Pine-Richland mulls $8 million-plus in HVAC upgrades at 2 schools
Folks who attended schools before they were equipped with air conditioning will remember how the heat of late summer and spring wasn’t exactly conducive to optimal learning. While Pine-Richland buildings have more advanced systems for temperature control, mounting inefficiencies caused by aging prompted school district officials to embark on upgrades....
Pitt graduate workers request union recognition
Graduate workers at Pitt are asking for voluntary recognition of their union, claiming majority support for collective bargaining. Hundreds of graduate workers, United Steelworkers organizers and unaffiliated supporters gathered on the first floor of the Cathedral of Learning Tuesday to deliver a letter to Chancellor Joan Gabel with a request....
Jim Rogers Taser case did not merit homicide charge, Zappala says
A Pittsburgh police officer was “wrong” but didn’t commit homicide when he repeatedly shocked a homeless man with a Taser, which preceded the man’s death, the officer’s termination, and a $8 million civil lawsuit settlement with the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said Tuesday....
10th Street Bypass reopens after flooding in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh’s 10th Street Bypass reopened Tuesday after it had closed due to flooding, according to PennDOT. The 10th Street Bypass between Fort Duquesne Boulevard and the Fort Duquesne Bridge and I-279 had closed after Downtown Pittsburgh’s riverfront began to flood Sunday. The flooding spurred road closures at the bypass and...
Appeals court sends Plum injection well plan back to zoning board for review
Plans to add another injection well in Plum will go back to the borough’s zoning hearing board. The zoning board in January of 2022 voted to approve the addition of a second injection well at Penneco Environmental Solutions’ existing facility on 69 acres on Old Leechburg Road because, the board...
Police say Jeannette man pointed gun at coworker at Hempfield restaurant
A Jeannette man remains behind bars after state police said he pointed a gun at a coworker at a Hempfield restaurant, according to court papers. Isaiah W. Niehenke, 18, was arrested Saturday on charges of aggravated assault, firearms not to be carried without a license, terroristic threats and related offenses....
Bloomfield community group joins appeal to revive housing, grocery store development
A large development proposal for Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood that stalled out last year is gaining an ally in a local community group. The Bloomfield Development Corporation joined in this week on the appeal of a zoning rejection for a plan to build a large housing and grocery store development at...
DA files criminal charges against Century III, calls former mall a ‘monument to blight’
The owners of the blighted Century III Mall were charged Tuesday in a move by Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala to seize ownership and demolish the once-mighty 1.3-million-square-foot building in West Mifflin. The district attorney’s office charged Century III Mall Pa. LLC with causing or risking a catastrophe, a...
Food pantries count on Fox Chapel church’s Fill-the-Truck event to replenish shelves
In his 20 years managing a food pantry in Indiana Township, Gil Cutruzzula said he can count on donations dipping just after the Christmas holiday — at the same time that need goes up. “It’s like clockwork,” said Cutruzzula, pantry manager at the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center...
Pine-Richland musicians selected for regional band festival
The Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 1 Senior High Band West Festival was held on January 11-13, 2024 at Peters Township High School. Participating from Pine-Richland were juniors Will Tamburri and Lilliana Bogle, and sophomores Ryan Noir and Jiwon Lee. From the event, Ryan, Will and Lilliana have been selected...
Pine-Richland JROTC cadet earns Air Force scholarship
Pine-Richland High School senior MacKenzie Roy, a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadet, was selected to receive an Air Force J-100 Character-in-Leadership Scholarship. The daughter of David and Laurie Roy is one of only 100 cadets nationwide to receive the scholarship. The J-100 program provides recipients with four years of...
Phone, internet outages expected in Tarentum
Tarentum residents could experience phone and internet outages throughout Tuesday, according to the borough. Planned maintenance from Comcast is the cause, officials said in an email. “Please be aware that Tarentum Borough is experiencing intermittent phone and internet interruptions,” the borough’s email said. “Maintenance is expected to last throughout the...
