Western PA Local News category, Page 788
Trib Lunch Box: New social media app?, Jail lawsuit, U-haul trial begins
Here are some noon headlines from TribLive, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. • Police work interest declines in the region “Our biggest issue is finding people who want to police anymore,” said Penn Township police Chief John Otto. • Another social media app? Bluesky offers users a place to...
Morning Roundup: Brentwood shooting suspect arrested; Carnegie man sentenced for sexually assaulting children
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Feb. 7: Brentwood shooting suspect arrested Police have arrested a man they believe was involved in a shooting last week in Brentwood. Joseph Luman, 45, was arrested by Pittsburgh police with help from the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task...
Harbor Freight, Starbucks approved as latest additions to booming New Kensington corridor
Plans for more development along New Kensington’s Tarentum Bridge Road commercial district have been approved. City council on Monday unanimously approved three resolutions related to the construction of a Harbor Freight tools store and a Starbucks cafe in Riverview Plaza. Their construction follows a new Aldi grocery store, which opened...
Cupid’s Chase 5K set for Latrobe, benefits area adults with disabilities
Participants will have their hearts into running a 5K race set for Saturday in Latrobe. The annual Cupid’s Chase will kick off at 10 a.m. at Memorial Stadium, raising funds for Community Options, a nonprofit that provides support and services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Westmoreland and...
The Stroller, Feb. 7, 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. Grants available to Westmoreland County performing arts groups The Westmoreland County...
Interest in local police work drops in Western Pa. despite jump in state police academy applicants
While the Pennsylvania State Police force is seeing increased interest from people wanting to become troopers, many suburban and rural departments in Western Pennsylvania are facing a challenge trying to attract new officers. Last year, Murrysville received 18 applications from people interested in becoming police officers for the municipality —...
Pittsburgh SWAT responds to Homewood armed robbery
A boy was jailed after allegedly attempting to rob a woman at gunpoint in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon surrendered, Pittsburgh police said. The suspect barricaded himself in a residence after an attempted armed robbery of a woman at 1 p.m. in the 7000 block of Hermitage Street,...
Lawsuit claims that Allegheny County Jail guards broke inmate’s arm
An Allegheny County Jail inmate has filed a lawsuit alleging that guards broke his arm and put him in solitary confinement after he complained that the facility withheld pain medication. Aaron Tipton, 31, of Penn Hills is alleging civil rights violations in the complaint he filed Tuesday in federal court...
Trial begins for therapist charged with assault of autistic boy
Cassandra Colligan testified she knew almost immediately a 4-year-old autistic boy was mistreated while attending a Greensburg daycare in 2022. Colligan, a speech therapist for the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit told jurors Tuesday she watched as behavioral health therapist Tonya Piper violently slammed a child into a chair and up against...
Environmentalists, natural gas drillers’ group divided on transparency on fracking fluid disclosures
An area environmental organization sees Pennsylvania’s new requirement that natural gas drillers reveal the chemicals in fracking fluids earlier in the drilling process as “long overdue.” A trade group says the industry has been transparent about what it pumps into the ground. ”This gives people a chance to know what...
Westmoreland commissioners OK road trips for public meetings
The Westmoreland County commissioners are heading out into the countryside. Commissioners announced Tuesday they will conduct three public meetings outside of the Westmoreland County Courthouse this spring and summer. “We’ll, hopefully, have the public there,” Commissioner Sean Kertes said. Here are the locations, times and dates: • The activity center...
Pittsburgh Stadium Authority backs Steelers’ bid to host NFL draft
The City of Pittsburgh formally approved a bid by the Steelers to host the next available NFL Draft. The city’s Stadium Authority voted unanimously Tuesday to enter into agreements with the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers, marketing groups and municipal agencies to “support, effect or cause to occur an NFL Draft...
Electronic hall monitoring among Hampton High School initiatives promoting positivity
Hampton High School teachers apparently prefer educating to monitoring. “They didn’t always want to be the bad guys in the hallway, asking kids, ‘Can I see your pass?’” assistant principal Joshua Cable said. “That’s not the way we want to interact with our kids. We want to keep them accountable,...
