Western PA Local News category, Page 697
‘You just gotta go through it’: Pittsburgh marathoners prepare for mental, physical test
For Ron Brown, waiting for marathon day is like waiting for Christmas morning: Sunday will be his 60th time racing all 26.2 miles. “You get apprehensive,” said Brown, 55, of West Deer, days before the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. “But once you get across that starting line, that goes...
Dallas executive Kimberly Fields to take reins at ATI
ATI will have new leadership July 1. Kimberly Fields will assume the role of CEO to replace Robert Wetherbee, head of the specialty metals company since 2018. Fields of Dallas has served the past two years as chief operating officer and was named president in 2023. “I’m honored to succeed...
Moms of teens killed in McCandless crash win court battle against bail for jailed driver
Heather McCandless began to sob in front of a judge as she described how her husband ends each day by saying “good night” to the urn holding their late daughter’s ashes. Taylor Orlowski, 18, was killed Dec. 23 after a speeding car in which she was riding with four other...
Hempfield man’s ‘nonstop criminal activity’ nets 3-to 6-year prison sentence
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to six years in prison for a series of crimes that included an assault against a police officer, two high-speed chases and possession of cocaine in his cell at the Westmoreland County Prison. As Antjuan Dewayne Smith, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday, his...
Pittsburgh squeezes Heinz History Center to get giant ketchup bottle permit
Pittsburgh’s iconic giant ketchup bottle is too big. At least that’s what the city has told the Heinz History Center. One of two oversized Heinz ketchup bottles removed from Acrisure Stadium last summer after it changed names from Heinz Field was installed outside the Strip District museum in December. The...
Government official asking for money on the phone? It’s a scam
Scammers increasingly are impersonating police and federal agents in an attempt to swindle unsuspecting victims by preying on their trust of law enforcement. According to John Breyault, a fraud expert with the National Consumers League, posing as government agents is a classic fraud tactic. “The appeal to fraudsters is that...
Murrysville area: Duff Park hike, quilt class, and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Protect PT hike in Murrysville Citizen environmental group Protect PT and the Turtle Creek Watershed and Airshed Communities will host a May 18 hike in Murrysville’s Duff Park. It will be at 10 a.m. Local residents will share their connection to the...
Franklin Regional multimedia student win 5 awards at Robert Morris Digital Media Arts ConsortiumVideo
Franklin Regional Senior High School students in broadcasting and journalism classes came home with five awards from the Digital Media Arts Consortium Student Video Festival held recently at Robert Morris University. Students who create the FRHSTV morning news show won “Best in Category” for the second year in a row...
Norwin area: Elks donates to Autism Society; AARP to host card party and more
Norwin Elks donates to Autism Society Those who participated in the Norwin Elks’ Autism Car Cruise helped a good cause because the Elks was able to donate $5,000 from the proceeds of the car cruise to the Autism Society of America Westmoreland County Chapter, said Gary Ed of North Huntingdon,...
Mt. Pleasant Area School Board OKs proposed $38.8M budget, potential 3-mill tax hike
Mt. Pleasant Area School District residents would face a 3-mill property tax hike under a proposed $38.8 million 2024-2025 budget based on a worst-case scenario. But district officials say they hope to trim that tax increase by June 26, when the school board is scheduled to vote on a final...
Investigation launched over allegations of missing funds from North Huntingdon AG Office
The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday confirmed it has launched an investigation into allegations that an undisclosed amount of money was stolen from an Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office in North Huntingdon. Spokeswoman Melanie Jones said in a statement that the district attorney’s office “is aware of missing funds...
Monroeville area: Cheer camp, golf outing, farmers’ market and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Sabers Cheer Camp Registration is open for Sabers Cheer Camp at Divine Mercy Academy this summer. Any student - girl or boy - going into kindergarten through 8th grade this fall is welcome. Cheer camp is an opportunity to see...
