Convicted Trafford rapist accused of attacking woman in Penn Township
A sex offender who served a lengthy prison sentence for rape is back behind bars after Penn Township police charged him with attacking a woman he solicited for sex. Paul Daniel Zagwoski, 56, of Trafford is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $100,000 bail on misdemeanor counts of...
Questions raised after Kamala Harris campaign accused of altering headlines in Google ads
News outlets have noticed the headlines of their published articles on Google search do not match the ones written on their websites. Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is reportedly modifying headlines on news articles within sponsored search advertisements on Google to appear as if those outlets are seemingly partial toward...
4 residents and Plum police officer recognized for saving woman from fiery crash
Several good Samaritans and a Plum police officer were recognized for their efforts in saving a woman from a fiery crash last month. A Lower Burrell woman suffered a medical emergency while driving the morning of July 17. It became a tumultuous ride as her vehicle struck a street sign...
Highlands School District considering tax appeal settlement with the Highlands Mall
The Highlands School District could reap a tax windfall of $28,000 if the board accepts an assessment appeal settlement proposal from the owners of the Highlands Mall, the 15-store shopping plaza off of Freeport Road. The district also would earn more tax income each year going forward. The Highlands Mall...
Murrysville dance school will open 2nd location in Plum
Technically, Donna Zerjav of Murrysville runs Donna’s School of Dance in her spare time. In her day job, Zerjav works as a claims adjuster for Erie Insurance. But “Donna the claims adjuster” isn’t how most people know her. It’s “Donna from Donna’s School of Dance.” That’s because the business has...
Faces of the Valley: Harmar man uses nature, film to promote waterway conservation
Ian Smith is a go-with-the-flow type of guy. Whether it’s the flow of an ocean or a river, he’s there. Smith fell in love with surfing after taking lessons on the East Coast and decided to bring the activity home with him. “I loved the sport and wanted to bring...
Remember When: 6 family members perished in ferry tragedy on Allegheny River near Brackenridge
One of the major problems facing the early settlers of the Alle-Kiski Valley was crossing the rivers. Before 1900, for the residents of communities near Tarentum, the closest bridge crossing was Garvers Ferry Bridge, which was built in 1886 near Freeport. The problem was alleviated, somewhat, in 1900 with the...
Increased police presence in Harrison’s Sheldon Park ‘paying huge dividends’Video
Promised foot patrols by police officers in Harrison’s Sheldon Park neighborhood have led to fewer altercations in the neighborhood and a better rapport between law enforcement and residents, officials say. In response to a shooting in the neighborhood nearly two months ago, Allegheny County Housing Authority Police Chief Mike Vogel...
Parents, students get a look at newly renovated Gateway Middle School
Gateway School District students entering fifth through eighth grade are getting a chance to tour their newly-remodeled — and consolidated — middle school this week. Gateway Middle School in Monroeville opened its doors to incoming students starting Monday, after extensive renovations over the past three years. It will consolidate the...
‘He breathed and lived Gateway’: Scott Williams remembered for community service
Friends recall a favorite saying of the late Scott Williams of Monroeville. “There’s a right way, there’s a wrong way, and then there’s the Gateway.” A paraplegic since the age of 18, Williams, 59, died July 26, 2024, at UPMC Montefiore Hospital in Oakland after a prolonged battle with cancer....
Sunrise School in Monroeville celebrates summer picnics
Sunrise School in Monroeville, part of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, had a “Picnic Month” theme during recent lessons. The school’s pupils, ages five to 21, are primarily special education students from the eastern part of Allegheny County. Class curriculum is geared toward learning support, life skills, multi-disabilities and autism, as...
Innamorato nominates ex-Peduto staffer for Allegheny County manager position
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato on Wednesday nominated John Fournier — the deputy city administrator for Ann Arbor, Mich. — to serve as county manager. Fournier previously spent a decade living in Pittsburgh and worked as deputy chief of staff for former Mayor Bill Peduto. Allegheny County Council must approve...
