The Depot, a digital resource center and laundromat, hopes to finally move forward in Tarentum
By this time next year, people might be able to find digital resources and do their laundry all in one Tarentum storefront. Wheels are in motion — after a three-year delay — to transform an East Fifth Avenue building into a gathering and training space. The Depot is a former...
Somerset County man reunites with kids after being freed from Turks and CaicosVideo
Clad in pajamas, holding handmade signs, Caroline and Palmer Hagerich awaited the arrival of their father Friday night at Pittsburgh International Airport. Then, dad appeared on the escalator, opened his arms and scooped up his kids in an embrace after a 101-day absence. Both the father and children, 6 and...
Casey steers $1M in federal funds to antisemitism fight at Tree of Life synagogue
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced Friday that the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill will receive $1 million in federal funding to help combat antisemitism through education. “I’m just so grateful that Tree of Life has embarked on this ambitious and noble project,” Casey said during a press conference...
Jury acquits ex-Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher accused of sexually assaulting student
James Ziegler doesn’t know if he can return to teaching. Even though the 20-year Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher was acquitted on Friday of seven counts accusing him of sexually assaulting a fourth-grade student, Ziegler said what happened to him was “extremely frustrating and disheartening.” “I don’t know if I feel...
Movie nights, maybe a grandstand, coming to East Deer Memorial Park
If 9-year-old Jaelyn Gordon had her way, East Deer Memorial Park would have a spray park. The Deer Lakes third grader spends plenty of summer days at the playground and said it can get “burnin’ hot.” “My favorite thing is the swings, but we need some sprinklers to cool us...
From typist to Allegheny County manager, Jennifer Liptak is leaving after 26-year career
Jennifer Liptak spent 26 years working for Allegheny County, moving up the ladder from a typist to chief of staff to manager of a $3 billion budget and 5,000 employees. Now, the longtime hidden hand behind the county’s bureaucracy is moving on. Liptak, 49, of Shaler, will leave the county’s...
Last call: Pagano’s in New Stanton closes doors, items up for auction
When Rhonda Davis began working as a cook at Pagano’s Restaurant & Lounge in 1980, she was missing a relevant skill. “I started here, I didn’t know how to cook anything,” she said. She learned as time went on, eventually turning out batches of Sicilian pasta sauce and homemade raviolis,...
Explosives found in belongings of Pittsburgh man accused of vandalizing synagogue
Nearly three dozen completed explosive devices and materials used to make explosives were found in the possessions of a Pittsburgh man who is accused of inscribing a hate symbol on the doors of a synagogue last month, Pittsburgh police say. Police charged William Edwin Murray, 33, April 10 with ethnic...
2 Michigan men delivered ‘pounds’ of marijuana to South Side Flats for $60K, police say
Two Michigan men are in the Allegheny County Jail after Pittsburgh police say they delivered “pounds” of marijuana to a South Side Flats home in exchange for more than $60,000. An officer reported seeing Andre Larone Tucker, 48, and Jaylin Malakhi Jackson, 18, both of the St. Louis, Mich., area,...
Morning Roundup: Gunman robs Shadyside Walgreens; Memorial Day forecast looks wet
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, May 24: Shadyside pharmacy robbed at gunpoint No injuries were reported in the armed robbery of a Shadyside pharmacy Thursday night, Pittsburgh police said. Officers responded to the robbery at a Walgreens in the 5900 block of Centre...
Italian eatery Totaro’s planned for Tarentum
Al Colelli grew up in a big Italian family, watching at his mother’s knee while she whipped up favorites such as meatballs and marinara. The Arnold resident picked up a thing or two. “I’ve been cooking for awhile, and I love to do it,” said Colelli, 52. “Call me crazy,...
The Stroller, May 24, 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. Lower Valley Little League to host golf outing A golf outing...
Marc Fogel speaks about his health and hope of returning home in interview from Russian prison
After nearly two years in a Russian prison, Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel said Thursday he is able to live with excruciating joint pain but pleaded for U.S. officials to bring him home, the hope of a miracle never far from his thoughts. “I see doctors here. They’ve given me medicines....
