1 killed, 2 hurt during gunfire at baby shower in Pittsburgh
A 19-year-old man was killed Saturday evening and two others were hurt when gunfire broke out during a baby shower in Pittsburgh, according to police and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. City police said they were called to a location on Broadhead Fording Road in the Fairywood neighborhood at 6:15...
Gatto’s Cycle Shop celebrates 60 years in Tarentum, opens Marine Center
George Gatto is riding the wave of change. As his family-owned Gatto Cycle Shop marks its 60th year in Tarentum, it’s shifting focus to the growing popularity of boating in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Gatto’s opened a Marine Center on Saturday in its former Harley-Davidson storefront along East Sixth Avenue. “The...
Hempfield woman faces homicide by vehicle charge in connection with 2022 crash
When Betty Tinsley Wagner turned 73 in August 2022, her birthday wish was good health for her family, daughter Kim McMullen remembered. It was the last one she’d spend with them — Wagner was killed about six weeks later in a two-vehicle crash on Arona Road in Hempfield. The loss...
Fayette County man charged in fatal Redstone Township stabbing
A Fayette County man was jailed Thursday in connection with a fatal stabbing in Redstone Township. State police said Sylvester K. Conaway Jr., 54, of East Millsboro, is accused in the death of Shawn Hriscisce, 24, at a home in Redstone Township. Conaway was denied bail. He is charged with...
Nurses mark 10 years of stocking food pantry for Jeannette City school students
Longstanding support from nurses at Independence Health helps ensure Jeannette City School District students don’t go hungry when they aren’t in school buildings. The nurses on Tuesday carried cereal, canned soup, fruit cups and other packaged food items into district schools for use in backpacks provided to students before they...
High school financial literacy requirement long overdue, experts say
Rina Foley would like to see some of her peers boost their personal finance prowess. “I honestly don’t think this generation has a good knowledge of how to handle their finances,” said Foley, 21, of Leechburg, who is a senior at Seton Hill University. That’s bad for young adults and...
Support group formed to help people who might be hoarders
A new support group is starting in Westmoreland County to help people who have issues with clutter, organization and/or hoarding. The group will hold meetings and connect participants with therapy and in-home assistance through a grant from the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County to combat what organizers say is a...
Man hurt in North Side stabbing
A man was hospitalized Saturday after investigators said he was stabbed outside a North Side bar during a fight. Pittsburgh police reported being contacted by state police around 2 a.m. to search North Shore Drive for a possible crime scene after troopers located a wounded man at a Rankin apartment....
New Kensington gun store reopens; owners hope stolen guns will be recovered
The damage to Roy Berg’s New Kensington gun shop is largely fixed, and authorities say they’ve arrested the men who broke in. But the thing Berg wants most hasn’t happened yet — 22 of the guns stolen from RC Firearms on Jan. 22 remain missing and, Berg worries, may be...
Experts say voters will have the final say on register of wills’ job performance
Voters ultimately will decide whether embattled Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton can remain in her post beyond her current four-year term that started in January, political experts say. Westmoreland County judges this week intervened in the oversight of Hamilton’s courthouse office — which processes adoption and estate records —...
Gardening and growing food a form of liberation for the Black community
Amid winter’s gray skies and unpredictable temperatures, Black communities are reclaiming their narrative through gardening and growing food, a powerful act of resilience that fuels empowerment. Despite sometimes freezing temperatures, they sow seeds of change, heralding a season of growth and autonomy. Raynise Kelly and TaRay Kelly are owners of...
Harrison man accused of stealing $3,000 worth of items from Lowe’s, man’s truck
Frazer police have filed charges against a Harrison man accused of stealing more than $3,000 worth of items from the Pittsburgh Mills Lowe’s and a man’s truck in the parking lot. Terrance Guy Cichello, 49, is charged with retail theft, receiving stolen property and theft from a motor vehicle —...
The Stroller, Feb. 3, 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. Annual Shamrock Shuffle event planned in West Leechburg The St. Patrick’s...