Award keeps paddle fleet afloat at Steel City Rowing in Verona
A boat has one job: to float. Every kayak, canoe and paddleboard at Steel City Rowing in Verona handles that fundamental task just fine, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t sustained a few dings and tape jobs. Some of these vessels get daily use during the summer between the club’s...
Plunge, scoop, repeat: ‘Industrial-strength’ cleanup of Pittsburgh’s rivers yields stinky, silty treasure
The demolition claw — its dirt-brown metal fingers guided by an excavator’s gray 50-foot-long arm — plunged Tuesday afternoon into the cloudy, brownish-green surface of the Allegheny River in search of discarded pieces of Pittsburgh. Chained to a rusty-bottomed 32-by-120 foot barge, the excavator sent its arm diving over and...
Career readiness framework and outdoor classroom are new at Chartiers Valley
Chartiers Valley is launching a new program to help prepare students to become career ready. This year, the district will join the RIASEC framework which asks students about their aspirations, skills, and interests in different jobs to help them learn about careers and fields of study. RIASEC includes six characteristics:...
Longtime Buffalo Township movie theater set to close, reopen under local ownership
One of the few remaining movie theaters in the Alle-Kiski Valley is set to close, but only for a few weeks as new ownership takes over. The AMC Classic South Pike 10 cinema complex is scheduled to shutter its doors Thursday, according to Buffalo Township Supervisor Mike Oehling Jr. and...
Riverview School District readies for student return
Riverview School District will be welcoming students back to school on Thursday, Aug. 22. The district has welcomed multiple new hires for the year, including special education director, Jamie Desrochers; full-time teachers Mary Evankovich and Lindsay Pica; and six paraprofessionals that will be placed throughout district schools. In the days...
New Kensington police identify, arrest suspect in gas station robbery
A man accused of robbing a New Kensington gas station early Wednesday was quickly identified and arrested thanks to an anonymous tip. Police had sought the public’s help in identifying a man who, armed with a knife, robbed the Sunoco station on Tarentum Bridge Road at Caldwell Avenue around 4:30...
Pittsburgh fans relive decades of Bruce Springsteen shows
Local fans of rock legend Bruce Springsteen have been waiting a long time for his return to Pittsburgh — not just because The Boss hasn’t been here since 2016, but because this week’s two upcoming shows were supposed to happen almost a year ago. Originally slated for Sept. 12 and...
Morning Roundup: Penn Hills playground improvements vandalized
Here are a few news items for Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024: Penn Hills playground damaged Penn Hills fire officials are looking into vandalism and damage at the newly improved Rosedale VFD Memorial Park. Fencing around the park was discovered ripped down on Tuesday. “We’re discouraged to see this damage performed,”...
Turtle noodler: Irwin man continues family legacy of catching turtles with bare handsVideo
Joe Clemens of Irwin has a dangerous hands-on hobby. Clemens is a fourth-generation turtle noodler, a pursuit where one catches snapping turtles with their bare hands from underwater holes in the banks of freshwater rivers, creeks and ponds. “I’m pretty much one of the last ones left around here in...
2 dead in Homestead shooting
Allegheny County Police are investigating the death of a man and woman found Tuesday in Homestead. Police were called to the 100 block of West 15th Avenue shortly after 4 p.m., responding to a report of shots fired. They received no response when hailing residents at the home, and a...
Firm suggests closing 16 Pittsburgh Public schools, opening 2 new ones
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials have received recommendations to close more than a dozen schools and potentially merge Carrick and Brashear high schools. A consultant hired by the district said, through a facility use report, that the urban school system should close 16 of its schools and open two new ones,...
Harris, Walz announce Pennsylvania bus tour to launch in Pittsburgh
Presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are set to kick off a Pennsylvania bus tour Sunday in Pittsburgh. In their bid to keep a Democratic administration in the White House, the pair plans to make multiple stops in the state over the course...
Westmoreland happenings: Yellow Tie Gala, history program, movie night, more
Fundraisers • Latrobe Art Center will host its annual Yellow Tie Gala from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 23 in an open air dining room and dance floor on Ligonier Street in Latrobe. There will be a banana split bar, music by Mike Urick and the Modelaires and an open...
