Western PA Local News category, Page 554
State attorney general accuses Pittsburgh toy maker of ‘widespread failure’ to fulfill orders
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry has filed a lawsuit against a Pittsburgh toy company she said failed to fulfill more than $4 million in orders. Henry announced that her office has filed a lawsuit against Digital Dream Labs and its former CEO, Harold J. Hanchar, regarding the robotics and educational-technology...
Young Pine-Richland survivor joins fight against ovarian cancer
Desolina Postreich, an eighth grader at Pine-Richland Middle School, is a nine-year survivor of ovarian cancer. On Sept. 22, she will travel to Texas to share her story at the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Together in TEAL (Tell Every Amazing Lady) Run/Walk. Diagnosed with Stage 1a juvenile granulosa cell tumor...
Western Pa. Teamsters endorse Kamala Harris, breaking with national union
The council representing 35,000 Teamsters across Western Pennsylvania endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, breaking with the decision by its parent union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to not endorse a candidate in the race for president. Teamsters Joint Council #40 covers more than a dozen locals across Pittsburgh,...
North Allegheny senior teaches English to students in Ukraine
Ashley Chelyn Jang is nearly 5,000 miles from the students she’s teaching English to, but the language is a way to connect them. Jang was born in Boston and lived in Korea for a time before moving with her family to Marshall when she was in ninth grade. Now a...
East Hills man pleads guilty to killing father of his girlfriend’s child
Linda Rice stood distraught at the front of the courtroom. Her son, Allen Stevens, was shot dead last year in Pittsburgh’s East Hills section while picking up his 6-year-old child during a custody exchange with the boy’s mother. On Wednesday, the shooter, Trevon Taylor, pleaded guilty in Allegheny County Common...
Charlie Kirk appearance at Pitt elicits student political discourse
More than 100 University of Pittsburgh students gathered in the campus quad Wednesday where Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA co-founder and conservative influencer, answered students’ questions as part of his “You’re Being Brainwashed Tour.” Kirk brought Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate, to the session hosted by Turning Point USA’s...
Munhall woman who died in Allegheny County Jail was brought there on drug charges
Authorities on Wednesday identified the woman who died last weekend in the Allegheny County Jail as a Munhall resident, but details remain sparse about the circumstances surrounding her death. Tracey Hickey, 53, died in the jail’s intake section in Downtown Pittsburgh at 7:56 a.m. Saturday, according to the Allegheny County...
Pittsburgh Glass Center debuts $15 million expansion
Forget about shattering the glass ceiling — Tuesday was about breaking the glass ribbon. The Pittsburgh Glass Center debuted its new $15 million facility expansion in the only way that would be appropriate — by cutting not just a ribbon, but one made of glass. Artists gathered to pull a...
Clairton man leads state police on 20-mile chase
A Clairton man is in jail after state police say he fled a traffic stop Tuesday in Mt. Pleasant Township. A state trooper was on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Hempfield shortly after noon Tuesday when a Jeep Grand Cherokee with nearly opaque tinted windows drove past. The trooper performed a...
Preparations underway for Better Block event in New Kensington
The roads outside the YMCA in New Kensington got a lot more colorful on Wednesday. Sarah Snider, a member of the Valley Points Family YMCA board, and Draven Pointer, a Better Block architectural designer from Dallas, were among volunteers and members of Dallas-based Better Block Foundation who began painting the...
Caliente Pizza & Draft House expanding to Ross
Nick Bogacz wrecked his car on his first shift Pizza Outlet in Hampton. Hence, no pies got delivered that evening. “When I came back that first night, the manager was so busy he couldn’t really even talk to me,” Bogacz said. “I kind of stood there as a meek 17-year-old,...
Surprising $404K bid approved for demolition of Colfax Elementary School in Springdale
Colfax Elementary School in Springdale will be coming down at a cost well below what district officials had anticipated. The Allegheny Valley School Board on Tuesday approved a $404,000 base bid from Pine-based Kane Specialty Group LLC to perform asbestos abatement and demolish the 99-year-old building, which sits off Colfax...
