Western PA Local News category, Page 572
Commissioners say low turnout casts doubt on future of road meetings
Westmoreland commissioners’ road tour, which took public meetings from Allegheny Township to Youngwood and finally to Rostraver this year, ended with sparse crowds, raising doubt about the future of the program that was restarted after a two-decade hiatus. Commissioners met Thursday night in the activity center at Cedar Creek Park...
Several thousand flock to Uniontown for annual Byzantine Catholic pilgrimage, break ground for new monastery
For some, Labor Day weekend is a chance to squeeze the last out of the summer with grilling, picnics, family reunions and fireworks. But for MaryAnn Kostrubanic, Labor Day weekend means traveling 50 miles from her North Huntingdon home to Mount St. Macrina in Uniontown for a Byzantine Catholic pilgrimage....
Wild species, spaces highlight Greensburg Salem students’ summer visit to Costa Rica
Just one of the highlights of Alaina Blend’s tropical summer excursion was snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean. The first-time experience for the 2024 Greensburg Salem High School graduate was a fitting finale to the 10-day trip to Costa Rica she shared with 39 schoolmates, many of them fellow members of...
A new life’: Norwin grad serves as Navy aviation electronics technician
A 2020 graduate of Norwin High School is expanding his worldview outside of Southwestern Pennsylvania with the U.S. Navy. Petty Officer Second Class Blake Stoffel has been to Portugal, Italy and Iceland during his four years in the military. He said Portugal was his favorite so far. “For me, serving...
Pittsburgh police: 1 dead, 2 seriously hurt in shooting near The Bluff and Crawford-Roberts neighborhoods
Pittsburgh police are looking for a suspect who shot three people Saturday night along the Crawford-Roberts and Bluff neighborhood border, killing one person and seriously injuring two others. Police said officers and an ambulance crew were sent to the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Marion Street just before 8 p.m....
Pittsburgh man arrested in connection with attack on Jewish Pitt students
Two Jewish students who attend the University of Pittsburgh were attacked Friday night in what authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime. Jarrett Buba, 52, of Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood is charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault and two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and reckless endangerment. He...
State police say 2 jailed after stealing car, leading troopers on wild cross-county pursuit
State troopers Saturday arrested a man and a woman accused of stealing a car at an Indiana County Walmart, leading troopers on a cross-county pursuit that required numerous attempts to immobilize the vehicle. At 5:44 p.m. Friday, troopers were called to investigate a reported stolen vehicle at the Walmart at...
Allegheny Valley Hospital union paves way for strike; AHN confident agreement can be reached
Allegheny Valley Hospital union members have authorized a strike, becoming the second Allegheny Health Network hospital to announce a potential work stoppage in as many weeks. The union, represented by SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Healthcare PA, voted 99% in favor Friday of authorizing its negotiating committee to send a...
Rain doesn’t damper kids’ enjoyment at Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games
Storms called off Saturday’s Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games earlier than anticipated, but 16-year-old Logan Sanchez didn’t seem to mind the rain. “I like all of it,” said Sanchez, a student at Burrell High School. “I like hanging out with friends, even in the rain.” The third-annual Inclusion Games was held Saturday...
Man pinned under vehicle in Munhall listed in stable condition
A young man was pinned under a vehicle in Munhall early Saturday when it struck him, police said. Allegheny County Police said that first responders were summoned to the intersection of E. Eugene Avenue and Valewood Drive at about 12:20 a.m. They found a 19-year-old man pinned underneath the vehicle....
Police: Woman in Clairton struck by vehicle fleeing the scene after firing errant shots
A woman in Clairton was struck by a hit-and-run driver early Saturday who had just fired gunshots as they fled. Allegheny County Police said local police were called to the intersection of Third Street and Waddell Avenue at about 2:20 a.m. They had received a report “of a disturbance, followed...
The Stroller, Aug. 31, 2024: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your nonprofit’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. Labor United celebration runs this weekend in Northmoreland Park The annual...
