North Hills Community Outreach’s breakfast for local leaders emphasizes need for collaboration
Amid the state budget impasse and federal funding cuts, three state representatives at the North Hills Community Outreach Community Leaders Breakfast said collaboration among nonprofits, businesses and government is more important than ever. State Reps. Arvind Venkat, D-McCandless; Emily Kinkead, D-Brighton Heights; and Lindsay Powell, D-Lawrenceville, spoke on a panel...
6 vie for 4 seats on Youngwood council
Six people are running for four spots on Youngwood council — including three incumbents, two newcomers and one who has filled in for a vacant seat on the board for about four months. Managing borough finances, replacing public works equipment, updating stormwater infrastructure, fostering community and addressing blighted properties are...
Shaler Area High School thespians to stage 3 showings of ‘Best Christmas Pageant Ever’
Editor’s note: The following story was submitted for the Shaler Area Student Section, a collaboration between TribLive and The Oracle, the student newspaper of Shaler Area High School. Shaler Area High School’s Performing Arts Department will present its fall play, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” at 7 p.m. Nov. 14...
Penn-Trafford freshman installs ‘Kindness Rock Garden’ at Children’s Home
The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh holds a special place in Penn-Trafford freshman Amelia Montenary’s heart. Her 8-year-old sister, Lucy, diagnosed with Trisomy 18 as a baby, has spent much of her life in the Bloomfield care facility. Also known as Edwards Syndrome, Trisomy 18 is a rare genetic condition that...
Threatened loss of SNAP benefits weighs heavily on recipients
Amy Smidga says if she doesn’t receive her monthly SNAP benefit for purchasing food in November, it could sabotage her efforts to control her diabetes. “I get SNAP of $265,” she said. “It’s going to hurt me because it does help with what I need. Without the SNAP benefit, it’s...
Only 1 seat in play for Monroeville council; multiple candidates running unopposed
Only one of four Monroeville council seats will have a competitive race in the Nov. 4 election. Democrat John Washington and Republican Gary DeLorenzo will vie to represent Monroeville’s Ward 3, which roughly encompasses the north-central and north-east corner of the city. “I’m primarily an Independent person, politically, but I...
7 candidates vie for 4 Gateway school board seats
Seven candidates will compete for four open Gateway school board seats in the Nov. 4 election. Janette Beighel, Leslie McBride, Anthony Mock and Rick McIntyre will appear on the Democratic ballot. McBride, Shirley Ewart, Len Young and Roger Wilson will appear on the Republican ballot. All were cross-filed in the...
Slates of candidates battle for 4 seats on, control of the Pine-Richland School Board
Eight candidates are vying for four seats on the nine-member Pine-Richland School Board in the Nov. 4 election, the results of which could change control of the often divided board. One seat is up in Region 1 and currently held by Lisa Hillman, who did not seek reelection. Two seats...
Pine-Richland doubles electric buses in fleet to 6
Pine-Richland School District and its transportation contractor, Student Transportation of America, have doubled their fleet of electric buses to six, thanks in part to funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program, the district announced. As part of the debut of the additional buses, members of Eden Hall...
Monroeville area: Pumpkin patch, bingo, pancake breakfast, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bkikel@triblive.com. Church pumpkin patch Monroeville United Methodist Church will have pumpkins available through Oct. 31 at its pumpkin patch, 219 Center Road in Monroeville. The pumpkin patch is open from 11 a.m to 7 p.m. daily. For more, call the church...
O’Hara man charged with attempted homicide in connection with domestic incident
An O’Hara man is facing charges including attempted homicide after police say he attempted to set a pool deck and a relative on fire Oct. 10. Township police Superintendent Jay Davis said officers from O’Hara, Sharpsburg and Etna responded to a report of an assault and uncontrolled fire at a...
5 candidates compete for 4 Pitcairn council seats
Five candidates will compete for four open seats on Pitcairn council in the Nov. 4 election. Democrats Cammeo Farally, Thomas Dick Jr., William Kornrumph and George Burkhardt, and Republican Domenic Roberta will be on the ballot. Burkhardt, a write-in candidate in the primary, will appear on both the Democrat and...
