Western PA Local News category, Page 791
Libraries see rise in usage since covid; circulation, eBook usage increases
Scott Mason of Greensburg was spending his Saturday morning at the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library in Greensburg, reading a 1931 book on Revolutionary War hero Arthur St. Clair for an upcoming presentation before the Greensburg Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Mason relies upon the reference books in...
Jeannette’s You Are Here gallery gets cosmetic updates
Visitors to You Are Here in Jeannette will notice cosmetic updates to a hallway used for up-and-coming artist exhibits and the gallery’s popular Oh, Scrap! art materials thrift shop. Volunteers updated the flooring and replaced old carpeting in those two spots during the gallery’s annual January closure and walls have...
Saint Vincent to install electric vehicle charging station
Electric vehicle owners who drive to Saint Vincent College near Latrobe will soon be able to get a recharge on campus at a new solar-powered charging station. Saint Vincent College has partnered with the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund to acquire the Smartflower Solar electric vehicle charging station powered...
‘Natural playground’ planned at Murrysville Community Park
Carly Greene laments that some children don’t know the simple pleasure of heading to the nearest stand of trees to play in the woods. That’s the reason the director of the Murrysville Parks and Recreation Department is looking to install a natural playground at Community Park this spring. “In essence...
Greensburg YWCA marks 65th anniversary, plans a year of special events
The Greensburg YWCA is marking 65 years, and the recent anniversary celebration was just the start of the party, according to its executive director. The YWCA has been an institution in Greensburg since 1959, and its staff wants to ensure that everyone in the region knows they’re here and ready...
$2.2M fine is latest entry in Clairton’s air pollution history
Melanie Meade monitors plumes of pollution. Her hilltop home overlooks Clairton Coke Works, the largest coke-manufacturing facility in North America — and Allegheny County’s top source of air pollution. From that tree-dotted perch, Meade uses her iPhone almost daily to photograph emissions spewing from the 123-year-old plant’s coke ovens. Then...
‘This is what money smells like:’ $2.2M fine is latest entry in Clairton’s air pollution history
Melanie Meade monitors plumes of pollution. Her hilltop home overlooks Clairton Coke Works, the largest coke-manufacturing facility in North America — and Allegheny County’s top source of air pollution. From that tree-dotted perch, Meade uses her iPhone almost daily to photograph emissions spewing from the 123-year-old plant’s coke ovens. Then...
1 killed, 2 hurt during gunfire at baby shower in Pittsburgh
A 19-year-old man was killed Saturday evening and two others were hurt when gunfire broke out during a baby shower in Pittsburgh, according to police and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. City police said they were called to a location on Broadhead Fording Road in the Fairywood neighborhood at 6:15...
Gatto’s Cycle Shop celebrates 60 years in Tarentum, opens Marine Center
George Gatto is riding the wave of change. As his family-owned Gatto Cycle Shop marks its 60th year in Tarentum, it’s shifting focus to the growing popularity of boating in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Gatto’s opened a Marine Center on Saturday in its former Harley-Davidson storefront along East Sixth Avenue. “The...
Hempfield woman faces homicide by vehicle charge in connection with 2022 crash
When Betty Tinsley Wagner turned 73 in August 2022, her birthday wish was good health for her family, daughter Kim McMullen remembered. It was the last one she’d spend with them — Wagner was killed about six weeks later in a two-vehicle crash on Arona Road in Hempfield. The loss...
Fayette County man charged in fatal Redstone Township stabbing
A Fayette County man was jailed Thursday in connection with a fatal stabbing in Redstone Township. State police said Sylvester K. Conaway Jr., 54, of East Millsboro, is accused in the death of Shawn Hriscisce, 24, at a home in Redstone Township. Conaway was denied bail. He is charged with...
Nurses mark 10 years of stocking food pantry for Jeannette City school students
Longstanding support from nurses at Independence Health helps ensure Jeannette City School District students don’t go hungry when they aren’t in school buildings. The nurses on Tuesday carried cereal, canned soup, fruit cups and other packaged food items into district schools for use in backpacks provided to students before they...
