Westmoreland happenings: Vendor show, pancake breakfast, blood drive, more
Fundraisers • St. Barbara Parish will host bingo at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 8 at the church, 111 Raymaley Road, Harrison City. Doors open at 5 p.m. Admission starts at $27; extra packages, $5. There will be free coffee, early birds, quickies, an all-nighter, 50-50 and games of chance. The...
Morning Roundup: Record-low temperature nearly reached in Pittsburgh
Here are some of the latest news items on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023: Near record low temperature in Pittsburgh It was an unseasonably cold morning in the Pittsburgh area Thursday and the record-low temperature of 25 degrees, set in 1879 and reached again in 1905, was nearly reached shortly before...
EMS directors: Reimbursement legislation ‘a step in the right direction’
Recent state legislation will increase the reimbursement local ambulance services receive when treating Medicaid patients, but EMS directors said they still are running in the red most of the time. “Every little bit helps,” said Darrick Gerano, director for Murrysville Medic One. “Any increase we can get from any insurance...
The Stroller, Nov. 2, 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. Valley HS to present fall play The Valley High School Drama...
Inflation, end of additional covid-era SNAP benefits increase need for food pantry assistance
Every month, volunteers at the Mt. Pleasant Area Food Pantry see more and more unfamiliar faces. “This is the busiest we’ve ever been. Not just my pantry but every pantry,” said Marie Ochaba, head coordinator of the pantry at Church of God on West Main Street. “I’m probably signing up...
6 candidates compete for 5 seats on Greater Latrobe school board
On the heels of Greater Latrobe school board’s passage of a multi-million dollar revitalization plan that will raise taxes through 2039 is the Nov. 7 general election. Six candidates are vying for five, four-year seats on the board. The incumbents include: Susan Mains, who is seeking a ninth term, Michael...
New Pittsburgh community office responds to homelessness, overdoses, mental health crises
Pittsburgh’s Office of Community Health and Safety has responded to more than 3,000 incidents citywide since its 2021 launch, according to information presented to City Council. The office is tasked with addressing various community needs, including mental and behavioral health crises, overdose incidents and homelessness, said Assistant Director Camila Alarcon....
Free Thanksgiving Dinners in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Free Thanksgiving dinners are being offered in several communities in the Valley. Please note the reservation deadlines. Brackenridge A community Thanksgiving dinner will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Salvation Army, 917 Brackenridge Ave. Dine in or takeout. No reservations required. Dinners scheduled on Thanksgiving Day...
U.S. Steel to cut more than 100 workers related to IT
U.S. Steel is laying off more than 100 workers as the Pittsburgh steel maker changes its IT operations. According to a WARN notice filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the Pittsburgh steelmaker is letting go of 105 workers, primarily at a location on the South Side. U.S....
Hempfield Area School Board approves temporary superintendent who will hold the reins until January
The Hempfield Area School District will have a temporary top official for the next two months while Superintendent Tammy Wolicki takes a leave of absence. Kimberlie Rieffannacht, assistant superintendent for elementary education, will fill the superintendent’s role until Wolicki’s scheduled return on Jan. 5. The board made the move 7-0...
Pittsburgh Police seek public assistance in locating missing, at-risk teen
Pittsburgh police are seeking the public’s help in finding a missing teenager who they say is at risk. Twyla Hamilton, 17, was last seen Oct. 29 along Fleury Street in the city’s Homewood neighborhood, Public Safety spokeswoman Emily Bourne reported Wednesday. She stands 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 220...
2 tractor-trailers crash on Turnpike, block eastbound lane near New Stanton
No injuries were reported when two tractor-trailers crashed Wednesday evening in the eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike east of New Stanton. The crash was reported at about 8:45 p.m. near mile marker 77. Eastbound traffic remained restricted to a single lane at about 10 p.m., according to turnpike spokesperson...
Plum’s new outdoor amphitheater to get 1st use for Christmas at Plum Creek
Plum residents who haven’t been by the new municipal center for a while will get to see its latest amenity during the borough’s annual Christmas event. The borough is putting the finishing touches on a new amphitheater outside the municipal center on Old Mine Road. It will be used for...
