The Stroller, Oct. 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. Local churches plan bus trip to Steubenville Our Lady, Queen of...
Sharpsburg pet shop closes, but rescue operations continue
After five years in Sharpsburg, the pet shop Sara’s Pets and Plants has closed its doors. But the nonprofit rescue associated with the store will continue its mission to aid exotic animals and place them in loving homes. Owner Sara Smith said the cost of operating the for-profit shop became...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in New Stanton, Youngwood
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
Damaged tractor-trailer hinders traffic on South Leechburg Hill Road
First responders and fire crews worked Tuesday night to remove a disabled truck in Allegheny Township from the roadway on South Leechburg Hill Road. No one was injured, and firefighters were on the scene directing traffic while the tractor-trailer was removed, according to Westmoreland County 911 dispatchers. The truck was...
Person injured in apartment fire in Stowe Township
One person was injured and taken to the hospital after an apartment fire next door to Drewery’s Daycare in Stowe Township, according to Tribune-Review news partner WTAE. WTAE reported a firefighter was also treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but was able to return to work, according to Stowe...
Police search for driver accused of hitting boy in Carrick
Pittsburgh police are looking for the driver of a vehicle that struck a boy in Carrick on Tuesday morning and left the scene. First responders found the boy on Brownsville Road and E. Agnew Avenue just after 7:15 a.m., and he was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Police...
Jeannette man to serve life prison term for friend’s murder
Desiha Davis said her brother’s murder more than two years ago is still being felt by his five children. “This is really hard and I pray to be stronger than I am right now. This was our heart. And now I have to make sure these kids are empowered and...
Springdale zoning officer, council members testify in power plant’s boiler house implosion case
The plant manager of the former Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale, Springdale’s zoning officer and two council members testified Tuesday as the injunction hearing to block an implosion at the boiler house continued in court. Last month, 16 Springdale residents filed an injunction to block the demolition of the boiler...
Mercer County woman known as ‘Pink Hat Lady’ gets nearly 5 years for actions in Capitol riot
The Mercer County woman who became known as Pink Hat Lady following the riot at the U.S. Capitol was ordered Tuesday to serve nearly five years in prison for her role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. Rachel Powell, who was convicted of encouraging violence against law enforcement and using...
Contested races for commissioner seats in Shaler Wards 5, 7
Shaler Township’s odd numbered wards have seats up for election this November, but only Wards 5 and 7 have contested races. In Ward 1, incumbent Frank Izzo won both the Democrat and Republican nominations in the primary and is unopposed. It’s the same situation in Ward 3 with incumbent and...
Route 356 reopening now expected Friday, related to weather delays
After waiting three years, Alle- Kiski Valley motorists have something to toot their horns about. But they’ll have to wait until Friday. Mark Kmetz, PennDOT’s assistant construction engineer for the area, said Route 356 through Allegheny Township now is scheduled to reopen completely late Friday. PennDOT officials originally were eyeing...
New Kensington firefighters to host 1st fire safety day in honor of Matt Sobecki
Fire prevention and safety were passions for New Kensington volunteer firefighter Matt Sobecki. When he did programs for kindergarten students at Martin Elementary School, Sobecki would show the children what firefighters look like dressed in their gear, so they would not be afraid of them. “He was always worried that...
Warhol Museum proposes $45M entertainment venue on Pittsburgh’s North Shore
The Andy Warhol Museum is looking to expand with a new, $45 million entertainment venue in Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Dan Law, the museum’s associate director, said the proposed Pop District Entertainment Venue is part of the Andy Warhol Museum’s Pop District initiative, which aims to include “physical and programmatic expansion...
Lawsuit: Failed wound care led to Penn Hills man’s death at Allegheny County Jail
A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that a Penn Hills man with autism who was incarcerated at Allegheny County Jail was denied medical treatment for a wound on his foot that led to his death from sepsis. The complaint also alleges that the doctor who treated Anthony Talotta had lost...
10 look to fill 5 North Allegheny school board seats
The race for five seats on the North Allegheny School Board this Nov. 7 has five Democrats battling five Republican candidates for control of the nine-member school board. Democrats Elizabeth Warner, Anisha Shah, Bob Gibbs, Jaime Martinez and Sylvana Bonner are running as a slate, Together for NA. The Republican...
Butler’s Mike Kelly becomes lone Pa. Republican to vote against Jim Jordan for House speaker
A GOP congressman from Western Pennsylvania was one of 20 Republicans in Congress to vote Tuesday against installing U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, as House speaker. U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, became the only Republican in Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation to vote against naming Jordan to the leadership position. Jordan was...
Proposed video screen would show Pirates games in North Shore plaza
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission is considering a proposal to put a large video screen in a new plaza near PNC Park where people could watch Pirates games, though commissioners have voiced concerns that the screen may be visible from as far as I-279. A new plaza space is set to be...
$4M county contribution bumps Palmer airport terminal expansion project into high gear
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport’s $22 million terminal expansion project is underway thanks to a $4 million commitment from Westmoreland County commissioners. Planning for the renovation, which will add 32,000 square feet at the Unity airport, began around five or six years ago out of necessity, according to airport Executive Director...
B’Nai Israel Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Garfield recommended for historic designation
Pittsburgh’s Historic Review Commission and Planning Commission have recommended the former B’nai Israel Synagogue in Garfield for historic designation. The North Negley Avenue site was recently redeveloped into a 45-unit, mixed-income housing complex called The Carina. Boston-based Beacon Communities, which owns the site, nominated the former synagogue for historic designation...
Fox Chapel, O’Hara eyeing comprehensive plan to improve quality of life
Fox Chapel and O’Hara leaders are teaming up to address the effects of climate change, ease traffic congestion and boost active transportation opportunities as a way to improve the quality of life. A joint comprehensive plan has been underway for about two years. Officials recently got a boost, in the...
Wheelchair-bound opossum from Greensburg will be featured in international calendarVideo
Olli the Virginia opossum was one lucky marsupial. As a baby, Olli was attacked by several predators, leaving him with major bite wounds and abscesses and a severely injured spinal cord. He was rescued by a veterinarian and eventually came to Cheri Berri, 48, of Greensburg, who has been doing...
Former Squirrel Hill man seeks information, closure in Israel about kidnapped nephews
Ziv Gome’s family wakes up every morning in the Israeli resort city of Eilat and waits. It’s been 10 days since Hamas militants violently kidnapped Gome’s two nephews, ages 12 and 16, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, an Israeli farming community about a mile from the Gaza border. Gome, a former...
PNC Bank’s financial rating remains stable, market agency says
PNC Financial Services Group remains “stable,” following a recent announcement of layoffs and other cuts to expenses, according to credit analyst group Fitch Ratings. An issuer default rating is an assessment of how vulnerable an institution is to defaulting on financial obligations. Fitch Ratings held the bank’s long-term and short-term...
Passenger who died in Parkway East crash had overdosed, medical examiner says
A Latrobe man killed last month in a car crash on the Parkway East died from a drug overdose, officials said. Michael Zappone, 47, died just after 11 p.m. Sept. 4 from the combined effects of fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl and ethanol, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office announced last week. They...
Riverview teacher’s grant will help life-skills students
Voya Financial investment company’s Unsung Heroes program has awarded Michael MacConnell, a life skills teacher at Riverview Junior and Senior High School in Oakmont, a $2,000 grant. MacConnell is the only winner in Pennsylvania. “Teachers, staff and administrators responsible for the education of children are national treasures, and educators such...
