Fox Chapel Area School Board passes 2024-25 budget with 3.75% tax hike
Many Fox Chapel Area School District property owners will pay 3.75% more in real estate taxes next school year. The school board voted 8-0 on June 10 to pass the district’s $119.1 million budget for 2024-25, using a tax hike and money from the district’s fund balance to balance it....
Indiana County crash kills 1, sends 2 to Pittsburgh hospitals
A two-car crash Wednesday morning in Indiana County killed one motorist and injured two others. State police said a woman who was driving a Volkswagen sedan was pronounced dead at the scene near Shelocta by Indiana County Coroner Jerry Overman. She was identified as Erma Karen Devivo, 80, of Armstrong...
$10K in toy drive money prompts investigation in Allegheny Township
Allegheny Township is grappling with a $10,000 question: How did a check cut from township coffers end up in the hands of the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company? In a 2-to-1 vote, supervisors opened an investigation this week to determine how the money left the township and whether the township is...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of June 10, 2024
Summer fun planned at Turner-Friendship Park Rosedale and North Bessemer volunteer fire departments are partnering with the Municipality of Penn Hills to put on a summer carnival. The Community Carnival and SummerFest will be from 6 to 10 p.m. June 19-21 and 4 to 9 p.m. June 22 at Turner-Friendship...
Sen. John Fetterman was speeding, at fault in Maryland crash, police say
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman was speeding when he crashed into the back of another vehicle Sunday in Maryland, according to a police report obtained by TribLive. Fetterman, a Democrat from Braddock, was westbound on Interstate 70 at 7:45 a.m. Sunday when he rear-ended a vehicle near the interchange with Interstate...
Embattled Westmoreland Register of Wills vows to remain in office through 2027
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton, who faces a potential jail sentence next week for contempt of court, said Wednesday she will not seek reelection when her term expires at the end of 2027. “After careful consideration and prayer, I have decided to retire from politics at the...
Therapy dogs offer comfort for Westmoreland County Courthouse employees
Employees in Westmoreland County’s controller’s office spend much of their work day staring at numbers. It was quite the welcome distraction Wednesday morning when volunteer handlers brought a parade of therapy dogs into the first-floor courthouse office for belly rubs and heads scratches during a brief 15-minute break in the...
UPMC gives $300M boost to former Washington Health System in merger
UPMC plans to invest $300 million in Washington Health System over the next ten years as part of its merger, officials said Wednesday during an event to celebrate the affiliation. “I think it’s just gonna be … great because the UPMC name, in the medical field, is world renowned. We...
Mt. Pleasant manufacturer’s apprentices keep winning manufacturing competition
Jacob Koelsch knows his way around a machining blueprint. The 23-year-old North Huntingdon native is a fourth-year apprentice at Penn State Tool & Die, and for the second consecutive year, Koelsch has taken the top spot in the MSC Industrial Supply & National Tooling & Machining Association Pittsburgh Chapter’s annual...
Greensburg diocese to comb through 10K personnel files to see if more convicts are working at parishes
The personnel files of 1,000 employees and 9,000 volunteers in the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg will be under a microscope as diocesan officials work on an audit to learn whether any of them have criminal records. The audit, which is expected to take several months, comes after a cursory review...
North Huntingdon cop hurt in aftermath of undercover drug sting
A North Huntingdon police officer was hurt Tuesday night when a man who authorities said accompanied a suspected drug dealer to an undercover buy hit an unmarked police vehicle as he fled the scene, according to court papers. Township police and agents from the state Attorney General’s Office worked together...
From the Newsroom Podcast: Going down? The state of Pittsburgh inclines
In this episode we’re talking about a Steel City identity staple, the Pittsburgh inclines. The Monongahela Incline and its slightly younger sibling, the Duquesne Incline, were built in the 1870s to easily and quickly transport Pittsburghers to their destinations throughout the city. Related: • Pittsburgh is the king of inclines,...
Chartiers Valley celebrates 238 students in Class of 2024
The Chartiers Valley School District celebrated 238 graduates from the Class of 2024 on June 4 at the high school stadium. Here are the graduates: Halid Adam, Isshak Adam, Xzavyer Adams, Chloe Albitz, Elif Ali, Dominic Allen, Sakesh Andhavarapu, Alaina Ansell, Maria Arab, Nicholas Arnold, Kendal Astor, Danica Balach, Brayden...
