Growing Greensburg Night Market boosts foot traffic, profile for downtown retail district
Greensburg’s Night Market kicked off its sixth season of vendor browsing and live music Thursday evening, as the city’s civic and business leaders looked forward to the spotlight the monthly event shines on the downtown retail area. Mayor Robb Bell said he’s been amazed by the event’s growth along several...
‘I just worked, worked, worked.’ Harrison’s Erin McClelland scores upset in Pa. treasurer primary
Outspent and facing an opponent who had won a slew of major endorsements, Erin McClelland engineered the biggest upset in Pennsylvania during Tuesday’s primary, securing the Democratic nomination for state treasurer. McClelland, 49, of Harrison said her public speaking skills, the missteps of her Democratic opponent and her travel across...
Teen sentenced for role in fatal New Kensington shooting
A Pittsburgh teenager was ordered to serve up to four years in prison for his role in a fatal shooting two summers ago in front of a New Kensington high rise apartment building. Avian Molter, who turned 17 on April 16, told a Westmoreland County judge he’s turned his life...
North Huntingdon man pleads guilty to making and sharing child porn
A North Huntingdon man pleaded guilty Thursday to 32 felony offenses related to allegations he created and distributed images of child pornography. James C. Gockel, 41, was charged in 2022 after state police investigators received notification from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that videos were uploaded to...
Pittsburgh man pleads guilty to fatally stabbing estranged wife, faces life in prison
A South Side Slopes man pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree murder for the stabbing death last year of his estranged wife. William Fitzgerald, 51, will be sentenced May 13 to a mandatory term of life in prison with no parole by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Elliot Howsie. According to...
Kiski Area support staff get raises under new 5-year contract
A new contract awards pay raises to Kiski Area School District educational support staff in each of the next five years. The school board unanimously ratified the five-year agreement with the Kiski Area Educational Support Professionals that runs from July 1 through June 30, 2029. It provides an 8% raise...
Fayette County district attorney working with forensic anthropologist in death of 17-year-old
It will take some time before authorities can come to an official conclusion about what led to the death of 17-year-old Kaitlin Whoolery, according to Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele. Whoolery’s remains were found this month in North Union, months after she was last seen in November. Local authorities...
Pittsburgh police arrest victim’s neighbor in West End homicide
Pittsburgh police have arrested a West End man in the fatal shooting last month of his 22-year-old friend and neighbor. Lontae Smith was shot March 25 in the 1400 block of Harlow Street, where he lived, in Pittsburgh’s Chartiers City neighborhood. Police responded after an alert at 9:54 p.m. by...
Cornel West speaks at pro-Palestine encampment in Oakland
Professor, philosopher and activist Cornel West spoke Thursday at the encampment in Oakland where pro-Palestinian demonstrators are demanding that the University of Pittsburgh divest from any war-related investment in Israel. West, who is also running for president as an independent, showed up at Schenley Plaza to speak during a rally...
Hampton council approves measure to aid North Park expansion
Hampton Township Council unanimously approved tax and lien exoneration for all parcels in the Hemlocks Conservation Plan, on the condition of their acquisition by the Allegheny Land Trust. The action at council’s April 24 meeting pertains to property in an uncompleted phase of the Hemlocks townhouse development, adjacent to North...
East Suburban Sports Medicine Center helped Olympic wrestler Spencer Lee, countless others over 4 decades
When Franklin Regional’s Spencer Lee was pursuing his fourth state wrestling title, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in his right knee, and his doctor said there simply wasn’t time to try and repair it before the state championships got underway. During the championships, Lee’s ACL popped again....
North Hills Community Outreach hosts inaugural community barbecue, in McCandless
Kick off the grilling season May 4 as North Hills Community Outreach holds its inaugural community barbecue at Memorial Park Church in McCandless. The event will be held, rain or shine, from noon to 3 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased at www.nhco.org. Children ages 2 and younger...
