Free at-home covid test mail program will end Friday
Get your orders in while you can — the federal free covid test program is shutting down again at the end of the week. The program, run through the U.S. Department of Health and the United States Postal Service, has provided free at-home covid-19 rapid tests in sets of four...
Pittsburgh’s Saw Mill Run corridor floods a lot. Planners aim to dry it out
A proposed master plan for Pittsburgh’s Saw Mill Run Boulevard would aim to promote pedestrian safety and reduce flooding along the problematic corridor. Saw Mill Run Boulevard has flooded 24 times over the last 11 years, said Lisa Werder Brown, executive director of Watersheds of South Pittsburgh, which led the...
‘Mamma Mia!’ set to take Pine-Richland High School stage
Perhaps Volvo owners and IKEA shoppers would disagree, but America’s favorite Swedish import appears to be ABBA. The pop quartet’s album sales in the United States are somewhere between 12 million and 20 million, but a better gauge of the group’s popularity may be on movie screens and theater stages,...
Authorities ID West End Bridge fatal crash victim
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the motorist killed Saturday in a three-vehicle crash on the West End Bridge as Eonna Devonna Lea Page, 25, of Pittsburgh. City police, firefighters and EMS were dispatched to the bridge, which connect Pittsburgh’s West End with its North Side neighborhoods, at 2:35...
Split invention, festival garner Latrobe inaugural spot in Dole Banana Hall of Fame
The City of Latrobe is no second banana — particularly when it comes to the yellow fruit that is the main ingredient in the town’s original frozen treat. The city on Monday was named one of three inaugural inductees in the Dole Banana Hall of Fame. Dole officials said they...
Pittsburgh to pay Garfield woman $7K to fix home after SWAT shootout
A Pittsburgh homeowner whose house was damaged during a SWAT shootout in August will receive money from the city to repair her home. Thousands of bullets were exchanged during a six-hour standoff Aug. 23 between police and a man in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood. The shooter, William Hardison, Jr., 63, died...
Pittsburgh City Council OKs budget changes for new firefighters contract
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved budget changes to cover the cost of a new contract with the city’s firefighters. The city and the union reached the deal late last year. It includes pay raises, new parental and pregnancy leave policies and upgrades to fire stations. The contract covers...
Mt. Pleasant council wants better communication with local Little League
Mt. Pleasant officials asked for improved communication from the Mt. Pleasant Area Little League at their council meeting Monday night. Council voted unanimously to approve Silvis Landscaping to mow the baseball fields at Willows Park twice monthly at a cost of $260 per visit. Borough officials also asked that the...
Monroeville Convention Center not closing after all, officials say
The Monroeville Convention Center won’t be closing after all. Monroeville officials said Tuesday afternoon the national arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby and Pittsburgh-based Oxford Development, which owns the convention center, have “mutually agreed to pursue termination of their lease agreement.” That agreement, announced in mid-February, would have terminated the...
Pittsburgh looks to reinstate limited spay and neuter program
After abruptly halting the program in February, Pittsburgh officials are looking to partially restore its spay and neuter initiative. The city plans to restart free spay and neuter services only for feral cats, Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said. The portion of the program that allowed city residents to get...
Girls flag football considered for Hampton High School
Football season could be right around the corner at Hampton High School. Pending school board approval on March 11, the Talbots are on the way toward fielding a girls flag football club in the spring. Athletic director Michael Gavlik gave a presentation at the board’s March 4 work session about...
Police release footage of suspect in reported Oakland rape
Pittsburgh police on Tuesday released video footage of a suspect they believe raped a woman in Oakland on Sunday — and they’re seeking the public’s help to identify him. The suspect, who is seen in black clothing in the surveillance footage, is described as possibly in his 30s, 5-foot-7 and...
Diagnosing ear infections in children is difficult; a new AI tool at UPMC could help
Using artificial intelligence technology, doctors may soon get a helping hand with diagnosing pediatric ear infections. A new software tool developed by UPMC and Pitt scientists analyzes video captured of a child’s ear canal via an auriscope connected to a smartphone camera to help determine if the patient has an...
