Western PA Local News category, Page 66
The Stroller, Feb. 3, 2026: 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. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Bowl-A-Thon to raise funds...
Fox Chapel Area School District sets property tax hike limit
Fox Chapel Area School District officials voted to cap any property tax increase for next school year at 3.5%, which is the maximum allowed by the state without seeking voter approval through a referendum. School directors unanimously voted to pass a resolution confirming that pledge Jan. 20. The current tax...
Years after Cassandra Gross disappeared, her mother says the unanswered questions never go awayVideo
Tucked away at Kathe Gross’ house is a turquoise plastic tote filled with the memories of heartbreak. There are note cards and scraps of paper bearing names and phone numbers, handwritten notes Gross compiled on anything she could find as phone calls and information poured in after the 2018 disappearance...
World’s tallest living female dog is a Great Dane with an ironic name and Pittsburgh roots
Minnie is anything but what her name suggests. The black-and-white Great Dane named after a Disney character recently earned the title of world’s tallest living female dog by Guinness World Records. Having just turned 4, Minnie — standing at 3 feet, 2.25 inches on all four paws — is about...
Oakmont ICE arrest spurs new policy on cooperation with law enforcement at Riverview School District
The Riverview School Board has found itself front and center in the nation’s debate over immigrant deportations. The board’s agenda meeting Monday served in part as a place for residents to express frustration following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest in Oakmont on Thursday. Jose Flores, 47, was detained by...
Sewickley Academy officials to add more addresses, signage to campus
Sewickley Academy officials believe adding addresses and signage throughout the campus will help ensure vendors and emergency responders get to the right place. The academy’s address is 315 Academy Ave. in Edgeworth. The problem is there are a dozen buildings on campus. Its bus loop is at 200 Hazel Lane,...
Woman struck by bus in Oakland
A woman in her 20s was hospitalized in critical but stable condition Monday evening after being struck by a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus in Oakland. PRT spokesman Adam Brandolph said the incident occurred at the intersection of Neville Street and Fifth Avenue shortly before 7 p.m. The 58-Greenfield bus was...
Pittsburgh man gets life without parole for killing teen outside Strip District restaurant
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced Friday to serve the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole for killing a teenager in the Strip District nearly five years ago. Howard Hawkins, 50, was found guilty in November of first-degree murder for the Feb. 21, 2021, shooting death...
Officials warn people to stay off frozen Pittsburgh rivers
First responders have a simple message after seeing reports and videos of people walking on frozen Pittsburgh rivers: Don’t do it. “Don’t put yourself at risk to get injured — because our first responders have to put their lives on the line to help you,” said Pittsburgh EMS Chief Amera...
Jury seated in Westmoreland County for trial of Thomas Stanko in 2018 death of Cassandra Gross
It took nearly eight years to bring Thomas G. Stanko to a courtroom in the death of Cassandra Gross, but it took only a single day to choose the 12 people who will decide his fate. Seven men and five women were seated Monday in Westmoreland County to serve as...
Pittsburgh Marathon announces partnership with Reykjavík Marathon in Iceland
The Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon has announced a partnership with Iceland’s Íslandsbanki Reykjavík Marathon as “sister marathons” In an collaborative Instagram post last week, the marathons said the new partnership is “connecting two iconic cities through the shared passion of running.” View this post on Instagram A post shared...
Mayor lauds Pittsburgh teen for securing 20,000-pound cereal donation
Ender Lin combined a love of cereal and a desire to help his neighbors to secure a massive food donation that will feed thousands of families in the Pittsburgh region. Ender, 13, of Squirrel Hill, penned a letter to Kellogg, telling the company about “all the amazing things” done by...
4 North Allegheny students named to Junior Achievement’s 18 Under Eighteen for 2026
Four North Allegheny students are among a team of 18 other students in and around Western Pennsylvania who have made significant, meaningful achievements by the age of 18. As honorees in the Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania’s 18 Under Eighteen for 2026, presented by EQT, the group will be celebrated...