‘Inclusion Revolution’: No Offseason Sports in West Deer scores Special Olympics North America Softball Championship
The lightning-fast turf fields at No Offseason Sports in West Deer don’t scare Special Olympian pitcher Rachel Miles. When the 25-year-old takes the mound this week during the Special Olympics North America Softball Championship, she’ll keep an unwavering eye on the prize. “I want to win it all,” said Miles,...
Man shot outside of Woodland Hills football game in Turtle Creek; game called
A shooting in Turtle Creek on Friday night forced the suspension of the Woodland Hills-Penn Hills football game. At 10:06 p.m., police were dispatched to the 1200 block of Lynn Avenue for reports of gunfire. Around the same time, a man had left the game at the Wolvarena stadium and...
Trump rallies supporters in Johnstown, vows to secure border and boost manufacturing
Former President Trump returned to one of his Pennsylvania strongholds Friday, labeling his rivals with crude nicknames, relitigating grievances against the media and casting a sense of urgency of the presidential campaign. Trump rallied Friday afternoon with thousands of supporters, who lined up hours early to watch him speak at...
Woman accused of bilking Burrell cheerleaders once was treasurer for the Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Ride
The woman charged with stealing money from a cheerleading booster group while she served as its treasurer once acted as treasurer for another well-known local charity. Ashley Freiberg of Upper Burrell is accused of taking nearly $19,000 from the Burrell Cheer Booster club. In 2021, she was the treasurer for...
Victim in East Franklin crash identified
A Butler woman died in a crash Thursday in Armstrong County, Coroner Brian K. Myers said. Myers identified the crash victim Friday afternoon as Michelle D. Vanscoy, 45. According to Myers, the woman’s car was clipped in the back corner by a vehicle pulling out from Walman Supply in East...
Proposed cap on raises for elected officials stalls in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland’s Democratic minority commissioner claims his proposal to cap pay raises for elected county officials is being blocked by his Republican colleagues. Commissioner Ted Kopas has lobbied for imposition of a 2.5% cap on all annual raises awarded to the county’s elected officials, saying the current system that controls future...
3 firefighters suffer minor injuries in New Kensington attic fire
Three firefighters were hurt in an attic fire that started around 2 p.m. Friday at 1309 Kenneth Ave. in New Kensington. They were taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison for minor injuries, according to New Kensington Fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. Two had electrical burns from a wire and...
Commonwealth Court: Mail-in ballots with errant dates on their envelopes should be counted
The Commonwealth Court said Friday that not counting mail-in ballots with missing or mistaken dates on their outer envelopes is unconstitutional. “The refusal to count undated or incorrectly dated but timely mail ballots submitted by otherwise eligible voters because of meaningless and inconsequential paperwork errors violates the fundamental right to...
Yough River Lake down to 1 boat launch as season nears its end
Yough River Lake in Somerset County will be down to just one usable launch ramp as federal officials close out the typical recreation season a little earlier than usual, they said Friday. “We were a little bit ahead this year because of the dry season,” said Vince Klinkner, resource manager...
Spirit Airlines to add flight out of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport through the end of October
Spirit Airlines will run another flight per day out of the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport starting next week. Two Spirit flights will travel from the Unity airport to Myrtle Beach, S.C., five days per week from Thursday, Sept. 5, until the end of October. This is the first time the...
Nonprofit gives adaptive strollers to 3 Westmoreland families
Tears filled Melanie Skibicki’s eyes as she sat in the Fred Rogers Room of the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit in Hempfield on Friday morning, waiting to receive an adaptive stroller for her son. Aiden Ward, 6, was born nonverbal and diagnosed with autism. For years, Skibicki has stayed home from her...
FEMA ponies up $524K for North Irwin fire truck
It’s taken five years of trying for North Irwin firefighters to be awarded a hefty federal grant — $524,000 — for a new fire engine. “They’re very difficult to get,” said fire Chief Glenn Geiger. Now, it’ll likely be another three years before they can get that new truck on...
Men avoid retrial, enter pleas in slaying of Penn Hills teenager
Two men accused of killing a Penn Hills teenager more than three years ago avoided a retrial this week by entering a new plea. Deontae Nalls, 24, of Plum, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder on Wednesday, while Daeshuan Smith, 23, of Penn Hills, entered no-contest plea to a charge of...
