PNC moves forward with layoffs and other expense reductions
As PNC Financial Services moves forward with layoffs throughout the financial firm, the company is eying more reductions in costs. On Tuesday, PNC said it would cut an undisclosed number of workers. In a statement, the Downtown Pittsburgh banking firm said it is reviewing its organizational structure, which “includes a...
Late North Huntingdon truck racer ‘would give you the shirt off his back’
On Fridays or Saturdays, Ronnie Ruggiero would tow his 1977 Ford F-150 with him to work, at Bob Tyke’s Auto Service in Monroeville, and as soon as the day was done, he’d head off to race it. The F-150 wasn’t just any truck — it belonged to Ruggiero’s father, who...
McCandless zoning upgrade put properties near North Park in ‘neighborhood-appropriate’ development district
A zoning re-do approved this year was meant to address issues throughout McCandless Township, not open up a single piece of property for unwanted development, Town Council President Michael Tarle said during a council meeting Oct. 9. “We weren’t just looking at one parcel. We looked at every parcel in...
Swissvale therapist accused of having sexual relationship with teen ordered to stand trial
A Pittsburgh-area therapist was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on charges accusing her of having a yearslong sexual relationship with a boy starting when he was 14, but three of the most serious charges against her were thrown out. Rachel Witkowski, 42, of Swissvale, waived her preliminary hearing Wednesday in...
Norwin School Board: 4 candidates seek short-term judicial appointment
Four North Huntingdon residents — including a former Norwin School District employee and a Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 7 administrator — are seeking a judicial appointment to fill a vacancy on the Norwin School Board that will be open for about six weeks. The four candidates seeking an appointment from the...
Court must decide if Schenley Park Columbus statue stays or goes
For the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, their fight over the removal of the Columbus statue from Schenley Park is about process as much as it is about preserving heritage. “The mayor can’t wake up one morning and decide he’s king, he’s a tyrant and he can do whatever...
Pa. court weighs constitutionality of Pittsburgh tax on pro athletes, entertainers
An appellate court sitting in Pittsburgh heard oral arguments Wednesday in a case over a 3% city tax imposed on professional athletes and entertainers performing at publicly funded facilities. The seven-judge panel of Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court must decide whether the city’s Sports Facility Usage Fee is constitutional. A decision is...
2nd electronic billboard approved in Tarentum
A second mega-sized electronic billboard is expected to go up in Tarentum by the end of the year. Council on Tuesday approved a request by Weleski Transfer, a longtime business on West Fourth Avenue, for a billboard 14 feet tall by 48 feet wide — similar to the one that...
McCandless Ward 6 councilwoman resigns
McCandless Township is seeking applicants to fill the unexpired term of Ward 6 Republican Councilwoman Carolyn Schweiger. The council accepted her resignation, effective immediately, at its meeting on Oct. 9. Schweiger said she and her family are moving to another residence in McCandless not in Ward 6. Therefore, she cannot...
Peck Yakopec, Zellers to vie for district judge seat
Vandergrift attorney Leslie Uncapher Zellers and Cheryl Peck Yakopec, the incumbent judge, will again appear on the ballot for magisterial district justice in northwestern Westmoreland County. Magisterial District 10-1-04 includes Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell, Allegheny Township, Vandergrift, Hyde Park, East Vandergrift, West Leechburg and Oklahoma Borough. In the May primary,...
Harmar police charge homeless man with threatening to kill officers
A homeless man is accused by Harmar police of threatening to fight and shoot officers after they responded to a disturbance call at a township hotel. David James Land, 48, was charged with terroristic threats, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. Officers were dispatched to the Marriott hotel at...
Pittsburgh to offer child care to city employees when Pittsburgh Public Schools cancels
The city of Pittsburgh will offer child care to city employees when Pittsburgh Public Schools cancels classes unexpectedly and to city residents who are participating in certain public meetings. Child care will be available to members of the public who participate in meetings hosted by the mayor’s office, including budget...
