Westmoreland transit authority votes to increase driver wages; eyes shared-ride fare increase
Residents who use the Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s shared-ride program will see a fare increase effective this fall following approval of the authority’s 2024-25 budget Thursday. Details of the fare increase will be presented at the authority’s board meeting in July, said Deputy Executive Director Ashley Cooper-Brounce. The shared-ride service...
Children more susceptible to health risks during heat wave, doctors say
Heat waves like the one sizzling across Western Pennsylvania are dangerous for everyone’s health, but young children are markedly more susceptible to hazards associated with prolonged exposure, experts say. “The younger the child is, the less likely they are going to be able to deal with the heat,” said Dr....
Firecracker 100 proves to be big draw for Lernerville SpeedwayVideo
The roar of dozens of engines was music to Buffalo Township native Tara Barthel’s ears. It was a familiar sound for her and several family members as they took in the sights and sounds of the 18th annual Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway. “It’s always been a family thing. We...
New Pitt officers’ salaries top out at $630K with a $50K signing bonus
The University of Pittsburgh on Friday set salaries ranging from $300,000 to $630,000 for three new officers hired under Chancellor Joan Gabel and approved a retention bonus for a fourth officer predating her tenure. Two of the new hires will start at pay levels topping their predecessors who served in...
Fire extinguished quickly at Monroeville TGIFriday’s
No injuries were reported during a brief fire at the TGIFriday’s in Monroeville, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Part of the building was charred, leaving holes on the side of the building’s second floor. Employees told WTAE there wasn’t fire in the kitchen, but the building began filling with...
Long-delayed Pittsburgh park projects cause frustration
Carol Hardeman said she’s frustrated that the promised park projects in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood still haven’t started, years after residents hoped they would be done. Hardeman, who serves as executive director of the Hill District Consensus Group, said the lengthy delays to projects that were supposed to improve a...
Coach USA, parent company of Megabus, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
Coach USA, the parent company of Megabus, has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The reason for the filing was to preserve jobs, ensure continued service and maximize the value of its businesses, Coach USA said in a news release. “U.S. Megabus operations will continue while the company pursues...
ScareHouse creeps out of Pittsburgh Mills, won’t open in 2024
Pittsburgh’s horror fans received a jumpscare earlier this week after finding out ScareHouse will not be returning to its Pittsburgh Mills location and will not open for the 2024 season. Pittsburgh Magazine reported on Monday that ScareHouse co-owner Scott Simmons announced the news last week in a private Facebook group...
Parrot Heads will have a place to dock at Iron City Brewing in time for Buffett tribute concert
Final preparations are underway at East Deer’s Pittsburgh Brewing Co. as a summer concert series kicks off next week. Crews will have installed a temporary boat dock behind the brewery before a Jimmy Buffett tribute band takes the stage June 29, said Todd Zwicker, Pittsburgh Brewing Co. president. “I work...
PennDOT plans multiple detours for Route 711 closure south of New Florence
A PennDOT bridge project is scheduled to close a section of Route 711 south of New Florence beginning Monday. The closure will be in place through early July between Creek Road in Fairfield, near Mirror Lake Campground, and Clark Hollow Road in St. Clair . A series of posted detours...
Hempfield man sentenced after being accused of leaving obscene, racially charged voicemails for members of Congress
A Hempfield man was sentenced to two years of probation this week in connection with dozens of obscene and racially-charged voicemails police said he left for members of Congress. Mark Eugene Ray, 64, pleaded guilty to ethnic intimidation and harassment. A second count of harassment was dismissed. Judge Timothy Krieger...
4 New Kensington children found sitting on couch near loaded gun during drug warrant search, police say
Authorities who forced their way into a New Kensington home during a drug investigation Friday morning found four children on a living room couch, and a loaded gun under it. New Kensington police charged Jarrell George Miller, 38, of Haser Drive in East Ken Manor with four felony counts of...
Arnold man sentenced on sex assault charges
An Arnold man was sentenced Friday to four to eight years in a state prison in connection with a sexual assault of a teenager. Alexander James Moss, 26, pleaded guilty to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Three other charges were dismissed. Moss was ordered to spend three years on probation after...
