2 write-ins, 2 newcomers react to Greater Latrobe School Board election win
Tom Gockel, a write-in candidate who emerged victorious in the four-year term Greater Latrobe School Board race, said he was “honored” by the unofficial election bureau results. “It shows that our messaging worked, and the voters were angry,” said Gockel, 50, of Latrobe. “They just wanted a change.” He cited...
Alleged ‘forgotten’ notebook latest disagreement in Springdale injunction case
Attorneys representing the property owner of the former power plant in Springdale are calling into question a “forgotten” notebook with “hundreds of photographs” from a site visit in October and are asking the judge presiding over the case to not allow them to be used in the hearing. Attorneys Dave...
MAWC halts fracking at reservoir as part of water conservation plan
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water conservation warning issued this week has halted fracking activity at the Beaver Run Reservoir. Authority officials on Friday said two energy companies that operate deep natural gas wells on the reservoir property will not be permitted to extract water for their operations amid...
Friends mourn the loss of 2 men found in region’s rivers
The recent deaths of two men from the Lower Valley have stunned the people who knew and cared about them. Sean Dugan, 58, of Springdale was found dead Tuesday in the Allegheny River. He had been missing since Oct. 30. The body of Jeremy Gilroy, 42, of Verona was recovered...
North Side man sexually assaulted girl over 4 years, impregnating her at 13, police say
A Pittsburgh man is accused of sexually assaulting the daughter of a woman he knew over four years, starting when the girl was 10 and impregnating her at 13. Todd Keith Summers, 30, of Northview Heights, was arraigned early Friday and taken to Allegheny County Jail after being denied bail,...
Pittsburgh tourism bounces back from pandemic freefall, new report shows
Andrew Masich said he started to notice a change last year. The Sen. John Heinz History Center president and CEO watched attendance numbers dip at the Strip District museum during the covid-19 pandemic. Then, this summer, he saw attendance soar when the Allegheny Regional Asset District provided funding allowing the...
Greensburg YMCA CEO says she will resign in January
The CEO of the Greensburg YMCA, Suzanne Printz, announced Friday that she will resign at the end of January. Printz began as CEO in April 2020, leading the Y through the pandemic and stabilizing the organization amid staffing shortages and uncertainty for nonprofits. Before being appointed CEO, she served as...
Visit with therapy dog a treat for Acmetonia fourth graders who display positive behavior
A four-legged friend visited Acmetonia Elementary School on Friday morning as part of a new initiative to reward students’ positive behavior. Elizabeth Newill, a fourth grade science teacher, has started bringing Finnegan, her 7-year-old English springer spaniel, into her classroom every two weeks as part of a positive behavior reward...
Sewickley woman not guilty of assault in crash with bicyclist
A Sewickley woman was acquitted of the felony charges she was facing the stemmed from a crash that injured a bicyclist along a South Huntingdon roadway two years ago. Kimberly Kustra, 47, was found not guilty of two felony counts of aggravated assault by vehicle. Prosecutors claimed Kustra was under...
Murrysville council advances short-term rental ordinance
Murrysville council will vote next month on an update to its ordinances governing short-term rental properties, typically booked through companies like AirBnB or VRBO. Council voted unanimously to advertise the ordinance, which would remove references to specific zoning where short-term rentals could be located, remove language requiring that a short-term...
Man shot in Pittsburgh’s North Side, no arrests made
A man was taken to an area hospital Friday morning after being shot in Pittsburgh’s North Side. Emergency crews responded to the 100 block of Sheffield Street in Manchester around 9:15 a.m. after receiving a ShotSpotter alert that six rounds had been fired in the area, police spokeswoman Cara Cruz...
New Kensington man gets 25 years in prison for distributing child pornography
A federal judge on Friday sentenced a New Kensington man to 25 years in prison for distributing child pornography, including more than 100 photos showing infants and toddlers being sexually abused. Robert Pacek, 53, pleaded guilty in December to seven counts of distributing images of children being sexually abused using...
