Record 200.4 million people shopped between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday
With many retailers closed on Thanksgiving, Black Friday sales events have been repeating how they started — with caffeine-fueled customers lining up in the early hours to snag doorbuster deals, rather than leaving the turkey and stuffing early to start their holiday shopping. At Westmoreland Mall in Greensburg, not opening...
Slice it up: Italian Village Pizza near Aspinwall serves pieces of the pie
It all started in 1980 with one slice of homemade dough with fresh tomato sauce and melted cheese cut into a triangle. Now, 43 years later, the 16 Italian Village Pizza shops in Western Pennsylvania have hit the 100 million mark — a 100 million slices of pizza sold. “That’s...
Outgoing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald gets new job
Outgoing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has found a new job that will keep him in the Pittsburgh region and have a similar role in guiding investment and economic policy. Fitzgerald will be named the new executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the federally designated metropolitan planning organization in...
Springdale native’s confessed killer gets life in prison
The man who pleaded guilty to killing a former Springdale man in a jealous rage will spend the rest of his life in prison. Samuel Tolfa, 34, of Hopewell, Beaver County, agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and serve a mandatory prison term of life without parole in connection...
Monroeville Public Library hosts winter shopping market Dec. 2
Shoppers can meet all their holiday baking, entertaining and gift-giving needs at the Friends of Monroeville Public Library’s winter shopping market from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 2 at the library, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd. Unique handmade gifts, items that help others and homemade treats will be available from local...
Man accused of having gun, narcotics in car pulled over by Arnold police ordered to stand trial
A man accused by Arnold police of selling drugs and carrying a gun illegally has been ordered to stand trial on felony charges. Charles Lawrence Bacon, 18, of the 500 block of Marion Street in East Deer was charged Nov. 20 with two counts of possession of drugs with the...
Winfield woman spreads Christmas magic with Letters to Santa mailbox
A Winfield woman is channeling her inner elf to assist Santa, one letter at a time. For a second year, Kathy Kemp has set up a Letters to Santa box on her front lawn, providing a public drop-off spot for anyone wishing to pen a letter to Santa. “The corner...
Pittsburgh Fire Bureau looks to boost recruitment of women
The Pittsburgh Fire Bureau is working to boost recruitment efforts, particularly for women, according to Chief Darryl Jones. A performance audit released this week by City Controller Michael Lamb found that last year fewer than 1% of the bureau’s roughly 700 firefighters were women. The national average was around 5%,...
Plum property owners face nearly 40% tax hike in proposed budget
Plum property owners could see their property taxes increase by almost 40% under the borough’s proposed $25.1 million spending plan for 2024. Council is considering setting the borough’s total real estate tax rate at 6.63 mills, interim borough Manager David Soboslay said. That would be a 38.7% increase over the...
North Allegheny exploring creation of 1 campus for senior, intermediate high schools
The North Allegheny School Board is planning its next steps for a possible high school renovation, and there seems to be interest in creating one campus for both the senior and intermediate high schools, said board Director Richard McClure, the board representative to the building and grounds committee. Currently, the...
New Public Works facility in Pittsburgh’s South Hills won’t be ready in time for this winter
A new Public Works facility that was supposed to bring snow plows, road salt and other supplies to Pittsburgh’s South Hills neighborhoods won’t be ready in time for this winter. The facility has been delayed repeatedly. The project has been in the works for more than six years, but has...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Dec. 1-3
The holiday season is in full swing. Instead of bundling up by the fire, here are five things to get you out and about in Westmoreland this weekend. Holly Jolly Christmas From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, the annual Holly Jolly Christmas returns to downtown Latrobe. The event will...
Latrobe city council members look toward future, goals for terms
Write-in votes have prevailed once again in Latrobe — this time on city council. Dawn Vavick, program and aquatics director at Greater Latrobe Parks & Recreation, started a write-in campaign when she realized there were two names on the ballot for three seats. “I was chatting with friends, and they...
Holiday celebration slated to ‘start the season’ in Scottdale with house tour, vendors, parade
Scottdale’s holiday celebration will take on a new meaning this weekend as the borough continues to mark its 150th anniversary. Start the Season day, slated for Saturday, will feature a vintage house tour, vendor markets and a parade, said Tom Zwierzelewski, president of the Scottdale Historical Society. “We’re working on...
Morning Roundup: Woman scammed out of $54,000; police arrest man they say was involved in hit-and-run
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Nov. 30: Lawrence County woman scammed out of $54,000 A Lawrence County woman lost $54,206 to a scammer pretending to be with Publishers Clearing House. According to TribLive news partner WTAE, the scammer told the woman she had...
Beaver County man to serve at least 36 years in prison for shooting Pennsylvania State Police trooper
A Beaver County man convicted of shooting Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Jonnie Schooley in 2022 was sentenced to at least 36 years in prison. Damian Bradford was sentenced Wednesday. His maximum sentence is 73 years, TribLive news partner WTAE reported. Bradford was convicted on multiple charges, including attempted criminal homicide,...
The Stroller, Nov. 30, 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. Show to benefit local Toys for Tots collection Lower Burrell American...
Stores, police work to combat retail theft as holidays approach
Holiday shopping in some local stores will look a little different this year. With reports of retail theft on the rise, some retailers are placing some inventory under lock and key, requiring customers to contact a store employee to access certain merchandise. The measures are aimed at reining in what...
Norwin grad’s memoir shares struggles, hope after rare cancer diagnosis, remission
LeeAnn Tripp is a rare survivor of a normally fatal form of cancer. It was a rare occurrence when the North Huntingdon native was diagnosed as an adult with a deadly brain cancer normally found in no more than 300 U.S. children each year. She has beaten the odds again...
No students injured when Franklin Regional bus hits house
A Franklin Regional school bus driver was transported by ambulance after the bus struck a home in Murrysville on Thursday afternoon, according to county emergency officials. First responders were called to the intersection of Northlawn Circle and Longview Drive after the bus struck a house while making a turn onto...
North Allegheny School Board approves multiple personnel changes at special meeting
The North Allegheny School Board approved a slew of top personnel changes at a special meeting Nov. 29 amid calls by some community members that the board should delay the vote until next month. “No one should be voting on this tonight. No one should be voting at this meeting,”...
Highland Area Rotary Club gets into holiday spirit by hosting 35th Annual Alle-Kiski Choral Festival
The Highland Area Rotary Club kicked off the Christmas season Wednesday as it hosted the 35th Annual Alle-Kiski Choral Festival at Highlands High School in Harrison. Choruses from Highlands, Burrell, Springdale and Freeport Area high schools sang Christmas and seasonal songs, both solemn and festive. For the finale, as is...
Route 136 reopens in Hempfield following mobile home fire
Route 136 reopened around 9 p.m. Wednesday night in Hempfield, after crews knocked down a truck fire which had spread to a nearby mobile home, according to a Westmoreland 911 supervisor. First responders were called to a house trailer near the intersection of Route 136, Ladysmith and Beeno roads around...
East Hills man gets 25 years for armed robbery spree
An East Hills man who went on a nine-day armed robbery spree in the east suburbs last year has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, federal officials said. Eric Jones, 34, of Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood was sentenced Wednesday, according to U.S. District Attorney Eric Olshan. He had pleaded...
Independence Health sees about $23 million in losses over 3-month period
Independence Health System operated at a deficit of almost $23 million between the beginning of July and the end of September this year, according to recently released reports. The shortfall is an extension of the downsliding pattern that the combined health system — made up of subsidiaries Excela Health and...