Penn Hills School District celebrates students, staff, parents with new initiative
In an effort to recognize hard work within the school district, Penn Hills Superintendent John Mozzocio has started an initiative called Pride and Promise. Each month, a student, teacher or staff member and a parent will be recognized with an award. “These are given to community members, parents, students and...
Defense lawyer in homicide trial tells jurors his client killed Pittsburgh U-Haul worker
Corey Dick was behind the counter at a U-Haul in Pittsburgh’s East End on July 27, 2021, getting ready to eat an early dinner. A man who had been in and out several times that afternoon asking about renting a pickup returned just after 4:30 p.m. and said that the...
Indiana Township officials consider livestreaming meetings
People who attend Indiana Township supervisor meetings, particularly ones involving proposed development, know seating can be a problem. There soon might be a way to watch the local government in action without having to travel to the town hall. Supervisors are expected to decide whether to livestream their meetings. Their...
Brownsville couple accused of keeping 6-year-old girl in dog crate
A Brownsville couple was jailed Tuesday for allegedly keeping a 6-year-old girl in a locked dog crate, restraining the child with plastic zip ties and beating her with a broom on multiple occasions, according to a criminal complaint filed by state police. The alleged abuse at the hands of Jacob...
Aspinwall teen’s passion for conservation earns him spot on Junior Achievement’s 18 Under Eighteen list
Fox Chapel Area sophomore Theo Tedesco is a self-described steward of the Earth, passionate about bringing science and exploration to underserved children. He has spent three summers volunteering at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, helping youngsters discover the 134-acre sanctuary that is Audubon Society’s headquarters in Fox Chapel. The 16-year-old also...
New Kensington man accused of assaulting officer in city holding cell
A New Kensington police officer had to threaten to use a Taser on a man who fought with officers inside a city cell, police said in court records. The incident happened after officers went to a Fifth Avenue business Friday night in response to a report of an intoxicated man...
Pittsburgh City Council OKs controversial $6 million master plan
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a controversial proposal to spend about $6 million for a citywide master plan, overriding some members’ strenuous objections. Opponents raised alarms about the steep price tag and the lack of a clear implementation strategy. Supporters touted the plan as a blueprint for future budget...
Trib Lunch Box: Madonna, bald eagle, ‘Watson’ in Pittsburgh, Station’s end
Here are some noon headlines from TribLive, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. • Madonna gets into the groove after late Pittsburgh concert arrival Madonna certainly brought the electricity to Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena on Monday night in her “Celebration Tour.” The “Queen of Pop” performed a repertoire spanning her over-40-year career...
Pittsburgh halts free spay/neuter program after scam by suburban pet owners, officials say
Suburban pet owners, some with designer dogs, faked their addresses to access free, taxpayer-subsidized spay and neuter services meant for use by Pittsburgh residents, the city said Tuesday, as it announced an abrupt pause to the program. The suburbanites were using city addresses of friends and family members to get...
Sharpsburg enacts ordinance protecting tenants seeking safe housing conditions from landlord retaliation
Sharpsburg officials want renters to feel safe and confident while living in the borough. One way they plan to accomplish that goal is through a recently enacted ordinance. The law is designed to protect tenants from retaliation for engaging in individual or collective action to secure healthy and safe housing...
Herminie man jailed on sex assault, related charges
A Herminie man remains behind bars on charges that he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl several times in 2022, according to court papers. John M. Risher III, 20, was jailed last week on $500,000 bail. State police troopers said the girl reported Risher sexually assaulted her in September and October...
Latrobe merchants plan ‘Sweet Night’ as monthly Shop Hop events resume
Several Latrobe merchants are planning “A Sweet Night Out” for visitors Wednesday evening as the city’s downtown business community begins another year of monthly Shop Hop Night events. Given the relatively mild weather forecast for this first full week of February, with daytime highs moving into the 50s, organizer Emily...
