2 lost hikers found safe in Ligonier Township
Cellphone technology and knowledge of the area helped police and firefighters locate two hikers who had become lost Wednesday evening on Laurel Ridge, said Ligonier Valley Police Chief Mike Matrunics. The two hikers parked along Laurel Summit Road and headed onto the Wolf Rocks Trail, an approximately 5-mile trail that...
Police: Elderly man critical after being struck by vehicle in West View
A 73 year-old man was hospitalized Wednesday night after being struck by a vehicle in West View. Allegheny County Police said they were notified of a pedestrian being near Perry Highway and Wellington Drive shortly before 8 p.m. First responders found the man suffering from severe injuries. He was transported...
Highlands School District used remote learning Thursday after another threat
Highlands School District students learned remotely Thursday following another threat, according to officials on the district’s Facebook page. Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said she was notified late Wednesday evening by Harrison police about another threat made to the district. “Although the threat is determined to be unfounded, out of an abundance...
Pittsburgh councilmen vote to spend $1M on NFL Draft despite criticism of Gainey
Two Pittsburgh lawmakers, unhappy that the mayor pledged $1 million in city money to the 2026 NFL Draft without first securing City Council approval, softened their stance Wednesday and joined their colleagues in voting unanimously for the funding. Over the last week, council members Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, and Bob Charland,...
Sen. Ward partners with Western Pa. food banks to promote breast cancer screenings
It’s not enough for State Sen. Kim Ward that high-risk Pennsylvania women can benefit from legislation she crafted related to preventative breast and ovarian cancer screenings. She wants to go national in requiring insurers to cover at no cost breast MRIs, breast ultrasound and genetic testing for the BRCA gene....
Westmoreland commissioners say no ballot curing allowed for November election
Westmoreland commissioners Wednesday said county voters will not be offered an opportunity to correct flaws that might cause their mail-in ballot to be disqualified. Ballot curing — or the process that allows elections officials to contact voters to correct ballot errors such as missing dates and signatures — will not...
Visiting opera stars highlight Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Festival
The full moon of Sept. 17 marked the start of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a Chinese tradition dating back more than 3,000 years. As folks back home celebrated the seasonal harvest, a pair of performing artists were headed in this direction. “The Mid-Autumn Festival usually is a family reunion time,” Marshall...
Mail-in ballot error date case filed with state Supreme Court
Ten voter education organizations on Wednesday filed a lawsuit with the state Supreme Court seeking to allow mail-in ballots with errant dates on return envelopes to be counted. It is an expected move after Pennsylvania’s highest court on Sept. 13 said it would not take an appeal from a Commonwealth...
Westmoreland County makes changes to some polling locations; addresses accessibility
Westmoreland County officials announced in September all 306 voting precincts for the Nov. 5 presidential election will be accessible to disabled voters. The county’s election board approved location changes for 10 precincts, including eight that were not in compliance with with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. “We are 100% ADA-compliant,”...
Trump plans rally at Butler fairgrounds, site of 1st assassination attempt
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will return to the Butler Farm Show grounds for a rally on Oct. 5, nearly three months after he was grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt there this summer, his campaign said Wednesday. Trump has campaigned heavily in Pennsylvania since that assassination attempt,...
Steelworkers lose arbitration case against U.S. Steel in their bid to derail sale to Nippon
An arbitration board has ruled that U.S. Steel may proceed with its proposed acquisition by Nippon Steel, a deal that faces strong opposition from its workforce. The board, which was jointly chosen by U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers to decide disputes between them, said Wednesday that U.S. Steel has...
‘Michael did it’: Police say parents blame son for severely beating them in Crafton home
A Crafton man beat his parents so severely that he caused brain bleeds and broke one of their skulls before waiting with bloody hands and clothing to be arrested in the backyard of the home they all shared, police said. Two victims were rushed in critical condition to UPMC Mercy...
