Western PA Local News category, Page 5
Allegheny Valley School Board to discuss daylong phone ban for students
Allegheny Valley students are barred from using their cellphones during classes, but the school board plans to discuss a new policy that would ban phone use throughout the school day. Students would not be allowed to access their phones at lunch, between classes or during study halls. The board will...
Westmoreland happenings: Native plant sale, hat luncheon, fishing derby, more
Fundraisers • The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s annual Hat Luncheon will be May 9 at Greensburg Country Club, 309 Pleasant Valley Road, Hempfield. A champagne reception will be at 11 a.m. and lunch will be served at noon. There will be music and a basket raffle. Fascinators and hats welcome. Sponsorship...
New Brentwood High courses mix technology with career readiness
New classes to be offered at Brentwood High School aim to engage students and prepare them for an evolving real world, says Principal Jason Olexa. The offerings are AI Foundations, Intro to Data Science, Music Theory, Digital Art II and a revamped Personal Finance course. “All of these classes help...
Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging cuts back as budget falls short
Allegheny County’s Area Agency on Aging is facing a projected shortfall of more than $5 million in its roughly $50 million budget — a gap officials say will mean longer wait times, new service limits and reduced access for older adults seeking help. On Friday, officials said the agency, part...
Parking restrictions to take effect in Tarentum on Monday
Parking will be restricted on Freeport Road in West Tarentum while PennDOT crews work in the area from Monday to Wednesday. Restrictions will be in effect from Nick Chevrolet to Greco’s. The work is planned in advance of a scheduled paving project....
Murrysville lawyer not guilty in alleged road rage incident
A Murrysville lawyer was acquitted Friday of criminal charges that arose from an alleged road rage incident nearly three years ago. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger issued not guilty verdicts on a misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment and one summary offense for careless driving. Prosecutors contended Brad Funari,...
$1.3B UPMC Presbyterian Hospital tower construction enters home stretch
Sunlight streams in from almost every angle of UPMC’s new glass-paneled hospital tower in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. Each of the 636 patient rooms has floor-to-ceiling windows, incorporating research showing the therapeutic effects of a connection with nature. The respite areas for workers to collect their thoughts during tough days follow...
Arts Landing highlights Downtown revitalization efforts ahead of NFL DraftVideo
Arts Landing — the 4-acre, outdoor civic space located at Eighth Street and Penn Avenue in the Cultural District — is open on time ahead of next week’s NFL Draft. The $31 million project’s completion after 22 months contributes to what elected officials and civic leaders called a generational, arts-driven...
29th annual ‘Blessing of the Bikes’ takes place this weekend in MurrysvilleVideo
Thousands of motorcyclists will descend on Murrysville Sunday for the 29th annual Blessing of the Bikes at Murrysville Alliance Church. Each year, the event draws a huge group for a morning service followed by fellowship, an official blessing of cyclists and their vehicles, and a massive ride. Murrysville Alliance pastor...
Pittsburgh cop punched handcuffed woman in face after she bit, scratched him, court papers say
A Pittsburgh police officer punched a handcuffed woman, bloodying her nose, after she bit and scratched him while resisting arrest on a drug charge, according to court papers filed Thursday. Officer Ronald Postell “delivered a closed-fist strike” to the face of Angel Bradford, 28, during the arrest Wednesday evening in...
North Allegheny School District’s proposed final budget includes tax increase
Addressing rising costs, inflation and other financial needs, a higher tax bill for residents in the North Allegheny School District is on the table as the proposed final budget was approved with a raise in millage rate to 20.43 from the current 19.74. The school board approved the proposed final...
Westmoreland man indicted on federal child exploitation charges following FBI arrest
A Westmoreland County man was arrested Thursday by the FBI and an indictment against him was unsealed, according to court records. James William Martin Jr., 43, was taken into custody in the Greensburg area, according to Bradford Arick, public affairs specialist with FBI Pittsburgh. U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh public...
Moss & Rain Boutique to open in downtown Greensburg
Greensburg resident Amy Fiaschetti is living out her dream of owning a boutique. Fiaschetti and her two daughters, Rachel Mormack and Madison Swan, will open Moss & Rain Boutique on Saturday in downtown Greensburg. “I love clothes, and then having two girls, I passed that on (to them),” said Fiaschetti,...
