Pa. Turnpike to remove all toll booths, overhead gantries planned
The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s toll booths are soon to be a thing of the past. The Turnpike Commission last week approved $50 million in contracts to construct a portion of the overhead gantries needed to complete a transition to open-road tolling. Allison Park Contractors has been tasked with installing structures to...
Westmoreland happenings: Flag Day celebration, art show, fishing derby, more
Art • An art show featuring the works of Nancy Rusbosin will have an opening reception 5 to 7 p.m. June 13 at Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, 237 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Greensburg. The exhibition will continue through July 19 during regular library hours. Details: ghal.org. Father’s Day • A free...
The Stroller, June 12, 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. Benefit concert to aid Tarentum Police Department Kaley’s Kops, 423 Productions...
Pickin’ in the park: Murrysville kicks off ‘Tuesdays at Townsend’ concert series
Pittsburgh-area bluegrass group Moose Lodge Revival kicked off the 2024 “Tuesdays at Townsend” live music series hosted by the Murrysville Recreation Department last week at Townsend Park. The free concert series, sponsored by 1st Summit Bank, Westmoreland County Arts and YTS Wealth Management, will continue with the following bands, food...
Penn State New Kensington students and staff concerned for future of campus
Penn State New Kensington student Karisa Smalling has some concerns about changes for Penn State’s Commonwealth campuses. “My concern is that they are claiming to make these changes to create the most efficient organization possible, but I don’t see how offering buyouts to employees is going to make it more...
Missing ‘at risk’ man located by Pittsburgh police
A man considered “at risk” by Pittsburgh police has been located after more than a week missing. Gregg Patterson, 41, had been last seen June 3 at his workplace, Waffles INcaffeinated, along the 400 block of Fifth Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh, Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz reported. Pittsburgh police enlisted...
Tractor-trailer loses load, tying up westbound turnpike traffic near Donegal
Westbound traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was backed up for about a mile near the Donegal exit Tuesday night after a tractor-trailer lost its load. The resulting debris apparently hit another vehicle, according to turnpike spokesman Crispin Havener. No injuries were reported, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher indicated. The traffic...
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says removal of nuclear waste from Parks Township dump to start next summer
Remediation of a nuclear waste dump in Parks Township remains on schedule — to start next summer and have all of the material removed to Utah six years after that, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said. The Army Corps gave the update at a public meeting Tuesday at the...
Penn State restructures branch campuses, including New Kensington and Fayette
Penn State University is switching to a regional model of overseeing many of its branch campuses and will bring New Kensington and Fayette under the direction of Chancellor Megan Nagel at the Greater Allegheny campus in McKeesport. It is the latest in a series of moves to confront sharp declines...
Downpours make for memorable Riverview graduation; double rainbow at end delights
This year’s graduating class at Riverview High School battled some intermittent downpours to get their diplomas, but no spirits were dampened. By the end of the ceremony, the newly minted graduates were able to throw their caps in the air under a double rainbow. “This is an extraordinary group of...
2 shootings in Uniontown leave 1 dead, 2 injured
Police are investigating two shootings Tuesday afternoon in Uniontown that left one man dead and injured two other people. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Bob Baker ruled the death of Joshua Stevens, 33, of Uniontown a homicide, resulting from gunshot wounds. Baker said Stevens was pronounced at WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital....
In brief: Herald area events for the week of June 10, 2024
Public portion of library’s expansion project kicks off next week The Cooper-Siegel Community Library, 403 Fox Chapel Road, is launching the public portion of its capital campaign at 11:30 a.m. June 18 by breaking through a wall in the lower level of its facility. The campaign aims to raise the...
Hampton Township School Board adopts budget with tax increase
Hampton Township School Board voted June 10 to adopt the district’s final 2024-25 general fund budget and along with it, a real estate tax increase. The tax rate rises by 1.15 mills, from 21.85 to 23, a 5.3% increase that represents the highest Hampton is allowed under the index assigned...
Judge rules Lower Burrell man accused in slaying of Mogie’s owner is incompetent to stand trial
The case against a Lower Burrell man accused in the fatal shooting last year of the owner of Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell will be postponed indefinitely. A Westmoreland County judge Tuesday found the accused killer, Nathan Salem, incompetent to stand trial. “He has lost touch with reality,” testified...
Independence Health looks to fill 500 open positions at job fair
Independence Health System will hold a job fair on Thursday to address more than 500 openings at multiple locations across the health system. In the Westmoreland area, recruiters will be available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the center court in Westmoreland Mall, located at 5256 Route 30 in...
Arnold Palmer Regional director says other carriers won’t compete against Spirit at Unity airport
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport officials have yet to find a way to persuade other airlines to compete against ultra-low-fare carrier Spirit Airlines for flights out of the Unity airport. Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said this week he has talked with other discount carriers about providing service...
BNY scrapping ‘Mellon’ in rebrand, but Pittsburgh ties will remain
BNY Mellon, a global financial firm with ties to Pittsburgh, is rebranding and losing the “Mellon” part of its logo. The New York-based bank announced Tuesday it is updating its logo and simplifying its company umbrella brand to BNY, according to a press release. It may seem like an erasure...
Judge rejects plea deal for Murrysville man in mother’s stabbing
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday rejected a plea bargain for a Murrysville man accused of the attempted murder of his mother. Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said the deal that would have allowed Andrew J. Farbarik to plead guilty to lesser charges and serve four years on probation...
Pittsburgh Public Schools name new chief of staff
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board on Tuesday announced that it has a new chief of staff. Superintendent Wayne N. Walters said Lamar D. Blackwell’s appointment became effective on May 23. Minutes from the May meeting indicate he will earn about $14,000 per month. “This appointment marks a significant step towards...
‘Adventure Begins’ at Northern Tier Library
“Adventure Begins at Your Library” is the theme of the summer reading program at Northern Tier Library, 4015 Dickey Road, Richland. Patrons can log the books and activities they have completed by using Beanstack, which can be accessed through a portal on the library’s website or downloaded as an app....
Some board members oppose Penn-Trafford’s 1% tax hike because it isn’t big enough, they say
Property tax bills will be going up by about $30 per year after a divided Penn-Trafford School Board approved a 1 mill tax hike. The board voted, 6-3, in favor of the 1.1% increase that will support a $68.5 million budget the board also approved Monday. Board members Bryan Kline...
Murrysville artist’s augmented-reality app earns top prize at L.A. film festivalVideo
Murrysville artist Christopher Ruane enjoyed the chance to show his augmented-reality app and videos to family and friends. But it’s one thing to show it off at a community festival. It’s quite another to see it take the grand prize at a Los Angeles film festival where the judges are...
Boil water advisory lifted for Plum neighborhood
A boil water advisory has been lifted for Plum’s Regency Park neighborhood. The Plum Borough Municipal Authority notified residents of about 700 homes in the area on Monday that E. coli bacteria was found in their water supply on Saturday. No other areas of Plum were affected. The presence of...
Brackenridge working out ‘technical issues’ with DEP to address water turbidity concerns
Brackenridge will address state Department of Environmental Protection concerns about water turbidity in its treatment operation through a consent agreement. Council unanimously approved the consent order and agreement from the DEP last week. Turbidity refers to cloudiness or a deficiency in purity in water usually caused by sediment, borough engineer...
‘You’re breaking all of our hearts’: Parents, students push for answers from Penn-Trafford school board amid principal swaps
Nine-year-old Lillie Bouch stood before the Penn-Trafford School Board on Monday with more than 50 parents, students and teachers behind her. Some attended the meeting to witness the board vote on a five-year contract for teachers and the 2024-25 district budget. But nine parents, students and a district employee came...
