Western PA Local News category, Page 817
McCormick, Casey announce big campaign hauls in U.S. Senate race
Rivals in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race raised roughly $10 million combined in the past three months, setting the stage this year for yet another huge influx of cash into a legislative race in the Keystone State. In 2022, the clash for an open Senate seat drew more than $400 million...
Power restored after St. Lad’s demo goes awry
Conrad Zylinski was in the middle of cleaning his oven Wednesday when the power to his Spruce Street home in Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood went out. He blamed crews from Minniefield Demolition Services, who are working this week to raze St. Ladislaus Church. “A guy running the crane knocked a bunch...
Hempfield Area looks to other districts to research security upgrades
Hempfield Area School District’s security committee is still its weighing options to upgrade procedures and equipment. District leaders visited three Pennsylvania schools over the past several weeks to learn what security protocols and equipment work best to keep weapons off campus, interim Superintendent Kimberlie Rieffannacht said at a meeting of...
Plum mobile home park appeals borough’s denial of expansion plans
The owner of a Plum mobile home park is appealing the borough’s rejection of its expansion plans. Plum Creek MHC filed an appeal in Allegheny County Court seeking to reverse the borough zoning hearing board’s denial of its request to add 21 manufactured home sites — for a total of...
West Leechburg firefighters take delivery of new firetruck
West Leechburg Volunteer Fire Department officials are ramping up fundraising to pay for a new custom firefighting vehicle. The department purchased a 2023 Pierce Saber Tanker for $572,000 using two loans, one from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the other from Kansas State Bank. The new truck replaces a...
Oakmont to make improvements to borough’s wastewater treatment
Oakmont residents can expect a change in their water treatment over the next few years. In 2021, borough officials began a project to improve and modernize the wastewater treatment plant on Ann Street. “With the recent improvements and upgrades to the Plum Creek Interceptor and renovation to the Plum Creek...
At-large council seat available in Tarentum
There is an at-large council seat available in Tarentum. Residents from any borough ward can apply to fill the four-year term. Council Vice President Lou Ann Homa said she’s hoping for someone who wants to help the borough succeed and is able to work with the current council. “I’d also...
Greenhouse Co-Op sells plants and cider in Greenfield
Greenfield just got a little greener — The Greenhouse Co-Op has shelves filled with plants and hooks hanging with greenery. It opened at the end of December. “We’ve had an amazing turnout our first two weekends,” said Darien Higgins of the South Side, who co-owns the business with her brother...
Historic mansion reopens as cafe in Leechburg
A long-shuttered historic mansion in Leechburg has reopened as the 1st Street Cafe. The cafe occupies the space in the building formerly known as the Addison House Restaurant & Lounge. Serving specialty coffees and homemade desserts, the cafe opens at 6 a.m. and is the retirement project of Devra Gromley...
Plum school renovation options could come with tax increase
Plum property owners could be facing another tax increase, this one to pay for school building projects. On Tuesday, financial advisers gave Plum’s school board four options to pay for potential building projects. The options would add anywhere from $117 to $275 to the annual tax bill for residents of...
Schenley Park Skating Rink will not open this season
The Schenley Park Skating Rink will not open this season because of delays installing a new chiller system, Pittsburgh officials announced this week. The ice skating rink is expected to reopen for the 2024-25 season. Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works last year began installation work on the vital refrigeration system,...
Morning Roundup: Vehicle crash lands on parked car in North Versailles; downed power lines ignite fire in Greenfield
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 10: Vehicle crash lands on parked car in North Versailles Two vehicles were significantly damaged early Wednesday morning during a crash in North Versailles. A vehicle crashed and flipped onto a parked car near the 3200 block...
Westmoreland happenings: Computer classes, turkey dinner, senior citizen news, more
Classes YWCA Westmoreland, 424 N. Main St., Greensburg, will offer several technology classes during January at the center. They are: • A cyber security workshop, 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 16. Cost: $15. • A computer basics class, 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Jan. 9, 10, 16 and 17. Cost:...
High winds leave thousands without power in Westmoreland County; more expected in Pittsburgh region
High winds Tuesday afternoon left more than 10,000 FirstEnergy customers without power in Westmoreland County. More high winds can be expected Wednesday in the Pittsburgh area, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. Sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts between 40 and 50 mph are forecast...
Murrysville library to host talk on Pittsburgh’s steel-making history
In the 1880s, the first steel mill was built in Pittsburgh. By the 1950s, the city’s top export had helped power the Industrial Revolution and supplied crucial materials during World War II. But why Pittsburgh? Susie Toman, a docent and educator with nonprofit Rivers of Steel, will explain at a...
Charah files notice to appeal injunction decision regarding boiler house in Springdale
The owner of the former power plant in Springdale has 21 days to show how an Allegheny County court erred in granting a preliminary pause to imploding the boiler house at the site. Allegheny County Judge John T. McVay Jr. ordered Tuesday that Charah Solutions has 21 days to file...
The Stroller, Jan. 10, 2024: 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. Food sale to benefit hospital auxiliary Allegheny Valley Hospital Auxiliary will...
Lawyer buys former Steelers player’s estate where retreat center had been planned
A 133-acre Ligonier Township estate owned by a former Pittsburgh Steelers player who wanted to operate a retreat center for clergy and pastors was sold to a former Pittsburgh attorney who said this week he plans to use it as a personal home. Antonio “Tony” and Amy Dias of Miami...
State Sen. Jim Brewster retiring at end of 2024
A Mon Valley political fixture is stepping down from his state Senate seat, but he insists it won’t lead to a sea change in his district. State Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, said Wednesday that he is retiring at the end of this year. He will not seek reelection. Brewster serves...
Tractor-trailer cab burns in Oakmont, no injuriesVideo
No one was injured but traffic had to be detoured when a tractor-trailer cab caught on fire Tuesday afternoon on Allegheny Avenue near the Riverside Community Church in Oakmont. Oakmont firefighters responded to the blaze just before 5 p.m., according to fire Chief Joe Flanick. The fire occurred as the...
Redcat Power working to resolve arcing transformer in Tarentum
Tarentum officials are working to resolve an arcing transformer. The malfunctioning equipment is near Third and Bridge streets. The borough’s Redcat Power staff are on the scene. “We want to assure all residents that we are fully aware of this matter and are actively responding to resolve it,” Manage Dwight...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission OKs 6-story apartment building in Bluff with murals on facade
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved plans for a new apartment building that will prominently display 10 large panels of artwork on its facade. Pittsburgh-based GSX Ventures intends to construct a six-story, 211-unit apartment building, dubbed Phoenix on Forbes, on a 1.4-acre site in the city’s Bluff neighborhood. The...
Trial begins for New Stanton man charged with bathroom rape at 2020 Halloween party
A Mt. Pleasant woman testified Monday that she intentionally kept quiet during an alleged rape in a bathroom because her daughter was sleeping in the next room. “I just left the bathroom and didn’t call out for help because my daughter was in the next room sleeping,” she said in...
Firefighters called to rescue motorist from Ligonier Township flooding; several roads closed
Flooding and downed utility lines caused the closure of several roads around Westmoreland County from Tuesday to Wednesday as a storm pounded the region with rain and high winds. Firefighters from Ligonier and Waterford were dispatched around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to assist a motorist from a vehicle in a flooded...
Strong wind topples utility poles, sparks fire in East Huntingdon
High winds Tuesday afternoon snapped three utility poles along Route 819 and caused an attic fire from the downed power lines, an East Huntingdon fire official said. The fire damaged a house adjacent to Smillie’s Family Restaurant, said Chris Brinker, an assistant fire chief for East Huntingdon. Brinker said he...
