Local category, Page 780

Westmoreland County Commissioners are expected to award grants to three municipalities this week with money from the national opioid abuse settlements. North Huntingdon is slated to receive nearly $105,000, while Rostraver and Lower Burrell each will receive $62,832 to operate drug prevention and education programs through municipal police departments. The...

(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...

Arnold Council approved starting a search for a new city manager Tuesday after firing its former manager and hiring a temporary replacement. Council voted 4-1 to fire Mario Bellavia, with Councilman Phil McKinley casting the only vote against. While McKinley previously said Bellavia had been fired on Sept. 20, city...

Derry Borough residents had a lot of questions but didn’t get any answers from council members Tuesday night after they met for the first time since the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office announced evidence does not support a criminal charge in the death of the borough’s police dog, Smoke. Several...

A steady flow of guests visited Hampton’s Depreciation Lands Museum for Hydref, the Fall Festival & Market Faire held Oct. 7. The influx was gratifying for Carol Greiner, president of the museum’s board, as the history-preserving site continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary. “After last year when we got rained...

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald presented his 12th and final budget and comprehensive fiscal plan Tuesday, touting the economic growth of the region under his tenure and shoring up the county’s finances by dramatically increasing its rainy day fund. Fitzgerald’s 2024 budget proposes a total of about $3 billion, which...

Four candidates are vying for two open seats on Hampton Township Council in the Nov. 7 election. Two Democrats and two Republicans are running for the open positions, and Richard “Rock” Kernick is running for re-election. He was chosen during a special election process and served a two-year-term. The other...

Three Hempfield Area High School students charged last week with possessing guns on school property are scheduled to appear in court this month. They are being prosecuted in the juvenile court system and are scheduled to appear for adjudication hearings Oct. 26 before Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michele Bononi....

The attorney for a Springdale woman who lives across from the former Cheswick Generating Station says the woman didn’t cut her grass because, if she did, it would reexpose arsenic and other toxins from the June 2 implosion of the plant’s smokestacks. Brittni Bair, 33, received two summary offenses in...

PNC Bank is laying off an undisclosed number of employees, according to a statement from the company. It remains unclear how many workers will be let go. The banking giant based in Downtown Pittsburgh said in a statement that it is reviewing its organizational structure and “have identified an opportunity...

Voters in Allegheny County can vote early in the upcoming general election starting Tuesday in Downtown Pittsburgh. Registered voters can complete a mail-in ballot application, get approved, and then fill out and turn in their ballot on the spot at the County Office Building in Downtown Pittsburgh. A kiosk is...

Friends of the Bethel Park Park Library members made a $10,000 donation to the institution they support, fittingly enough during September, Love Your Library Month in Allegheny County. The money was raised through Friends of the library activities throughout the year, and the donation will go toward purchasing materials and...

Dressed in perhaps the campiest pirate costume imaginable and uttering nonsense like “avast, ye scurvy dogs,” a character called Capt. Calico Drake scowls at a video camera to address his audience. “Welcome once again aboard the Swashbuckler’s Haunt, the most disreputable ship of the Three Rivers and the Seven Seas,”...

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is upping the ante in his public dispute with Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. In an interview with Tribune-Review editors and reporters last week, Gainey pushed back on criticism he has received from Zappala and said the district attorney is not present enough...

Giant Eagle will donate money from the sale of paper bags at its Pittsburgh stores to local nonprofits. This is set to start on Saturday, the same date Pittsburgh’s plastic bag ban goes into effect. The ordinance bars most single-use plastic bags and requires stores charge a 10-cent fee for...

Some Plum residents, officials and local activists are continuing to push against the possibility of a second injection well in the borough. Delmont-based Penneco Environmental Solutions is looking to launch a second injection well on a site off Old Leechburg Road, where the company has had one Sedat injection well...

Beginning next year, the second Monday in October will be recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the city of Pittsburgh. This comes despite concerns from some council members that the day is also known as Columbus Day in honor of Christopher Columbus, who has become a controversial figure. Some people...

Transportation Security Administration officers last weekend seized the fifth gun in seven days at Pittsburgh International Airport, bringing the total number of guns confiscated this year to 35. Saturday’s gun catch ties Pittsburgh’s all-time record number of guns seized in a year, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said. The 35-gun total...

Matt Cevario of Hyde Park was ready for some bargain shopping Monday, but he’ll have to wait a few weeks. Cevario stood near the entrance to the new Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, checking out the employees bustling about, in anticipation of the store’s grand opening scheduled for Oct. 25. “It’s exciting...

The Manor recreation department is planning a Halloween dance party that is free for borough residents. The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Manor Community Room at 44 Main St. The registration deadline is Oct. 20. Costumes are welcome, and there will be...

Several Hempfield Area residents and student leaders shared their concerns at Monday’s school board meeting about the district’s response to an incident last week involving guns at the high school. Resident Lindsay Stevens expressed frustration that much of the discussion about school security has been behind the scenes in executive...

An elderly Washington County man died after crashing the dune buggy he was driving, according to authorities. Pennsylvania State Police said Steve Mox Jr., 88, of Bentleyville was driving a dune buggy in the 200 block of Caldwell Road at about 9 p.m. Friday and it went off the road...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Oct. 10: Teen shot during fight in Ross, 4 others in custody Police said they took five teenagers in custody after one of them was shot during a fight early Tuesday morning. Officers responding to a report of...

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. Masquerade ball planned in Leechburg Leechburg Area Community Association will sponsor...

Greensburg Salem senior Kaitlyn Mankins’ senior project has done more than just fulfill a high school graduation requirement. It’s also provided a boost to the well-being of the entire district staff. District teachers and staff took a break from their in-service workday Monday to attend a workshop organized by Mankins,...