Western PA Local News category, Page 786
Register of Wills says work continues to ease backlog as office restructuring OK’d by commissioners
A restructuring and boost in staff pay approved by Westmoreland County commissioners is expected to improve operations in the Register of Wills office. Filing delays and other deficiencies prompted Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton to be admonished last week by a county judge, who issued a court order that...
Longtime Allegheny County chief medical examiner Karl Williams to retire after 17 years
Karl Williams, Allegheny County’s longtime chief medical examiner, who toiled largely in obscurity while overseeing some of the region’s most grisly death investigations, is stepping down. A doctor by training, Williams, 75, is retiring Friday after 17 years as the county’s top forensic pathologist. He leaves behind a $238,000 salary,...
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Pittsburgh gearing up for annual Evening of Hope fundraiser
A familiar face in volunteer circles is the new executive director of Boys Hope Girls Hope of Pittsburgh. Ali Brush of Fox Chapel is serving to advance the local affiliate of the international organization that strives to graduate educated young people in the U.S. and Latin America. Brush and her...
‘A completely different world’: Virtual reality arcade opens in Westmoreland Mall
When Dan Roble first put on a virtual reality headset in 2016, his reaction was not what he had hoped. “It made me sick (after) the first 15 minutes or so,” said Roble, 35, of Latrobe. But the technology has improved significantly over the past eight years to prevent users...
‘There’s consequences,’ judge tells Pittsburgh man before sending him to prison for killing toddler with stray bullet
Zaphora Bernard held up the baby book, “The Life of Zykier Young. I love you.” Zykier was just 5 pounds, 9 ounces when he was born. But 22 inches long, his mom said. She flipped through the pages, displaying them for the judge to see, thrusting the book toward the...
New York City man sentenced for drug distribution in Pittsburgh area
A New York City man arrested twice in less than three years for bringing large amounts of drugs into the Pittsburgh area was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in a federal prison. Christopher Delacruz, 35, was first arrested during a traffic stop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County in...
Valentine’s Day gift ideas for any budget
Are you struggling to decide what to give your partner this Valentine’s Day? Here’s a list of ideas for any budget to help get you started: 1. Sweet treats or food You can’t go wrong if you buy your significant other their favorite candy — or snacks for those who...
A.W. Beattie Career Center in McCandless explores renovations
An expansion may be in the works by next year for A.W. Beattie Career Center in McCandless. Student enrollment at Beattie is growing, according to director Eric Heasley “The possibility of an addition to the existing career center building is due to continued enrollment growth and additional potential program considerations,”...
Franklin Regional marching band enjoys sun, Dole Whip in Hawaii
Franklin Regional Panther Marching Band students loaded onto several buses around 2 a.m. in early December, the first leg of a lengthy journey to Hawaii. The band had a chance to perform in the annual Pearl Harbor Day Parade and also to play in the shadow of the USS Arizona...
Etna community remembers late Mayor Tom Rengers
Etna residents are still reeling from the loss of their long-time mayor in December. Tom Rengers, 71, had a 30-year career in Etna politics, serving as a council member for 11 years and then as mayor for 19. He died on Dec. 7 from prostate cancer. Known as a family...
Murrysville area: Kindergarten registration, library programs and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Kindergarten registration opens at FR Kindergarten registration is open and being accepted online for Franklin Regional students through March 31. Parents and visit FRSDk12.org, click on “Parents & Community,” followed by links for “Enroll Your Child” and “Kindergarten 2024-25. An evening parent...
New Kensington officer injured, suspect Tased twice in warrant arrest
Police had to twice use a Taser on an Arnold man as officers struggled to arrest him in December, according to court records released this week. At least one police officer was injured. The incident began after New Kensington Officer Tyler Balla saw Anthony Marsalis Howell, 36, of Arnold walking...
