A 16-year-old boy died Wednesday night after being shot in Beaver Falls. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim Thursday morning as Darell Love Jr. The shooting happened at about 9:45 p.m. on 13th Street. Emergency responders found Love unresponsive and transported him to Allegheny General Hospital in...
Fire displaces residents of Connellsville apartment building
Several people were left without a home Wednesday night after a fire destroyed an apartment building in Connellsville, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The building is near the intersection of North Pittsburgh and Peach streets. No injuries were reported, but at least one person was rescued by firefighters. “I...
Lefty’s could be leaving Strip District
A popular bar in Pittsburgh’s Strip District could be gone in a matter of weeks. Lefty’s lease along Penn Avenue will come to an end in late January, owner Rick Krist told TribLive news partner WTAE. The landlord has declined to renew the lease, he said, and other landlords in...
Students from Christ the Divine Teacher bring cheer to patients at UPMC St. Margaret
Students from the third and fourth grade classes of Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy visited UPMC St. Margaret on Dec. 4 to help spread holiday cheer. The students decorated the Christmas tree in the hospital’s lobby with handmade ornaments, sang carols and helped to light the tree. The St....
Light Up the Wall in Aspinwall draws huge holiday crowd
An illuminating holiday tradition drew hundreds of people tiny Aspinwall on Dec. 7. The annual Light Up the Wall is one of the largest events organized by the Aspinwall Chamber of Commerce and presented in partnership with the borough. Freezing temperatures did not stop dozens of families across the Fox...
The Stroller, Dec. 19, 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. Oakmont Elks to host...
Upper Burrell data center to be company’s ‘U.S. flagship,’ founder says
A new data center in Upper Burrell could hold 3 gigawatts of power — about three times more than the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant can generate — and employ hundreds if plans come to fruition at the vacant portion of the Alcoa Technical Center. TECfusions, a Florida-based data...
Pittsburgh interior designer to face judge in business fraud case out of Fox Chapel
An interior designer accused of swindling a Fox Chapel woman out of $170,000 is headed to court, the latest in a flurry of legal cases surrounding the embattled Pittsburgh business owner. Lauren Michelle Piasecki, 44, of Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood waived her preliminary hearing Wednesday in a Sharpsburg district court....