Morning Roundup: Fayette man shot in moving vehicle during fight with wife
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Jan. 30: Fayette man shot in moving vehicle during fight with wife A man was shot twice in the thigh in a moving vehicle Monday morning in a domestic dispute with his pregnant wife in Fayette County, according...
Leechburg minister to co-pastor churches from different denominations
A Leechburg pastor is prepping for double ministerial duty at Protestant churches that cross denominational lines. With The Rev. Sue Washburn preparing to leave her post as interim pastor of Leechburg’s Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church in mid-February, church leaders on Sunday approved naming the Rev. James Arter as part-time...
The Stroller, Jan. 30, 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. Highlands HS plans annual cabaret concert Saturday The 12th annual Highlands...
SoCal in New Kensington closes indefinitely; owner seeks new restaurant partner
SoCal Mexicali Grill in New Kensington has closed, but the owner said he’s looking for a new business partner in hopes of reopening. “The volume didn’t come through,” said owner Sean Watson. “We had a great products and people loved it, but traffic wasn’t there to keep it going.” SoCal...
Plans for new Derry-Ligonier power line spark property owner concerns over potential impacts
An idyllic Ligonier Township homestead where a young couple are living the life bucolic by raising exotic fowl and keeping honeybees could be bisected by a high voltage power line proposed by FirstEnergy. The proposed power line “would slice directly through the center” of the eight-acre property on Orme Road...
Strike averted: Union approves new contract with Westmoreland County
More than 500 Westmoreland County courthouse and nursing home employees ratified a union contract Monday. Approval of the three-year deal averted a strike that would have started Friday if a deal wasn’t reached. Rank-and-file members of the Service Employees International Union Local 668 and Healthcare PA overwhelmingly voted to accept...
Westmoreland register of wills faces more questions about office’s handling of filings
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton conceded Monday her office has been scrambling to keep up with its workload. “We understand it is an issue, and we are making progress slowly and we will do whatever we have to do to make it happen,” Hamilton said after another...
‘He was larger than life’: Emilio ‘Chummy’ Saldari dies at 99
A World War II veteran and community servant well-known throughout the Allegheny Valley has died. Emilio “Chummy” Saldari of Springdale Township died Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. He was 99. Saldari attended Springdale High School and was drafted to serve in World War II in 1943. He was sent to France,...
Scottdale contractor pleads guilty to home improvement fraud
Jacqueline Anke’s biggest regret isn’t the more the $3,300 she lost to a Scottdale contractor. It’s that she waited to report the swindle to authorities. “We thought it was just going to be a civil matter, then I read about all of these other folks in 2021 and 2022. It’s...
Westmoreland to ramp up search for new jail warden
Westmoreland commissioners said a new warden for the county jail could be hired in February. Efforts to fill the vacancy left by the September resignation of Warden Bryan Kline will ramp up in the coming weeks, officials said Monday following a meeting of the county’s prison board. “We’re going to...
Shapiro proposal would steer extra $40M a year to Pittsburgh Regional Transit
Southwestern Pennsylvania’s largest transit agency could see a needed boost of about $40 million annually thanks to a budget proposal unveiled Monday by Gov. Josh Shapiro. If passed, it would be the first funding increase for Pittsburgh Regional Transit in years, an agency spokesman said Monday. Transit agencies across the...
Banding together: Hampton grad, dad perform side by side in Altered Egos
One of people’s most common fears is public speaking. For folks who have such an aversion, try to imagine public singing. As a member of the band the Altered Egos, Hampton High School graduate Ann Hodos frequently treats audiences to her vocal talents. But she’ll admit to some trepidation as...
Tarentum man pleads no contest in Route 28 fatal crash
A 79-year-old Tarentum man faces up to five years in prison for killing his front-seat passenger in a single-car crash on Route 28 in 2021. Frederick Fattman pleaded no contest Monday to involuntary manslaughter in front of Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Satler, his attorney, Alexander Lindsay, told TribLive. The plea...
