Police seek man who ran from officers serving arrest warrant in Latrobe
A man accused of kidnapping his wife to Kentucky fled from police Tuesday night as they attempted to serve an arrest warrant in a new case filed by Rostraver police. Latrobe police Lt. Michael Wigand said officers were helping their counterparts from Rostraver serve an arrest warrant on Shawn Michael...
Franklin Park’s 1st female mayor eager to get started as council reorganizes for new year
It’s official. Franklin Park’s new mayor, Cristen Fiffik, a Democrat, was sworn in during the borough’s reorganization meeting Jan. 5, replacing Dennis O’Keefe, who served as mayor for three terms. Republican O’Keefe lost to Fiffik, 3,092 to 2,738. Mayoral terms in Franklin Park are four years. Fiffik shared her appreciation...
Woman accused of abandoning 12 cats in Allegheny Township faces cruelty charges
Allegheny Township police have accused a woman of abandoning a dozen cats in her apartment without food after she was evicted in October, leaving some severely emaciated. Laura Zboravan, 56, who now lives in Gilpin, is charged with two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and several misdemeanor animal...
Nominations open again for Pittsburgh Walk of Fame
Nominations are once again open for the next induction class of the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame. In October, the first 10 bronze stars were unveiled in the Hollywood-style installation embedded in the sidewalk in front of The Terminal in the Strip District, which runs along Smallman Street. The first induction...
1 of 2 $500,000 jackpot-winning Pa. lottery tickets sold at McCandless pharmacy
Someone has won big in McCandless, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Jan. 7. A $500,000 jackpot-winning Cash 5 with Quick Cash ticket from the Jan. 6 drawing was sold at Adzema Pharmacy along Perry Highway. It was one of two tickets sold, winning a combined $1 million, that matched all five...
Penn Hills mayor challenges interim manager appointment process
After the Jan. 5 reorganization meeting, Penn Hills remains without a manager. Mayor Pauline Calabrese announced she filed an emergency injunction to stop what she claims is an “unlawful appointment process” of an interim municipal manager. The need for a full-time manager comes after a Dec. 15 council meeting where...
Blawnox woman recounts parents’ harrowing Holocaust ordeal
The daughter of two Holocaust survivors will share her parents’ poignant account during a program Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Deborah Leuchter Stueber of Blawnox will be the guest speaker at the Holocaust Remembrance event, hosted by the Fox Chapel Area affiliate of the American Association of University Women. The daughter...
Venezuelan community in Western Pa. conflicted over Maduro’s detentionVideo
Beechview resident Orlando Aguilar remembers waking about 2 a.m. to frantic text messages from his friends in Venezuela. The messages described the sound of explosions, during what Aguilar would later realize was the beginning of Operation Absolute Resolve, a United States operation to attack Venezuela and capture President Nicolás Maduro...
Got turkeys? The Pennsylvania Game Commission wants to know
Thanksgiving is long gone, but for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, it’s time to talk turkey — specifically, where they are and how many you see. The commission is making its annual request for public assistance in reporting the location of turkey flocks they see between now and March 15, as...
Allegheny County health officials blast new federal childhood vaccine guidelines
Allegheny County health authorities on Wednesday rejected the federal government’s new childhood vaccine guidelines, promising to stick with the science on immunization practices. “Departing from long-standing, evidence-based recommendations deters public trust and weakens the very foundation of public health that communities rely on in moments of uncertainty,” Allegheny County Public...
Traffic signal replacement begins at Main and Clopper streets in Greensburg after windstorm
Motorists will have to obey stop signs for the foreseeable future on Greensburg’s Main Street after a traffic light blew over in high winds last month. Superintendent of streets Tom Bell said the mast arm that held up the traffic light at the three-way intersection with Clopper Street was damaged...
Oakmont Council welcomes new and familiar faces for 2026
Oakmont Council underwent its annual shuffle on Jan. 5. Newcomers James “Jim” Parsons and Charles Fox were sworn into four-year seats on council alongside returning council members Amanda Pagnotta and Isaiah Wilson. After taking her oath of office earlier in the day, newly reelected Mayor Sophia Facaros swore in the...