‘I wanted to meet some Pittsburgh Pirates’: Man charged in yacht theft
An intoxicated man is accused of stealing an 82-foot yacht from a Strip District marina and piloting it about a half-mile down the Allegheny River Friday morning, Pittsburgh police said. Michael Fischer, 38, is accused of breaking into the Lock Wall Marina off 23rd Street Friday morning, then boarding and...
Avonmore man who died in Export shooting will be remembered with luncheon
A man who was fatally shot in Export this week will be remembered at a luncheon on Sunday, according to his obituary. Police said Daniel T. “Slim” Chicka Jr., 65, of Avonmore, had been in a dispute over parking with another man when he was shot Tuesday on Madison Avenue....
Kiski Area continues personnel shuffle
Kiski Area School District continues to push forward with a remake of its administrative team. School board members approved a streamlined organization chart in April after Superintendent Jason Lohr introduced it and made the case for cutting two roles. That includes director of safety and security, and Lohr’s former post...
County fines U.S. Steel nearly $80K in latest round of air-pollution penalties
The Allegheny County Health Department on Thursday fined U.S. Steel nearly $80,000 for air pollution the department said its Clairton Coke Works created in the first quarter of 2023. The $79,545 fine includes soaking and pushing violations at the coke works, a 123-year-old plant that sits on 392 acres on...
Permitting problem halts part of UPMC Presbyterian hospital tower construction
A portion of construction work at the new UPMC Presbyterian hospital tower was halted Thursday after a Pittsburgh inspector found the project did not have all the necessary permits, according to a city spokeswoman. Maria Montaño, a spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey, said UPMC did not have the required electrical...
Buca di Beppo to close Station Square restaurant
Sunday will be Buca di Beppo’s last day of operation in Station Square. The Italian restaurant will close its doors permanently after operating for 25 years. Hours will be normal until the closure, according to Buca di Beppo management: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to...
Summer program ‘brings the world’ to youngsters at Natrona Community Park
From Phipps to Warhol to the Carnegie Museum, children in Natrona can tour the city’s biggest attractions this summer without ever leaving their backyard. “Our goal is to make learning fun, which keeps children coming back,” said Bill Godfrey, president of the advocacy group Natrona Comes Together. His group has...
New Alexandria firefighters spring into action to contain fire at neighbor’s home
A firefighting father and son duo came to the rescue Friday morning when fire broke out at the home of a next-door neighbor in Derry Township. New Alexandria fire Chief Andrew Kolano credited the quick action of his department’s safety officer, Watson Smith Jr., and the officer’s son, fire Sgt....
Salt Lake City nonstop flight returns to Pittsburgh International Airport
Delta Air Lines announced Friday that its nonstop route to Salt Lake City will return to the Pittsburgh International Airport this fall. The route will open daily on a year-round basis starting Nov. 23, according to the airport’s publication Blue Sky News. Flights go on sale starting Saturday. The outbound...
Pittsburgh parks and recreation director paid contractor in credit card scandal, records show
Pittsburgh Parks and Recreation Director Kathryn Vargas was aware that a controversial contractor had previously been fired from a different role with the city before she hired him and paid him with a municipal credit card in violation of city policies, according to documents TribLive obtained Friday. Dozens of emails...
Vandergrift mother, grandparents charged after 2nd child suffers life-threatening dog bite
As a 3-year-old Vandergrift girl was seriously bleeding from a dog bite to her head, her mother said “to get her a Popsicle,” borough police allege in court papers. Vandergrift police charged the girl’s mother, Alexis Keys, 26; and grandparents, Michael Stankiewicz, 62, and Ida Stankiewicz, 68, on Thursday each...
Springdale High School renovations could stretch into next year
Repair and renovation work on Springdale Junior-Senior High School apparently will not start any time soon. Pre-cast concrete panels on the back of the building’s ‘D’ wing have been shifting, according to Superintendent Patrick Graczyk. The panels were part of the high school expansion and renovation completed in 2012, according...