Gateway will honor veterans, mark end of Vietnam War
While Veterans Day is an annual time to honor all American veterans, this year holds special significance: It marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, which culminated with the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. Gateway High School social studies teacher Shawn Whelan and the...
‘You gonna meet death, cuz’: Victim’s defiant words caught on video in Homewood slaying
A Braddock man filmed himself on a cellphone video accusing a “childhood friend” of plotting to “do something to me” moments before police say that friend fatally shot him outside a Pittsburgh bar last month. In six expletive-laced videos, Kevin Venson, 55, insulted and threatened Sean Carter on Sept. 12...
Fat Head’s named Brewery of the Year at festival
Fat Head’s Brewery took top honors at this year’s Great American Beer Festival, winning five medals and earning the title of 2025 Brewery of the Year. The three-day festival, hosted by the Brewers Association from Oct. 8–10 in Colorado, drew beer enthusiasts from across the U.S. — including those from...
Deer Lakes School Board delays decision on relocating bus stop near sex offender’s home
Residents were left unimpressed Tuesday night after Deer Lakes School Board members voted to table a motion that would set a policy that would require all school bus stops to be at least 300 feet away from any Megan’s Law offender’s residence. The motion comes after state Rep. Jeremy Shaffer,...
Judge laments crimes he claims are linked to Hempfield casino as blackjack player is sentenced for having loaded gun
A Jeannette man will serve two years of probation for illegally possessing a loaded handgun while playing blackjack in a Westmoreland County casino. Kenneth J. Czarnecki, 26, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of carrying a firearm without a license while gambling at Live Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall in...
U.S. Steel to restart coke battery damaged in deadly blast
U.S. Steel is restarting one of two batteries damaged by a deadly explosion in August at its Clairton Coke Works. Battery No. 14 will go back online Thursday after about two months on hot idle, the company announced Wednesday. The battery needed substantial repairs after an Aug. 11 blast that...
Jury reaches split verdict in fatal McKeesport bar shooting
An Allegheny County jury on Wednesday found a McKeesport woman not guilty of homicide in the shooting death of another woman following a bar fight. The jury deliberated about six hours before finding Gabrielle Parker, 38, not guilty of killing Ericka Stevens on June 18, 2020. Parker was found guilty,...
Hempfield man sentenced to probation, house arrest for stalking teen at school bus stop
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve seven years on probation after he pleaded guilty to charges related to claims he propositioned a teenager last year at a school bus stop. Police claimed Michael D. Thomas, 72, made sexual comments to a 13-year-old Wendover Middle School student as she waited...
Judge rejects bail request of Jeannette man awaiting retrial for 1993 fatal fire
A judge on Wednesday denied bail for a former Jeannette man awaiting retrial on charges he set a fire three decades ago that killed his wife and two young children. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Stewart III ruled that state law prohibits bail for defendants who face a...
Cocaine dealer receives 2 to 5 years for fatal punch outside Aliquippa bar
An Aliquippa man who admitted to fatally punching another man outside a Beaver County bar was sentenced to two to five years in prison and ordered to pay $3,000 toward the victim’s funeral, prosecutors said. “We hope this guilty plea offers a measure of justice to the victim’s loved ones...
Cherrie Mahan’s family, friends hopeful after property searches in South Buffalo
Friends and family of Cherrie Mahan believe law enforcement is zeroing in on the location of the young girl who disappeared in 1985 near a rural bus stop in Winfield. Hopes have skyrocketed one day after state police and FBI conducted a search along River Road in South Buffalo, about...
Special meeting set for plan to realign Pittsburgh Public Schools
Pittsburgh Public Schools leaders are set to share the district’s latest plans about which school buildings will be closed, what role those remaining open will have and which educators will work in them when it has a special meeting next week. Until then, district officials haven’t commented about what’s in...
‘Firing on all cylinders’: Natural gas producer EQT Corp. posts $407M profit
Pittsburgh-based natural gas heavyweight EQT Corp. posted a $407 million third-quarter profit, bolstered by a smooth integration with newly acquired competitor Olympus Energy. “Strategically, when we look at what we’re doing, it’s really simple: getting access to the best markets and supplying the best energy,” EQT CEO Toby Rice said...