Western PA Local News category, Page 837
Westmoreland juvenile detention center on track to fully reopen soon
Westmoreland officials said Monday hiring efforts could result in a full-scale reopening of the county’s juvenile detention center next month. The 16-bed secure detention center at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield was closed in June amid staffing shortages and state inspections critical of employment levels and training. It...
Pittsburgh City Council approves 2024 budgets, taxes remain unchanged
Budgets adopted Monday by Pittsburgh City Council won’t result in a tax increase next year. The $686 million operating budget and $158.7 million capital budget have been largely unchanged since Mayor Ed Gainey formally introduced them last month. Council made a series of tweaks last week, including giving themselves a...
Plum High School prepares for annual Make-A-Wish telethon
For more than 20 years, students in the Plum School District have staged a telethon benefiting Make-A-Wish. After collecting about $57,500 last year and topping a lifetime collection of $1 million in 2021, they’re anticipating collecting less this year, said Rick Berrott, a TV production teacher and co-sponsor of the...
Medical forum cites holes in child abuse prevention programs
A sweeping slate of child protective services laws adopted 10 years ago in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal stretched the state’s safety net, creating areas for vulnerable children to fall through, a report released Monday concluded. The report, from the Keystone State Child Abuse Medical Forum,...
Tarentum taxes hold steady; utility costs climb
The good news for Tarentum residents is that property taxes will remain the same for the 20th consecutive year. The bad news is utility costs are going up. That includes garbage, water and electricity. Councilwoman Carrie Fox said the increases mostly are because of rising supply costs and contractual obligations...
Westmoreland municipal authority issues mandatory water conservation order
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County on Monday ordered more than 56,000 customers served through Beaver Run Reservoir to reduce water use by 10%. The mandatory conservation order impacts about half of the authority’s water customers, including most who live north of Route 30. Those locations, along with some in...
7 scammers who victimized Western Pennsylvanians indicted by federal authorities
Seven people have been indicted in a $3 million sweepstakes scam federal authorities said targeted people older than 75 in the western half of Pennsylvania and elsewhere across the country. The money ultimately made it to Jamaica, where it was withdrawn by people who are accused of being part of...
Burger King to reopen in Harrison
Anyone craving a Whopper soon will be able to have it their way again — and in a familiar Harrison location. Burger King at 1509 Freeport Road, in the heart of the Natrona Heights business corridor, is opening in the same location that formerly operated as a Home of the...
Comprehensive Healthcare nursing homes found guilty of fraud, but executives acquitted
A federal jury on Monday found two nursing homes guilty of health care fraud but exonerated all five of their executives charged in the scheme. The mixed verdict was returned at 11:15 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh following a five-week trial that featured 29 government witnesses. The two...
Separate vehicle crashes over the weekend in Penn Hills — 1 of them sends 9 to hospitals
There were two significant vehicle crashes in Penn Hills over the weekend. On Saturday evening, a crash sent nine people to area hospitals, according to Penn Hills EMS. The crash occurred at the intersection of Allegheny River Boulevard and Sandy Creek Road. TribLive news partner WTAE reported that Allegheny County...
‘More than just a class’: Westmoreland Performing Arts offers support, community through special ability theater group
Isaac Klimchock knew what to do when his castmates missed their cue. He had just finished a scene with Chris Henderson, and audience applause echoed off the walls of Science Hall Theater at Westmoreland County Community College. Klimchock and Henderson waited, and waited, for fellow actors to join them for...
WATT Fuel Cell extends lease at former Lenox plant in Mt. Pleasant Township
A company that makes advanced fuel cells has signed an extended lease agreement with the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. to continue operations at the Mt. Pleasant Glass Centre. WATT Fuel Cell Corp. has leased space in the park in 2014 and this month agreed to remain at its more...
Jeannette groups unite for revitalization effort
Four entities are creating a partnership aimed at revitalizing Jeannette. City council approved a measure Thursday to join the Jeannette Redevelopment Authority, Jeannette Business Association and Jeannette Initiative in creating the partnership. Having the partnership in place will help with applications for assistance from the state Department of Community and...