Tickets on sale for Northland Public Library’s Garden Gala in McCandless
Celebrate spring at Northland Public Library on April 20. The Garden Gala 2024: “Gatsby in the Garden,” presented by UPMC Health Plan and UPMC Passavant, will feature food offerings from local restaurants and caterers, along with tastes of spirits, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages. Guests can enjoy live music, a...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Feb. 9 – 11
Did preparing for the Super Bowl distract you from buying your sweetheart a Valentine’s Day gift? Or worse? Are you heartbroken that your team didn’t make it to the championship? Well, there’s plenty of sweet events to cheer you up and do some last minute shopping this weekend in Westmoreland...
Penn Hills likely to replace municipal engineer, despite delays
Growing pains for the new Penn Hills Council have delayed a breakup between the municipality and its engineering firm of almost 20 years. Gibson-Thomas Engineering is poised to replace The Gateway Engineers, with a council vote likely coming in February. Council has twice tabled a resolution to make Gibson-Thomas municipal...
Hill District residents ‘overwhelmed with joy’ that Salem’s Market is open
The Hill District has a grocery store again. Salem’s Market & Grill opened its third location at Centre Heldman Plaza on Thursday morning, ending a nearly five-year span in which the Hill District was left without a local grocer following the closing of Shop ‘n Save in March 2019. Guests...
New Sheetz expected to open on Plum’s Golden Mile Highway in May
A new Sheetz under construction in Plum is tentatively scheduled to open in May, a spokesman for the Altoona-based convenience store chain said. When the new convenience store and gas station on Golden Mile Highway at Presque Isle Drive opens, the existing smaller store nearby at Pine Valley Drive will...
Acorn Park work to begin in spring in Franklin Park
Updates on the way for Acorn Park in Franklin Park will include an outdoor classroom, trail work, restroom facilities and more. “Work is expected to begin in the spring of this year and completed by the end of 2024. The borough is currently awaiting approval of a national pollutant discharge...
Export residents to absorb $5 sewage rate hike by Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority
Export sewage customers will pay an additional $5 beginning March 1, after borough officials voted unanimously this week to pass along a $5 rate hike by the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority that’s set to take effect next month. Council President Barry Delissio said it was the best course of...
‘This is going to be 100 feet off our deck’ resident says of Murrysville body shop that’s an easement away from construction
Murrysville residents who don’t want an auto body and paint business next door to their Manordale Farms neighborhood got good news and bad news at the Murrysville Council meeting Wednesday night. The good news was council did not approve the 12,500-square-foot Caliber Collision repair center proposed for property just east...
Donations to Plum school lunch debt take small bites out of a big problem
An anonymous member of the Plum School District community recently gave the district $500 to cover student lunch debt at Holiday Park Intermediate School. While generous and appreciated, the donation took only a small bite out of what is routinely a big problem. The district is carrying more than $45,000...
North Allegheny senior wins national award for brain research
Only three high school students in the United States won the 2024 American Academy of Neurology Neuroscience Research Prize in recognition of an outstanding research project, and North Allegheny’s own Thrisha Kalpatthi was one of them. Kalpatthi’s project is titled “RhoA Signaling Is a Convergence Point for Nogo Receptor and...
Gateway instructor brings teacher academy to high school
Over the past several years, there has a been a consistent decrease in the number of individuals entering the teaching profession. The drop-off in teacher certifications is particularly steep in Pennsylvania, tumbling from 15,000 in 2011 to a just over 4,200 in the 2021-2022 school year, according to data provided...
A.W. Beattie Career Center hosts spring open house in McCandless
A.W. Beattie Career Center will host a spring open house from 5:15 to 8 p.m. Feb. 29 at its campus, 9600 Babcock Blvd., McCandless. The event gives prospective students an opportunity to learn about the school’s 19 programs and how each one prepares students for college and career pathways, according...
Pine receives $250,000 toward trail project
Pine is making greater strides toward a walkable community thanks to a significant grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development. At the board of supervisors meeting on Feb. 5, township manager Jason Kratsas announced that Pine was awarded $250,000 for a proposed wetland trail project The DCED’s...
