Local category, Page 8

Westmoreland County government will continue to function as state funding dries up amid the ongoing budget impasse in Harrisburg, commissioners said Tuesday. Despite the uncertainty, county officials plan to keep operating essential human service programs as they await word on a pending application to the state Treasury for a $14...

The phones at Allegheny Valley Association of Churches in Harrison have been ringing off the hook for a week. Most of the callers are fearful about how they’ll feed their families if Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits are cut off Saturday as expected, said Executive Director Karen Snair....

Downtown Pittsburgh’s residential occupancy rate is nearing an all-time high as officials push for more housing in the Golden Triangle, according to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. The nonprofit community development organization in a quarterly report shared Tuesday said 93.8% of residential units are currently filled. The Golden Triangle saw a...

A new sidewalk off Route 19 in McCandless near Wexford Flats onto North Meadows Drive is another effort to create walkable connections throughout McCandless and the North Hills. A ribbon-cutting was held Oct. 17 in celebration of the completion of the North Meadows sidewalk, located along North Meadows Drive and...

Rain showers could be the real scare for trick-or-treaters this Halloween in Western Pennsylvania. Shannon Hefferan, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon, said the region will see heavy rain leading into the holiday — perhaps more than an inch Thursday. It might not let up. In the...

Pennsylvania Western University plans to furlough employees at its campuses in California and Clarion because of financial and enrollment challenges. Earlier this month, PennWest notified AFSCME Council 13 that it intends to furlough more than a dozen employees at California and Clarion beginning Nov. 16, according to the union. Union...

The brief service had already ended when a small group of Allegheny County detectives and prosecutors gathered in a close circle on the grassy hillside. Standing near Bella Seachrist’s small grave, mounded with fresh dirt and a thick stack of pink and white roses placed by mourners, they listened closely...

Parking will be easier to find at Pittsburgh International Airport as renovations near completion and the new terminal prepares to open. The renovations include two new parking areas, both within walking distance from the new terminal. A new parking garage will provide 3,800 new public parking spaces. Those who use...

After an hour of executive session at their Oct. 22 meeting, members of the Northern Regional Police Department board tabled a decision on a new police headquarters. The department, which serves Bradford Woods, Marshall, Pine, Richland and Seven Fields, currently is headquartered in the Pine Municipal Building. According to Pine...

At first, Elizabeth Hobbs thought the baseball bat a Murrysville man grabbed out of his backseat during a fight was plastic. She quickly realized it was metal as Reno James Roberts, 26, began attacking her and her boyfriend with it outside a Salem gas station Oct. 16, she said. Hobbs...

Traffic will be restricted on Route 8 in Shaler and Etna beginning Wednesday and continuing into November, PennDOT announced Tuesday. Single-lane restrictions in both directions on Route 8 between Saxonburg Boulevard and Route 28 are scheduled to start about 9 p.m. Wednesday and continue around the clock through late November....

Jessica Mauthe, the Armstrong County woman accused of concealing four dead infants in a Cadogan home she rented, is headed to court. District Judge J. Gary DeComo held her bevy of charges for trial after Mauthe appeared for her preliminary hearing in Ford City on Tuesday. Mauthe faces single counts...

Sheetz is once again hosting a concert in Western Pennsylvania, and this time it’s a Halloween-themed party at Pittsburgh Brewing Co. Located at 150 Ferry St. in East Deer, the Friday concert features the following bands:Boys Like Girls, a rock band formed in MassachusettsFeeble Little Horse, an indie rock band...

Trick-or-treating will start an hour earlier in Etna and Shaler so residents can attend the Shaler Area Titans playoff football game Friday night, the municipalities announced Tuesday. Etna and Shaler had previously scheduled their trick-or-treating from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Each will now begin at 5 p.m. “We understand...

Lisa Lambert, a longtime professor and administrator at Pittsburgh’s Chatham University, has been named the university’s 21st president. “Chatham has been a central part of my life for many years, and I am truly grateful and honored to be named Chatham University’s president,” Lambert said in a statement. “As president,...

There are six open seats on Cheswick Council, but only four of them will be contested Tuesday. But there’s a twist that could lead to the next council’s roster still up in the air after election night. Incumbents Frank Stanish and Nicholas Pollino are running for two, two-year terms, leaving...

Springdale Township officials might have to borrow money to finance projects in the next two years. “We are looking at borrowing money in a big way for major projects that we were hoping to get grants for,” said Commissioner Tim Basilone, accounts and finance director. “It looks like most of...

An anchor store leaving Hillcrest Shopping Center in Lower Burrell is another blow to the city’s business district, but officials are hopeful something else will be coming to the plaza soon. Rose’s Discount Store is scheduled to close Jan. 10, although the date is tentative, according to a Rose’s customer...

A Zelienople man died after jumping off a Pennsylvania Turnpike bridge into the Allegheny River on Tuesday morning in Harmar, police said. State police identified the man as Timothy Hilster, 57. Police and rescue workers pulled Hilster’s body from the river around 9:30 a.m. following reports of someone jumping from...

A 71-year-old pedestrian died of his injuries after being struck by a vehicle Oct. 29 in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. The incident occurred around 4:45 a.m. near the intersection of Forbes and Oakland avenues, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety officials. First responders said they found Bobby Paige, 71, of McKeesport unconscious...

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. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Volunteers needed to prepare...

An Irwin man, whose lifelong fascination with Halloween started when he was a youngster, spent two months and thousands of dollars to create a haunted audiovisual experience in his backyard. The creator of the unique experience, called the Haunted Path, is Jesse Vargo, 38, who worked with his husband, Nick...

When Dr. Sheri Mancini decided to indulge her mid-life crisis, she did it in a way that will bring smiles to others. She bought a restored 1967 Volkswagen Kombi, commonly known as a VW bus, from Brazil. “I probably can accurately say most people do love these buses. There’s something...

What’s the first rule when choreographing a sword battle between high-school freshmen? “No improvising,” said Shelby Hostetler, English teacher and co-director for the Franklin Regional Thespian Club. Hostetler is choreographing not one but multiple battles as the club prepares to stage a production of “The Lion, the Witch and the...

Former Pittsburgh Police Cmdr. Jason Lando did not want to believe what he was hearing during a shift seven years ago. Lando remembers double-checking the call that came in Oct. 27, 2018, reporting a shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. “My first reaction...