Armstrong County group plans lobbying trip to push for Allegheny River lock funding
As the Allegheny River Development Corp. prepares to head to the nation’s capital to lobby lawmakers for money to keep locks open along the river, they’re looking for as much support as they can get. The ARDC, a grassroots organization based in Armstrong County, works with the Army Corps of...
Monroeville Rotary honors 2 longtime members
Monroeville Rotary members meet every week, but their meeting on April 4 marked two exceptional milestones. Two Rotarians – Ron Lombard and John “Jack” Finnegan – were honored for 50 years of service. President John Keating noted April 4 was Lombard’s exact 50-year anniversary, as he joined on April 4,...
Small fire reported at Kennywood
A fire at Kennywood was quickly put out Wednesday evening. Allegheny County dispatchers said the call for the fire at the West Mifflin area amusement park came in around 9:20 p.m. Emergency responders began clearing the scene around 9:45 p.m. Lynsey Winters, a spokesperson for Kennywood, told news partners WTAE...
Delmont Stormwater Authority will discuss mandated improvements
The Delmont Stormwater Authority will meet at 6:30 p.m. May 1 in the borough building at 77 Greensburg Street. State-mandated improvements to the borough’s stormwater infrastructure are outside the borough’s annual budget, and the authority is in the process of initiating a stormwater utility to provide funding for those expenses...
Hampton School Board fields requests for facility improvements
The van used by Hampton Township School District to address heating, ventilation and air-conditioning needs is a 2009 model. “It’s definitely past its useful time,” Jeff Kline, director of administrative services/transportation, said. “We don’t feel it will pass inspection this year.” During the April 15 school board meeting, he presented...
Pittsburgh man sentenced after pleading guilty to fatally stabbing woman, hiding her in a tool shed
A judge on Wednesday sent a Pittsburgh man to prison for up to 38 years after he pleaded guilty to stabbing a woman 56 times and stashing her corpse inside a suitcase in a tool shed near his Knoxville home. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kevin Sasinoski sentenced Montel Reed,...
Improvements underway at Spring Avenue Park in Greensburg
Those wanting to use the long-awaited improvements to the Spring Avenue Park in Greensburg’s Fifth Ward will only have to wait a little longer as finishing touches are being made to the playground. Workers from the Sports and Recreation Associates of Apollo were busy Tuesday installing the rubberized playing surface...
Power being restored as storms clear up in Western Pa.
Power outages in Western Pennsylvania are starting to drop as thunderstorms and high winds from Wednesday night clear out. Duquesne Light Co. reported more than 3,000 of its customers were without power in Western Pennsylvania Thursday morning, down about 15,000 outages from Wednesday night. Some of the largest outages in...
Westmoreland seeking wound kits to combat nasty side effect of xylazine use
Wound kits could be delivered this summer to Westmoreland County agencies that are seeing more people dealing with a particularly nasty side effect of using the powerful animal sedative xylazine. “We are seeing the unfortunate increase in the wounds from the xylazine,” said Tim Phillips, director of the county’s department...
‘You can’t rely on Philly’: Pittsburgh Penguins fans down after season falters
Brandon Kocent, a diehard Pittsburgh Penguins fan, was deflated like many others in Western Pennsylvania after the team’s push for a playoff spot fell apart before the final game. One of the scenarios for the Penguins to sneak into the postseason called for the Washington Capitals to lose against the...
MAWC OKs Hempfield sewer project after 4-year delay
Sewer lines will be extended near Baltzer Meyer Road and Fort Allen Elementary School in Hempfield in a nearly $500,000 project that’s been stalled for four years. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members awarded a contract with W.A. Petrakis Inc. of Penn Township to install more than 7,000 feet...
Burgettstown man charged with assaulting police during Jan. 6 Capitol riot
A Burgettstown man is facing charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Joshua Lee Atwood, 31, was arrested by the FBI on Wednesday. Charges against him include assaulting police with a weapon. He was identified after the FBI received a tip. It was discovered that...
Derry Area weighs first renovations at high school complex in decades
It’s been more than 30 years since the last major renovation at the Derry Area high school complex. That may change in the next couple of years, but the question remains: How much work needs to be done? Most people who took a school district survey support heating, air conditioning...