New members join Plum Council, leaders named
November’s four election victors officially joined Plum Council on Monday, Jan. 5. Ryan Delaney, James McBride, Raymond Rall and Phoebus Apollo were sworn-in to their posts by District Judge Mike Doyle at the borough’s reorganization meeting. The four were part of a Democratic slate that swept aside Republican incumbents Paul...
Stretch of I-79 in Washington County reopens after rockslide
Interstate 79 in Washington County is open to traffic again following a Wednesday morning rockslide that shut down its northbound lanes. Crews reopened the lanes around 8:35 a.m. after removing rock debris that had fallen on the roadway, said Melissa Maczko, a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokeswoman. Southbound traffic was...
Cupples-Wisniowski named Collier commissioner president
Mary Ann Cupples-Wisniowski was named president, and Tim Downey was named vice president of the Collier Board of Commissioners. District Judge Maureen McGraw-Desmet administered the oath of office to incumbent Cupples-Wisniowski, newly elected commissioners Downey and Julie Murphy, and township tax collector Corrine Durisko on Jan. 5. Cupples-Wisniowski, Downey and...
Morning Roundup: Man pinned by equipment in Strip District; police seek Uniontown shooter
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 7: ______________________________ Man pinned by equipment in Strip District A man was hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday after “a piece of industrial equipment” pinned him to a building in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Pittsburgh police, firefighters and EMS...
Rising utility costs cause record demand for assistance
A record number of requests has been made this winter to a Pittsburgh nonprofit that doles out funds to help people pay their rising utility bills. As of late December, Dollar Energy Fund had processed $2.5 million to 6,100 Pennsylvania households since October — a 131% increase over the same...
Here’s how to shop for lower utility costs
For Western Pennsylvania consumers worried about the costs of heating their homes this winter, there are options. Customers could find some relief on the marketplace, but it’s not entirely without risk. Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate Darryl Lawrence said shopping for better rates on the Pennsylvania Utility Commission’s PaGasSwitch and PaPowerSwitch web...
The Stroller, Jan. 7, 2026: 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. Bingo bash planned by...
Building the Valley: Secondhand shop for kids ‘fills need’ in Vandergrift
Dylann Sowers says she opened her new storefront in Vandergrift with the community in mind. Kiski Kids Closet, located downtown on Grant Avenue, is a secondhand shop focused on affordable children’s clothing. It opened in mid-December. Sowers, 28, of Parks Township has three young boys of her own, which offered...
Judge OKs prosecution alleging woman’s messages led to boyfriend’s suicide
Prosecution of a South Greensburg woman on allegations that she bullied her former boyfriend to kill himself in 2021 can continue. In a 20-page opinion, Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears said a series of demeaning messages sent by Mandie Rose Reusch provided sufficient evidence to allow a jury to consider...
North Versailles police officer, 2 others, hurt in crash
A North Versailles police officer was involved in an accident with another vehicle Tuesday afternoon, resulting in the officer and the other driver and a child being hospitalized in stable condition, according to Allegheny County Police. The vehicle was struck when it pulled out in front of the police vehicle...
Teen accused in East McKeesport killing charged as an adult
A Pittsburgh teen is being charged as an adult for allegedly killing a man in East McKeesport. Allegheny County Police on Tuesday announced they arrested Zylon Patterson, 17, in connection with a June 12 homicide. Police allege Patterson is responsible for the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Keith Pelmon of Penn...
Critic slams Jason Lando’s fitness for police chief in email to Pittsburgh council members
A Maryland man who claims he was harassed by Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor’s pick for police chief sent a lengthy email last week to City Council members that cast aspersions on Jason Lando in an effort to derail his nomination. The Dec. 30 email from Daniel Sullivan, a retired police...
Orthodox Christmas to be celebrated Wednesday across region
The Christmas season isn’t over, at least not for the handful of Orthodox Christian churches that follow the Julian Calendar and are celebrating Christmas on Wednesday with special liturgies, dinners and holiday decorations. “Universally, it’s accepted as Christmas, but, in our faith, it is really called the Nativity of the...
