Western PA Local News category, Page 71
Arnold teen comes into own with starting, leading Valley pep band
The idea to start a pep band at Valley Jr.-Sr. High School had been on Samantha Potts’ mind for years. “I hated that once football season is over, I don’t get to do marching band,” said Potts, a junior at Valley. “I wanted to do more outside of school hours....
Watershed association awaiting response on proposed lease with Ligonier Country Market
Susan Huba, executive director of the Loyalhanna Watershed Association, is in waiting mode after Ligonier Township officials told the environmental nonprofit and the organizers of the Ligonier Country Market this week to figure out a solution on their own for the 2026 season. The Country Market, launched about 50 years...
Man who led police on hours-long chase up frozen Allegheny River remains jailed
Police say a Pittsburgh man who shouted to them that he wasn’t “going back to jail” as he led officers on a slow, 5-mile foot pursuit on the frozen Allegheny River on Wednesday is, in fact, back in jail. Gary Cawley, 47, is facing felony charges of burglary and criminal...
PRT says nearly all bus lines running normally again
After days of patchy service because of Sunday’s winter storm, Pittsburgh Regional Transit says bus and rail service throughout the region is almost fully restored. The announcement comes after snowplows and dump trucks cleared what PRT called “problem areas” throughout the system, the agency said in a social media post....
UPMC gives $10M to Pittsburgh for ambulances, freeing up money for snowplows
UPMC on Thursday donated $10 million to Pittsburgh for new ambulances, freeing up money for the city to also buy additional snowplows. Mayor Corey O’Connor joined UPMC President and CEO Leslie Davis at a Downtown medic station — standing in front of a 31-year-old ambulance that has been driven over...
Public input sought for Parks Township dump cleanup plans
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a five-year review of the project to clean up the former NUMEC nuclear waste dump off Route 66 and Kiskimere Road, formally known as the Shallow Land Disposal Area. It’s the second such review, designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the cleanup...
Development authority planned by Hempfield with focus on former prison property
Hempfield is planning to create an authority that officials hope will spur development. Once it’s established, the development authority’s first task will be identifying new uses for the former SCI Greensburg state prison property that the township owns. “An initial focus would be on the redevelopment of the SCI parcel,...
Plans are underway to improve signage, lighting and pedestrian access near Westmoreland MallVideo
Hempfield wants to spruce up the Westmoreland Mall area by adding signage, lighting and pedestrian improvements at the entrance into the township. The township supervisors on Monday approved a $30,000 agreement with Remington & Vernick Engineers for a study and conceptual design for improvements focused on a bridge and ramp...
The Stroller, Jan. 29, 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. Benefit concert to aid...
Communities call in the heavy machinery for snow removalVideo
Some towns are trading in their snowplows for front loaders and dump trucks to deal with the remnants of Sunday’s snowstorm. With bitter cold expected to keep the snow piles around for at least a week, communities have nowhere to push the snow, so they plan to pick it up...
Leetsdale, Leet and Bell Acres firefighters start official merger talks
Three Quaker Valley area fire departments have begun formal merger talks in order to boost manpower and service capabilities. Firefighters from Leetsdale, Fair Oaks Volunteer Fire Protective Association in Leet and Big Sewickley Creek Volunteer Fire Department in Bell Acres all voted this month to move discussions forward. Each department...
Gateway School District’s annual exhibit to shine light on students’ creativity during Youth Art Month
Monroeville Public Library’s Elaine Biondi Gallery Space will be filled with local talent Feb. 27-March 24 during Gateway School District’s annual art show. The exhibit will include artwork created by students from kindergarten through 12 grade. “The show features a wide range of media and styles, reflecting the developmental journey...
Former Wholey’s cold storage site in Strip District could become parking lotVideo
Demolishing the former Wholey’s cold storage warehouse in the Strip District was supposed to make way for a state-of-the-art office complex. But four years after the building came down, developer Acram Group has yet to break ground on the roughly 20-floor project. A sluggish commercial real estate market means the...