In brief: Monroeville area happenings, week of Dec. 18, 2023
Christmas community dinner Christ the Divine Shepherd Parish will host a free Christmas community dinner on Dec. 25 in the Lourdes Center at 245 Azalea Drive, Monroeville. Dinner will be served from 12:30 to 3 p.m., or until the food is gone. Ballot security presentation At the regular monthly meeting...
U.S. Steel to be bought by Japanese company for $14.9B, but will keep name, Pittsburgh HQVideo
U.S. Steel would retain its name and headquarters in Western Pennsylvania under a $14.9 billion deal announced Monday with Japan’s largest steelmaker, but ownership of the venerable Pittsburgh company would be shipped overseas. The deal comes after months of speculation and U.S. Steel weighing multiple offers from suitors. In the...
Snow showers expected across Pittsburgh region
Forecasters say winter travel conditions are expected Monday afternoon across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Winter weather alerts will start around 1 or 2 p.m., according to TribLive news partner WTAE, with the heaviest snowfall expected along the Interstate 80 corridor and the Laurel Highlands in the eastern sections of Fayette, Indiana and...
Tradition of Christmas caroling alive and well in Western Pennsylvania communities
When Jena Arcuri, Michael Sawhook and Kris Choltco were brainstorming fun family ideas for the holidays in their New Kensington neighborhood last year, they realized some of the neighborhood children likely have never participated in one specific time-honored holiday tradition. “We thought it would be cool to get them to...
Lower Burrell recognizes outgoing treasurer and controller
Lower Burrell said farewell to two elected officials who, collectively, have served more than 50 years in office. This month’s council meeting was the last for City Controller Tony Farina and Treasurer Brian Eshbaugh. Eshbaugh, 62, has been an elected official in Lower Burrell for 28 years — 12 years...
The Stroller, Dec. 18, 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. Help available for veterans A veterans service officer will be available...
Forbes Road students to receive state recognition for cybersecurity program
Matthew Goss, 17, of Monroeville was part of a group of Forbes Road Career & Technology students who developed a presentation educating people on cybersecurity and recognizing online scams. But scammers are good. So good, they almost got Goss. “I had an Amazon package that hadn’t arrived yet, and I...
Steelers cut practice squad player after domestic violence arrest
The Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday released a player from their practice squad several hours after police charged him with assaulting his girlfriend. Pittsburgh police said Tariq M. Carpenter, 24, threw his live-in girlfriend to the ground and held her down against her will during an argument around 8 a.m. in...
Scenes from the Valley: Images captured in the Alle-Kiski Valley from Dec. 7-13, 2023
Here is a weekly look at recent images captured throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley. From major news events to routine gatherings, the Tribune-Review’s “Scenes from the Valley” photo package brings to life activities and moments happening in your backyard. To have a photo considered as a “Scenes from the Valley” candidate,...
Faces of the Valley: Brackenridge’s Carter Anderson goes for the gold in powerlifting competitions
Highlands junior Carter Anderson admits he was a bit nervous stepping into the arena at the Villanova Fall Festival, a three-day competition that is the largest student-run Special Olympics event in the world. The 17-year-old vied for the powerlifting title in his 120-pound weight class in three categories — dead...
Remember When: Tarentum YMCA was gift to borough from Pittsburgh Plate Glass founder
Anyone who uses the Tarentum Bridge has seen the large, red brick building at East Seventh Avenue and Ross Street. It’s hard to miss the black panther sign, Gatto Cycle Shop’s logo, painted on its side. But before the Gatto family acquired the building in the late 1980s, it was...
Man hurt in dirt bike crash on South Side
A man was reported hospitalized in critical condition Saturday night as a result of injuries he suffered in a dirt bike collision on Pittsburgh’s South Side, Pittsburgh police said. The driver, who was not identified, was found lying on East Carson Street between South 11th Street and South 12th Street...
