Western PA Local News category, Page 832
‘Festivus’-themed event brings local leaders together at Greensburg Hempfield library
It’s a holiday for the rest of us — and for the small businesses and local organizations of Greensburg. Representatives from both groups were among those gathered in the upper meeting room of the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library for a “Festivus”-themed networking mixer event on Dec. 13. The gathering was...
‘Cease fire now’: Pittsburgh locals gather for global solidarity vigil in support of Palestine
“Free Palestine!” and “Cease fire now!” chants could be heard in Pittsburgh’s Friendship Park on Saturday as about 100 people gathered for a solidarity vigil in support of Palestine. Hosted by two groups — Jewish Voice for Peace Pittsburgh and Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Pittsburgh...
South Buffalo police accuse man of repeatedly raping child for 9 years starting when they were 5
South Buffalo Township police accused a man of sexually assaulting a child over a nine-year period that began when they were 5. Eric Lynn Nulph, 73, of the 300 block of Troy Hill Road in Rayburn with felony counts of rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, sexual assault, involuntary...
Pine-Richland basketball game supports boy in need of bone marrow transplant
Students and basketball players from Pine-Richland and Seneca Valley are coming together to support a boy who needs a live-saving bone marrow transplant. Jax Ramirex is the 8-year-old son of Pine-Richland’s school psychologist, Dr. Missy Ramirez. He is battling a rare genetic disorder called immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked syndrome,...
1 of 2 teens killed in McCandless wreck identified
One of two teens killed in a single-vehicle wreck early Saturday in McCandless has been identified. Taylor Orlowski, 18, of Baden, died at the scene, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. A 14-year-old boy was flown to a hospital, where he died, according to Allegheny County Police. First...
Harrison commissioners fill township boards, with one oddity among the appointments
At their final 2023 meeting, the Harrison commissioners filled openings on township boards, all with defined terms — except for one. That one is a seat on the Upper Allegheny Valley Joint Sanitary Authority occupied by Commissioner Charles Dizard who continues to serve, oddly enough, until further notice. Dizard, who...
Harrison residents to pay more in sewage fees; renamed ordinance will make more sewer repairs possible
Note: The cost per 1,000 gallons used was incorrect in the original story. The corrected figures appear here. Harrison residents will not be paying more in property taxes in 2024 but will see an increase in sewage fees. Sewage fees will rise by $20 per quarter, from $1.25 per 1,000...
Initial reports indicate Columbia Gas lines not involved in Sewickley Heights explosion
Columbia Gas lines do not appear to have been involved in the Dec. 12 cottage explosion in Sewickley Heights, the state Public Utility Commission said Friday. Pipeline safety engineers from the PUC are investigating the incident which injured one person and destroyed a structure at 543 Backbone Road. “At this...
Police searching for man they suspect of stabbing woman in Carnegie
Police are searching for a Pittsburgh man they said is responsible for stabbing a woman overnight in Carnegie. Joshua Meyer, 41, is described as 6-feet, 2-inches tall and weighs about 240 pounds. He is known to frequent Carnegie and the city of Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood. He fled the scene. Allegheny...
2-year-old Oil City toddler found dead, stuffed in bag
A 2-year-old boy was found dead in Oil City, Venango County, stuffed inside a bag in a basement. The body of toddler Keaton Morrison was found Wednesday in a home along North Street, according to Tribune-Review news partner WTAE. Police said the boy’s mother, Caleigh Gladfelter, reported him missing the...
Square Cafe in East Liberty will pay $89,000 in back wages after reports of tip mishandling
Employees of a popular diner in East Liberty will be paid back wages after allegations that thousands of dollars in tips were mishandled. Square Café, along S. Highland Avenue, was investigated by the U.S. Labor Department after reports from restaurant servers, according to Tribune-Review news partner WTAE. Under federal law,...
The Stroller, Dec. 23, 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. Community safety night planned in Kiski Township A community safety night...
Longtime judge Rita Hathaway, Westmoreland’s 1st woman president judge, set to retire
Rita Hathaway was a young mother and third grade teacher in 1983 when she suspected one of her students had been the victim of abuse. When her efforts to intervene on behalf of the child went unanswered, she decided she’d never again be in a position where she couldn’t help....