Westmoreland happenings: Soup sale, stuffed chicken breast dinner, bake-off, more
Fundraisers • Herald Zion Lutheran Church, 671 Baltzer Meyer Pike, Hempfield, will host a soup, chili and bake-off competition from 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 31 at the church. The public can sample entries and then vote for their favorites in each category. Donations will be accepted at the door...
CMU to launch AI platform designed to assist students in introductory courses
Some area college students can boost their studies with a Carnegie Mellon University initiative that uses artificial intelligence to improve learning in introductory courses. The $55 million investment between CMU and the Gates Foundation will launch Learnvia, Inc., free AI-enabled courseware for students that combines lessons, homework and an AI...
O’Hara resident at the helm of 2 marinas in Allegheny County
Jim Scott of O’Hara doesn’t have a boat. Yet. But as the new owner of two established Allegheny County marinas — Fox Chapel Yacht Club and South Side Marina—Scott’s interest in a boat is ramping up. “I feel like you can’t own a marina without a boat,” said Scott during...
No injuries reported after gunshots fired toward police in Aliquippa
Police in Aliquippa are investigating after county emergency dispatchers said gunshots were fired at police Wednesday night. County dispatchers told TribLive news partner WTAE that multiple shots were fired along Superior Avenue in Aliquippa near the Valley Terrace Apartments. No injuries were reported....
If you haven’t gotten your mail, you’re not alone
Waiting on an important letter or package? It could be a few more days. The U.S. Postal Service continues to face disruptions in Southwestern Pennsylvania after roughly a foot of snow buried the region Sunday, according to Mark Wahl, a spokesman for the agency. Carriers are skipping some homes because...
Volunteers face cold, snow to help local food banks
Cory Nulph and Jacob Ritchie didn’t hesitate when they were asked to clear snow from Leechburg’s First Methodist Church parking lot Monday evening. The men had spent most of the day plowing and shoveling their own driveways in Gilpin and those of their neighbors. Monday evening, when borough Mayor Doreen...
Pittsburgh ‘nowhere near done’ plowing, hauling away snow, mayor says
Crews are still working around the clock to plow and salt roads and haul away massive loads of snow from Pittsburgh’s streets, Mayor Corey O’Connor said Wednesday afternoon. About a foot of snow pummeled Pittsburgh on Sunday, marking the snowiest day the city had seen in 16 years. O’Connor in...
Westmoreland County, Allegheny Township sued over 2024 fatal motorcycle crash
The family of a Butler County man killed in a 2024 motorcycle crash filed a lawsuit Wednesday, alleging that poorly marked curves and a history of “roadway departures” at a local intersection led to his death. Roger Davis Jr., 25, died from injuries suffered in a Sept. 15, 2024, crash...
Get used to the snow, forecasters say it could be here until March
Get used to the large piles of snow interfering with roadways, piled in parking lots and blanketing a frozen Allegheny River. Meteorologists say they could stick around until March. After Sunday night’s record-setting snowfall buried Western Pennsylvania, residents have been wondering when the snow will finally melt. Five days after...
Man trying to flee police walks several miles up the frozen Allegheny River, authorities say
A man is in stable condition and facing criminal charges after a three-hour police chase Wednesday over a frozen Allegheny River — from Highland Park to Harmar. Pittsburgh police say they were dispatched at 1 p.m. to the 7100 block of Highland Drive for a report of a person trespassing...
Wis. fugitive pleads guilty to resisting arrest at Hempfield gym
A Youngwood man will be extradited to Wisconsin after pleading guilty Wednesday to resisting arrest at a Hempfield fitness club. Martin Alvarez Jr., 35, was sentenced to serve up to six months in jail but was immediately paroled after receiving credit for time served since his December arrest. Police said...
Police investigate child’s death in Harrison following ‘medical incident’
Police are investigating the death of a child Wednesday in Harrison. Harrison police Chief Brian Turack said township officers responded to Pine Street for a medical incident involving a 3-year-old child inside of a residence. He said Allegheny County Police were subsequently requested to the scene to handle the investigation....
