Western PA Local News category, Page 807
Saint Vincent College eyes next step in wetlands rehab, improved stream quality
Before the arrival of the 21st century, Loyalhanna Creek ran orange through Latrobe. That was before a system of wetlands was developed next to the Saint Vincent College campus to treat water draining from abandoned mines and remove some of the iron pollutants that discolored the creek downstream. The wetlands...
Las Vegas pair get federal prison terms in fraud scheme targeting elderly Pittsburgh-area residents
Two Las Vegas men will spend time in federal prison for their roles in an international fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims including Pittsburgh-area residents. Bethel Park police, Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations were among agencies involved in a probe that led to the...
Woman sues Kennywood, says cheese from Potato Patch fries burned her hand
A Mt. Lebanon woman is suing Kennywood, alleging that she got second-degree burns after the hot cheese from her Potato Patch fries dripped onto her hand. Charmaine Charles Halsel said she was at the park around 5:45 p.m. on July 2, 2022, when she ordered the famous fries. When the...
Lawsuit alleges UPMC’s monopoly on health care harms skilled nursing staff
An Erie nurse is suing UPMC alleging that the medical system’s monopoly on health care in the region has led to depressed wages, unfair working conditions and chronic under-staffing. The lawsuit, which closely mirrors a complaint filed by two unions asking the U.S. Justice Department to investigate potential antitrust claims...
JetBlue, Spirit say they will appeal ruling that blocked merger
NEW YORK — JetBlue and Spirit Airlines said Friday they will appeal a federal judge’s ruling this week that blocked their plan to combine into a single carrier. The airlines said they filed a notice of appeal with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, following the terms of their...
Repair planned for sinkhole along Route 30 in Unity
A sinkhole along the eastbound lanes of Route 30 in Unity is slated for repair in an effort led by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Cordoned off by orange snow fencing, the sinkhole is about 15 feet from the southern edge of the highway, near the intersection of Fred Rogers Drive,...
Pittsburgh engineer played vital role in Astrobotic mission
Four more minutes, and Pittsburgh’s flailing lunar lander could have been lost in space. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic did not become the first commercial company to successfully land on the moon. But without the quick thinking of a Pittsburgh-based engineer, the company’s lander, which traveled more than 30,000 miles from Earth and...
In brief: Herald area events for the week of Jan. 22, 2024
Recycling changes in Blawnox Blawnox residents are reminded there is no curbside recycling. Those materials are to be disposed of with the regular trash. Glass recycling still is available via the bin at the O’Hara Township building. Food pantry open Jan. 26 Blawnox’s food pantry will be open from 11...
Bell Acres CEO, 81, headed to prison for tax fraud after delay requests fail to sway judge
A Bell Acres man convicted of the largest tax fraud ever in Western Pennsylvania is scheduled to report to federal prison on Monday. In September, a judge ordered Joseph Nocito, 81, to serve one year and one day in federal prison. But last month Nocito asked that his sentence be...
Ice festival opens in Ligonier
Artists from Jeannette’s DiMartino Ice will be in Ligonier on Saturday and Sunday with tools — including chainsaws — to shape multiple blocks of ice into eight giant outdoor sculptures. The carving is just element of the Ligonier Ice Festival continuing through the weekend. New sculptures will be created beginning...
26th Annual Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit postponed
The 26th annual Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit that was set to take place this weekend has been postponed due to the weather and covid concerns. A new date has not yet been announced. The Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit was founded in 1998 by volunteers of the Black & White Reunion...
Unity baker nearly makes semifinal round in Cake Boss’s ‘Greatest Baker’ contest
When Mary Ellen Raneri of Unity started helping her mother with Facebook livestreams of her cooking, she certainly wasn’t expecting the page to rack up nearly 70,000 fans. And she definitely wasn’t expecting those fans to help her make all the way to the quarterfinals of “The Greatest Baker,” a...
