Springdale implosion decision looms as residents, health official testify about dust from earlier smokestack event
On the morning of June 2, Joe Kern took to his Duquesne Court home’s roof and decided to film Springdale history, waiting for the two towering smokestacks at the former coal-fired power plant across the street to be imploded. But when the towers fell, a cloud of brown dust absorbed...
Westmoreland transit readies real-time bus tracking
Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus passengers will be able to track their rides online next year. Agency officials said training for a real-time tracking program is expected to begin this fall, with an anticipated launch date in January. Global positioning software is being installed on the authority’s fleet of more...
Country music star Bob Corbin and his wife, Edana, leave a legacy through their writings
Bob and Edana Corbin will live on through their words. Bob Corbin, 74, a songwriter and singer, and Edana Corbin, 77, an author, who died days apart, have left a legacy through what they’ve written. People will still be able to sing the songs he wrote for the country band...
Pittsburgh Garbage Olympics to target litter in dozens of city neighborhoods, Penn Hills
Residents of nearly three dozen Pittsburgh neighborhoods will collect litter this weekend in the city’s annual Garbage Olympics. Teams from 34 neighborhoods across the city and Penn Hills will compete to gather the most garbage in the seventh annual Garbage Olympics event. Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works and the Clean...
Misunderstanding leads to large search for 2 missing boys in Harrison
A large search for two missing boys in Harrison and surrounding areas Friday afternoon was started by a misunderstanding of what day of the week it was. Harrison police Chief Brian Turack said his department responded to Argonne Drive shortly before 2 p.m. for a report of two missing children....
Work nearly finished on reconfigured Route 119 in Youngwood; safety upgrades a priority
The end is within sight for motorists in Youngwood, now that PennDOT has completed all but the finishing touches on its $23.5 million reconstruction of the Route 119 corridor through the borough. The arrival of the covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 disrupted work on the road, which has...
Greensburg Sheetz will close for renovation through March
The Sheetz location in Greensburg is set to close for several months starting Oct. 1 for a major remodel. Signs posted at the Harvey Avenue gas station and convenience store near Lynch Field indicate it will reopen in April. Sheetz public relations manager Nick Ruffner said the new design will...
Salem woman’s image part of Down syndrome program in Times Square
Getting her daughter out to local events or new experiences has been a goal for Peggy Slezak. “We’ve always advocated for Emma to be part of the community,” she said. “I think her personality makes it easy to do that.” A much broader audience met Emma Slezak of Salem in...
Derry police dog euthanized, county detectives investigating
The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office confirmed Friday that detectives are investigating the death of Derry police dog, Smoke, who was euthanized Aug. 28. Melanie Jones, spokesperson for District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli’s office, said Smoke was involved in an “off-duty incident” on Aug. 25 at the home of Derry police...
Delmont dad charged in son’s death seeks release on bail
A Delmont man accused in connection with the killing of his 5-year-old adopted son is seeking release from jail on a no-money bond. Jacob Maloberti, 33, was charged along with his wife, Lauren, in July with criminal homicide, reckless endangerment, aggravated assault, conspiracy and other related offenses related to allegations...
Bushy Run hosts nature walk, final market Saturday
Bushy Run’s final market day of the season will coincide with its fall nature walk Saturday The Bushy Run Market, open from 8 a.m. to noon, is held outdoors near the museum on the fourth Saturday of each month from April to September. The market typically features eight to 15...
Police charge pet owner for killing dog she left tied to a door after moving out of Hill District apartment
A Hill District woman is accused of tying her dog to an apartment door and leaving it behind this spring when she moved out of the unit, leading the dog to starve to death. Talazia Monique Johnson, 22, of Bedford Dwellings, told police she lost her job in April and...
Questions surround firing of Arnold city manager as council prepares to interview replacement
Questions surround the firing of Arnold City Manager Mario Bellavia, which happened only about a week after residents publicly applauded him for his work on behalf of the city. Details surrounding Bellavia’s termination, including how it happened, when and why, were unclear Friday. Bellavia did not return phone calls. An...
