Fort Allen Volunteer Fire Department plans to join Hempfield Fire Department
Fort Allen Volunteer Fire Department is the third of the township’s stations to take steps toward becoming a nonchartered service under the umbrella of the Hempfield Fire Department. The township received a letter Tuesday indicating the station’s intent to “go all in,” according to fire Chief Anthony Kovacic and Township...
Gateway student art show slated for March
The Friends of the Monroeville Public Library will host an art exhibit by Gateway School District students grades kindergarten through 12 at the Elaine Biondi Gallery Space March 1 - 26. The show is organized by Gateway High School Visual Arts Department chair Greta Severson. “The annual Gateway School District...
Butler County officials announce breach of county computer network involving much of the public’s personal data
A breach of the Butler County computer network that allowed hackers to access the public’s personal information has officials in other counties reinforcing their systems to ward off a similar hack. “Armstrong County’s IT director is aware and on top of the attacks,” Commissioner Pat Fabian said. “Our IT director...
Allegheny County Police charge Monroeville man with criminal homicide in shooting mother of their child
Allegheny County Police have arrested a Monroeville man on charges that he fatally shot the mother of their child in a Baldwin Borough apartment earlier this month. Adelin Itongwa, 22, is being charged with criminal homicide and endangering the welfare of a child in the death of Ramiah Griffin, county...
‘BYOB’: Bring your own basket to North Park adult egg hunt
Limited tickets are on sale for the annual North Allegheny Women’s Association Adult Egg Hunt, scheduled for April 19 at the North Park Lodge. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.nawomen.org. NAWA is a social and charitable organization for women in the North Allegheny communities of McCandless, Franklin Park, Marshall...
Sound effects help ensure success of Northland Radio Hour at library in McCandless
Finding objects to mimic the sound of a squeaky door hinge is one of the most difficult sound effects that librarian Susan Claus has encountered when preparing for a Northland Radio Hour show. The hour is a programming idea at Northland Public Library that began during the covid-19 pandemic to...
Lawyers for Fern Hollow victims tee off on Pittsburgh officials, bridge inspectors
Lawyers for the victims of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse didn’t hold back Wednesday after listening to federal investigators fault inspectors, officials and regulators for the disaster. “I think it’s outrageous,” Peter Giglione, the attorney who represents the Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus driver injured that day, said of the inaction...
McCandless police, local emergency responders receive state funding
A $50,000 state grant will enable the McCandless Police Department to purchase more computerized license plate-reading identification, according to Chief Ryan Hawk. The award was through the Department of Community and Economic Development, which Hawk applied for with the assistance of state Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-McCandless. “The grant will be...
Ross fire departments in ‘crisis,’ seeking solutions
A public meeting was held Tuesday by Ross commissioners to discuss the future of fire departments that service McKnight Road, Ross Park Mall and the Parkway North. “We’re in crisis mode right now,” said Daniel DeMarco, president of the board of commissioners. “We’re all volunteer (fire departments). We need to...
Fifth gun of ’24 confiscated at Pittsburgh International Airport; Warren County man charged
A Warren County man was arrested Tuesday after, authorities said, he tried to bring a loaded handgun onto his flight at Pittsburgh International Airport. Jeremy Snell, 36, of Warren was charged with a felony count of carrying a firearm without a license after Transportation Security Administration officers found a 9mm...
Pitt-Greensburg campus latest Wings Across Westmoreland site
The Wings Across Westmoreland installation at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg was unveiled Wednesday at the Chambers Hall Rock Garden on the Hempfield campus. “Our wings incorporate important landmarks, logos and organizations that showcase the people and history of the surrounding community that supports it,” said Ari Burke, event...
‘Something’s not right to me,’ UPS worker says of cuts at New Stanton hub
A United Parcel Service employee said she felt betrayed this week after receiving news the company plans to shed about 200 jobs from its New Stanton delivery hub. “In the end, we got screwed. It’s rough. Something’s not right to me,” said Lindsey Kramer, 37, of Mt. Pleasant. She was...
Victims sought for testimony at Westmoreland Register of Wills contempt hearing
People impacted by delays in filing adoption records could be called as witnesses at a hearing next month in Westmoreland County court to address the issue. Two county judges will review whether Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton violated court orders that required her courthouse office meet specific deadlines to...
