Western PA Local News category, Page 834
About 500 Penn Township residents will have new voting ward in 2024
New boundaries for Penn Township’s five voting wards are set to go into effect Jan. 1. Judge Harry Smail on Thursday approved an order authorizing the Westmoreland County Elections Bureau to revise and alter the voting districts after a months long process to redraw the boundaries. His ruling came at...
Ross adopts 2024 budget with no tax increase
Ross commissioners in December approved the 2024 township budget with no tax increase. The real estate tax rate remains at 2.7 mills, with residents owning property with an assessed value of $134,200, the median in Ross, paying the township an average of $362.34 on their tax bills. The budget includes...
Glassport man dies at Allegheny County Jail
A 41-year-old man died at Allegheny County Jail on Thursday morning, three days after he was arrested on a bench warrant. Jail officials did not name the man, but defense attorney Casey White confirmed that his client, Richard Sciubba II, of Glassport, died at the jail Thursday morning. He had...
Westmoreland commissioners blame past fiscal neglect in approving 32.5% tax hike
A 32.5% property tax increase approved Thursday by Westmoreland County commissioners was necessary, they said, to balance the county’s 2024 budget while allowing the county to preserve some fiscal reserves. Commissioners cited spiraling costs to pay off existing debt, increases in the cost of health benefits for employees and added...
Oakmont Council approves Local Remedy Brewing’s conditional-use application
Oakmont residents will see a new addition to the borough’s shopping district in 2024 after council approved Local Remedy Brewing’s conditional use application in a 6-0 vote Dec. 18. Before the vote, a public hearing was held to discuss the conditional use of the proposed site. According to borough Solicitor...
Leechburg Area superintendent announces resignation, is hired by the Penn-Trafford School District
Leechburg Area School District is losing its superintendent of seven years. Tiffany Nix submitted a letter of resignation Thursday announcing she accepted a post as assistant superintendent with the Penn-Trafford School District. “We’re very happy that Dr. Nix will be joining the Penn-Trafford team,” said Penn-Trafford Superintendent Matthew Harris. “She...
Pennsylvania Turnpike preps for 5.2M holiday drivers, up from 2022
Regional highway travel during the extended holiday week is expected to see an uptick of about 2% compared to the same time the previous year, while air travel should see a slightly higher gain. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is preparing for the increase in holiday travel on the state toll...
Snakes, lizards, spiders coming — monthly — to Pittsburgh Mills in Reptile Show & Sale
Anyone who has never had the chance to see an axolotl up close is in luck. The slippery little aquarium creature, made popular by the Minecraft video game craze, will be on display at the Pittsburgh Reptile Show & Sale making its new home at the Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer....
Oakmont Borough swears in 9th full-time patrol officer
Oakmont Mayor Sophia Facaros swore in the borough’s ninth full-time patrol officer on Monday night. After a four-month application, interview and testing process, Officer Tyler Condron was officially hired. He was up against five other applicants who completed a physical agility test, a task that commonly includes officers completing sit...
Oakmont officer recognized for exemplary service during domestic call that injured Verona chief
Oakmont police Officer Tyler Jaecke was recognized by borough council Dec. 18 for assisting the Verona Police Department during a domestic violence call Nov. 20. “(Jaecke) intervened and stopped a violent attack on a female victim and secured the scene for the victim and the injured Verona officer to receive...
5 things to do in Westmoreland: Dec. 22-24
There are plenty of festive things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend to foster the holiday spirit as Christmas approaches. The Westmoreland Museum of American Art: Cantilever Tours The Westmoreland on North Main Street in Greensburg will continue its series of free tours from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday....
‘I shot him’: Police say gunman confessed to killing popular Mogie’s Irish Pub owner in Lower Burrell
Nathan Salem waited in his truck for Mogie’s Irish Pub owner David “Mogie” Magill to get to work Thursday morning, then shot him to death and drove to Lower Burrell City Hall and confessed to the killing, police say. “I shot him,” police quoted Salem as saying when he arrived...