More lawsuits filed in connection with insulin deaths at Western Pa. nursing homes
Two more wrongful death lawsuits were filed Tuesday against Lower Burrell’s Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in connection with allegations that a Harrison nurse administered fatal doses of insulin to patients there. The latest lawsuits were filed on behalf of the families of former Belair residents Jack Allen Rogers and...
Morning Roundup: 1 injured in South Park crash; motorcyclist hospitalized in hit-and-run in Duquesne
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, March 5: 1 injured in crash in South Park One person was taken to the hospital Monday night after a crash involving a motorcycle and a vehicle in South Park Township, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The...
The Stroller, March 5, 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. Vandergrift veterans memorial to receive update The Casino Theater and several...
Springdale woman named Miss Smiling Irish Eyes for Pittsburgh
A Springdale High School graduate is Pittsburgh’s Miss Smiling Irish Eyes for 2024. Madalyn Byrnes, 21, of Springdale will be featured in the March 16 St. Patrick’s Day parade, which starts at 10 a.m. “I was overjoyed,” Byrnes said. “This has been something I have been working toward for a...
Voting is Power Pittsburgh coalition launches in the city’s Hill DistrictVideo
Representatives from about 20 organizations, churches and community groups gathered in Pittsburgh’s Hill District Monday to encourage people to vote in the upcoming primary and general elections. The occasion was the launch of the Voting Is Power Pittsburgh Regional Coalition. About a dozen or so people spoke at the event....
1 dead after exchange of gunfire in McKees Rocks
A man is dead Monday evening after an exchange of gunfire in McKees Rocks, according to Allegheny County Police. The shooting in the area of 3rd and Boquet streets was reported to Allegheny County 911 around 5:15 p.m. There, first responders found a 19-year-old who had been shot multiple times....
Mainline Pharmacy closure leaves community, staff mourning loss of local pillar
When Barbie Fordyce of Greensburg pulled up to the drive-thru window to get her medications at Mainline Pharmacy in Harrison City on Monday, it was for the last time. “It’s a crying shame,” Fordyce said. “I’ve been coming here forever.” The business has been a community staple for decades. But...
Ex-home health aide pleads guilty to sexually assaulting Pittsburgh client
A former home health aide pleaded guilty Monday to institutional sexual assault for abusing a Pittsburgh woman for whom she worked. Vanessa C. Callender, 31, of Dormont will be sentenced May 29 by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Elliot Howsie. The victim uses a motorized wheelchair and requires in-home care...
Jury conduct questioned in appeal of Apollo man’s conviction for wife’s murder
The lawyer for an Apollo man sentenced last month to life in prison for the first-degree murder of his estranged wife claims improper conduct by jurors should have warranted a mistrial. In court documents filed Monday, defense attorney Adam Gorzelsky claimed one juror improperly contacted an assistant district attorney during...
Trial begins for Hunker man accused of shooting neighbor’s dog
Two dogs who were shot to death were killed by neighbors in retaliation for a dead peacock, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said in court Monday. Jason Beal, 37, of Hunker is accused of shooting one dog and other crimes in an attempt to cover up the incident. He is facing...
Pittsburgh doubles down on goal to reduce car crashes
Pittsburgh officials on Monday reaffirmed a commitment to reducing fatal vehicle crashes through speed hump installations and similar projects. The initiative, called Vison Zero, aims to curb car crashes and eliminate fatal crashes. City officials have dedicated $1.4 million to traffic safety initiatives this year, about double the amount set...
Lawsuit challenges Pennsylvania’s use of solitary confinement
A lawsuit filed Monday in federal court seeks to ban Pennsylvania’s prison system from holding inmates in prolonged solitary confinement and to eliminate the practice entirely for those who are mentally ill. Filed Monday in federal court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the complaint alleges violations of the constitutional...
