Morning Roundup: Route 51 detours begin as crews raze Pittsburgh bridge
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Aug. 2: Route 51 detours begin Demolition work started late Thursday on a poorly rated bridge in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood. Part of Route 51, also known as Saw Mill Run Boulevard, closed as crews began work to...
West Nile virus found in Westmoreland mosquitoes
West Nile virus has been detected in Westmoreland County for the first time this year. Mosquitoes tested positive for the disease after being captured in Latrobe and at the border of Greensburg and Hempfield, according to Chrissy Edwards-McCune, who conducts the county’s West Nile virus monitoring program for the Westmoreland...
The Stroller, Aug. 2, 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. Bagpipe performance to highlight Plum festival Living Word of Plum will...
North Huntingdon man among thousands waiting for kidney transplant as Pa. marks Donor Day
Tom Farino of North Huntingdon is eight months into what could be a seven-year wait for a kidney transplant. A transplant would give Farino, 72, a new lease on life. “They’re trying to find a living donor before I need dialysis,” Farino said. Farino said his doctor at Allegheny General...
Vintage car fanatics cruise through Laurel Highlands for annual Countryside Tour
Dave Antram had no choice in the matter. He was raised to enjoy classic cars. Antram, 56, of Somerset Borough took his white 1954 Kaiser out for a spin Thursday morning to Ligonier’s Ramada Inn, where more than 50 vintage vehicles departed for more than 100 miles of driving through...
1 dead in Mt. Pleasant Township motorcycle crash
A Mt. Pleasant Township man was killed in a motorcycle crash Thursday night in the township, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. William K. Dodrill Jr., 44, of Ricci Lane died of blunt force injuries when the Harley Davidson motorcycle he was operating left the side of Hecla Road...
Pittsburgh controller urges URA to better use $10M affordable housing fund
Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler is calling on the Urban Redevelopment Authority to more efficiently use a fund for affordable housing instead of leaving money unused. Heisler’s recommendation follows an audit released Thursday by her office that showed that in 2022, the authority did not spend several hundred thousand dollars of...
Defense claims judge’s conflict should result in dismissal of assisted suicide case
Attorneys for a South Greensburg woman who prosecutors say bullied her boyfriend into committing suicide in 2021 say the criminal case against their client should be dismissed. Defense attorney Tim Lyon said the district judge who held the case for trial last year participated in the initial investigation while still...
Man, woman perish in Fayette County house fire; pet dog recovering
A man and woman perished in an early morning house fire Thursday in Fayette County. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Bob Baker identified the victims as David Brooks Sr., 72, and Lori Cossell, 53, both of Dunbar Township. The couple were married, according to Tpr. Kalee Barnhart, state police public information...
Pa. appeals court hears arguments about misdated mail-in ballots
A government attorney told an appellate court Thursday that no county elections board in Pennsylvania uses the handwritten date on the outer envelope of mail-in ballots for any purpose. Why then, he asked, should a mistake in the date disallow a person’s vote? “A rule that serves no purpose should...
Westmoreland County loan boosts long-planned Brush Creek remediation project
A long-planned remediation effort to remove orange-tinted polluted mine drainage discharged int0 Brush Creek may finally be a reality. The eight-mile creek runs through Irwin and Trafford and into Turtle Creek. Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a $75,000 interest-free loan to the Turtle Creek Watershed Association that officials said...
Goldinger: Agency left ‘on their own’ without communication during Trump rally
The Butler County Emergency Services Unit pointed out potential vulnerabilities — including the rooftop where a gunman fired shots from during the July 13 campaign rally for former President Donald Trump — to the U.S. Secret Service after touring the Butler Farm Show grounds on its own the Wednesday before...
Westmoreland commissioners reject call for property reassessment
Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday conceded the county’s property assessments are decades out of date but they rejected calls to modernize the system that controls valuations used to determine tax bills. “I am still not in favor of a countywide reassessment. We can’t commit the money it will cost,” said Commissioner...