Monroeville area: Farmers market, Scottish Heritage Sunday, more
Email news briefs to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Farmers market begins The Monroeville Farmers Market will kick off its 2024 season from 9 a.m. to noon May 11 at the Monroeville Mall between Dick’s and Best Buy, 501 Mall Circle Drive. It will take place weekly through mid-November on Saturdays. For...
American Legion Honor Guard commander ends run after 27 years of funerals in W.Pa., beyond
Joseph Paradise has given military funeral honors to more than 3,000 veterans in Western Pennsylvania and beyond, no matter the weather. At 93, the Penn Hills resident is finally ready to retire, save for his work as a school crossing guard at Long Road and Datura Drive. He’s stepping away...
Wesley Family Services opens Autism Center for Growth in Monroeville
Staff at Wesley Family Services said research has shown that early intervention services for autistic children between the ages of 1 and 7 years have led to improvements in development and skill-building. “The brain is able to learn a lot more quickly at that age,” said Carrie Winner, Wesley’s program...
New Kensington police charge man with trying to kill 3 people outside apartment complex
New Kensington police charged one of two men they say tried to shoot three people outside the Valley Royal Court apartment complex last week. Police charged Amarion Anthony Michael Michaux, 18, of Arnold with three counts of attempted homicide, three counts of aggravated assault and one count of illegally possessing...
Environmental groups partner for tree giveaway in Penn Hills
Penn Hills has a need for seedlings. The Penn Hills Shade Tree Commission, in partnership with Tree Pittsburgh, had no problem finding homes for 200 trees at an April 20 giveaway in Penn Hills Community Park. Kathy Raborn, president of the Shade Tree Commission, hopes to offer free trees on...
Springdale police warn residents of fire department phone scam
Springdale police are warning the community that a phone call from someone soliciting money for the borough’s volunteer fire department is a scam. A Wednesday social media post from the police department said a group of people posing as fire department members are calling residents, saying they need donations because...
Pine-Richland High School ups rankings
U.S. News and World Report ranked Pine-Richland High School as one of the top high schools in the nation in its 2024 rankings, announced April 23. The publication named Pine-Richland as the fourth-best high school in the Pittsburgh metropolitan region, from among 140 schools. Pine-Richland is the top-ranked school in...
Hempfield man turns himself in after 3-hour police standoff last week in village of Darragh
A Hempfield man turned himself in Thursday morning on charges related to nine guns seized after a three-hour police standoff at his home last week. State police said they were attempting to serve warrants at 10:40 a.m. April 17 for Timothy M. Pugh, 46, who lives in the village of...
Taxes stay same in North Allegheny’s proposed final budget
North Allegheny School District aims to keep its real estate tax rate at 19.74 mills, despite rising salaries and a slow growth rate. The approximately $198 million proposed final budget was unanimously approved on April 24 by the school board and is open for public review before a June 12...
Access to mental health care may get boost from change in counselor licensing requirements
Dozens more professional counselors could be approved for associate licenses soon under a new state law meant to expand mental health care in Pennsylvania. For college students set to graduate this spring and move on to their clinical experience requirements, getting started in the field could be a quick turnaround...
Have a Taste of NA returns to in-person event at Soergel Orchards in Franklin Park
Have a Taste of NA, the annual celebration and fundraiser of the North Allegheny Foundation, is being held in-person at 6:30 p.m. May 23 at Soergel Orchards in Franklin Park. Tickets are on sale for $100 each. For the past three years, the NA Foundation has partnered with Soergel for...
Victim: Man ‘went crazy all of a sudden’ in stabbing at Hostetter Hotel in Unity
A man accused in a stabbing Wednesday at the Hostetter Hotel in Unity told state troopers that he wished the wounded person would have died, according to court papers. William Kennet Evans Jr., 62, was arrested after the altercation with another man and charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and...
From infants onward, Hampton piano teacher shares joy of music
Beyond the basics of time signatures, sharps and flats, and treble and bass clefs is a whole world of teaching piano. Hampton resident Mary Lynne Bennett started giving lessons before she turned 20, and along with being a wife and mother of three, providing instruction continues as a primary focus....