Judge blocks reinstatement of Pittsburgh cop fired in Jim Rogers Taser death
The Pittsburgh police officer fired for repeatedly using his Taser on a homeless man who died the next day cannot get his job back. A judge on Wednesday granted an appeal by the City of Pittsburgh of an arbitrator’s award earlier this year that reinstated Keith Edmonds to his position...
Apollo 5K aims to raise awareness of human trafficking
It might come as a surprise to many just how prevalent human trafficking is in Westmoreland County. The county is ninth in the state for human trafficking incidents, said Kristen Malone-Bodair, education outreach program manager for the Blackburn Center. The Blackburn Center coordinates the Westmoreland Human Trafficking Task Force, whose...
Police identify suspect in connection with East Huntingdon carjacking, missing dog
A Maryland man accused in an East Huntingdon car jacking this week — and Lucky, the dog that was inside the vehicle — could be anywhere. But there was a glimmer of hope in surveillance video from a Walmart store just outside Connellsville, said state Trooper Steve Limani. Kenneth Wilson...
Ex-Greensburg hospital employee accused of locking special needs co-worker in freezer
A former Westmoreland Hospital employee is accused of locking a female co-worker who has special needs in a walk-in freezer when they were employed in the dietary department at Westmoreland Hospital. Greensburg police said Nick V. Casper, 25, of South Greensburg admitted in an email to his supervisor that he...
Route 28 closure caused by downed power line
A downed power line was to blame for traffic snarls late Wednesday morning along Route 28 and Freeport and Burtner roads in Harrison. The line was reported down across all lanes of the highway shortly after 11 a.m. State and local police had to close the highway between Burtner Road...
Westmoreland happenings: Harvest festival, hot dog sale, seminars, more
Festival • The Southwest Greensburg Harvest Festival will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sept. 28 in the Brandon Street parklet. There will be food, games, a basket raffle and more. Children can bring a candy bucket. Bring a lawn chair. Fundraisers • Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church will sell...
Cybersecurity system eyed for Springdale water treatment plant
In an effort to stave off cyberthreats to its water treatment plant, Springdale is considering the installation of a cybersecurity system. Dan Copeland presented fellow council members with two proposals from Gannett Fleming for a cybersecurity system at the water plant. One costs $11,500 and the other costs $19,000. “I...
Highlands threats lead to charges against juvenile, police say
A juvenile has been charged in connection with threats made against the Highlands School District on Tuesday, according to Harrison police. The threat, made on social media against the district, was investigated by Harrison police and deemed unfounded, according to the school district. Because the suspect is a juvenile, and...
County housing authority board OKs land purchase for 50-unit complex along Route 51 in Rostraver
With the population aging, Westmoreland County Housing Authority director Mike Washowich said he thinks a planned senior housing development in Rostraver will fill a need in that area. “There’s not anything else there,” he said. “We’re very excited about the location of the property.” That 6-acre location is near Willowbrook...
Morning Roundup: 2 women shot in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Sept. 25: 2 women shot in Allentown Two women were wounded in a shooting Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood. One of the women was shot in the arm, the other was shot in the abdomen, according to Pittsburgh...
Kamala Harris touts ‘the opportunity economy’ in speech at Carnegie Mellon UniversityVideo
Vice President Kamala Harris laid out her economic agenda Wednesday in Pittsburgh and placed a strong focus on cutting costs for middle-class families, boosting innovation and small business, and contrasting her plan with that of her rival, former President Donald Trump. Harris spoke for about 40 minutes on Wednesday afternoon...
The Stroller, Sept. 25, 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. Fridays on Fifth event...
With school threats increasing, school resource officers patrol the front lines
Rob Acquaviva has eyes all over Burrell School District. The five-year school resource officer serves the district’s four school buildings and works as a law enforcement officer, public safety educator and informal counselor/mentor to students. “The hope of the school resource officer is, if something were to happen, the kids...