Greater Latrobe School Board will lose $48K in annual tax revenue to settle assessment appeal with Latrobe Specialty Metals
Greater Latrobe School District will lose more than $48,000 in tax revenue each year because it agreed to reduce Latrobe Specialty Metals assessed property value. The school board this week approved the settlement of a 2021 assessment appeal filed by the company that makes specialty metals and alloys and is...
Spring book sale scheduled at Northland Public Library in McCandless
Northland Public Library’s spring book sale is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 3-5 at 300 Cumberland Road, McCandless. Sunday features a bag sale, with the library supplying the bags. New this year, beat the crowds and register for a preview sale from 5 to 7:30 p.m. May...
Kennywood closes Steel Curtain for entire season
Kennywood’s Steel Curtain roller coaster has been sacked for the season. According to an Instagram post Wednesday, Kennywood said the Steel Curtain — which opened in 2019 — will be closed for the 2024 season. The iconic Western Pennsylvania amusement park opens on Saturday. The flagship Steelers-themed attraction is undergoing...
Biden tells Pittsburgh steelworkers that he, not Trump, has delivered for them
President Joe Biden blasted rival Donald Trump Wednesday during a speech to union steelworkers in Downtown Pittsburgh, assailing the former president — his expected opponent in November’s general election — for what he described as empty promises, infrastructure failures and a rollback of labor rights. “My predecessor promised infrastructure week...
Ross police implement OD prevention program
To assist in combating the opioid epidemic, the Ross Police Department is partnering with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to create an Opioid Overdose Prevention Program. The Ross department is offering a no-questions-asked overdose prevention kit to anyone who visits the police station lobby, 1000 Ross Municipal Drive....
‘Apis’ tells environmental story with a cast of mostly puppets
The last creature on Earth travels through time in order to try and change history in “Apis,” the final production in the New Hazlett Theater’s 11th season of Community Supported Art productions. And who is that last creature? He’s a little blue bee named Bob. And he’s one of several...
Country star Cole Swindell to headline Pittsburgh Brewing Co.’s summer concert series
“You Should Be Here” is what the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. might be saying to country music fans as it announces its third concert for the summer. Country music star Cole Swindell will take the stage Sept. 1 at the brewery’s amphitheater in the Creighton neighborhood of East Deer. Brewery spokeswoman...
Police: Man confesses to killing 83-year-old Fayette resident found shot dead in his car
A purported real estate business associate confessed to killing an 83-year-old Fayette County man found shot to death in his car Saturday morning, state police said. According to the criminal complaint, Norman F. Pennington, 65, of Republic, Fayette County, told state troopers he killed Anthony Dicenzo Sr. of Brownsville on...
Bethel Park music students selected for state festival
Six Bethel Park High School students earned seats through multiple competitive auditions to participate in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s 2024 All-State Festival and Annual In-Service Conference, scheduled for April 17-20 in Erie. The students are Ethan Alberter, junior, All-State Concert Band, trombone; Maria Catana, junior, All-State Chorus, Soprano 1;...
Lower Burrell, Pittsburgh men charged in state probe of child sex abuse among Jehovah’s Witnesses
Two Western Pennsylvania men are the latest accused of raping or sexually abusing girls stemming from a statewide grand jury investigation of child sexual abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses community. Ronald W. Mangone, 69, of Lower Burrell and Roger E. Zellars, 68, of Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood are separately accused of...
Metal collection at Bethel Park’s Washington Elementary nets more than 2 tons
You could build, say, a pickup truck with the amount of scrap brought in during a metal-collection event in March at Bethel Park’s George Washington Elementary School. Michael Brothers Hauling and Recycling reported a total of 2.34 tons, or 4,680 pounds. The Baldwin Borough company collaborated with Verichek Technical Services...
Westmoreland happenings: Trail fundraiser, pancake breakfast, author talk, more
Art • The Greensburg Art Center will host “Anything Goes,” a display of the works of members of the Westmoreland Photographers Society, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays through May 31 at the center, 230 Todd School Road, Hempfield. Admission is free. A free opening reception will...