Plum School District expands police force, hires retired borough officer
Plum School District is expanding its police force by adding a longtime borough officer who retired last year. The school board approved hiring Mike DeMarco, 51, of Monroeville. He will be paid $28 per hour. His start date had not been determined as of Thursday. His hiring increases the district’s...
‘Nostalgia’ bands draw reliable crowds, spur economic activity
Classic rock band The Guess Who took the stage last night at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, belting out hits such as “American Woman” and “These Eyes.” Nostalgia is the primary draw for bands of a certain vintage who are looking to capitalize on the magic of classic rock’s heyday....
Latrobe man accused of having child porn
A 68-year-old Latrobe man allegedly admitted to viewing child pornography on his computer that contained multiple files, including one with a girl who was sexually assaulted, according to a criminal complaint filed this week. The suspect, Dennis J. Keefe, allegedly admitted while police were searching his Miller Street residence last...
Greensburg man accused of video recording in bathroom stall at Hempfield restaurant
A Greensburg man was jailed this week after state police said he set up a cell phone to record inside a stall in a women’s restroom at a Hempfield restaurant. Victor Perez, 28, was denied bail during an arraignment Thursday on charges of child pornography, invasion of privacy and related...
Worthington man killed in 2-vehicle crash in Manor Township
Officials have identified a man killed Friday night in a two-vehicle accident along Route 66 in Manor Township. The victim was Herbert Wagner, 76, of Worthington, according to Armstrong County Coroner Brian Myers. Myers said an autopsy will be performed Monday. Wagner was killed “when the vehicle he was driving...
Pittsburgh police: Suspect in Hill District hit-and-run turns himself in
Pittsburgh police said the man behind the wheel of a SUV that hit a 4-year-old boy in the city’s Hill District has turned himself in. James Phelps, 74, of Pittsburgh was taken to the Allegheny County Jail without incident Saturday. Phelps is charged with aggravated assault, accidents involving injury, careless...
Homicide charge dropped against teen in 2022 fatal shooting in New Kensington
Westmoreland County prosecutors on Friday dismissed murder charges against a Pittsburgh teenager and allowed him to plead guilty to lesser charges in connection to a fatal shooting 19 months ago in New Kensington. Avian Molter, 16, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and the illegal possession of a firearm...
Pittsburgh International Airport passenger traffic nears pre-pandemic levels
Travelers are embracing flying out of Pittsburgh at rates close to pre-pandemic levels. The Allegheny Airport Authority, which runs Pittsburgh International Airport, recently announced that 2023 saw nearly 9.2 million passengers, which is 94% of the traffic that Pittsburgh’s airport saw in 2019. Last year’s passenger traffic leaped more than...
Water service restored at Hempfield Towers
Water service was restored Friday afternoon to residents of the 272-unit Hempfield Towers after a line break had shut off water since early Thursday morning, a housing authority official said. The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County had repaired a waterline break near the building and had the water service restored...
Duquesne woman to stand trial on charges of killing infant son
A Duquesne woman who police say tried to blame her infant son’s death on her 3-year-old daughter will face trial on charges that she killed the baby during a night of drinking. Alisha L. Parker, 26, was held for court Friday on homicide and child endangerment charges after a preliminary...
Arnold woman tells judge fatal overdose ‘could have been me’
A Pittsburgh man was ordered to serve up to eight years in prison for providing fentanyl-laced heroin to a Lower Burrell woman who died from an overdose in 2021. Otis L. Henley, 47, pleaded guilty to drug delivery resulting in death and other related offenses in connection to the May...
Latrobe police say Erie man solicited sex with woman, underage daughter
An Erie man is in Westmoreland County Prison, accused of asking to have sex with a woman and her daughter, who is now 9 years old. Timothy James Colcombe, 36, is accused of sending multiple messages to the girl’s mother’s cellphone between August 2021 and November 2022 that included sexual...
