Rick Sebak to stir ‘Kennywood Memories’ for Greater Latrobe audience in benefit
Whether it was the thrill of riding the Thunderbolt roller coaster or the tasty treat of gobbling down Potato Patch french fries, many area residents can recall favorite moments of their childhood spent at Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh. Rick Sebak, longtime producer of documentaries for WQED and PBS, will revive...
Morning Roundup: 1 stabbed in Beltzhoover; police collecting old medications
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, April 23: Man stabbed in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood A man was stabbed early Tuesday morning inside a residence in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood. Pittsburgh police were called to the 100 block of Climax Street just before 2:30 a.m. Officers...
The Stroller, April 23, 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. Free nature walks planned by Audubon Society The Audubon Society of...
Fire at Unity shopping plaza damages multiple businesses
Jackie Tustin was treated like family when she worked once a week at Roadman’s Country Living Shoppe in Unity. “This isn’t my full-time job. It’s my fun job,” she said. But she and a few other employees are out of work, at least for now, after a fire Tuesday severely...
Election primer: What to know heading into the 2024 primary
There’s no way around it: This year’s Pennsylvania primary lacks much intrigue. The presidential contenders from both major parties clinched their nominations weeks ago. The state’s U.S. Senate race also has only one nominee for each party: incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick, a former hedge fund...
Regional surveillance system will record license plate images on major roads
Five years after toddler Nalani Johnson was kidnapped and murdered, license plate readers that law enforcement officials say could have saved her will be installed in numerous municipalities across Westmoreland County. The readers will be part of a multicounty surveillance network spearheaded by district attorneys and local law enforcement officials....
Communities embrace use of license plate readers
Communities across the region are considering or have installed license plate readers on local streets and highways. As TribLive reported in March, Springdale is one of the latest to adopt the Automated National Noninvasive Insurance Enforcement
(ANNIE) program, designed for police departments to address uninsured and unregistered vehicles. Tarentum also...
Pittsburgh man dies in Parkway East crash
A man from Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood was killed early Saturday morning in a multi-vehicle crash along the Parkway East in Penn Hills, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said. Michael Ernest Buyna, 44, was pronounced dead at the scene at about 1 a.m. Saturday, the medical examiner said. State police...
After hiring new architect, Hempfield ‘moving forward with a stronger team’ for renovation project
A new architect was hired Monday to work on Hempfield Area School District’s long-stalled high school renovation project. The school board hired Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates of Mechanicsburg to replace Bellevue-based Core Architects, which resigned from the district’s high school renovation project in February. The district’s solicitor and administration will...
Passover begins amid ongoing antisemitism and unrest in Israel
Shari Lowenstein Zatman of O’Hara is entering Passover with a mix of emotions this year. “I definitely feel like we’re observing Passover with a heavier heart this year. ’Let My People Go’ is something we say as part of the holiday and it’s taken on a relevant meaning with our...
Texas trucker returns home after hit-and-run guilty plea
A Texas truck driver was scheduled to jet home Monday night to Dallas after serving nearly 16 months in the Westmoreland County Prison for a hit-and-run crash in the parking lot of a Hempfield auto parts store. Quantae M. Beavers, 26, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, simple assault,...
Volunteers plant 256 trees at Hempfield Park on Earth Day
West Penn Power Green Team volunteers planted 256 trees at Hempfield Park on Monday — Earth Day. The volunteers also distributed free trees in Jeannette last Friday. The tree giveaway and planting are part of West Penn Power parent company FirstEnergy’s effort to plant trees in its service area, said...
Game commission plans insecticide spraying on state land
The Pennsylvania Game Commission plans to spray insecticide on game lands in the southwestern part of the state in an effort to control invasive insect the spongy moth. Statewide, more than 123,000 acres of game lands will be targeted in late April and May, just as egg masses hatch. Spraying...
Pittsburgh City Council’s private meetings raise questions about Sunshine Law compliance
For years, Pittsburgh City Council members have gathered behind closed doors to talk in private about public policy. No one keeps a log of who attends. No minutes are maintained of what is said. And council members, desperate to ensure they don’t have too many people present, sometimes duck out...
Affordable housing in Pittsburgh clears hurdle with City Council vote
Pittsburgh City Council has just made it easier to build townhomes and row houses, a step that supporters say will boost the city’s affordable housing stock. The move came Monday in a unanimous vote approving a zoning change to expand where attached housing can be built in the city. Attached...
Kiski Township vehicle fire could bring aggravated arson charges
Kiski Township emergency responders are working to recover a vehicle that was set on fire and pushed over a hillside this weekend near Hicks Hill Road. Around midnight Saturday, Kiski Township police and firefighters, as well as multiple other fire departments, responded to a brush fire that took six hours...
Judge orders mom of accused McKeesport cop killer to remove online video of shooting
A judge Monday ordered the mother of a man charged with killing a McKeesport police officer to remove video of the shooting and other material from an online fundraising page within 24 hours. The order, by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Bruce Beemer, followed a hearing to address prosecution fears...
Nonresident continues to serve on Penn Hills zoning board; 3 library board members resign
Like most municipalities, some of Penn Hills’ biggest decisions are made by volunteers on various boards and commissions. These entities plot the future of the municipality, deciding on development proposals, building permits and more. They also are hampered by vacancies, expired terms and, in the case of the Penn Hills...
O’Hara, Blawnox police merger talks continue
Negotiations continue between O’Hara and Blawnox officials to merge police departments. Managers from both municipalities confirmed that pensions were examined and weekly talks now are planned. The plan is to have Blawnox officers become township police and serve under Superintendent Jay Davis. “The first step in the process was to...
Greensburg police seek information about abandoned dog
Greensburg police are looking for the owner of a dog that was found Sunday night chained to a fence or railing at Rohrer Street and Westminster Avenue. The canine was found just after 9 p.m. and no neighbors recognized it, said Police Chief Charles Irvin. It was abandoned sometime during...
Kickin’ it old school: Acmetonia students going back to paper and pencil for math intervention
Old school is new school at Acmetonia after an initial dismal showing in math proficiency among its elementary students. The Allegheny Valley School Board last week approved purchasing SpringMath as Acmetonia’s mathematics intervention program for students in first through sixth grades for nearly $7,800. The program is included in the...
Portion of Baileys Run in East Deer set for long-term closure
Tony Taliani knows as well as anyone the inconvenience that will be caused by the long-term partial closure of Baileys Run Road in East Deer. The township commissioner lives along the stretch of the road that will be closed at 9 a.m. Monday, May 6 by the Allegheny County Department...
Doerfler brothers, Plum alumni, make 2nd donation for alma mater’s robotics program
A $10,000 donation from two Plum graduates will help start a new robotics club at their alma mater’s middle school. The donation from Joe Doerfler, 26, and Don Doerfler, 29, comes after the brothers gave $62,500 last year to the high school’s robotics club. The money comes from their winnings...
Wild turkey season opens early for young hunters
Spring wild turkey season in Pennsylvania starts Saturday with an opportunity for young hunters in advance of the regular season opener on May 4. Junior hunters and mentored ones 16 and younger can hit the woods Saturday from 30 minutes before sunrise until noon, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission....
Business representatives, graduates advise Northern Westmoreland CTC on needs
The job prospects for students graduating from the heating and air conditioning program at Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center are 100%, says Mark Williamson, owner and president of MW Mechanical Services in New Kensington. “Right now, there’s such a shortage of skilled labor, in our field and a lot...
