Local category, Page 861

A 32-year-old man died at the scene of a two vehicle crash Tuesday on Route 422 in Summit Township, Butler County, state police said. According to Butler County Deputy Chief Coroner John Hanovick, the victim was identified as Dominick Recupero of Kittanning, according to Tribune-Review news partner WTAE. The crash...

Ted Kopas didn’t need directions to get to work Tuesday morning. Kopas, a Democrat who lives in Hempfield, was sworn in to office as a Westmoreland County commissioner. He takes over the minority role on the county’s board of commissioners from Democrat Gina Cerilli Thrasher, who left office a day...

A Westmoreland County judge ruled Tuesday that a man charged in connection with a fatal shooting in an Upper Burrell bar nearly two years ago is competent to stand trial. Police claim Daniel Moles, 77, of Lower Burrell shot and killed 31-year-old Randy Jenereaux at Woodpeckers Pub & Grub tavern...

Friends of Flight 93 will partner with the National Park Service to host the dark sky program Friends Under the Stars on Aug. 11 at the Flight 93 National Memorial. Astronomy clubs from Cumberland and Hollidaysburg will be there for a viewing of the Perseid meteor shower. The event will...

A plan to alleviate medical debt for some Pittsburgh residents received approval Tuesday from City Council. The city will use $1 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to contract with a company that will buy dischargeable health care debt from hospitals and forgive the debt of tens of...

The longer the Legislature goes without passage of a budget for Pennsylvania, the more likely it is that services which depend on its annual funding appropriations will be disrupted. State Rep. Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, is of the mind that legislators should be feeling that same disruption. “By law, we’re supposed...

A pilot program approved Tuesday by Pittsburgh City Council will have city crews repair damaged and heavily used sidewalks for residents at a lower cost. Under city law, landowners are responsible for sidewalk maintenance on their properties. The one-year pilot program, introduced in July, will prioritize sidewalks that are heavily...

The unemployment rate in the Pittsburgh area inched down to 3.9% during the month of June, a new record low. The drop of two-tenths of a percentage brings the rate to the lowest point since 1976, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Labor & Industry. David...

Fitness can be fun. That’s the message from a New Kensington business owner promoting a fitness festival for all ages in downtown New Kensington. Cullen Maag, owner of BodyWork412 on Fifth Avenue, is the organizer of the annual NK5K Fitfest. This year, the physically themed event returns from 9 a.m....

Downtown Latrobe will be pretty in pink Wednesday for Flamingo Bingo Shop Hop Night. Festivities will start at 4 p.m. in the Latrobe Parklet located at the corner of Main and Ligonier Streets. Emily Pasqualino, founder of Latrobe Shop Hop Nights, will be DJing, leaning on Caribbean and reggae music...

Armstrong County officials apparently intend to retain ownership of Gilpin/Leechburg Park. In January, Armstrong County commissioners sent letters to Gilpin and Leechburg officials to gauge interest in both municipalities taking ownership of the park property. Gilpin officials voted to accept ownership, but the matter never made it to a vote...

Former Greensburg police Chief Shawn Denning waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday, two days before he was scheduled to appear in district court for the proceeding on accusations that he took items from the department’s evidence room. Court records showed Denning, 42, of Delmont waived all five misdemeanor...

A Unity man is accused of stealing $380,000 from a relative for whom he shared power of attorney duties, according to state police. Christopher H. Treasure, 50, is free on $50,000 unsecured bail on a theft charge. He was arraigned last week. He became power of attorney for the Hempfield...

Traffic was restricted Tuesday in the area of the Route 366 (Greensburg Road) and Route 380 interchange at the border of Murrysville and Washington Townships after a triaxle truck fire and fuel spill, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatch supervisor. The triaxle apparently caught fire and a saddle tank ruptured...

The jury considering the fate of the man who killed 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue nearly five years ago will continue their deliberations on Wednesday. The panel of seven women and five men began discussing the penalty-phase verdict for Robert Bowers at 9 a.m. Tuesday and broke for...

The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium’s popular red panda Kovu has died, the park announced Monday via Facebook. “We are deeply saddened to announce the death of our male red panda, Kovu,” the post begins. The post said the 9-year-old Kovu began “displaying unusual behavior, including trouble walking” on Friday. He...

Visitors to Westmoreland County’s historic Fort Ligonier soon will be able to toast one of the county’s founding officials with a limited-edition whiskey issued in collaboration with West Overton Distilling. In celebration of the county’s 250th anniversary and in homage to early political and military leader Arthur St. Clair, the...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Aug. 1: Police continue South Side patrols Pittsburgh police have released the numbers from a recent four-day weekend (July 27-30) patrol of East Carson Street. Increased officer presence and patrols resulted in two arrests, 15 traffic stops and...

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 to replace damaged license plates State Rep. Rob Mercuri...

The Brackenridge Police Department has officially disbanded, but its officers will still be patrolling the borough. A newly minted Tarentum police force, which absorbed the three Brackenridge officers, begins Tuesday. Both councils voted Friday for shared police services for a five-year trial period. Schedules, pensions and administrative issues will be...

After reported losses of $62 million and hundreds of staff cuts, Independence Health System’s two new hospital presidents confirmed Monday that all five of the system’s hospitals — Westmoreland, Frick, Latrobe, Butler Memorial and Clarion — are part of the system’s future. “Our leadership team right now strongly believes that...

Occasional cheering and applause rose on Monday as Hempfield Area School District residents and parents reviewed book challenges and bans. A policy governing the process awaits a final vote by the school board in two weeks. During Monday’s school board meeting, several residents talked about the proposed policies, and some...

Pittsburgh police responded to a SWAT situation in the Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood Monday night. According to a social media post by Pittsburgh Public Safety, SWAT, paramedics and fire teams are in the 7300 block of Stranahan Street after receiving reports of a man believed to be barricaded inside a...

Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Monday in Pittsburgh’s Esplen neighborhood, creating a statewide workforce training program. The move comes after Pittsburgh was designated a “workforce development hub” by the White House, with the first lady visiting the region to sing the praises of the region’s workforce development efforts....