Etna officials rally volunteers to help neighbors dig out from record-setting snow
Etna officials led a volunteer effort Jan. 31 to help residents in need dig out from a record-setting snowfall. Pittsburgh set a new record Jan. 25, when the National Weather Service measured a one-day snowfall of 11.2 inches at its office in Moon, shattering the previous record of 5.2 inches...
Broken plows, inexperienced drivers contributed to Pittsburgh’s snow removal woes, mayor says
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor on Monday pointed to broken-down snowplows and inexperienced drivers as key reasons the city struggled last week to clear nearly a foot of snow from the streets. O’Connor said he hopes to remedy both problems before next winter. “We did what we could,” O’Connor said, adding...
1 person in hospital after Washington Township crash
One person was transported to the hospital after a vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in Washington Township. Westmoreland 911 said there was a two-vehicle wreck reported at the 1400 block of Route 286 just before 2 p.m. A person was taken to the hospital by helicoptor as a precaution, dispatchers said....
Fundraiser for family of Oakmont man detained by ICE raises more than $75K
An online fundraiser to aid the family of a man taken into ICE custody in Oakmont on Thursday had collected more than $75,000 as of Tuesday evening. Jose Flores, 47, was handcuffed and placed in an unmarked SUV by ICE agents Thursday morning in front of his 8-year-old daughter, Lily....
Can Pittsburgh build it? LEGO skyline needs community votes
A Pittsburgh LEGO set has the potential to be reviewed by designers for production — but it needs 10,000 community votes first. At the beginning of January, creator “Chris74” posted a LEGO model of the Pittsburgh skyline on the LEGO Ideas crowdsourcing platform, which gives regular people the opportunity to...
Expert witness for Fern Hollow bridge victims claims engineering firms missed problems prior to collapse
An expert retained by the victims of the Fern Hollow bridge collapse said the three engineering firms contracted to inspect the span failed to uphold the standard of care required for professional engineers. David B. Mrowiec, a civil engineer based in Virginia, reached that conclusion after reviewing thousands of pages...
Suspect in fatal hit-run found hiding under insulation in Jeannette attic
A Jeannette man was hiding in an attic underneath insulation when he was taken into custody Friday on state police accusations that he was involved in a 2025 hit-and-run that killed an e-bike rider. Troopers said in court papers that they learned William Edward Sever, 37, was staying at a...
Lower Burrell zoning board to consider credit union’s proposal to move to old PNC Bank building
A credit union may soon occupy the former PNC Bank building in Lower Burrell’s Hillcrest Shopping Center complex. Western PA Federal Credit Union, which has a location in Feldarelli Square, New Kensington, seeks a zoning variance as it plans to move to the former PNC building at Hillcrest. PNC closed...
Deposit from Midway-St. Clair boosts Hempfield fire service support fund
Money that Midway-St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department had invested is being transferred into a fund controlled by Hempfield. The township supervisors on Jan. 26 accepted the deposit of $161,365.99 into the Hempfield Township Volunteer Fire Service Support Fund at the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County. “That clears the books on...
Pittsburgh Public Schools building closure plan discussions back on the table
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board unanimously voted to reopen the discussion on a reconfiguration plan, which had raised the possibility of closing nine schools. On Wednesday, the Future-Ready plan was reintroduced by Eva Diodati, school board director for District 7. “I didn’t want to delay any longer than necessary. There’s...
Check out these parking chairs in PittsburghVideo
In many American cities, a parking spot is just a parking spot. In Pittsburgh? It’s a recognized and respected claim staked by a folding chair. Welcome to parking chair season. We compiled this video and photo galleries of parking chairs around the Pittsburgh region. Check it out....
Ruthie’s Diner fire started in kitchen of Ligonier Township restaurant, fire marshal saysVideo
A fire that destroyed landmark Ruthie’s Diner started in or near a cooking appliance in the kitchen, said state police fire marshal Trooper Chet Bell. The Jan. 20 blaze at the Ligonier Township diner has been ruled accidental and Bell said in a news release that he continues to investigate...