High school financial literacy requirement long overdue, experts say
Rina Foley would like to see some of her peers boost their personal finance prowess. “I honestly don’t think this generation has a good knowledge of how to handle their finances,” said Foley, 21, of Leechburg, who is a senior at Seton Hill University. That’s bad for young adults and...
Support group formed to help people who might be hoarders
A new support group is starting in Westmoreland County to help people who have issues with clutter, organization and/or hoarding. The group will hold meetings and connect participants with therapy and in-home assistance through a grant from the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County to combat what organizers say is a...
Man hurt in North Side stabbing
A man was hospitalized Saturday after investigators said he was stabbed outside a North Side bar during a fight. Pittsburgh police reported being contacted by state police around 2 a.m. to search North Shore Drive for a possible crime scene after troopers located a wounded man at a Rankin apartment....
New Kensington gun store reopens; owners hope stolen guns will be recovered
The damage to Roy Berg’s New Kensington gun shop is largely fixed, and authorities say they’ve arrested the men who broke in. But the thing Berg wants most hasn’t happened yet — 22 of the guns stolen from RC Firearms on Jan. 22 remain missing and, Berg worries, may be...
Experts say voters will have the final say on register of wills’ job performance
Voters ultimately will decide whether embattled Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton can remain in her post beyond her current four-year term that started in January, political experts say. Westmoreland County judges this week intervened in the oversight of Hamilton’s courthouse office — which processes adoption and estate records —...
Gardening and growing food a form of liberation for the Black community
Amid winter’s gray skies and unpredictable temperatures, Black communities are reclaiming their narrative through gardening and growing food, a powerful act of resilience that fuels empowerment. Despite sometimes freezing temperatures, they sow seeds of change, heralding a season of growth and autonomy. Raynise Kelly and TaRay Kelly are owners of...
Harrison man accused of stealing $3,000 worth of items from Lowe’s, man’s truck
Frazer police have filed charges against a Harrison man accused of stealing more than $3,000 worth of items from the Pittsburgh Mills Lowe’s and a man’s truck in the parking lot. Terrance Guy Cichello, 49, is charged with retail theft, receiving stolen property and theft from a motor vehicle —...
The Stroller, Feb. 3, 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. Annual Shamrock Shuffle event planned in West Leechburg The St. Patrick’s...
Plum School District expands police force, hires retired borough officer
Plum School District is expanding its police force by adding a longtime borough officer who retired last year. The school board approved hiring Mike DeMarco, 51, of Monroeville. He will be paid $28 per hour. His start date had not been determined as of Thursday. His hiring increases the district’s...
‘Nostalgia’ bands draw reliable crowds, spur economic activity
Classic rock band The Guess Who took the stage last night at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, belting out hits such as “American Woman” and “These Eyes.” Nostalgia is the primary draw for bands of a certain vintage who are looking to capitalize on the magic of classic rock’s heyday....
Latrobe man accused of having child porn
A 68-year-old Latrobe man allegedly admitted to viewing child pornography on his computer that contained multiple files, including one with a girl who was sexually assaulted, according to a criminal complaint filed this week. The suspect, Dennis J. Keefe, allegedly admitted while police were searching his Miller Street residence last...
Greensburg man accused of video recording in bathroom stall at Hempfield restaurant
A Greensburg man was jailed this week after state police said he set up a cell phone to record inside a stall in a women’s restroom at a Hempfield restaurant. Victor Perez, 28, was denied bail during an arraignment Thursday on charges of child pornography, invasion of privacy and related...
Worthington man killed in 2-vehicle crash in Manor Township
Officials have identified a man killed Friday night in a two-vehicle accident along Route 66 in Manor Township. The victim was Herbert Wagner, 76, of Worthington, according to Armstrong County Coroner Brian Myers. Myers said an autopsy will be performed Monday. Wagner was killed “when the vehicle he was driving...