Carnegie Mellon University hit by cyberattack, informs 7,300 people possibly affected
Carnegie Mellon University informed about 7,300 people that their personal information may have been compromised in an August cyberattack that was quietly investigated by law enforcement and the university. The breach impacting one of the nation’s top schools for computing was acknowledged by the university as higher education in general...
Malpractice case that ensnared top UPMC surgeon settled
A medical malpractice lawsuit that pitted high-profile UPMC surgeons against one other amid romantic entanglement, secret recordings and fraud allegations has settled. Details of the settlement were not disclosed in paperwork filed Jan. 5 to end the case in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. A spokesman for UPMC, one of...
Allegheny County Airport Authority pays CEO nearly $255K bonus
The Allegheny County Airport Authority board on Friday authorized a massive bonus for CEO Christina Cassotis. Cassotis received a $254,718 bonus, equal to about 45% of her 2023 salary, airport authority spokesman Matt Neistein said. She also received a 6% pay raise, bringing her 2024 salary to just over $600,000....
Washington Township approves new gas well
CNX Gas Company officials hope residents of Washington Township won’t even notice their latest gas well. The shale gas drilling site, approved by township supervisors, is to be on previously strip-mined property east of Route 66 and north of Beaver Run Road. “Our feeling and hope are that no one...
Pine recognizes volunteer efforts
Pine supervisors recognized resident John Lombardo for his many years of volunteer service to the township at their meeting on Jan. 16. He is president of the Wexford Volunteer Fire Company and has been serving for 11 years. “John’s been a key member of the Pine community for many years....
Valley High School principal uses TikTok to share new student arrival procedure
Valley High School Principal Jon Banko is a TikTok influencer — at least in the New Kensington-Arnold School District. Many educators have made quite the name for themselves on the social media platform, racking up millions of “likes,” but Banko isn’t after fame. He’s simply looking for another way to...
Judge demands that Allegheny Health Network turn over records related to Jeannette killing
A Westmoreland County judge is demanding that Allegheny Health Network hand over medical records for a man who was killed in September 2022 in Jeannette. Judge Timothy Krieger on Friday issued a rule to show cause for why the records custodian at the health system should not be held in...
Trib Lunch Box: School delays/closings, weekend fun, Pittsburgh bridge revamps
Here are some noon headlines from the TribLive, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024: School or no school? When the heavy snow hits or temperatures reach single digits, school superintendents in Western Pennsylvania face a judgment call: To close or not to close. Court issues narrow win for gun advocates...
‘Good neighbor’ agreement helps with New Kensington oil change development
An agreement for access with a neighboring gas station gave New Kensington officials comfort in granting one of several needed approvals for an oil change facility to be built along Tarentum Bridge Road. The agreement between Valvoline Instant Oil Change and Shamey’s gas station allows for vehicles to get into...
Pittsburgh police charge 2 teens in South Side vape shop armed robbery
Police have charged two Pittsburgh teens with the armed robbery of a South Side vape shop last month. Jermaine Strong, 18, and Llaila Ahkunke, 17, wielded a shotgun and pistol when they stole cash and vape cartridges from Keystone Vapes on East Carson Street on Dec. 13, according to a...
Lunar lander from Pittsburgh’s North Side burns up in atmosphere after failed moon mission
After traveling for 10 days and hundreds of thousands of miles in space, a Pittsburgh company’s lunar lander appears to have burned up in the atmosphere Thursday afternoon after returning to Earth. The spacecraft, the first American effort to attempt a moon landing in decades, closed the book on its...
3 major Pittsburgh bridges set to get $132M in renovations
Millions of dollars in federal funds will go to help repair and upgrade three major Pittsburgh bridges, federal and state officials announced Thursday. A total of $132 million will help repair steel components, joints and bearings on the McKees Rocks, West End and Fort Duquesne bridges, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey,...
Morning Roundup: Police recover 60 animals — 10 dead — at Butler County home
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Jan. 19: Police find 60 animals — 10 dead — at Butler County home A total of 60 animals were recovered — and several found dead — when Pennsylvania State Police executed a search warrant for animal cruelty...
