Lane shifts on Greensburg Road in Plum end
Lane shifts on Greensburg Road in Plum have ended earlier than expected, Allegheny County’s department of public works announced Tuesday. The lane shifts began March 13 and were originally expected to last into December. They were required for the replacement of Pucketa Creek Bridge No. 5, which carries Lincoln Beach...
Allegheny County Jail must address shortage of corrections officers, health care workers, audit says
An audit released Tuesday said Allegheny County Jail is short-staffed by more than 125 corrections officers, while more than half of the jail’s budgeted health care positions are unfilled. Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, D-Squirrel Hill, acknowledged in the audit that hiring has been a challenge across all employment sectors,...
Pa.’s state-owned universities now offering Google Career Certificates
Students attending Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities can now earn tech industry-recognized certificates during their undergraduate studies through a new partnership with Google, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday. The initiative is intended to move students more quickly and less expensively from campuses into good-paying, high-demand jobs. It also would help employers meet...
Police charge Brackenridge man with breaking down door, threatening housemates with ax
Tarentum police arrested a man after his housemates told them he used an ax to break through a door because he was angry they weren’t chipping in enough to pay the bills. David Hood Monroe, 64, of the 1100 block of Roup Avenue in Brackenridge, was charged with a felony...
Unsubstantiated threat causes increased police presence at Fox Chapel Area’s Kerr Elementary
Fox Chapel Area School District’s Kerr Elementary was placed on lockdown Monday as O’Hara police investigated a threat in the area. Police Superintendent Jay Davis said there was an increased police presence around the school from about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. He said officers received information from another department,...
Pittsburgh looking to allow limited deer hunting in some city parks
In an effort to curb Pittsburgh’s deer population, city officials are looking to allow limited deer hunting in some city parks this fall. Legislation before Pittsburgh City Council would clear the way for a targeted hunting program in the city’s Frick and Riverview parks, said Maria Montaño, a spokeswoman for...
2 events commemorate Drug Overdose Awareness Day
Two Westmoreland County organizations are holding events to commemorate Drug Overdose Awareness Day on Thursday. Both events will recognize those who have died from a drug overdose. Family members and friends are asked to submit the names of individuals who might be included in the ceremony. The Westmoreland Drug and...
2 of 3 people accused in Tarentum robbery hoax have prior felony arrests for theft
Two of the three people accused of staging an armed robbery at Asay’s newsstand in Tarentum last week already were facing felony theft charges when the alleged crime was committed, according to court records. Connor Whited, 26, and his girlfriend, Leah Baczynski, 24, are accused of hatching a plan for...
2 charged with drug offenses in Yukon after several months of neighborhood disruption
The constant traffic that disrupted a Yukon neighborhood for months is now gone, a day after state police arrested two men and confiscated seven marijuana plants they said were growing in an empty swimming pool. Two neighbors, declined to provide their names to a reporter because of safety concerns, said...
Divine Mercy Academy in Monroeville welcomes back students
Administrators and teachers at Divine Mercy Academy in Monroeville were eager to get students excited about the new school year at their back-to-school event on Aug. 22. “The event was really for our school families to start the year off on the right foot and enjoy the company of the...
Riverview selects Ernie Tillman, Kareem Gahed to fill vacancies on school board
The Riverview School Board tapped a former director and a newcomer to fill two board vacancies. School directors selected Ernie Tillman and Kareem Gahed to fill board spots vacated by Jeanine Hurt-Robinson and Jane Miller. The appointments are effective until the term ends at the board’s reorganization meeting in December....
Roundup: 2nd tornado confirmed in Fayette County
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Aug. 29: 2nd tornado confirmed in Fayette County A second tornado in Fayette County during Friday’s storms has been confirmed by the National Weather Service. The two tornadoes struck around 2:30 a.m. in the Mill Run area and...
Community invited to ‘Worship by the Water’ at Allegheny RiverTrail Park
So long as Danny English is Director of Music Ministries at Aspinwall Presbyterian Church, worshippers can expect something special. From original scores at Sunday services to his efforts to maintain a choir despite changing demographics at the Center Avenue church, English has poured his heart into the job since 2016....
The Stroller, Aug. 29, 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. Butler County purse bash to benefit hospice youth care program A...
Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy in Aspinwall began new school year Aug. 24
Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy began the new school year on Aug. 24 with 177 preschool through eighth graders. Each year, the school focuses on a religious value. This year’s value is “Courage,” having the ability to face difficulties and overcome fear with faith, school officials said. Enrollment is...
E-bikes: Ride before you buy
Having been in business for 13 years, shop owner Bryan Metzgar of Greensburg Bike Shop in Youngwood said that he has never seen a trend in the bike market become so popular, so fast. This type of attention for a product creates a new category of problems. With ever-increasing demand,...
Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts cold, snowy winter for Pennsylvania
The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been issuing weather predictions since 1792, and the forecast for the 2023-24 winter is calling for plenty of snow. “Most areas of the United States that typically see snow should be prepared for crisp temperatures and oodles of fluffy white throughout the season,” almanac officials...
E-bike sales in high gear, no signs of slowing down
Ashley Reefer, 35, owner of Flat Tire Co. Bike Shop in Greensburg, recognized the advantages of electric bikes after her friend broke his arm. “We’re all mountain bikers,” Reefer said. “The only reason we really started picking up locally was because our buddy broke his arm and then he couldn’t...
Divided Norwin board can’t agree on school district pick
The two factions of the eight-member Norwin School Board could not agree this week on any of four candidates to replace a school director who died this month, setting up the possibility the decision could go to a Westmoreland County judge. The school board failed to give any of the...
Monroeville man crowned Pittsburgh’s ‘ultimate zombie’ at ScareHouse
Pittsburgh Mills mall went to the zombies Monday night. As they moaned, groaned and shambled their way through the ScareHouse — the Frazer mall’s former H&M store — a panel of local celebrity judges examined the three contestants’ acting and their wardrobes, ultimately crowning Jarrod Joos, 32, of Monroeville, Pittsburgh’s...
Police: Ambridge man accused of pointing shotgun at people, attempting to enter church
An Ambridge man is accused of pointing a shotgun at two women and a police officer Sunday morning as a tried to get into a Black church, according to court documents. Jeffrey Harris, 38, is lodged in the Beaver County Jail on $975,000 bail, according to online court documents. He...
Truck tears up North Huntingdon soccer field turf
Volunteers with a North Huntingdon soccer club are scrambling to repair damage created last week when someone tore up the turf by driving a pickup around one of the fields, a club official said. “The field was darn near perfect. They‘re not hurting us (adults). They took away from our...
Whistleblower claims Westmoreland prison inmates lack sufficient mental health treatment
A former behavioral health clinician claims inmates at Westmoreland County Prison received substandard mental health care and that she was fired when she reported her allegations to the facility’s private medical provider. In a whistleblower lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, Carla Rhodes, a licensed social worker, says...
Ramp work will disrupt traffic at I-70 exit to Route 201 in Rostraver
Motorists can expect traffic disruptions at an Interstate 70 exit in Rostraver as work nears an end on improving a bridge over the interstate. The work, set to begin Thursday, involves widening of an off-ramp leading from westbound I-70 to southbound Route 201 (Rostraver Road), at Exit 43-A. Flaggers will...
Prosecution says speeding caused 2020 fatal Hempfield crash
Nick Rossi said he was asked to drive his friend’s car nearly three years ago because he knew the location of the destination they never reached. Westmoreland County prosecutors said Rossi was speeding as he drove on Arona Road in Hempfield, drifted up an embankment and crashed into a tree....