Pitcairn man performs restoration, replacement work on Civil War headstones
As Thomas Daugherty’s headstone is lifted out of the earth at the Cross Roads Cemetery in Monroeville, its size comes as a bit of a surprise. While the visible portion is perhaps 2 feet high, the stone itself is at least another 3 feet in length underground. Daugherty was a...
3rd lottery millionaire in a week, this time in Richland Township
Another person in the past week reached millionaire status after buying a winning Pennsylvania Lottery scratch-off ticket. The latest winner, announced Wednesday, cashed in on a $5 million Monopoly Own It All ticket sold at the Route 8 Shop ’n Save in Richland Township. The Monopoly game is a $50...
Music of the Heart recital at Duquesne University offers opportunities to shine
Move over, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. You have company. “We are privileged to have close to 100 superstars ready to dazzle you with their talents and abilities,” Katie Harrill announced from the Mary Pappert School of Music stage at Duquesne University. “Some are stepping into the spotlight for the...
Post-Gazette to close its Clinton printing facility
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is planning to close its printing facility in Allegheny County just 10 years after opening it, according to a letter obtained Wednesday by TribLive. Management from the newspaper sent a letter on May 23 to the union representing journalists at the Post-Gazette, informing them that the newspaper...
Etna man charged with arson: ‘I needed more gasoline,’ witness reports
A 74-year-old man is accused of dousing his apartment in gasoline and igniting a fire which started a three-alarm fire and subsequent explosion Tuesday afternoon in Etna. Elmer Lewis, of Vilsack Street, faces two counts of aggravated arson, six counts of arson, one count of causing catastrophe and five counts...
Caterer seeks to rent former Rostraver Airport restaurant
An Allegheny County man who recently sold his Elizabeth Township tavern said he wants to rent a former restaurant at the Rostraver Airport for his catering business and to serve takeout barbecue meals. Gary Musisko of Elizabeth said he wants to rent the site of the former Eagle’s Landing II...
Riverview School Board passes final budget with slightly smaller tax increase of 3.3%
After an unorthodox voting session Monday night, the Riverview School Board members adopted a final budget that includes a tax hike for Oakmont and Verona residents. The spending plan includes a 3.3% (0.8-mill) tax increase, which is slightly lower than the tentative budget approved earlier. It projects expenditures of just...
Hempfield Area to vote on 5-mill tax hike, elimination of 2 librarian and 4 teacher positions
Two librarian positions, one special education teacher position, and three teacher positions are up for elimination at Hempfield Area School District as part of a proposed budget that includes a 5-mill tax hike. The district is set to vote on its nearly $109.6 million budget for 2024-2025 on June 24....
Student art heats up at Hazelwood’s Industrial Arts Workshop youth welding program
In the cavernous, noisy workspace of the Industrial Arts Workshop, tucked away on Herbert Way in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, sparks are flying. Almost every afternoon the room fills with high-school-age students, who pull on protective gear and hurry back to their personal projects. Metal sculptures — a phoenix, flowers, a...
Allegheny County Jail inmates face charges in cell attack, extortion
Two incarcerated men in the Allegheny County Jail are facing charges after authorities said they rushed into another man’s cell and assaulted him with a makeshift weapon. Kesean Proctor, 20, of Turtle Creek and Keyjuan King, 25, of Duquense are accused of aggravated assault, robbery, conspiracy and a litany of...
Student art heats up at Hazelwood’s Industrial Arts Workshop youth welding program
In the cavernous, noisy workspace of the Industrial Arts Workshop, tucked away on Herbert Way in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, sparks are flying. Almost every afternoon the room fills with high-school-age students, who pull on protective gear and hurry back to their personal projects. Metal sculptures — a phoenix, flowers, a...
Man found stabbed to death in Pittsburgh’s Crawford Roberts neighborhood
A man was found stabbed to death early Wednesday morning in Pittsburgh’s Crawford-Roberts neighborhood, according to police. Officers were dispatched just after 12:30 a.m. to an apartment building on the 1600 block of Colwell Street, where they found a man in a communal hallway with a stab wound to his...