Westmoreland DA wants to review police video before it’s released to public
Four months after police released body camera video showing an officer shooting a Ligonier Township man, the Westmoreland District Attorney’s Office is asking local police departments to have prosecutors review similar footage before it is released publicly. The request hasn’t been opposed by police, but legal, law enforcement and open...
Covid, flu, RSV on the rise amid holiday gatherings
Covid-19 struck Beth Green just in time for Christmas, upending her annual holiday gatherings. She planned on hosting her extended family at her Derry Township home on Dec. 23. She was especially excited because it’s difficult to get two of her adult sons together with their hectic schedules. Green, an...
Fayette County native Rachel Duda takes over reins of PennDOT District 12
A 1984 fire that destroyed Rachel Duda’s childhood home in Fayette County had a major impact on her life in more ways than one. For two years, Duda lived with relatives in California. That’s where she set her mind on a career in civil engineering, one that has led her...
‘Life is not promised’: Family and friends mourn loss of Richland teen in car crash
In June, Ellie Tourney had to bury her husband. Now, she has to bury her son. “We were proven twice that life is not promised. We’ve learned that twice in seven months,” Tourney said Wednesday. “If God wants you, he’s going to wrap you in his arms. It’s hard to...
No injuries in Upper Burrell trailer home fire; 4 cats missing
No one was injured following a fire late Wednesday afternoon that destroyed a trailer home in Upper Burrell. Crews were dispatched at 4:32 p.m. to the 200 block of Manchester Hill Road for a report of a structure fire, said Upper Burrell Fire Chief Bryan Fitch. The trailer’s occupant was...
Kiski Township launches police dog fundraiser amid pushback from supervisor-elect
Kiski Township police officials are looking to add a dog to their roster of officers. Chief Lee Bartolicius is spearheading efforts to raise about $20,000 to purchase and train a police dog. The department launched the Kiski Township K-9 Fund this month and to date has raised just over $3,000....
1 taken to hospital following Pleasant Hills crash
One person was taken to the hospital following a crash Wednesday afternoon on Curry Hollow Road in Pleasant Hills, emergency officials said. First responders were called to Curry Hollow Road near Bliss Drive just after 3 p.m. Wednesday. Crews arrived to find a head-on collision and one person trapped in...
2 tractor trailers involved in Pa. Turnpike crash east of Donegal
Emergency crews responded to a Pennsylvania Turnpike crash involving two tractor trailers Wednesday afternoon, Westmoreland 911 officials said. The crash happened about 4 p.m. in westbound lanes of the turnpike at mile marker 91.2 just east of Donegal. Additional information was not immediately available....
White Township man dies after being struck by truck
A White Township man died of injuries suffered when he was hit by a truck early Wednesday morning. Indiana County Coroner Jerry Overman Jr. said Noah M. Chappell, of Winding Lane in White Township, was riding a bicycle southbound on the 500 block of Old Route 119 North when he...
State troopers investigate nearly 44% fewer Christmas weekend crashes than 2022
Westmoreland and Allegheny counties saw a decrease in crashes during the holiday weekend from last year, according to state police. State police covering Westmoreland, Allegheny and six other counties responded to 62 crashes from Saturday to Monday, down nearly 44% from 2022. The crashes resulted in 17 injuries, which matches...
Seton Hill offers free online genocide, Holocaust education certificate program to local teachers
Seton Hill will waive tuition costs for 15 local teachers to complete an online genocide and Holocaust education certificate program starting in March. The nine-credit program features three courses that will give secondary education teachers the strategies to address topics like genocide in the classroom, said James Paharik, director of...
Penn Township holiday project enters 8th year supporting Western Pa. homeless shelters
The best part of Kellie Haldie’s Christmas is delivering gifts, clothes and personal care items to people living in local homeless shelters. About 35 volunteers join Haldie in the annual giving project, Blessing Our Sheltered Hearts, which started in 2016. This year, volunteers supported three shelters and about 150 families...