Pittsburgh man pleads guilty to killing Oliver Citywide student
A Pittsburgh man pleaded guilty Wednesday to third-degree murder in connection with last year’s fatal shooting of an Oliver Citywide Academy student at the North Side school. Eugene Watson, 19, of Crafton Heights, also pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy to commit third-degree murder and two firearms charges. Watson, 17 at...
10 candidates seek 5 seats on Riverview School Board
Five Democrats and five Republicans, are squaring off for five open seats on Riverview School Board in the Nov. 7 election after votes split along party lines in the primary. Each candidate was asked for general biographical information and to answer the question: What do you view as the most...
Multiple shooters suspected in Indiana County mass shooting that killed 1, injured 8, police say
State police believe a shooting that killed one person and injured eight others stemmed from a confrontation during a private party at the Chevy Chase Community Center in Indiana County. Trooper Cliff Greenfield said several individuals were involved in that confrontation just after midnight Sunday morning when gunfire broke out....
9/11 victim compensation fund meeting set at Shanksville VFD
Anyone involved in the rescue, recovery and cleanup efforts of the crash of United Flight 93 in Somerset County is invited to a meeting next month to learn about the Victim Compensation Fund and World Trade Center Health Program. The town hall meeting is slated for Nov. 8 at 6...
Westmoreland happenings: 5K walk and run fundraisers, Rosary rallies, meetings, more
Church News • A public square Rosary crusade will be at noon Oct. 14 at Epiphany of Our Lord Church, 44 Pennsylvania Blvd., Monessen. Bring a lawn chair and dress for the weather. Details: Shirley Beneccio, 724-684-7099 or 724-875-7460. • First Presbyterian Church of Belle Vernon, 501 Fayette St., will...
Record 36th gun found at Pittsburgh airport checkpoint; Uniontown man arrested
Allegheny County Police arrested a Uniontown man after he was stopped Tuesday with an illegal gun at the main security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport. It was the 36th gun seized this year at the airport and breaks the annual record for the number of guns found in carry-on bags,...
Bethel Park students earn National Merit Scholarship honors
Four Bethel Park High School seniors have been recognized for academic excellence by one of the country’s best-known and longest-running scholarship programs. The National Merit Scholarship Corp. has designated Bryce Clancy, Henry Gaston, Lucas Hertzel and Lupe McElvenny as 2024 NMS commended students. Clancy and Gaston have also been named...
Westmoreland inmate accused of attacking guards during prison cell search
A Unity man is accused by police of attacking guards at the Westmoreland County Prison during a search of his cell for communication with a nurse at the Hempfield facility. Jerome W. Thornton, 33, was awaiting arraignment on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated harassment by prisoner and simple assault. Westmoreland...
Morning roundup: Gov. Shapiro orders flags at half-staff; 2 arrested at Downtown Pittsburgh bus station
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Oct. 11: Flags ordered to fly at half-staff for Israeli victims Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday issued an order that the U.S. and Pennsylvania flags on all public buildings and grounds be flown at half-staff this week in...
Environmental groups claim victory in EPA ruling on U.S. Steel plant in Clairton
Government regulators sided with environmental advocates, in part, when they ruled recently that a U.S. Steel plant in the Mon Valley might be violating clean-air laws under a current permit that restricts its emissions. The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delivered a split decision last month over petitions by four...
The Stroller, Oct. 11, 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. Donations being accepted for holiday turkey vouchers Allegheny Valley Association of...
Fox Chapel Area High School student earns worldwide recognition for perfect AP score
Who says there’s no such thing as perfection? Anna Delale-O’Connor, a junior at Fox Chapel Area High School, recently earned a perfect score on the Advanced Placement (AP) World History: Modern Exam. Her score landed her in the company of only five other students globally. “I didn’t believe it at...
Allegheny Township appoints new officer in charge, hires full-time officer
There’s new leadership in the Allegheny Township Police Department. Supervisors appointed Sgt. Dan Uncapher on Monday as officer in charge, replacing Chief Duane Fisher, who ends his employment with the township Oct. 20. Fisher submitted his resignation in mid-September and recently was named police chief in Manheim Township, a Lancaster...