Carnegie Elementary debuts Matt’s Makerspace tinker lab
Butterflies are the favorite insect of Carnegie Elementary second grader Sydney Sullivan. So when it came time for a class project to research flowers and insects, Sydney, 7, used pink and purple paper to create her own craft butterfly. Sydney — and the rest of the school’s students — showcased...
Women testify about run-in with trooper days before he killed Washington County man
Two women told a judge Thursday that a state trooper responding to a daylight burglary call in Washington County seven years ago appeared to be out of control as he assumed a sniper position, trained his AR-15 assault rifle on them and repeatedly shouted expletives. But it is unclear whether...
State trooper receives multiple doses of Narcan after drug bust in Murrysville
A Pittsburgh man is charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and illegal possession of narcotics following a drug bust Thursday evening in Murrysville, after which a state police trooper had to receive multiple doses of Narcan, according to court records. The trooper, who was transported to AHN Hempfield Hospital, was...
Ex-Faison teacher tells jury he did not sexually assault student
A former Pittsburgh Public Schools elementary school teacher charged with sexually assaulting a student in a classroom denied the allegations Thursday while testifying in his own defense at trial. Asked by his attorney, Blaine Jones, if he committed the crimes of which he is accused, James Ziegler replied, “Absolutely not.”...
Advocates laud ‘long overdue’ effort to boost Frick Park access for disabled people
Meredith Peterson looks at parks differently from most. As executive director of the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh and the mother of a 16-year-old daughter with Down Syndrome, she knows that many people outside the disability community don’t realize how inaccessible parks can be to some. Something as simple as...
Air conditioning out at Greensburg Post Office, causing some delays
When 73-year-old Hempfield resident Debbie Ciak visits the Greensburg Post Office on a typical day, she said, the errand usually takes about 5 minutes. But the air-conditioning system was broken at the post office during her visit this week, and she said the label machines weren’t working properly in the...
How does turbulence affect Western Pa. flights?
As Lu Ann Walter waited in baggage claim at Pittsburgh International Airport for her daughter and grandchildren to arrive from Alaska, she wasn’t concerned about the dangers of turbulence on their more than six-hour flight. “I think she’s smart enough to wear a seatbelt,” said Walter, of Leeper. The potential...
Upper Burrell looks to sell 3 acres in Lincoln Beach
Upper Burrell is considering selling 3 acres of vacant land it owns in the township’s Lincoln Beach area after receiving interest from prospective buyers. “We’re anxious to sell it. … It’s not being used for anything,” said Supervisors Chairman Ross G. Walker III, who estimates a handful of people have...
New veterans clinic planned for Westmoreland County
Veterans in Westmoreland County will have a new, larger outpatient medical clinic to serve them by 2026. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed Thursday a new 33,000-square-foot facility will replace what officials said is an outdated, smaller clinic that opened in 2007 behind Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. A location...
Murrysville area: Trail poker run, theatre guild scholarships, glass recycling and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Theatre guild students earn scholarships Senior members of the Franklin Regional Theatre Guild were presented recently with $500 scholarships. Crew member Emie Ayres plans to attend Penn State University; actor Charlotte Pokol will attend the University of Tennessee; crew member Mary Taddonio...
On the bike trail, Gov. Shapiro talks Nippon Steel, Steelers, tourism and Biden
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday that Nippon Steel pledged to move its U.S. headquarters to Pittsburgh from Houston if its bid to buy U.S. Steel is successful. In an exclusive interview with TribLive, Shapiro said he personally spoke with the Japanese steelmaker and secured the commitment. When asked if...
Woman accused of shooting at another woman in Unity
A Unity woman is accused of shooting at another woman on Wednesday, state police said. Marissa Hall, 33, was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person. State troopers were called early Wednesday morning to the Rose Garden Terrace in Unity after there...
