Schenley Park Skating Rink will not open this season
The Schenley Park Skating Rink will not open this season because of delays installing a new chiller system, Pittsburgh officials announced this week. The ice skating rink is expected to reopen for the 2024-25 season. Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works last year began installation work on the vital refrigeration system,...
Morning Roundup: Vehicle crash lands on parked car in North Versailles; downed power lines ignite fire in Greenfield
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 10: Vehicle crash lands on parked car in North Versailles Two vehicles were significantly damaged early Wednesday morning during a crash in North Versailles. A vehicle crashed and flipped onto a parked car near the 3200 block...
Westmoreland happenings: Computer classes, turkey dinner, senior citizen news, more
Classes YWCA Westmoreland, 424 N. Main St., Greensburg, will offer several technology classes during January at the center. They are: • A cyber security workshop, 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 16. Cost: $15. • A computer basics class, 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Jan. 9, 10, 16 and 17. Cost:...
High winds leave thousands without power in Westmoreland County; more expected in Pittsburgh region
High winds Tuesday afternoon left more than 10,000 FirstEnergy customers without power in Westmoreland County. More high winds can be expected Wednesday in the Pittsburgh area, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. Sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts between 40 and 50 mph are forecast...
Murrysville library to host talk on Pittsburgh’s steel-making history
In the 1880s, the first steel mill was built in Pittsburgh. By the 1950s, the city’s top export had helped power the Industrial Revolution and supplied crucial materials during World War II. But why Pittsburgh? Susie Toman, a docent and educator with nonprofit Rivers of Steel, will explain at a...
Charah files notice to appeal injunction decision regarding boiler house in Springdale
The owner of the former power plant in Springdale has 21 days to show how an Allegheny County court erred in granting a preliminary pause to imploding the boiler house at the site. Allegheny County Judge John T. McVay Jr. ordered Tuesday that Charah Solutions has 21 days to file...
The Stroller, Jan. 10, 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. Food sale to benefit hospital auxiliary Allegheny Valley Hospital Auxiliary will...
Lawyer buys former Steelers player’s estate where retreat center had been planned
A 133-acre Ligonier Township estate owned by a former Pittsburgh Steelers player who wanted to operate a retreat center for clergy and pastors was sold to a former Pittsburgh attorney who said this week he plans to use it as a personal home. Antonio “Tony” and Amy Dias of Miami...
State Sen. Jim Brewster retiring at end of 2024
A Mon Valley political fixture is stepping down from his state Senate seat, but he insists it won’t lead to a sea change in his district. State Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, said Wednesday that he is retiring at the end of this year. He will not seek reelection. Brewster serves...
Tractor-trailer cab burns in Oakmont, no injuriesVideo
No one was injured but traffic had to be detoured when a tractor-trailer cab caught on fire Tuesday afternoon on Allegheny Avenue near the Riverside Community Church in Oakmont. Oakmont firefighters responded to the blaze just before 5 p.m., according to fire Chief Joe Flanick. The fire occurred as the...
Redcat Power working to resolve arcing transformer in Tarentum
Tarentum officials are working to resolve an arcing transformer. The malfunctioning equipment is near Third and Bridge streets. The borough’s Redcat Power staff are on the scene. “We want to assure all residents that we are fully aware of this matter and are actively responding to resolve it,” Manage Dwight...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission OKs 6-story apartment building in Bluff with murals on facade
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved plans for a new apartment building that will prominently display 10 large panels of artwork on its facade. Pittsburgh-based GSX Ventures intends to construct a six-story, 211-unit apartment building, dubbed Phoenix on Forbes, on a 1.4-acre site in the city’s Bluff neighborhood. The...
Trial begins for New Stanton man charged with bathroom rape at 2020 Halloween party
A Mt. Pleasant woman testified Monday that she intentionally kept quiet during an alleged rape in a bathroom because her daughter was sleeping in the next room. “I just left the bathroom and didn’t call out for help because my daughter was in the next room sleeping,” she said in...
