Lights, decorations wrap up the holiday season in the North Allegheny Area
Wrap up December with holiday fun in the North Allegheny area, including adding some unique decor to the Christmas tree. Franklin Park Borough is selling a commemorative tree ornament to celebrate its bicentennial this year. The silver ornament showcases the borough’s new logo on a stocking with the words “Franklin...
Judge nixes minimum wage hike for Allegheny County workers
An effort to establish and increase a minimum wage up to $20 an hour for Allegheny County employees was ruled invalid by a judge this week. The bill was challenged by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald after it was passed over his veto. Fitzgerald said when he filed an action...
Pittsburgh considers banning fur sales, horse-drawn carriage rides, foie gras
Animal-rights legislation being considered by Pittsburgh City Council would ban fur sales, horse-drawn carriages and the French delicacy foie gras in the city. The would-be ban on fur sales and manufacturing is needed because of the “tremendous suffering” that millions of animals face each year when they are killed for...
Bell ringers critical to Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, ringing opportunities exist in Pittsburgh’s North Suburbs
This updated version corrects the addresses of the Walmart and Kuhn’s stores where bell ringers can sign up for a shift. Back in the 1800s, when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was a sailor back in Liverpool, England, there was a big iron kettle called “The Simpson’s Pot” where passersby...
Craft show rings in season at Divine Mercy Academy in Monroeville
It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Divine Mercy Academy, especially when Santa Claus descended down a flight of steps. “That’s a lot safer than a chimney,” Eddie Hollinger, playing the part of St. Nick, observed. He was headed from the Monroeville school’s gymnasium to the downstairs...
Youngwood bartending school featured on ‘World’s Greatest’ show
A Youngwood business that trains students in high-end bartending, service, sommelier skills and even the basics of owning and operating their own bar will be featured on national television. Wines, Steins & Cocktails was chosen by the “World’s Greatest” series as “World’s Greatest Professional Bartender School” and will be part...
Norwin OKs 6.8% state set cap on any possible tax hike
Property owners in the Norwin School District will not see a tax increase for the 2024-2025 school year that is more than the state-permitted maximum of 6.8%. The Norwin School Board this week unanimously adopted a resolution that it would not seek to raise taxes higher than the amount determined...
Ross man gets probation for threatening congresswoman, senator
A Ross man who federal prosecutors said threatened members of Congress will serve a year of probation, including six months on house arrest. Harry E. Miller, 65, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab. Miller was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2021 and charged with...
Gateway School Board caps tax increase, elects president
An increase in Gateway School District’s real estate tax rate is capped at 5.3% for 2024. The school board voted Dec. 5 to approve a resolution vowing not to exceed the index established for the district by the state Department of Education. Legislation adopted as Act 1 of 2006 calls...
Fox Chapel Area School Board reorganizes
The Fox Chapel Area School Board conducted its annual reorganization meeting Dec. 4, and members re-elected three of the board’s top officers. Marybeth Dadd was re-elected president; Ronald P. Frank as vice president and Vanessa K. Lynch as assistant secretary. Board members re-elected in the November election — Dadd, Frank,...
Fox Chapel, Jewish Spark to host community Menorah Lighting
The Jewish Spark and Fox Chapel Borough will host the Fox Chapel Community Menorah Lighting 5 p.m. on Dec. 13 at the Fox Chapel Borough Building, 401 Fox Chapel Road. A state-of-the-art Menorah display will feature LED lights. Area dignitaries will be present for the event, which is free and...
Former Pa. state cop sentenced to federal prison for child porn offenses
Sean R. McKenzie said he joined the Pennsylvania State Police in 2008 in hopes of doing good and helping others. Instead, he did the exact opposite, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Grogan. McKenzie, 39, was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years in a federal prison on child pornography possession charges....
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in Sewickley, South Huntingdon
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This is the final installment of the 25-part series.) South Huntingdon and...
‘At the right place, at the right time’: Go Laurel Highlands recognizes 9 photo contest winners
For Connie Weyant, the photograph that placed her in the top nine of Go Laurel Highlands’ annual photo contest took years of patient waiting. Weyant, of Somerset, has been observing Somerset Lake for about eight years in search of a bald eagle. She’s received countless calls from friends, pointing her...
Toys for Tots requests up more than 40% over last year
Toys for Tots groups in some areas are seeing a more than 40% increase is requests over last year, a situation they say stems from a number of economic factors. “There’s a higher need for gifts for families in need,” said Jennifer Neilen, Allegheny Valley chapter Toys for Tots coordinator....
Holiday market returns to Westmoreland Museum for 2023 season
Anyone looking for unique, homemade gifts will find plenty at the Holiday Mart in the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg this weekend. The annual event brings local artisans together to show off and sell their creations. Booths spill out into the lobby and first level of the museum,...
Allegheny County Executive-elect Sara Innamorato focusing transition on community input
With less than a month until she takes office, Allegheny County Executive-elect Sara Innamorato is undertaking a large transition effort with a focus on gathering community input from across the county. “I want the county’s priorities to be the community’s priorities,” Innamorato told a crowd of about 200 people at...
Westmoreland happenings: Cookie walks, holiday concert, Christmas bingos, more
Church news • Greensburg Church of the Brethren will host a night of fun and fellowship for individuals and groups with developmental disabilities from 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays at the church, 554 Stanton St. Dinner is included. Participants must be accompanied by a family member or caregiver. Donations will...
Ross tables 2024 budget adoption, vote rescheduled
Ross Township commissioners tabled their vote to adopt the township’s official budget and millage rate for 2024 Monday night. Township manager Ronald Borczyk said that there are some adjustments that need to be made to the budget before it is finalized and voted on. “We evaluated some expenses and found...
$10M to go toward affordable housing programs in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh City Council has approved a $10 million budget for a trust fund supporting affordable housing programs in the city. The amount of money provided to the Housing Opportunity Fund in 2024 could be adjusted in the coming weeks as City Council finalizes the city’s budget, Councilman Bruce Kraus, D-South...
Pitt grad identified as fatal shark attack victim in Bahamas
A University of Pittsburgh alumna was attacked and killed by a shark while vacationing with her husband in the Bahamas. Lauren Erickson Van Wart, a 44-year-old Boston resident, was paddleboarding with her husband on Monday when she was bitten by a shark, according to Royal Bahamas Police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson....
Power outage closes Rostraver Elementary
A power outage caused Rostraver Elementary School to close on Wednesday, Belle Vernon Area School District officials announced. According to an alert on the district website, the outage occurred at 6:30 a.m. and affected multiple systems in the building, including HVAC, security, phones and internet access. “This is not a...
Vandergrift businesses unite with public fundraiser to benefit library
Some Vandergrift business owners are hoping their new initiative to raise money for the borough’s library can revamp how the town thinks about supporting its nonprofits. Throughout the year, customers at Chris Kakias’ G&G Restaurant had the option to donate to the Vandergrift Public Library through a wall-mounted box placed...
Rankin police chief dies
Rankin police Chief Jeremi Gregory died Tuesday, the borough announced on its Facebook page. “Chief you will be greatly missed and remembered by all,” the borough posted. Officials didn’t indicate the cause of Gregory’s death or his age. Gregory served with the borough department since July 2018, according to his...
Man shot by Pa. Attorney General’s agents at Pittsburgh’s Greyhound station
A man was in critical condition Wednesday after two state Attorney General’s Office agents shot him at the Greyhound bus station in Downtown Pittsburgh, police said. Two men began fighting on a bus around 6:40 a.m. and their altercation continued outside on the station’s concourse, police spokeswoman Cara Cruz said....