Case of missing Springdale man remains unsolved
Attempts to find a missing man in Harmar on Wednesday were unsuccessful, authorities say, and the investigation will return to the hands of Springdale police. Sean Dugan, 58, was reported missing by Springdale police Monday. That evening, Harmar police saw Dugan’s car, an Acura sedan, along Gulf Lab Road at...
Customers flock to Castle Toys and Games for retirement sale in Oakmont
Castle Toys and Games, a store that has stood in Oakmont for five years, attracted a lot of attention after starting a sale when co-owners Jeff and Linda Lyden announced their plans to retire at the end of 2023. The fate of the toy store is unknown. The store is...
Saxophonist brings 6 decades of musical dedication to Monroeville concert
The sounds emerging from his father’s bedroom prompted young Calvin Stemley to knock on the door one day. How was it, the boy wondered, that Zackery Stemley Jr. could produce dazzling melodies just by using the three buttons on his trumpet? “Instead of him answering the question, he said, ‘Have...
Pittsburgh political consulting firm hit with lawsuit alleging sexual assault
A former employee at an influential political consulting firm claims in a federal lawsuit that management took no action after she reported she was sexually assaulted by her supervisor at a Pittsburgh restaurant. The complaint against Pittsburgh-based ColdSpark Media, initially filed in August and amended last month, includes claims for...
Equitrans gas pipeline firm faces criminal charges in connection with 2018 Greene County house explosion
After a two-year investigation into a 2018 house explosion in Greene County that left a family homeless, the state Attorney General’s Office announced criminal charges against Equitrans Midstream Corp., accusing the company of failing to fix a natural gas leak that led to the blast. A couple and their 4-year-old...
Trial for 6 charged in New Kensington man’s fatal shooting set for December
Jury selection for six defendants charged with homicide in connection with the July 2022 shooting death in New Kensington will begin Dec. 4. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said all of the men and teens accused in the alleged murder of 39-year-old Jason Raiford at Valley Royal Court...
Westmoreland County students tour Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, prepare for design challenge
Madison Labuda likes to learn how things work. When Mt. Pleasant Area High School’s gifted program announced an opportunity to tour Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity and participate in a design challenge, she could not pass it up. “To be here and tour (the airport) and learn how all...
First-ever Cookie Walk to benefit Cooper-Siegel, Sharpsburg community libraries
Sharpsburg Community Library Clerk Jamie Cozza loves to bake, but she enjoys a sweet treat even more when it comes from someone else’s kitchen. She plans to stock up on her favorite, peanut butter kiss cookies, during the first-ever Cooper-Siegel and Sharpsburg community libraries Cookie Walk. The event, 1 to...
North Allegheny eliminates safety and security manager position
Members of the North Allegheny School Board showered district Safety and Security Manager Dan Stack on Oct. 25 with words of appreciation just moments before voting to eliminate his position. Stack has been the safety and security manager for the North Allegheny School District since July 2021. But the board...
Foxwall EMS Chief Tony Cuda recalled as mentor, inspiration for departments across the A-K Valley
Emergency services lost a giant in the field with the death of Foxwall EMS Chief Tony Cuda on Oct. 28, according to friends and peers. Cuda, 54, served with numerous local departments, from Swissvale to Aspinwall to Penn Hills, inspiring countless members with his mentoring and benchmark of excellence. Service...
Lower Burrell man accused of forging check from Wexford business
A Lower Burrell man who is serving probation for selling a fatal dose of drugs in 2018 is accused of stealing nearly $3,000 from a Richland business by altering and cashing a check he stole from its mailbox. Northern Regional Police charged Donald Keith Lewandowski, 39, of the 100 block...
2 incumbents face 3 newcomers in West Deer race for 3 supervisor seats
Five candidates are vying for three open supervisor seats in West Deer. The board consists of five members, with four-year terms. Supervisors are limited to two terms, as stated in the township’s home rule charter. Incumbent Republican Vernon Frey will appear on the ballot for voters in District 1 in...