Lamp concert to raise money for Irwin police
The Lamp Theatre in Irwin will be the site of an alternative rock band concert Friday night to help raise money to pay for tasers and the associated software for Irwin Borough police. “We want to do something to help raise money. We want to do what we can to...
Zappala condemns antisemitic graffiti in Squirrel Hill, says vandals committed possible hate crime
Vandals “crossed the line” by spray-painting a red triangle on a religious building in Pittsburgh’s center of Jewish life earlier this week and might be subject to federal prosecution for a hate crime, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala, Jr. said Thursday. The inverted red triangle — which was...
Owner of skilled nursing facilities in Lower Burrell, Greensburg files for bankruptcy
Guardian Elder Care, the parent company of skilled nursing facilities including Belair in Lower Burrell and Oak Hill in Greensburg, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Johnstown-based health care company filed the petition for relief this week. Nineteen facilities — including locations in Lower Burrell, Greensburg, Bethel Park and...
900-plus volunteers help ensure success of festival in McCandless
You might say that it takes a parish. More specifically, it takes a significant portion of the congregation to pull off St. Aidan Parish’s Summer Festival, which opened July 31 for, coincidentally, its 31st year. “Over this festival week, we need more than 900 volunteerships to be filled, which is...
Sharpsburg student proposes workout stations at outdoor borough recreation sites
Sharpsburg native Domiana Costa believes her borough would be better off if more residents worked out and got healthier. A fairly honest idea for a 10 year old. The incoming Dorseyville Middle School sixth grader knew she had to find a way to achieve that goal. Her inspiration came from...
Family of Steelers’ Dwayne Haskins Jr. sues his widow in federal court
An ugly dispute between the widow of the late Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr., who was fatally struck by a dump truck in Florida in 2022, and his parents and sister, is now playing out in federal court in Pittsburgh. Haskins’ family on Wednesday sued the Steeler’s widow, accusing...
Ranch homes development in Buffalo Township nearly ready for residents
A 32-home plan in Buffalo Township geared toward older buyers could be welcoming residents as soon as late September. About nine months after getting final site plan approval from township supervisors, builder Ryan Homes has started courting families looking to downsize for the development off Sunset Drive. Prices for the...
13-year-old charged with first-degree murder in stabbing of 10-year-old in Donegal Township
A 13-year-old boy was charged as an adult Thursday in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 10-year-old boy in Donegal Township. James C. Campbell is accused of stabbing Hunter Meyers in the head multiple times, according to state police and the Westmoreland County coroner. Campbell wore blue scrubs and...
First-ever communitywide cleanup in Penn Hills yields nearly 400 bags of trash
The first-ever communitywide cleanup in Penn Hills on July 27 was a success by any metric, sponsors say, attracting 172 volunteers who filled nearly 399 trash bags. Volunteers covered 6.5 miles of road between 12 neighborhoods at the event, which was organized by the Penn Hills Rotary and Penn Hills...
School, pedestrian safety projects planned on Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell
Lower Burrell officials have outlined a plan to make Leechburg Road safer for students, pedestrians, bicyclists and people with disabilities. The city soon will start projects geared toward pedestrian safety and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance along the city’s main business artery, Mayor Chris Fabry said. Projects include flashing beacons...
Kiski Township police seek help to find missing teen
Kiski Township police are searching for a teenager who has been missing since Monday. Alexander Orr is a 17-year-old white boy with brown hair and brown eyes and is approximately 5 feet, 5 inches tall and between 150 and 160 pounds, according to a description provided by police. He is...
Chartiers Valley board declares stadium project ‘emergency,’ approves other contractors for work
Deeming it unusable and incomplete, Chartiers Valley school directors declared an emergency over the condition of the district’s stadium project and hired new firms to complete the remaining work. An emergency resolution, approved at a meeting Monday and read by Board President Darren Mariano, said the stadium construction project is...
