Deliberations in former Leet police chief’s appeal continue
Deliberations continue in the appeal from former Leet Police Chief Michael Molinaro to the township’s Civil Service Commission. Molinaro, a Leet officer since 2013 and chief since March 2021, was fired on July 25, 2022, at a township commissioners’ workshop meeting. He appealed his termination to the commission. It resulted...
Bridge inspection, upgrades to restrict traffic in West Newton, Hempfield; I-70/51 exit also affected
Traffic restrictions are slated beginning Thursday during inspection of the Route 136 bridge across the Youghiogheny River in West Newton and beginning Friday as crews work to improve bridges on Route 30 in Hempfield. Additional restrictions are planned on Thursday as a PennDOT contractor continues restructuring of the Route 51...
Skateboarding teen hospitalized after being hit by vehicle in Ingram
A teenage boy is in critical condition after being hit by a vehicle while skateboarding Wednesday evening, according to the Allegheny County Police Department. First responders found the 15-year-old injured at the intersection of Winlock Avenue and Joel Street in Ingram around 5:45 p.m. He was taken to an area...
New Kensington’s Willie Thrower celebrated for breaking color barrier for NFL quarterbacks 70 years ago
Wednesday’s “1st Snap” celebration was 70 years in the making, and NFL pioneer Willie Thrower’s family and friends made the most of the anniversary. A steering committee worked nearly a year to the day to mark Thrower becoming the first Black quarterback to take a snap in an NFL game....
Tarentum man guilty in 2019 fatal stabbing
A jury on Wednesday found a Tarentum man guilty of third-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of a woman with whom he had a relationship. Juan H. Hayden, 58, will be sentenced Jan. 16. He also was found guilty of tampering with evidence. Police said Hayden beat, strangled and stabbed...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee joins resolution calling for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee has joined a group of progressive lawmakers in calling for Congress to support a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Lee, a Democrat from Swissvale, is a co-sponsor on the Ceasefire Now Resolution that urges “an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine.” Initial co-sponsors...
Details emerge of Rostraver murder-for-hire plot
A Westmoreland County detective testified Wednesday that a Philadelphia man paid $65,000 to have a business associate shot and killed last November in the parking lot of a Rostraver strip mall. Prosecutors contend Keven Van Lam, 57, ordered and financed the hit on a man who he paid about $800,000...
Monroeville church hosts pumpkin sales to help fund youth retreat
Each year, church leaders at Monroeville United Methodist Church send about 15 members of their youth group to “Current,” a religious retreat organized by the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church. And this year, community members can help raise money to send them while picking their Halloween pumpkins...
Tenants speak out about conditions inside, outside Latrobe apartment building
Kara McAdams doesn’t want to come home after work — instead she wants to cry, she said, because of the cockroaches and bedbugs she’s battling there. McAdams, 33, is living in the apartment building at 333 Main St. in Latrobe, where 100 violations of the property maintenance code were found...
Sharpsburg voters will choose between 2 newcomers for 2-year term
Sharpsburg voters will choose between two newcomers on Nov. 7 for election to a two-year term on council. Democrat Corey Ochai and Republican Diana Oliver will compete for the position. Other races in the borough are uncontested. Here are the answers given by Ochai and Oliver to questions posed by...
Pittsburgh considers peak pricing, more metered parking in Lawrenceville’s business district
Parking has been a problem for Eric Keller since he opened a business on Lawrenceville’s busy Butler Street about seven years ago. Keller said it’s hard for his customers at Lawrenceville Pet Supply to find parking spots in the crowded business district, but he’s hopeful that legislation before Pittsburgh City...
Bethel Park High School teacher wrote, is directing fall play
Cortney Williams had more actors than parts. Instead of trimming the cast, she added characters. Williams, an English teacher at Bethel Park High School, wrote plays so everyone could be included. “I thought, if they are willing to come and put in the time, then there needs to be a...