Pittsburgh Jews concerned about next spring’s primary falling during Passover
Next year’s primary in Pennsylvania is scheduled to be held during Passover, and Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is raising alarms about how that could disenfranchise voters. The state’s primary is scheduled for April 23. Passover starts at sundown April 22 and runs through April 30. Passover has work, travel and other...
New president named at #1 Cochran
Auto dealer #1 Cochran has named a new president. Denny Patton, current vice president and chief operating officer, will succeed Rob Cochran as president. Cochran, who has held the role since 1992, will remain CEO and transition to chairman. Cochran will maintain his involvement in the business. He said the...
Police seek ID of man after robbery of First National Bank in Hempfield
State police are looking for a man who they said robbed a Hempfield bank Friday around 11:30 a.m. The man entered the First National Bank’s branch on Wendel Road, not far from Route 30, and presented a threatening note. Trooper Cliff Greenfield said the man had a handgun in his...
No property tax increase in Frazer’s proposed budget for 2024
Frazer will hold the line on real estate taxes next year. The township’s proposed 2024 budget amounts to $1.13 million, about $148,000 less than this year , said Frazer Township Secretary and Supervisor Lori Ziencik. The millage rate remains at 3.5 mills. The average property tax assessment for a home...
New Kensington basketball greats Flenory, Pipkins to be honored through names of new courts
Two New Kensington sports legends will be honored through the naming of basketball courts at the city’s new downtown park. The two courts at the park on Barnes Street will be named Court 23, in honor of Tom Pipkins, and Court 15, honoring Baron “B.B.” Flenory, Councilman Dante Cicconi said....
2023 holiday happenings in the A-K Valley
To have your community event added to this listing, send detailed information to vndnews@triblive.com. Allegheny Township • Freeport Theatre Festival will present “The Nativity — A Christmas Delight” at 7 p.m. Dec. 1, 2 and 3 at the theater located at the Steele Family Farm off Route 356 on White...
Shaler Area School Board says goodbye to its longest member
Long-time Shaler Area School Board member Jeanne Petrovich was given a heartfelt farewell from her fellow board members on Nov. 15. Petrovich has been a member of the board for the past 24 years and has had six children graduate from Shaler Area High School. Her youngest daughter graduated last...
Apollo man convicted of first-degree murder in wife’s killing
Emily and Ean Steele said a Westmoreland County jury found justice for their mother. The jury, after more than four hours of deliberations, convicted their father of first-degree murder Thursday for the May 14, 2022, execution-style slaying of 41-year-old Kelly Steele inside a U-Haul storage facility in Lower Burrell. “It’s...
Morning Roundup: Pitt police investigate air soft gun assaults; 1 injured in North Versailles crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Nov. 17. Pitt police investigate air soft gun incidents in Oakland University of Pittsburgh police said Friday they’re searching for two men they say assaulted people with an air soft gun in Oakland. Pitt spokesperson Jared Stonesifer addresses...
Murrysville reserve namesake wants to help maintain trails: ‘It just needs some attention’
Skena Nature Reserve in Murrysville is a quiet, bucolic place. As leaves on the trees start counting their final days this month, the reserve is splashed with color across its 22 acres. But if you try to go for a walk along its trails, things hit a snag — a...
Holiday events planned at McCandless Crossing in McCandless
Holiday festivities begin at McCandless Crossing on Nov. 27 with the annual Christmas Tree Lighting on the Town Green from 6 to 8 p.m. Local singer and guitarist Elias Khouri will play live acoustic holiday music from 6-7 p.m., and dancers from Michele’s Dance Center will perform from 7-8 pm....
The Stroller, Nov. 17, 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. Westmoreland County Marines to supply Christmas groceries Westmoreland County Marines will...
Experts weigh single-sex vs. coed models in light of The Kiski School’s switch
The all-boys campus The Kiski School near Saltsburg isn’t the first of its kind to make the switch to coed for economic reasons. Financial struggles related to declining enrollment continue to be the main issue for private schools, according to Gary Niels, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent...
