Western PA Local News category, Page 787
Monroeville library celebrates diversity with Lunar New Year
The Monroeville Public Library is partnering with the Organization of Chinese Americans’ Pittsburgh Chapter to celebrate Lunar New Year and usher in the Year of the Dragon on Feb. 10. Lunar New Year is an important and meaningful festival among in several East Asian countries, as it signifies the beginning...
I-70 westbound reopens in Washington County after crash
A portion of I-70 westbound in Washington County has reopened after it was closed early Thursday morning because of a crash involving a tractor-trailer and a vehicle. The wreck happened just after 2 a.m. near the 13.1 mile marker near the Taylorstown ramp, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. One...
Morning Roundup: Man injured in Homewood shooting; home invasion in Knoxville
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Feb. 8: Man injured in Homewood shooting A man was injured Wednesday night in a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. Pittsburgh police and EMS were dispatched to the 7200 block of Frankstown Avenue for an eight-round ShotSpotter alert...
Co-teaching program at Acmetonia boosts learning, test scores
The lesson in Scott Andrews’ fifth grade English Language Arts class Wednesday was about sentence structure. But as students worked through their assignments, it wasn’t just Andrews teaching. Chelsea Brody, a special education teacher, was working in tandem with Andrews and the students as part of a co-teaching program at...
The Stroller, Feb. 8, 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. Bowl-A-Thon to raise funds for Burrell Education Foundation The annual Burrell...
Longtime staffer named new Ligonier Valley YMCA CEO
New Ligonier Valley YMCA CEO Mike Marinchak has been associated with the organization for more than three decades. “The YMCA has made a tremendous impact on my family and is one of the many reasons I make Ligonier my home,” said Marinchak. “I want to make certain the opportunities provided...
Woman’s hit-and-run death raises questions about Pittsburgh police policy
Twelve minutes before a car struck and killed Faye McCoy on the West End Bridge last month, she was talking to Pittsburgh police officers nearby. It was almost 3 a.m. on Jan. 27, and police had just arrested McCoy’s friend for drunken driving after the car they were in struck...
Monroeville news: Mini golf fundraiser, blue light bulb sales, more
Mini golf fundraiser at Monroeville library The Monroeville Public Library will host two miniature golf fundraisers on Feb. 24. The first is an all-ages event at 10 a.m. with the final tee off at 3:45 p.m. The cost is $5 per person to play the 18-hole course, and children ages...
Divine Mercy Academy celebrates Catholic Schools Week
“Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community” was the theme for National Catholic Schools Week this year. Divine Mercy Academy, a Catholic school serving pre-K through eighth grade on Azalea Drive in Monroeville, marked the week with many events for students and their families, parishioners and the community. The week...
Proposed power line route triggers concerns for residents in Derry, Ligonier townships
Gene Giernacky fears he may lose use of part of his rural 15-acre retirement property in Derry Township, while Mike Adams could face the prospect of seeing the timber he intends to use as a heat source for his neighboring home toppled by a utility company. They were among more...
Verona Garden Club has a new board; popular fundraiser canceled
A new Verona Garden Club has formed following a mass exodus of board members a few months ago. The nonprofit beautification group installs and maintains hanging baskets throughout the borough as well as planting at the war memorial and other projects. Recently appointed club president Daniel Showalter said its former...
Woman testifies about alleged rapes as retrial begins for Unity couple
A 25-year-old woman returned to the witness stand Wednesday, six years after she first testified about allegedly being raped and sexually assaulted when she was an adolescent. The woman testified before a Westmoreland County jury she was 12 when she was subjected weekly rapes and other sexual activity at the...
Mom sues Pittsburgh Public Schools, Starbucks over daughter’s alleged rape during school hours
The mother of a Pittsburgh teen who claims her daughter was raped during the school day by three fellow Allderdice High School students at a nearby Starbucks has filed a lawsuit over the incident. The lawsuit, which includes claims for negligence, was filed Tuesday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court....
