Western PA Local News category, Page 68
‘A little scary’ and a lot dangerous: People reminded to stay off frozen rivers
It is highly dangerous and widely discouraged to walk on frozen rivers. But that hasn’t stopped some people from doing it anyway. Videos and news footage from this weekend have shown people walking and sliding across the frozen Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, near Point State Park and the North...
Inmate who died at Allegheny County Jail identified as Hampton man
A 55-year-old man died Sunday morning at the Allegheny County Jail, Warden Trevor Wingard announced. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Mark Schwartz, of Hampton. Schwartz was booked into the jail on Aug. 2 on charges of a misdemeanor charge of simple assault and a summary offense...
Making the grade: School districts vary when configuring grade levels in buildings
A realignment of grade levels in Burrell School District buildings has offered more opportunities for students this school year. Students had more clubs, career exploratory classes and leadership prospects because of a district realignment that followed the closure of Stewart Elementary in August 2025. Effective this school year, Bon Air...
Driver accused in Hempfield fatal hit-and-run arraigned, jailed
A Jeannette man accused of killing a man riding an e-bike in a hit-and-run in Hempfield last year is now in the Westmoreland County Jail. William Edward Sever, 37, of Jeannette, was denied bail as a flight risk when he was arraigned Friday, according to court records. Sever is charged...
Jury selection set to begin for Thomas Stanko, charged in Unity woman’s deathVideo
Jury selection in the criminal homicide trial of a Unity man charged with killing his former girlfriend is scheduled to begin Monday morning in a Westmoreland County courtroom. Thomas G. Stanko, 55, was charged in 2022 with criminal homicide in connection with the disappearance of Cassandra Gross five years earlier....
The Stroller, Feb. 1, 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. Library collecting handmade Valentines...
Go Laurel Highlands’ annual photo contest captures the region’s beauty
From brightly colored birds to foggy vistas, the nine photographs recognized as winners of Go Laurel Highlands’ annual photography contest reveal the beauty of the region. The winners are all local, from veteran photographers to hobbyists just starting out. Alex Byers, the lead photographer and videographer for Go Laurel Highlands,...
Recovery group marks 70th anniversary of ditching of B-25 bomber in Mon River
It’s been 70 years since a B-25 bomber ran out of fuel, splashed down on the Monongahela River near today’s Homestead Grays Bridge and was never seen again. A group fascinated by the story, and not giving up hope that the plane or parts of it may yet be found,...
Health care workers gather in Pittsburgh to honor Alex Pretti, call for end to ICE brutality
As evening fell on Pittsburgh Saturday, nurses and health care workers gathered beside the Fred Rogers Memorial on the North Shore to honor Alex Pretti, the nurse killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, and call for an end to ICE brutality and violations of freedom. The location was chosen, organizers...
Police: Wilkinsburg man assaulted woman, stole her vehicle
Pittsburgh police arrested a Wilkinsburg man accused of assaulting a woman and using her vehicle to get away. Charges against Jermaine Turner, 34, include aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, robbery, robbery of a motor vehicle, simple assault and terroristic threats. The victim in the case told officers that Turner, whom she...
Pittsburgh garbage, recycling collection to resume Monday
Trash and garbage collection in Pittsburgh will resume Monday after the services were suspended last week because of the intense snowstorm. All households will have garbage collection on their regular day, according to Pittsburgh officials. The collection schedule is available online. Residents can check their next collection of garbage and...
Another record low: Temps dip to minus 11 degrees overnight
Western Pennsylvania set another record low Saturday. Temperatures were recorded at minus 11 degrees at 5:29 a.m. at the National Weather Service’s offices in Moon Township, said meteorologist David Shallenberger. The previous record for Jan. 31 was minus 5 degrees, set in 2019, Shallenberger said. “This is most likely a...