Son of Greensburg-area dentist who murdered wife on safari breaks silence in ‘GMA’ interview
A battle continues in Colorado federal court over the estate of a woman murdered in 2016 on African safari by her husband, a former Greensburg-area dentist. Julian and AnaBianca Rudolph — the children of 57-year-old Bianca — are seeking their inheritance, claiming they are lawfully entitled to life insurance proceeds...
Morning Roundup: Fire damages Monroeville home; Code Orange alert issued in Mon Valley
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Dec. 21: Fire damages home in Monroeville A fire severely damaged a home in Monroeville on Wednesday evening. The fire started at a home in the 700 block of Green Garden Drive around 5:30 p.m., according to TribLive...
Saxonburg borough secretary accused of shooting dog, tossing it in dumpster
Saxonburg’s borough secretary has been charged with fatally shooting his neighbor’s dog in Buffalo Township and tossing the dead animal’s carcass into a dumpster outside the municipal building where he works. Steven Thomas May, 43, of the 200 block of Goldscheitter Road was charged Wednesday with a felony count of...
The Stroller, Dec. 21, 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. Donations welcome for Leechburg PATH program The Leechburg Food Bank and...
‘Together now’: New Kensington couple, both on life support, die on same day
The family of Gerald and Nancy Stadterman takes comfort in believing the New Kensington husband and wife are together again. In a tragic turn of events, both died on the same day last week after being removed from life support at separate hospitals. Gerald Robert Stadterman and Nancy Jean Stadterman,...
Westmoreland commissioners expected to pass 32.5% tax hike
Westmoreland commissioners are expected to implement the largest county property tax increase in more than two decades when they meet Thursday morning to approve the 2024 operating budget. The proposal calls for taxpayers to see a 32.5% increase next year through two separate levies, one that will fund general government...
Man killed in Derry Township crash
A man was killed Wednesday afternoon in a one-vehicle crash in Derry Township, the Westmoreland County coroner said. Derek W. Skillings, 40, of the township, died of blunt force injuries when his southbound Dodge Caliber hit a tree after leaving the right side of Pandora Road at 2:20 p.m., Coroner...
Western Pa. faithful react to Pope’s same-sex couples edict — could bring ‘new era of openness’
For Donna Fischer, Pope Francis’ statement permitting priests to bless same-sex couples is a step in the right direction for the LGBTQ community. The Vatican released a document Monday elaborating on a letter Francis wrote to two cardinals that was published in October. The document affirms that priests can bless...
Unity man in cryptocurrency theft to lose house, begin 3-year prison sentence in January
A Unity man who is to start serving a three-year prison sentence Jan. 2 after pleading guilty to being part of a California cryptocurrency theft ring, may need a new home when he gets out of jail. The federal government intends to sell the house he purchased for $942,500 in...
Loyalhanna house gutted by fire, family left homeless right before Christmas
A Loyalhanna family of four was left homeless Wednesday afternoon by a fire that caused extensive damage to their two-story house, a fire official said. No one was injured in the accidental fire that appeared to start in the living room of the two-story Stewart Avenue home, Saltsburg Assistant Fire...
Giant Eagle to move headquarters to Cranberry
Giant Eagle plans to move its headquarters from the RIDC Park in O’Hara to Cranberry. Officials said Wednesday the company signed a long-term lease on a four-story, 100,000-square-foot building at 700 Cranberry Woods Drive in the Cranberry Woods Business Park. It declined to renew its lease at 701 Alpha Drive...
Does Colorado ruling open door for more states to bar Trump from ballots?
Experts in constitutional law believe the Colorado Supreme Court decision barring former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot in the 2024 election likely will result in similar challenges in state and federal courts across the country. “It is the quintessential example of how state courts are becoming our new...
Shrinking resource: Customers heed conservation order but Beaver Run Reservoir continues drop toward record-low level
When Barb Daugherty drives on Story Road to and from her home in Slickville, she often glances over at the Beaver Run Reservoir. The water levels for the last few months have been concerning. “It has been the lowest I have ever seen it,” she said. Daugherty feels the pinch...
