Franklin Regional marching band performs in Pearl Harbor parade during Hawaii trip
The Franklin Regional Panther Marching Band spent early December basking in the warm glow of the Hawaiian sun. In addition to performing in the shadow of the USS Arizona Memorial, the band also performed in the annual Pearl Harbor parade in Honolulu. Over the past decade, FR marching band members...
Ex-Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez expelled from U.S., returned to Venezuela
Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez has been returned to his native Venezuela, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Vazquez, 32, was taken to Venezuela on Dec. 1 by members of Enforcement and Removal Operations in the Philadelphia Field Office. He was convicted in Westmoreland County court in 2021...
Westbound lane closure set on Crawford Run Road in East Deer
The westbound lane of Crawford Run Road, between Duffer Lane and Clarks Pike Road, in East Deer will close next week as crews begin work on a bridge. The single-lane closure will start at 9 a.m. Monday, according to the Allegheny County Department of Public Works. Officials anticipate the lane...
Watch the Franklin Regional marching band perform at today’s Pearl Harbor parade in Hawaii
Franklin Regional Panther Marching Band members will take part in the annual Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade today in Hawaii, and school officials have provided a link to watch the parade live. Livestreaming at 9:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. in Honolulu), the parade will be the culmination of the band’s weeklong trip...
Hempfield Area makes it easier to search students with security policy update
Hempfield Area School District students and their belongings can be searched at the discretion of the superintendent under a revised policy the school board approved this week. The changes allow the district to search students and their belongings with metal or weapons detectors regardless of whether there has been a...
Video footage before Uber driver’s killing in Monroeville can be used in court, judge rules
An Allegheny County judge this week said that the Pitcairn man accused of killing an Uber driver did not have the right to privacy inside the car where he attacked the woman. Calvin Crew, 24, is scheduled for trial in the death penalty case in January before Common Pleas Judge...
Peebles VFC to participate in naloxone program
The Peebles District Volunteer Fire Company Quick Response Service program begin participating in December in a naloxone “Leave Behind” program to support victims and families of opioid overdoses. Sponsored by the state Department of Health, the statewide Leave Behind program provides a dose of naloxone, the opioid antidote, to patients...
Penn Hills School Board reorganizes
Penn Hills School Board welcomed one new member and four returning members at its final meeting of the year on Dec. 6. Incumbents Erin Vecchio, Jackie Blakey-Tate, Devon Goetze and Robert Marra swore their oath of office alongside newcomer Heather Broman. She replaces Meryl Thomas, who served on the board...
Allegheny County public libraries offer unique social work services
The Allegheny County Library Association has partnered with the University of Pittsburgh to create a Library Social Work Fellowship program that brings social services right to the library. Fellows were placed in three libraries in Allegheny County during the program’s first year. Currently, student fellows are placed in 11 libraries...
2nd lawsuit targets Lower Burrell nursing home over death blamed on rogue nurse
A second lawsuit was filed Thursday against a Lower Burrell nursing home over the death of a resident injected with a lethal dose of insulin, one of numerous victims whom authorities said were targeted by a rogue nurse during a yearslong killing spree. The 15-count lawsuit against Belair Healthcare and...
Washington County controller’s dead dog prompts investigation, records show
North Strabane police said they are investigating a possible case of animal cruelty after removing a dead dog from the home of Washington County’s top elected financial officer. A search warrant affidavit said Washington Area Humane Society received a report that a dog owned by Controller April Sloane had died...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Dec. 8-10
Chestnuts are roasting on the open fire, and Jack Frost is already starting to nip at noses. If that isn’t enough to get you in the holiday spirit, there are plenty of activities that will this weekend in Westmoreland County. Free improv workshop Leaders of StoryZ, a nonprofit theater and...
Murrysville council approves budget, beer distributor, short-term rental regulations
About $2.7 million in capital projects including road work and park improvements is funded in Murrysville’s 2024 budget. The spending plan, approved Wednesday does not include a tax increase. Property taxes will remain at 12.15 mills in the $15.6 million budget. Just under 3.5 mills dedicated for Murrysville’s capital improvement...
Community Market developer calls zoning rejection for Bloomfield site ‘arbitrary’
The developer of a proposed mixed-use housing and grocery store site in Bloomfield is challenging the city’s zoning variance rejection that stalled the project last month. O’Hara-based Echo Realty sought to increase the maximum height allowed on a site at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and the Bloomfield Bridge. Echo...
Plum School Board names new officers
Plum School Board has three new members and new officers. Newly elected to the nine-member board this year are Lindsay Arenth, Renee Richardson and Mark Stropkaj. Members Michael Caliguiri and Michelle Stepnick won reelection to their seats. Former Plum District Judge Linda Zucco swore in all five during the board’s...
Riverview caps tax increase
The Riverview School Board approved a resolution limiting the impact of a real estate tax increase while welcoming four new members. During the board’s Dec. 4 reorganization meeting, election winners Leanne Jacobs-Rohan, Roger Pogoda, Erin Shuetz and Bridget Seery were sworn in, as were incumbents Jennifer Chaparro and Antonio Paris....
Any Hempfield Area tax hike capped at 6.5% next year
The Hempfield Area School District board approved a resolution that limits any tax increase to support the 2024-2025 budget to the 6.5% ceiling set by the state. Any increase above that index would have required approval from voters in the district or the state in a process governed by a...
No tax increase for Frazer property owners
Frazer property owners won’t see a township real estate tax increase in 2024. The township supervisors on Tuesday approved a $1.13 million budget for next year, said Township Secretary Lori Ziencik. The millage rate will remain at 3.5 mills. A Frazer property owner with the median property tax assessment of...
Few remain to remember infamous Pearl Harbor attack 82 years ago today
The Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was 82 years ago today. With a death toll of more than 2,400, it was the deadliest attack on the United States prior to 9/11 and hastened the country to enter World War II. Here are a few...
New Kensington slaying co-defendant testifies shooting victim was feared
One of the seven people charged with robbery and murder of a man last year in New Kensington told a Westmoreland County jury that the shooting victim was a known drug user and thief who was feared in the community. Raquan Carpenter, 20, of Pittsburgh testified Wednesday for the prosecution...
Malnourished cat found at Pittsburgh airport begins new life with officer
A new chapter for Spirit began last week at Pittsburgh International Airport. Spirit the stray cat, not the airline. An Allegheny County Police officer stepped up to provide a home and a name for the female cat, the department reported on its Facebook page. The cat was “extremely malnourished” and...
Morning Roundup: 1 injured in fire at Fayette County business
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Dec. 7: 1 injured in fire at Fayette County business One person was injured after a fire broke out Wednesday evening at a Fayette County business, according to a county 911 supervisor. The fire was reported shortly before...
The Stroller, Dec. 7, 2023: 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. Kiski Township church to host drive-thru live Nativity A drive-thru live...
Unity man stabbed, 2 suspects identified
A gathering among friends Monday evening in Unity turned violent when a group of people stabbed a man in the leg, took his guns and $5,000, according to state police. The wounded man was taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville for treatment and charges were filed against two suspects....
Volunteers sought for North Huntingdon trail work
A North Huntingdon group is seeking volunteers to do light maintenance work from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 9 and from 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 14 on at least two trails at Braddock’s Trail Park in North Huntingdon. The Friends of Norwin Trails plans to clear existing trails and...