Options abound for Western Pennsylvanians celebrating a dry holiday
Recovering addict Lisa Hoey of Pittsburgh’s South Side says alcohol was an integral part of her holidays. It was part of nearly every detail — from baking cookies and entertaining, to watching TV specials and wrapping gifts, said Hoey, now sober for more than two decades. An alum of O’Hara...
Holiday tree house: Ligonier Township home decked out with dozens of themed Tannenbaums
Jane Mattern decks out more than 40 Christmas trees, at least one for every day of the holiday season and for every room of her family’s expansive Ligonier Township home. The variously themed trees range from an 18-foot live Fraser fir that stretches toward the living room’s cathedral ceiling to...
U.S. Steel sale will create new jobs, spark investment in Mon Valley, analyst says
John C. Tumazos thinks unions and Pennsylvania politicians have gotten the U.S. Steel sale all wrong. The Wilkinsburg-bred metals industry analyst said Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion acquisition of the Pittsburgh-based steel icon will not trigger mass layoffs in Southwestern Pennsylvania or encourage the new owners to idle mills. Instead, the...
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy wraps up 1st project funded by parks tax
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is completing its first project partially funded by the city’s controversial park taxes, with four more projects in the works for the new year. The 0.5-mill parks tax — or $50 per every $100,000 of a property’s assessed value — was first collected in 2021 after...
Man wanted on felony gun charges arrested after barricading himself when SWAT team responds
Pittsburgh police announced Friday that fugitive wanted on felony gun charges was apprehended the previous morning with the help of a SWAT team. Pittsburgh Public Safety said city police’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit and a SWAT team executed an arrest warrant for Donald Hines Jr., 19, in the 400 block of...
Pitcairn police chief surprises Gateway students as The Grinch
Pitcairn Police Chief Scott Farally’s annual undercover assignment is quite a few steps off the beaten path. Each year, Farally can be seen around the borough in December, dressed as everyone’s favorite holiday sour-puss, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. This year, PTO parents at Dr. Cleveland Stewart Jr. Elementary arranged...
Murrysville landmark owner backs leniency for building’s arsonist
Monica Meehan sat quietly in a Westmoreland County courtroom Friday to watch the man who burned down her business, the Spaghetti & Steakhouse and Hot Rod Lounge in Murrysville, receive a state prison sentence. “It’s pretty devastating and the land is for sale now,” Meehan said. “At the time, things...
West Deer 11-year-old collects gifts for Belair nursing home residents
A West Deer boy is giving back to the community in ways bigger than himself. On Friday, Colton Petrosky, 11, distributed gift bags to more than 70 residents of Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Lower Burrell. Colton, dressed as an elf, made the rounds with Santa Claus. “I just wanted...
Fern Hollow Bridge documents reveal PennDOT’s concern over city’s lack of action
The city of Pittsburgh knew at least 11 bridges required high-priority repairs in late 2017, about four years before the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed, according to documents released by PennDOT relating to spans owned by the city. Specifically, PennDOT chided the city for dragging its feet on making priority repairs...
Arnold approves new police contract, payment for firetruck repairs
Police in Arnold will start the new year with a new contract and, officials hope, a higher and more attractive starting wage. City Council unanimously approved the new, four-year agreement during a special meeting Friday. It covers 10 officers, nine full time and one part time, who already had accepted...
2 men shot outside Lowe’s store in Waterfront
Two men were shot outside of a Lowe’s Home Improvement store at The Waterfront shopping complex Friday afternoon, police said. Allegheny police responded at 1:45 p.m. to the Lowe’s for a report of one person chasing another with a gun in the parking lot. Officers said they found a firearm...
Pine-Richland students fill 6 Toys for Tots buses
The Pine-Richland High School Student Government Association helped a local radio station beat its target goal for its annual Stuff-A-Bus program. Pine-Richland students stuffed six buses full of toys for the annual fundraiser helping 96.1 KISS FM fill a record 68 buses this year. Toy donations were collected at all...