Probation ordered for suspects in Hempfield casino scam
Two out-of-town gamblers charged last month with cheating at Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield were sentenced Wednesday to serve two years on probation. Police said Bahri Sahpolat, 47, of California, and Serdar Ozmen, 44, of Maryland, marked playing cards at a Mississippi stud poker table as part of a scheme...
Duquesne mom pleads guilty to killing infant son
A woman who initially blamed her 3-year-old daughter for killing her baby took responsibility Wednesday for the murder. Alisha Parker, 26, of Duquesne, pleaded guilty before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Beth A. Lazzara to third-degree murder, endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault, simple assault and criminal mischief. She...
North Hills School District receives grant toward West View project
North Hills and Northgate school districts have been awarded state grants to upgrade infrastructure and address hazards. “Eliminating environmental hazards in our schools is vital to the well-being and success of our students,” state Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-Brighton Heights, in announcing the grants. “I’m proud to have helped secure this...
From the Newsroom: Why do police withhold officers’ names in deadly encounters?
In the summer of 2023, Jonathan Faidley, a U.S. Army veteran from Somerset County, found himself in an unimaginable situation. After learning from the news that his father, Robbie Saunders, 59, had been fatally shot by police in Ligonier Valley, Faidley sought answers. Saunders, who was disabled and had a...
‘Big Red’ struts its stuff at 77th annual Alle-Kiski Valley Marching Band Festival
Eleven high school marching bands performed Sept. 17 during the 77th annual Alle-Kiski Valley Marching Band Festival. The band fest — the longest running in Western Pennsylvania — took place at Valley High School in New Kensington. The Penn Hills “Big Red” Marching Band was among the nearly 900 musicians...
‘Motivated young lady’: Engineering project helps Bethel Park resident earn Gold Award
Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania has awarded Bethel Park resident and Lyla Walsh the Gold Award, which is the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. By earning the honor, Walsh positions herself as a community leader by advocating for others and using leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart...
Bill to ban testing Pittsburgh workers with medical marijuana cards now excludes labor unions
A proposal to bar Pittsburgh employers from conducting cannabis testing on workers or prospective employees who hold medical marijuana cards will exclude labor unions. The amendment was pushed through without the support of the bill’s sponsor, City Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield. Warwick in July proposed a measure that would ban...
McClellan Elementary students, staff celebrate kindergartener’s cancer victoryVideo
A 5-year-old boy with a penchant for Spiderman is swinging back to school after a 16-month fight with cancer, and he’s got the support of an entire school district and community behind him. To help celebrate the news of Mason Desiderio’s recent cancer-free diagnosis from his medical team at Children’s...
‘New Northland’: Renovations start Sept. 30 at library in McCandless
Northland Public Library is embarking on a construction and renovation project. Features of the “New Northland” include a two-story building extension, new lower-level entrance, increased accessibility, an open lower lobby and service areas, a renovated layout and extended social spaces. And the spiral staircase will be removed. Construction begins Sept....
Sober game room in Sharpsburg to create safe haven for people in addiction recovery
A sober game room opening in Sharpsburg is expected to be a game changer for people in addiction recovery. “It’s designed for fellowship because people with addiction issues need support and camaraderie,” said Larry Wagner, a Fox Chapel resident and board member of the Addiction Recovery Ministry who is spearheading...
Bigfoot will have big presence at Derry Railroad Days
Bigfoot will play a big role at this year’s Derry Railroad Days Festival. Activities — including presentations by those who have researched the cryptid and a bus tour of local areas where sightings have been reported — will add a new dimension to this weekend’s annual festival in downtown Derry...
Gobbleritos are back on the menu at Mad Mex
Thanksgiving dinner — or lunch — always comes a few months early at Mad Mex. The popular gobblerito is back and decadent as ever at the Big Burrito Restaurant Group-owned franchise, which has nine locations in Western Pennsylvania. Filled with house-roasted turkey, black bean mashed potatoes, stuffing and corn, then...
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to campaign in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh will get a boost from a Rust Belt ally this week as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is set to visit the Steel City to stump for Vice President Kamala Harris. Whitmer, a Democrat, is popular in her home state and has been rumored as a presidential or vice presidential...
