Pittsburgh controller warns of threat to city’s fiscal health, urges changes to budget
Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler Wednesday urged city officials not to count on nearly $10 million in revenue included in this year’s budget, sounding a strong warning about an increasingly grim fiscal picture. In a letter to Mayor Ed Gainey and City Council members, Heisler described the city’s tenuous financial situation...
Stella’s Beer Barn reopening in New Kensington with new owner, no limits
Customers will be making fewer trips to and from their cars when Stella’s Beer Barn reopens Sunday in New Kensington. Stella’s will be operating with a distributor license, which removes quantity limits that had been in place when it operated under a restaurant license that had been shared with the...
Water main break results in remote learning day at Highlands Middle School; 2-hour delay for district due to power outage
Power outages and water woes disrupted school operations Thursday in the Highlands School District in Harrison. Highlands Middle School students and staff are learning remotely Thursday because of a water main break Wednesday night at the middle school. Students in grades 5-8 are affected. The remote day applies to only...
Morning Roundup: Man stabbed in East Liberty; 80+ bricks of heroin seized in Pittsburgh; 2 teens missing in separate incidents
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, March 7. Stabbing incident in East Liberty Police are investigating a stabbing incident Wednesday night inside a residence in the 700 block of Collins Street in East Liberty. According to Pittsburgh Police, responders arrived to the scene around...
The Stroller, March 7, 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. Salvation Army accepting summer camp reservations Reservations for summer camp at...
‘Burning’ millions of dollars, Mutual Aid ambulance looks to communities it serves to boost revenue
Mutual Aid ambulance is hoping to match the success of other emergency medical services in the region as it turns to the communities it serves to boost revenue. Ken Bacha, director of community outreach, hasn’t seen any checkbooks open yet, but he hopes that providing the municipalities that Mutual Aid...
Trib honors employees who embody company values
Trib Total Media has recognized six employees with its inaugural Core Values Awards. The awards honor employees who exemplify the Trib’s six core values of accountability, collaboration, evolution, integrity, ownership and respect. “These employees are our all-stars,” Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto said. “Their values make sure...
‘Grease’ will be performed by Norwin thespians
The Norwin High School Theatre Company is going back to the 1950s with its presentation of “Grease: School Version” for its spring musical on March 21 to 24. “We think our students are ready to perform in this iconic Broadway classic,” said Lauren Scheirer, producer and vocal director for the...
Monroeville Library in full swing for mini golf fundraiser
Both floors of the Monroeville Public Library were transformed into a miniature golf course recently for a popular fundraising event. The first part of the day was a family-
friendly activity for all ages, from the morning through afternoon. Tickets included one round of golf. The evening’s time slot, for ages...
Behind the Art: Picnic in Monroeville’s McMaster Grove
At Monroeville Public Library, several century-old, framed photographs are on display. One of these intriguing, enlarged black-and-white photos, also featured in a book by Marilyn Grace Truan Chandler, is titled “Picnic in McMaster Grove: Circa 1900.” Below the title, it reads, “Judge Haymaker pictured in light suit with napkin.” Shaded...
GOP commissioners reject call for drop box use in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners said they will not consider installation of drop boxes for mail-in ballots at the courthouse or at remote locations around the county for this spring’s presidential primary or the fall general election. Nearly a dozen residents appeared before county’s election board Wednesday to lobby for drop...
Appeals court rejects Pittsburgh effort to block reinstatement of fired police officer
A Pennsylvania appellate court said Wednesday that a Pittsburgh police officer who was fired amid allegations that he sexually assaulted a fellow officer nearly three years ago should be reinstated. That officer, Aaron Fetty, was investigated by the Allegheny County Police Department but never charged. He denies there was any...
Officials break ground on long-delayed public works facility for Pittsburgh’s South Hills
After years of delays, Pittsburgh officials on Wednesday broke ground at a new Department of Public Works facility in the city’s Knoxville neighborhood. Officials have promised the facility — which will service 16 neighborhoods in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh — will allow crews to plow and salt roads...