New Florence man seeks dismissal of criminal case for speedy trial violation
A New Florence man has asked that criminal charges that he assault police who attempted to arrest him two years ago be dismissed because Westmoreland County prosecutors violated his speedy trial rights. Ray A. Shetler Jr., 38, has been in jail since December 2021 after he was charged with two...
Freeport Road underpass reopens at New Kensington Bridge, PennDOT announces
Northbound Freeport Road under the New Kensington Bridge in East Deer has reopened to traffic, PennDOT announced Friday. The single lane traveling under the bridge closed July 17 to allow crews to work on the bridge. While the underpass was closed, traffic flow was reconfigured to have vehicles heading toward...
Woman faces attempted homicide charge after incident at Monessen parking lot
A Monessen woman was jailed Friday after city police said she stabbed another woman during a fight in a parking lot, according to court papers. The injured woman was taken by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital Sunday where doctors said she had two stab wounds on her torso that...
Annual Saint Vincent “Faces of Battle” lecture to focus on social impacts of WWI
Saint Vincent College will host its annual “Faces of Battle” lecture next week at its Fred Rogers Center. “Faces of Battle” seeks to share firsthand accounts of those impacted by armed conflict, and this year’s featured topic is “The Lost Generation.” The lecture, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. on...
Allegheny County DA candidate Matt Dugan lays out plan to make Downtown Pittsburgh safer
Democrat Matt Dugan said Friday that he would work to restore Downtown Pittsburgh as a safe, clean place for residents, businesses and visitors if elected Allegheny County’s district attorney. “It’s vitally, vitally important that we as leaders provide a safe and clean Downtown area so that our existing businesses can...
Pittsburgh man in fake cop uniform had knife when he went to courthouse to harass judge, police say
A Pittsburgh man is accused of going into Allegheny County Courthouse while wearing a fake police uniform and carrying a knife to harass a Common Pleas judge. Christopher Hall, 29, of the Hill District, tried to enter Common Pleas Judge Edward Borkowski’s courtroom around 10:40 a.m. Tuesday dressed in a...
Business owner will appeal nixed North Huntingdon zoning request
The North Huntingdon commissioners have rejected a request to change the zoning classification on a one-acre parcel at the corner of Longview Drive and Robbins Station Road from residential to commercial to permit a concrete and landscaping company to use the property. Property owner Emily Tromm said her husband’s business,...
Greer Cabaret Theater hosts its 1st performance with change of scenery
The Greer Cabaret Theater is in character, dressed up and ready for opening night. After being closed for more than a year and getting a re-fresh, the venue will host Pittsburgh CLO’s “tick, tick…BOOM!” It’s an autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer of “RENT.”...
Serra Catholic officials describe student killed in van crash as ‘beating heart of her class’Video
The morning unfolded in chaos. When Serra Catholic High School Principal Bob Childs heard that a school van carrying four of his students to the McKeesport school had crashed around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, he immediately went to the scene. By the time he arrived near Mansfield Bridge in Dravosburg, paramedics...
Jamilka Borges creates Pittsburgh-inspired dishes with Milo’s Sweet Tea and Lemonade
Chef and restaurateur Jamilka Borges likes a food challenge, so when representatives from Milo’s Tea approached her about incorporating their beverage into a recipe, she was all in. “I like a good food partnership,” said Borges. “Milo’s Tea … is woman and family-owned. Their tea is really freaking good.” Borges,...
Feds hold Allegheny Valley School District responsible for harassment, assault of disabled student
The Allegheny Valley School District failed to protect a disabled student whose classmates harassed and physically attacked him, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The department’s Office for Civil Rights has announced that it had resolved a disability harassment investigation of the district. The agreement includes requiring the district...
15 UPMC employees dubbed ‘Million Dollar Miracles’ after PA Lottery win
Fifteen UPMC employees are calling themselves the Million Dollar Miracles after hitting the PA Lottery this summer. The friends won $1 million on the Mega Millions on July 28 after purchasing a ticket at the Nittany MiniMart along Route 6 in Smethport. Each person received $48,600. “This is the first...