National Aviary announces death of penguin Stanley
One of the longest-tenured flock members at the National Aviary has died. He was 22. Stanley, named after the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup, arrived at the Aviary on Pittsburgh’s North Side in 2001 when he was just 2 months old. Stanley was nationally known for the bond he shared...
Sharpsburg Indie Girl Scout recognized as outstanding ‘super seller’
Sharpsburg resident Diana Oliver was filled with pride and joy when her daughter, Pamelah, was recognized by the state for setting a high bar in cookie sales. The Indie Girl Scout, meaning not affiliated with a particular troop, sold 2,200 boxes this year. State Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, presented...
Gateway school board considers event to mark the opening of new school
Gateway school board members are planning a fundraising event to mark the opening of the updated $35 million middle school in Monroeville. Board President Robin Mungo suggested that the district hold a fundraising event to celebrate the school, which is set to reopen at the start of the 2024-25 academic...
Mother of Sorrows School in Murrysville names new principal
Darcie Gatti will become the new principal at Mother of Sorrows School in Murrysville. Gatti is a former associate and head principal in the Penn Hills School District, where she has worked since 2008. Prior to that, she worked both roles in the Mt. Pleasant School District. She began her...
Highlands greenhouse aims to spur collaboration, instill ‘humanitarian heart’
Highlands School Director Eli Majocha believes a new outdoor classroom at the high school will help students flourish. A greenhouse spearheaded last year while Majocha was a high school senior will impact students through hands-on and project-based learning, he said. “I want these students to be engaged with the lessons...
‘She is evil personified’: Victims’ families face killer nurse Heather Pressdee in court
Grief. Fury. Sadness. Guilt. Heartache. Regret. Rage. As each of the victims’ loved ones stood to explain the impact of Heather Pressdee’s actions on their families, the defendant sat between her attorneys at counsel table, hair pulled back, handcuffed, staring straight ahead. She never looked at them. For hours, she...
Gov. Shapiro, once Pa.’s top cop, backs inmate’s appeal of life sentence for felony murder
Pennsylvania’s governor, once the state’s top law enforcement officer, is supporting an Allegheny County man’s appeal of his life sentence for second-degree murder without parole. Gov. Josh Shapiro took the unusual step last week of filing a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of inmate Derek Lee because he believes that the...
Aquinas Academy students go for ‘Phantom Tollbooth’ ride in Hampton
Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh’s middle school students performed “The Phantom Tollbooth,” a play by Susan Nanus closely based on the classic children’s novel of the same name by Norton Juster. The cast of 61 students performed the evenings of March 22 and 23 in the Rhodora J. Donahue Multipurpose Building...
Morning Roundup: Marshall home’s garage destroyed in fire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 2: Marshall home’s garage destroyed in fire The attached garage of a Marshall Township home was destroyed in a fire Wednesday night. Multiple crews were dispatched to the 400 block of McKean Drive shortly after 9 p.m.,...
Federal jury convicts Oakmont native in 2019 kidnapping, death of Bethel Park woman
An Oakmont native is facing a potential sentence of life in prison after a federal jury Wednesday convicted him of kidnapping a Bethel Park woman, driving her to Nevada and killing her in the desert. John Matthew Chapman, 44, of Oakland, Md., who previously lived in Allegheny County, was found...
Bridgeville gears up for Day on the Avenue
A Bridgeville summer tradition returns this June. The borough’s “Day on the Avenue” will be held June 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. along Washington Avenue, between Hickman Street and Bower Hill Road. Velveeta, an ‘80s cover band, will provide live music from 3 to 5 p.m. The event...
The Stroller, May 2, 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. Red Cross to offer free smoke detector installations, safety information Volunteers...
Monroeville 17-year-old finishes high school, community college, master’s degree in 8 years
About this time, most 17-year-olds are looking forward to the end of another year of high school and a little summer vacation. R.J. Krishnaswamy of Monroeville was graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. Again. Krishnaswamy graduated from community college at 13 and earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from...