House spending package includes over $1.5 million for Tree of Life rebuild, mental health care for Jewish community
The U.S. House passed a $460 billion spending package Wednesday that would avoid a shutdown and keep the government running through the next fiscal year. As part of the package, the Pittsburgh region would receive over $28 million worth of community project funding. That includes $1 million for the reconstruction...
Pittsburgh councilman rips Gainey administration for poor communication
In an unusual display of frustration, Pittsburgh Councilman Anthony Coghill on Wednesday publicly lambasted Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration for what he called a lack of communication with council. The Beechview councilman criticized the mayor and his staff for not consulting council before submitting a plan on how to spend $8...
Hues and Harmony celebrates Hampton art, music
Guests at opening night for Hues and Harmony who were born, say, during the Kennedy administration couldn’t help but think: They didn’t do this when I was a kid! In hallway after hallway, room after room, Hampton High School served as a gallery for artwork by district students in kindergarten...
Former nursing home aide acquitted of attempted sex assault charge involving co-worker
A McKeesport man was found not guilty of an attempted sexual assault against a co-worker at a North Huntingdon nursing home. Daniel Odu, 36, a former nursing aide at the Grove at Irwin, was charged with having improper sexual contact with a 19-year-old fellow employee in a resident’s bathroom on...
Monongahela Incline to stay closed for the rest of the week
The Monongahela Incline, which shut down Tuesday, will remain closed for the remainder of the week, Pittsburgh Regional Transit said. In a statement Wednesday, Pittsburgh Regional Transit said the 154-year-old incline shut down Tuesday afternoon when a brake resistor and motor controller unexpectedly failed. The incline cars were docked at...
Black man sues UPMC Children’s over firing, claims hospital ignored white co-worker who knitted monkey doll with his name
A Black man who worked for UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is suing for racial discrimination after he said a white coworker knitted a monkey doll at work and gave it his name. Caleb Ferguson, of Munhall, said he was fired a short time after reporting the perceived racial slur...
Firsthand experience takes the boredom out of Western Pa. civics classes
It isn’t ego that makes Hal Biehl think his civics class at Riverview High School is so valuable for students. “I tell the kids on the first day of class, ‘This is the most important class you’ll have in high school no matter what field you go into because government...
Tarentum man facing sex assault charges arrested in another rape case
A Tarentum man awaiting trial on 2023 charges that he sexually assaulted a 6-year-old girl has been charged in an unrelated rape case. Allegheny County Police on Wednesday said Brian Lee Jefferies, 27, of Roup Street repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted a girl when she was between 10 and 13...
GOP commissioners reject call for drop box use in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners said they will not consider installation of drop boxes for mail-in ballots at the courthouse or at remote locations around the county for this spring’s presidential primary or the fall general election. Nearly a dozen residents appeared county’s election board on Wednesday to lobby for drop...
Westmoreland County exits drought watch; conservation continues for Beaver Run water users
State officials on Tuesday lifted a drought watch for Westmoreland County that had been in place since early December. Still, the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County is continuing a voluntary water conservation directive for more than 56,000 of its customers who are served from the Beaver Run Reservoir. The state...
Police investigating after man stabbed in West Deer
Allegheny County Police are investigating after a man was stabbed Tuesday evening in West Deer. The 60-year-old victim was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison with multiple stab wounds. He was being treated in stable condition, according to Jim Madalinsky, county police public information officer. West Deer police were...
Blawnox, Southern Allegheny Valley fire departments upgrade protective gear
Blawnox Volunteer Fire Company is getting a new computer for its engine to aid with dispatch and pinpoint hydrant locations. Chief Jeff Stephens said some of his members also will receive upgraded bunker gear, fittings and adapters, all of which will boost protection at fire scenes. Purchases were assisted by...