Harry Potter-themed Airbnb brings the magic in New KensingtonVideo
Calling all muggles. Harry Potter fans — and those just looking for whimsical digs — can book a stay in a two-story Harry Potter-themed Airbnb rental created by uber-fan Kim Waits and her boyfriend, AJ Rassau, both of New Kensington. It’s the latest creative Airbnb endeavour for the couple, who...
Pittsburgh controller questions $608 catering bill charged to taxpayers for funeral reception
The Pittsburgh City Controller’s Office is questioning a $608 city credit card charge last month that paid for food to be sent to a funeral reception for the father of Councilman Khari Mosley. City Council President R. Daniel Lavelle authorized the expenditure of taxpayer money. “Our office is empathetic to...
Pittsburgh-area students design human-centered AI models to tackle education issues
Diego Jofre Lieva remembers some of the language barriers he faced when he came to West Allegheny High School from Chile at the end of his freshman year. “We took language assessments, and a lot of my peers really struggled,” said Jofre Lieva, now a senior at West Allegheny. “I...
Peoples Library gets sensory spaces for neurodivergent inclusivity
Though libraries are typically quiet spaces, they aren’t always the most sensory friendly spots for people with special needs, according to Elle Kisiday, an occupational therapist at nonprofit Achieving True Self. Now, though, visitors might find the New Kensington and Lower Burrell People’s Libraries a bit more serene following the...
Burrell officials consider adding vending machines to schools
Burrell School Board is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to install vending machines in school buildings. The board is considering a three-year contract with New Kensington-based Iron City Vending Co. Food Service Director Megan Mlinarcik and Business Manager Jennifer Callahan recommended the contract to the board as a possible...
Woman charged after posing as mother, taking child from Steel Valley school, police say
Steel Valley School District officials released an 8-year-old student to a woman now charged with kidnapping after she pretended to be the child’s mother, Homestead police said. Jamya Jones-Houston, 25, of Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood is charged with felony kidnapping and interference with the custody of children for the incident...
Trash mounds along Allegheny River in Braeburn to be cleaned up
Illegal trash dumping has always been a problem along the Allegheny River in Lower Burrell’s Braeburn neighborhood, said Wade Schantz, a resident who adopted a stretch of Lowe Road. The past week has been no exception, with large piles of abandoned furniture and scattered waste along the road, accumulating mostly...
More NFL Draft road closures take effect
Another phase of road closures for the NFL Draft on Pittsburgh’s North Shore begins Wednesday — a day before the draft. The following roads will be closed from Wednesday through Saturday:Sproat WayNorth Shore Drive (from Chuck Noll Way to Mazeroski Way)Mazeroski WayWest General Robinson StreetLacock StreetFederal StreetI-279 Southbound Exit 1B...
Westmoreland Land Trust to host free Earth Day event at Saint Xavier Nature Reserve
Volunteers and visitors are welcome Saturday afternoon for a series of environmental activities at Westmoreland Land Trust’s Saint Xavier Nature Reserve in Unity. Tree planting and trash clearing along a section of Route 30 are scheduled along with a series of awareness programs set from noon to 3 p.m. The...
Pitt track and field athletes put on training clinic for Shaler Area’s Kids of Steel
Shaler Area Elementary School students preparing for the Pittsburgh Kids Marathon got some tips from members of the University of Pittsburgh track and field team. The Pitt students and their coaches put on a Track 101 clinic April 15 around the elementary school’s track. There were stations where kids could...
Painted Tree Boutiques in Homestead closes amid nationwide shuttering
The Homestead location of Painted Tree Boutiques at The Waterfront closed its doors Tuesday along with the more than 60 locations nationwide. A retail chain that leased space to local vendors and artisans, the Arkansas-based company abruptly announced it would shutter this week. The Homestead store’s general manager, Eric Williams,...
Murrysville man killed in motorcycle crash near Saltsburg
A Murrysville motorcyclist was killed Thursday evening after crashing into a pickup near Saltsburg, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Peter Devey, 59, died in the crash. Police said Devey and the driver of a Ford F-250 pickup had been traveling west on Waukeena Road in Loyalhanna Township around 10:45 p.m....