Firefighters called to rescue motorist from Ligonier Township flooding; several roads closed
Flooding and downed utility lines caused the closure of several roads around Westmoreland County from Tuesday to Wednesday as a storm pounded the region with rain and high winds. Firefighters from Ligonier and Waterford were dispatched around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to assist a motorist from a vehicle in a flooded...
Strong wind topples utility poles, sparks fire in East Huntingdon
High winds Tuesday afternoon snapped three utility poles along Route 819 and caused an attic fire from the downed power lines, an East Huntingdon fire official said. The fire damaged a house adjacent to Smillie’s Family Restaurant, said Chris Brinker, an assistant fire chief for East Huntingdon. Brinker said he...
Girl Scout cookies cost more dough this year
Girl Scout cookies are back, but they’ll take a bigger bite out of your pocketbook this year. Boxes cost $6, up from $5 last year. The cookies will be available until March 24. Emily Ruffing, public relations and marketing coordinator for Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania, said the price increase will...
Latrobe consultant to create plan for possible walking, biking improvements in Greensburg
Gibson-Thomas Engineering will work with a steering committee to study Greensburg’s environment for walkers and bicyclists, among others. The city council on Monday selected the Latrobe firm as its consultant for developing an active transportation plan. Such a plan emphasizes forms of mobility including “walking, biking, using a wheelchair, connecting...
Age no barrier for newly elected female mayor in Leechburg
Doreen Smeal of Leechburg received a unique gift on her 70th birthday. A mayoral title. She was sworn in Dec. 29 as the second female mayor of the borough she has called home her entire life. “I live in my late grandfather’s house,” Smeal said Monday while stopping by the...
Plum honors Rustic Ridge resident for heroism, elevates interim manager
Plum has honored a man for his heroism in the aftermath of the Rustic Ridge explosion, while also taking a step to help the borough’s government move forward from the August catastrophe that left six dead. Greg Renko, president of the Rustic Ridge homeowners association, received a proclamation honoring him...
Faulty valve, ruptured tank thwart ‘soft landing’ on moon for Astrobotic’s PeregrineVideo
Pittsburgh-based space company Astrobotic theorized Tuesday that its lunar mission was undone by a malfunction in the lander’s propulsion equipment. Astrobotic sought to make history with the first commercial lunar landing, but a fuel leak on the spacecraft after launch scuttled any possibility of that. The lander, dubbed Peregrine, has...
Survey seeks input from young adults with disabilities
Young adults who have disabilities are being asked to participate in a survey being conducted by the Westmoreland County Department of Human Services. The survey is aimed at finding out what resources are helpful and where additional assistance might be needed. Its target audience is for young adults who have...
Police accuse Parks Township man of stealing thousands from relatives’ bank account
A Parks Township man is accused of stealing more than $9,000 from his parents’ bank account, police said. Brandon Watterson, 52, was charged via summons Friday by state police with six felony counts, including theft, theft by deception and access device fraud. Watterson faces a preliminary hearing March 28 before...
Brighton Heights woman charged with killing man over drugs, sex, money
A Brighton Heights woman was jailed Tuesday on charges that she fatally shot an Arlington man last month in a confrontation that police said revolved around illicit drugs, sex and a $700 CashApp payment. Jaelyn Nowlin, 20, is charged with killing Grant Gibeault, 25, in his apartment in the 2200...
Unity man arrested after robbery at Sugar Shack pizza shop
A Unity man is behind bars after state police said he robbed a pizza and pastry shop with a knife on Monday. Austin Miles Lewis, 23, had about $150 when troopers apprehended him near his home, according to court papers. Troopers were called to The Sugar Shack Pizza & Pastry...
Hempfield interim superintendent to remain in role for 3 more months
Hempfield Area Superintendent Tammy Wolicki will remain on a leave for another three months for unspecified reasons, school board members said Monday. The board approved interim superintendent Kimberlie Rieffannacht to remain in her role while Wolicki is off. Rieffannacht is the assistant superintendent for elementary education in the district. Her...