New Kensington couple homeless after house fire; crews fight flames in sub-zero temps
A New Kensington home is destroyed following a fire early Saturday morning. Crews were dispatched at 12:47 a.m. to the 500 block of Oates Boulevard, New Kensington Fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said. “In my lifetime — I’ve been on the books as a firefighter for 40 years — this...
Bocce builds bridges for people of all ages and abilities
Abigail Gerthoffer wasn’t sure what she was getting into when she joined Burrell High School’s unified bocce team during her sophomore year. She just knew the team aligned with her values and personal mission to have a positive effect in the world. With no prior experience playing bocce, Gerthoffer jumped...
Alle-Kiski Senior Citizen News: Jan. 31, 2026
Armstrong County Senior Centers Apollo Wednesday: noon, Site Council meeting. Wednesday and Thursday: 10 a.m., bingo. Hours: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays. Details: Charlotte at 800-368-1066 or Amy at 724-478-1410. The center is at 707A N. Fifth St., Apollo. Freeport Tuesday: health program about COPD. The center is at...
The Stroller, Jan. 31, 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. Bowling fundraiser planned Feb....
Springdale’s agreement with ICE brings fear closer to home for some local immigrants
When Judah Marroquin learned police in Springdale Borough signed an agreement to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in November, she was sick to her stomach. “It’s finally at our doorsteps,” she thought. Born and raised in Shaler, she has lived in neighboring Springdale Township with her husband, Carlos,...
Ben Franklin-signed land grant in Upper Burrell ‘quite the conversation piece’
Alle-Kiski Valley historian Ray Rieser knew time was ticking. With Penn State New Kensington closing next spring, Rieser had something on his mind not too many others knew about — a 1787, Benjamin Franklin-signed land grant Rieser believed was being stored at the Upper Burrell campus. Over the years, Rieser...
Flashback foods: The hunger for favorite foods from the past
You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone (as Joni Mitchell sang). Many beloved foods once enjoyed throughout the Pittsburgh region are no longer available. They’re missed and still talked about. But some live on in new iterations — or DIY versions. We spoke to some Southwestern Pennsylvanians about...
Westmoreland happenings: Valentine’s dance, theater, bingo, more
Fundraisers • Lincoln Heights Civic Association will have bingo 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 5 at the center, 42 Millersdale Road, Hempfield. There will be 20 regular games and five quickies. Payout is 50-50. Free coffee. Cost: 25 cents for a three-card board; $1 for quickies. • Latrobe American Legion...
Snowstorm highlights staffing struggles of Southwestern Pa. home care agencies
Perhaps no part of the health care system in Southwestern Pennsylvania faced greater challenges during Sunday’s snowstorm than already understaffed home care agencies. Their task was monumental: Keep hundreds of group homes and thousands more personal residences in the region staffed with caregivers, even as much of their workforce got...
Code Orange air quality warning issued for Mon Valley
An air quality action day has been issued for five communities in the Monongahela Valley because of an increase in particulate matter pollution, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP issued a Code Orange Air Quality Day on Saturday for Clairton, and Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln and Port...
ICE operation in Oakmont leads to local father’s arrestVideo
Hariett Flores thought Thursday was going to be like any other day. She and her husband, Jose, were getting ready for work as their 8-year-old daughter, Lily, prepared for school in their Oakmont home. Then, when Jose and Lily left the house on their way to Lily’s school, everything changed....
‘He cared’: Eugene Khorey, 1st principal of Brashear High School, dies
When Brashear High School first opened in 1976 — uniting racially diverse students in the Pittsburgh Public School District — Eugene Khorey was at the helm as its first principal. Just two months short of turning 100 years old, Khorey, of Munhall, who was known as “Gene,” died on Jan....
New Pitt institute looks to space for insight on earthly illnesses
A trip to outer space can wreak havoc on the human body. Muscles atrophy, bones become porous and immune systems degrade in low gravity. These effects, as frightening as they may sound, tend to be temporary. Astronauts returning from extended stays at the International Space Station mostly recover within a...
