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....
Proposal aims to make Pittsburgh a ‘sanctuary city’ for gender-affirming care
Legislation set to be introduced to Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday aims to make Pittsburgh a “sanctuary city” for gender-affirming health care. The measure, sponsored by Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, would shield gender-affirming care providers, recipients and legal guardians from out-of-state investigations or prosecution. The legislation mirrors a measure approved...
Pittsburgh’s North Avenue Bridge to close to motorists, will be replaced
Pittsburgh’s North Avenue Bridge at Brighton Road is closing to vehicle traffic on Wednesday. The city said it decided to close the North Side span, which goes over a Norfolk Southern rail line at a corner of Allegheny Commons Park, after an “updated structural analysis” was conducted. Norfolk Southern is...
Sheetz to build facility in Ohio to support food preparation, distribution
Sheetz Inc. plans to build a $145 million facility in Findlay, Ohio, to boost the convenience store chain’s food preparation and distribution as it aims for further expansion. The project will create more than 700 jobs over five years, the Altoona-based company said Monday. “We’re excited to bring new opportunities...
Bell Acres businessman who admitted to $15M in tax fraud asks for house arrest or probation
A Bell Acres man who built what the federal government called the largest house in Pennsylvania with proceeds from a $15 million tax fraud thinks he should serve his sentence on either probation or house arrest. Joseph Nocito, 81, filed the motion seeking alternatives to federal prison earlier this month....
Monroeville Public Library Fun Fest packs ’em in again
The parking lot next to Gateway High School’s Antimarino Stadium was full of vehicles on the afternoon of Aug. 26, but not for a sporting event. Across the street, Monroeville Public Library’s Fun Fest drew a crowd that required a bit of a walk for many in attendance, not that...
Labor Day drivers likely to find higher gas prices, AAA says
Drivers taking road trips this Labor Day weekend will likely see slightly higher gas prices compared to last year, according to AAA. The national average for a gallon of regular was $3.78 on Labor Day 2022, but has been above $3.80 for the past couple of weeks, AAA said in...
Pittsburgh sculptor Thaddeus Mosley recognized as artist, inspiration
Thaddeus Mosley is a strict but loving father, a World War II veteran and an internationally recognized sculptor, friends and family said Monday. Mayor Ed Gainey recognized the 97-year-old Pittsburgh artist on Monday in a small ceremony at the City-County Building. “You have changed this city,” Gainey told Mosley, whose...
St. Brendan in Franklin Park begins free English as a Second Language course
St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church will resume its free English as a Second Language classes for adults on Sept. 5 via Zoom. The church, on Rochester Road in Franklin Park, has served local residents from various countries including India, Ukraine, Turkey and South Korea for more than a decade. The aim...
Pittsburgh 3D Prints finds home in Harrison City storefront
Matt Lockmer had no plans to become a 3D printing expert. But when he received a 3D printer from his partner, Amanda, for Christmas in 2020, his curiosity took off. He rebranded his former computer repair and consulting business to fit his 3D printing interests. Since winter 2021, Lockmer has...
Dog-lovers can bring pups to Camp Guyasuta for 5th annual Hound Hike
Camp Guyasuta will host a day of dog-gone fun in September when people and their four-legged friends are invited to enjoy the scenic grounds. The 5th annual Hound Hike provides dogs and owners a day of pet-friendly vendors, demonstrations and of course, hiking on the tree-lined trails. The event is...
BigFuture scholarship stuns Gateway senior
At one point in preparing to further his education after high school, Gateway senior Rocco Matrazzo submitted information online for College Board’s BigFuture program. The specifics were kind of hazy for him when he was called to the auditorium stage during an Aug. 25 back-to-school assembly, but they ended up...
70-year-old dead following Derry Borough apartment fire
A 70-year-old man was pronounced dead at 1:05 p.m. Monday at Independence Health-Latrobe after he was hurt in an apartment fire in Derry Borough. The cause and manner of William S. Trout III’s death remain undetermined, Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday, Carson said....
Plum mayor, police advise residents to secure vehicles parked outdoors
Plum officials are warning residents to secure vehicles that are parked outside. At the August borough council meeting, Mayor Harry Schlegel said police had 866 calls for service in July, a 16% increase over June. Thefts from vehicles are one of the things he said have been keeping officers busy....
Oddities & Curiosities Expo brings its traveling show of all things macabre to Pittsburgh
The traveling Oddities & Curiosities Expo stopped at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh on Saturday with something weird for everyone. The event featured original artwork and handcrafted oddities along with vendors selling an array of items of the macabre, from taxidermy, preserved specimens and horror memorabilia to...
Pittsburgh police investigating fatal shooting in Lincoln-Lemington
Pittsburgh police are investigating a shooting that left one man dead Saturday morning in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood. Zone 5 police officers responded just after 9 a.m. to a home in the 1500 block of Westmoreland Avenue for “an unknown trouble call,” police spokeswoman Cara Cruz said Monday. Officers met...
District judge orders Tarentum man accused of strangling his girlfriend twice to stand trial
A Tarentum man accused of strangling his girlfriend during separate altercations earlier this month has been ordered to stand trial. James Robert Miller, 46, of the 100 block of Heuser Way was charged Aug. 8 with two felony counts of strangulation along with two counts each of making terroristic threats,...
Minor Ohio earthquake felt in some parts of Western Pa.
Some Western Pennsylvanians may have felt trembles from a Sunday night earthquake in the Cleveland area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was reported near Madison, Ohio, not far from Lake Erie, at 10:43 p.m. Monitors in Avella, Moraine and Keystone state parks and Penn State Dubois all...