Animal welfare groups warn pausing city spay/neuter program will lead to more homeless cats
Jackie Cafaro works day and night to rescue cats left abandoned on Pittsburgh streets. She’s developed Catcalls Rescue, the nonprofit she co-founded in 2021, into an operation that saves, spays or neuters and puts up for adoption 40 to 60 cats a month — with the help of about 30...
South Fayette man heads to trial on charges he filmed sex with girl
A South Fayette man is headed to Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on charges that he had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl and used “multiple iPhones” to film the pair having sex, court records show. Matthew Alexander Trax, 24, allegedly had sex several times with the girl, including...
Coming soon: Salina Bridge to be replaced, part of historic span to be kept for posterity
Replacement of the historic Salina Bridge that connects Bell and Kiski townships will cost $33 million. The apparent low bidder for the project was Mekis Construction Corp. based in Fenelton, according to PennDOT. Project manager Troy Pritts said he expects construction to start by spring. The price tag includes additional...
Therapist acquitted in case involving boy with autism at Greensburg day care
Tonya Piper said she will not return to her career caring for special needs children even after a jury found her not guilty of an alleged assault against a boy with autism. Piper, 52, of New Stanton was emotional after the verdict was returned Wednesday and said she was grateful...
Derry to consider 2-year pause before revisiting future of disbanded K-9 program
Derry council is expected to consider a two-year moratorium on any revival of the borough’s police dog program, which was disbanded in October following the August euthanization of its police dog, Smoke. In addition to the moratorium, council Tuesday will consider allowing a privately funded memorial stone for Smoke at...
McCandless resident answers retired priest’s plea for kidney donation
Father Tom Kredel didn’t quite say it was a miracle that he found a kidney donor after celebrating Mass at St. Alexis Church in McCandless last summer. But he is certainly grateful. Kredel, a retired priest of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh who is suffering from kidney failure, was running...
Suspect who fled 2 traffic stops taken into custody
Jefferson Hills police said a man who fled from his second traffic stop in three months in late January was taken into custody Wednesday evening. He was transported to Allegheny County Jail. Police were searching for Thomas W. Hanbury, 32, of the South Hills, who fled on foot from police...
Ex-Pittsburgh building inspector pleads guilty to accepting stove, fridge as bribes
A former City of Pittsburgh building inspector pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal bribery charge for soliciting over $5,400 in items from a developer. Walter Eiseman entered the plea in U.S. District Court before Judge Mark Hornak. Prosecutors said during the hearing that Eiseman, a city building inspector at the...
Pine-Richland places in Healthy High School Challenge
Pine-Richland High School placed 13th out of 184 schools nationwide in the Sodexo Healthy High School Challenge, earning $1,000 for the high school student government. Schools earned points for every meal combo and healthy a la carte items purchased. Based in Gaithersburg, Md., Sodexo provides catering, facilities management and employee...
Westmoreland happenings: Turkey dinner, Senior Citizen news, bingos, more
Church News • Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1120 Harvey Ave., Greensburg, will have worship services Wednesdays from Feb. 14 (Ash Wednesday) through March 20 at the church. Fellowship will begin at 6 p.m. and the service will be at 7 p.m. Sunday services are 9:30 a.m. Details: 724-837-3540 or wpcgreensburg.org. •...
‘We’re having buns of fun’: Oscar Mayer Wienermobile stops in RossVideo
The iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile made a stop at the BJ’s Wholesale Club in Ross Township on Wednesday. The vehicle, which is famously shaped like a giant hot dog on a bun, drew a large crowd of people who wanted to get a peek inside the vehicle and get a...
Highlands varsity band boosters fear online scammer stealing craft show fees
Members of Highlands varsity band boosters fear that someone is running an online scam to collect craft show registration fees and defraud the group from its profits. “I’ve had a couple people call to let me know they’ve received emails to pay with PayPal,” said Desirae Dunmire, the boosters’ vice...