Mt. Lebanon man accused of insurance fraud has ties to Westmoreland County properties
A Mt. Lebanon man is accused of asking someone to set fire to a Pittsburgh property he controlled, filing a fraudulent insurance claim related to the loss and attempting to hide behind multiple fake bankruptcy filings in an effort to avoid paying debts, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday....
Water authority approves fracking leases in Hempfield, Washington townships
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members on Wednesday approved new lease agreements for local energy companies to drill for natural gas, including at a site near the Beaver Run Reservoir in Washington Township. The new contracts come as the authority continues to ban the sale of water from the...
Feds say they confiscated 22 pounds of cocaine from a house near New Kensington school; 2 arrested
Federal authorities charged two men with dealing large amounts of cocaine from a house they lived in near Martin Elementary School in New Kensington. Marcos Francisco-Tomas and Andres Flores-Cedeno were arrested Saturday, according to an affidavit that a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent filed in federal court in Pittsburgh....
Westmoreland happenings: Soup sale, Fred Rogers program, poetry contest, more
Art • Latrobe Art Center will host an opening event of a new exhibit “Fred Rogers: Celebrating A Lifelong Helper” in partnership with the Fred Rogers Institute from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 24 at the center, 819 Ligonier St., Latrobe. There will be an opportunity to view artifacts from...
New Pittsburgh police substation opens Downtown on Wood Street
A new, bigger Pittsburgh police substation opened Downtown on Wednesday, as police and city officials touted the two-story building as key to controlling crime in Pittsburgh’s central business district. A total of 17 Pittsburgh police officers, two sergeants and one lieutenant will operate out of the Wood Street location, police...
Thinking of summer? Consider Pine’s splash pad
If a relatively mild winter has you thinking about summer, keep a prime Pine attraction in mind. The splash pad at Pine Community Park is receiving a new ultraviolet water-treating system, thanks to township supervisors approving its $42,100 purchase during their Feb. 20 meeting. The cost is well below the...
Youngwood gun shop owner accused of keeping $153K generated from selling 34 ‘high end firearms,’ trooper says
Theft charges are piling up against a Youngwood gun shop owner who authorities said kept $153,000 from customers who either gave her firearms to sell on consignment or made down payments for purchases. Tracey G. McMahan, 66, of Hempfield is charged in four cases — two filed Wednesday — involving...
Student pushes for ‘seat at the table’ with Pittsburgh Public Schools board
Allderdice High School senior Pavel Marin hopes part of his legacy gives students a voice with the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board of Directors. A resolution to establish the role of student board representative was put on hold during January’s board meeting. Marin is frustrated by the delay. He’s been pushing...
Lower Kiski medic seriously injured in Pittsburgh ambulance crash
A medic from Lower Kiski Ambulance Service was seriously injured when the ambulance she was in crashed Wednesday near The Waterworks mall in Pittsburgh. According to a spokeswoman for Pittsburgh Public Safety, the crash was reported around 4 a.m. along Freeport Road near the strip mall and Walnut Grill restaurant....
Fellow sportsmen remember late Chief Justin McIntire with donation to help other officers
Fallen Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire loved to spend his downtime hunting and fishing with friends. As a member of the South Buffalo Township Recreation Association, the avid outdoorsman spent many hours at the clubhouse, lakes and rifle range, fishing for trout and trap shooting. His fellow members are memorializing...
Train, truck collide at the same Springdale crossing as 3 previous wrecks
A tractor-trailer and a train collided Wednesday morning near the Colfax Street crossing in Springdale — the third such wreck in less than three years, and fourth since 2018. Springdale police Chief Derek Dayoub said his department was notified of the crash at 9:25 a.m. “The truck’s dolly legs got...
‘Cascade of failures’: NTSB blames Fern Hollow Bridge collapse on city, state, fedsVideo
The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday spread the blame for the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse, strongly condemning the city of Pittsburgh for years of chronic inaction by idly allowing severe corrosion and decay to weaken the span and faulting state and federal regulators for their lack of diligent oversight....