North Huntingdon holds line on taxes
North Huntingdon property owners will not pay higher real estate taxes to operate the municipality’s government in 2024. The budget retains the tax rate at 11.55 mills. Of that
9.23 mills is devoted to the $15.8 million general fund, which was reduced from
$16.4 million this year. Revenue from an additional...
Monongahela River fishermen find car stolen 15 years ago
Two men fishing in the Monongahela River on Sunday found a car that had been reported stolen 15 years ago. The men were fishing near the Point Marion boat launch in Fayette County when they noticed the outline of a vehicle on their fish finder, state police said. On Tuesday,...
Michigan teens jailed after police investigate gift card theft in Ligonier
Three teenagers from Michigan were jailed over the weekend after police said they provided fake names while authorities were investigating a theft of $400 in gift cards in Ligonier Borough. Keenen E. Reese II, Rashad A. Shahid and Malik S. Spillers, all 18, of Flint, Mich., all are being held...
Jeannette man jailed on DUI charges after crash injures woman, child
A Jeannette man is behind bars after police said he was driving while impaired during a crash that seriously injured two people. Allan M. Beech, 33, was jailed last week on $250,000 bail on charges of aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence, child endangerment and related offenses...
Affival extends lease, expands space at New Kensington manufacturing park
A business serving the steel industry has extended its lease and expanded its space at the New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park. Affival’s lease will run through Jan. 31, 2035. With an addition of 12,000 square feet, it will occupy just over 152,000 square feet in three buildings, the Regional Industrial...
Kiski Township man charged in connection with Christmas Day hit-and-run and domestic dispute
A Kiski Township man charged in connection with a hit-and-run in the township on Christmas Day also was involved in a domestic dispute just down the road from the crash scene, according to police. Township police on Tuesday announced they charged Steven Brown, 32, with aggravated assault by motor vehicle...
Jeannette passes budget, holds tax line
Jeannette Council passed the city’s 2024 budget on Tuesday by a 4-1 vote. The budget does not call for a property tax increase, keeping the millage rate at 35.62 mills. Councilwoman Michelle Langdon cast the dissenting vote because she said she felt the earned-income tax should have been lowered. One...
Westmoreland happenings: Bus trip to performance of ‘Daniel’; holiday fun day
Arts • West Newton Church of God will sponsor bus trips April 15 and May 2 to see the stage production “Daniel” at Sight & Sound Theatres near Lancaster. Cost: $180, includes bus transportation, show ticket and lunch. The bus will leave from the Christian Church parking lot in Turkeytown....
Former Bethel Park police chief found dead in home
The Bethel Park Police Department announced the death of retired chief Timothy C. O’Connor in a Facebook post Wednesday morning. According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, O’Connor died by suicide just after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. O’Connor, previously commander of Pittsburgh police’s Zone 5 station, was sworn in as...
Oakdale man spends retirement traveling to National Parks
Scott Bly waited 40 years to travel. After growing up on the North Side of Pittsburgh, Bly worked and played football during his four years at Edinboro University (now PennWest Edinboro). After graduating, he went to Roanoke, Va., to serve as a police officer for three years and then transferred...
Morning Roundup: Suspect shot by police in Washington County; car rescue in Unity
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Dec. 27: Suspect shot by police in Washington County A suspect was shot by a police officer early Saturday in Monongahela, Washington County. State police said Jonathan Toth, 49, of Jefferson Hills, made threats at the Main Street...
The Stroller, Dec. 27, 2023: 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. Free weekly program for veterans offered in Lower Burrell The Lower...
From novices to experienced musicians, Western Pa.’s open stages offer chance to shine in the spotlight
When Riley Galloway gets up to sing at the weekly acoustic open stage at Yellow Bridge Brewing in Delmont, you’d never know that she’s been playing in public for only a few months. The 16-year-old Irwin resident’s voice fills the space with the confidence of someone who has been performing...