Sweets to be served in downtown Greensburg tour; scarecrow contest benefits nonprofits
Visitors to downtown Greensburg can indulge their sweet tooth and scare up some donations for local nonprofits in programs organized by the Greensburg Business and Professional Association. Those who purchase a bracelet can take a tour of 17 businesses from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday sampling treats from area bakers...
Apparent demolition permit confusion leads Springdale Council to review policies
While recognizing a demolition permit was issued for the former Cheswick Generating Station, Springdale Council on Tuesday said it needs to review its policies for such permits. Council discussed the permitting process for the demolition at the former power plant, which included the two smokestacks that were imploded in June...
La Belle Vue Road roundabout connection opens
Construction on the first roundabout in the Alle-Kiski Valley is complete. Mark Kmetz, assistant construction engineer for PennDOT, confirmed Wednesday that the La Belle Vue Road portion comprising the third access to the roundabout in Allegheny Township opened to motorists without incident Tuesday afternoon. “There was a complete reconstruction to...
Allegheny General nurses vote in favor of potential strike
Nurses at one of Pittsburgh’s largest hospitals are on the verge of strike. There are more than 1,200 nurses and nurse practitioners unionized at Allegheny General Hospital, and they voted Tuesday to deliver notice of a potential strike to hospital ownership if their requests for raises are not met, according...
Recovery specialists would respond to Pittsburgh overdose calls in $1M pilot program
Pittsburgh is looking to launch a pilot program that would help people who have overdosed. In the proposed Post Overdose Support Team — or POST — pilot program, teams of certified peer recovery specialists and case managers would respond to overdose calls and help connect overdose victims with recovery services,...
Family of late, beloved custodian at North Allegheny’s Hosack Elementary School honors his memory with book
If one word could describe Hosack Elementary’s late custodian Kevin Cavlovich, it would be kind. That’s the core message of “Looking for Kindness,” a new book about Cavlovich — Mr. Kevin, as he was called by students — the school’s former head custodian, who at age 30 died unexpectedly of...
6 candidates compete for 3 seats on Bridgeville Council
Three Republicans and three Democrats are vying for three seats on Bridgeville Borough Council in the Nov. 7 election. Candidates were asked to provide general biographical information and to answer the question: What do you view as the most pertinent issue for Bridgeville, and how do you plan to address...
Tractor-trailer damaged, disabled in unusual accident in Allegheny Township
Allegheny Township police Chief Duane Fisher just about has seen it all in his 20-plus years responding to vehicle accidents. That is, until he responded about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to a 911 report of a tractor-trailer incident along South Leechburg Hill Road. A major malfunction caused the trailer to crush...
Bethel Park Council seats contested in 4 wards
Eight candidates are running for four open Bethel Park Council in the Nov. 7 election, with Democrats facing Republicans in the municipality’s four even-numbered wards. Candidates were asked to submit general biographical information and answer the question: What do you view as the most pertinent issue for Bethel Park, and...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette strike reaches 1 year with little progress made
A year into a tumultuous strike, negotiations between journalists and workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and management remain at a standstill. Journalists are tired and frustrated, management isn’t budging, and no date is set for a looming decision on a labor ruling that could change the course of the lengthy...
Police say Harrison man and his grandson downloaded, shared child pornography
A Harrison man and his adult grandson face multiple felony charges after state agents accused them of downloading and sharing child pornography. Agents with the state Attorney General’s Office charged Thomas Franklin Vincent Jr., 63, of Garfield Street with 31 felony counts that include sexual abuse of children and criminal...
Westmoreland won’t have ballot drop boxes in November
Westmoreland County’s three-member elections board rejected a proposal to install a drop box for mail-in ballots in the courthouse lobby. Common Pleas Judges Tim Krieger and Justin Walsh declined to vote on the pitch from the elections bureau this week to place a single box near the main courthouse entrance...
Rite Aid to close 9 stores in Southwestern Pa.
Rite Aid Corp., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday, lost little time in announcing its plans to shutter nine stores in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Stores on the closing list are ones on Stevenson Boulevard in New Kensington; Route 22 in Murrysville; Route 30 in Hempfield; Library Road in Bethel Park;...
