Judge bans Derry woman from owning pets for 7 years after caged dog dies of dehydration
A Derry Borough woman is forbidden from having any pets during her seven-year probation term for allowing a dog to die of dehydration in her basement. Judge Christopher Feliciani said Destiny F. Witherspoon, 27, left the dog, named Dallas, alone locked in a cage while she dropped off two other...
Brackenridge Improvement Group making ‘BIG’ impression in the borough
Community pride is a big deal to lifelong Brackenridge resident Dino Lopreiato. As president of the Brackenridge Improvement Group (BIG), the owner of Vibo’s Bakery often is spotted around town planting trees, pruning park flowers or spearheading fundraisers. He’s not alone. Lopreiato is backed by a core group of 15...
Avonmore woman combines passion for engineering, art at custom craft shop in Tarentum
A longtime mechanic’s garage in Tarentum has been transformed with different sorts of machinery. Jackie Danielle Rearick replaced the car lift and other tools at the former Wally’s Garage with a Computer Numerical Control machine and laser engraver to open her custom craft store, dubbed JD CNC, along East Seventh...
School Road near Sardis will close until August for culvert work
School Road will close for most of the summer beginning Monday, according to Murrysville police. The road will close between Sardis Road and Mill Stream Court as construction crews work on the culvert which carries Haymakers Run underneath School Road, near the Sardis Road intersection. The project is expected to...
Penn Hills School District’s 2024 commencement features 296 graduates
Penn Hills School District’s 2024 commencement ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. tonight, May 31, at Yuhas-McGinley Stadium. The district has 296 graduates this year. There are 14 valedictorians, representing the top 5% of the graduating class: Makenna Carricato, David Dudas Jr., London Irish, Caleb Lohr, Isabelle Marazas, Caroline McDevitt,...
Has Ligonier Country Market gotten too big?
The Ligonier Country Market has been a popular fixture in the Ligonier community for nearly 50 years, drawing visitors from throughout the area to shop for everything from fresh produce and baked goods to handwoven rugs and wood crafts. But Ligonier Township officials are wondering whether the seasonal Saturday morning...
Activist Richard Parsakian named Pittsburgh Pride Parade grand marshal
For Richard Parsakian, a queer activist and artist in Pittsburgh, Pride is a celebration. “I feel like it’s an expression for us to acknowledge that we are still here — we are part of everybody’s life,” he said. He’s been marching in the Pride parade for more than 25 years....
Pittsburgh police fire cadet charged with DUI in Franklin Park
A Pittsburgh police cadet was fired after authorities said he drove drunk — with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit — after downing multiple beers over four hours at a North Hills bar. Robert Redman, 33, of Ohio Township, told Franklin Park police he had seven or...
Construction begins on new $2.3M building at Laurelville Retreat Center
This week Jeanette Lahm gets to watch a construction crew lay the groundwork for a dream 20 years in the making. Work has begun on The Gathering Place, a building at the center of the campus at Laurelville Retreat Center in Mt. Pleasant Township that is expected to open in...
Pittsburgh man charged in mini-mart armed robbery
A Pittsburgh man has been charged in the May 26 armed robbery of a convenience store. Jamill Roberts, 18, of the city’s Middle Hill neighborhood, was charged in connection with the robbery of the Samba Minimart on Bedford Avenue, according to court records. Police said he is one of two...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: May 31
The following is a new feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz:...
Missing Pittsburgh man found dead in Ohio River near McKees Rocks
A 24-year-old man’s body was found in the Ohio River early Friday morning, about a week after he had been reported missing. Pittsburgh police announced May 24 that detectives were looking for Mohamed Elhadi Mohamed, who was last seen May 22 in Pittsburgh’s Central Northside neighborhood. Police were called to...
Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival kicks off
Artists from across the region — and nation — will converge starting Friday on the 14-block Cultural District as the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival kicks off, ushering in 10 days of free art and music. The festival, now in its third consecutive year of festivities relocated from around...
The Stroller, May 31, 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. Rockin’ Roosevelt concert to raise funds for Arnold park New Ken/Arnold...
No quick fix in sight for 114-year-old bridge in South Buffalo
Every other month for the past 10 years or so, Phillip Tompkins has complained to the South Buffalo supervisors about what he says is a rickety bridge on Clinton Road. He worries that emergency vehicles could miss the posted 10-ton weight limit and cause the span to buckle, or that...
Man hospitalized after explosion, fire at Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh
Randy Handel said a food-court blaze that hospitalized a man Friday at the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District started with “a pop, just a large ‘pop.’” A festival vendor for more than 15 years, Handel heard the pop from a few dozen yards away, then said the...
Fayette man dies after touching live electrical circuit while fixing air conditioner, coroner says
A Fayette County man died Wednesday after touching a live 480-volt open circuit while operating on an air-conditioning unit, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. James A. McGalla Jr., 33, of Fairchance was working on an air-conditioning unit when he came into contact with the open circuit, Carson said....
Highlands High School dunks teachers during annual Spring Sanity fundraiser
Students at Highlands High School took their best shot at trying to drench some teachers Thursday during the National Honor Society’s annual Spring Sanity Dunk Tank Day fundraiser. Two teachers volunteered each period to be dunked. Students paid $1 for three balls. This year, all of the proceeds will benefit...
Judge rejects request for lower bond in Greensburg hit-and-run case
A man accused of severely injuring an elderly woman on Main Street in downtown Greensburg in December, thought he hit a pothole instead of a person when he left the scene, his attorney said Thursday. “His mindset was not to leave the scene of an accident,” defense attorney Milton Raiford...
State reaches agreement on UPMC acquisition of Washington Hospital
UPMC has moved a step closer to buying Washington Hospital by reaching an agreement with the state Attorney General that is designed to ensure patients with health insurance other than the UPMC Health Plan will have the opportunity to have in-network benefits to the hospital’s services. The voluntary compliance agreement...
Restored World War I memorial at Pittsburgh’s Obama Academy links past and present
Isaiah Trumbull, co-president of Obama Academy’s graduating class, said a recent restoration project that breathed new life into a World War I memorial on the school’s East Liberty campus provided an opportunity for reflection. Trumbull said the project inspired him to learn about some of the more than 500 people...
Former Bridgeville police officer heads to trial on charges of crashing car into pedestrian
A former Bridgeville police officer is headed to trial on charges that he struck and injured a pedestrian with his patrol car. Daine Lower, 25, is charged with a felony count of aggravated assault by vehicle, a misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person and several moving violations, including reckless...
Chartiers Valley applies for state funding to replace intermediate school roof
The Chartiers Valley School District is seeking state funding to replace the roof at its intermediate school. School directors on May 28 applied for the state’s competitive Public School Facility Improvement grant to pay for the project. The district is asking for just under $3.97 million to cover the total...
Charges held against Lower Burrell man in connection with Jehovah’s Witnesses child sex assault probe
A Lower Burrell man who, authorities say, was part of a statewide probe of child sexual abuse among the Jehovah’s Witnesses community will face charges in Westmoreland County Court. The state Attorney General’s Office charged Ronald W. Mangone, 69, on April 2 with three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault,...
Carlynton renews superintendent’s contract, hires assistant superintendent
Carlynton School District has selected its top administrators for years to come. Board directors on May 21 renewed Superintendent John Kreider’s contract for a term expiring June 30, 2029. Also at the meeting, the board hired Norwin Superintendent Jeff Taylor as Carlynton’s assistant superintendent, effective July 1. Board President James...
