Whistleblower lawsuit claims Pa. state police bypassed spouse of fellow officer for promotion
A state police trooper is claiming she was passed over for promotions on the force in retaliation for her husband’s role as a whistleblower. Lauren Spallone of Unity, a 14-year veteran with the Pennsylvania State Police and a sergeant since 2019, claims in a lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County court...
The Stroller, Aug. 22, 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. Cookie and candy sale to benefit hospital auxiliary projects Allegheny Valley...
Rustic Ridge families organize 2-day back-to-school event for neighborhood kids
In her 20 years as a resident of Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood, Jennifer Corson, a mother of three, had never seen an event like she saw Monday. Another resident, Kristie Keller, organized a two-day back-to-school affair to help the area’s children prepare for their return to the classroom Wednesday while...
Police say Cleveland man found with 15-year-old runaway assaulted, dragged Harmar cops
Harmar police officers who were searching for a 15-year-old runaway from Ohio on Friday accused the man she was with of assaulting and dragging them with his vehicle when they tried to take him into custody in a motel parking lot. Perry Jarome Pierre Williams, 19, of Maryland Avenue in...
Deer Lakes welcomes 6 new teachers — and a therapy dog — for 2023-24 school year
Deer Lakes School District is welcoming several new initiatives and staff members when classes begin Wednesday. Spokesman Shawn Annarelli said the district will implement its Portrait of a Learner initiative this year, after it being in the works for about a year. The implementation won’t change the curriculum, but rather...
DEP examining ‘pinhole leak’ in gas line as part of Rustic Ridge house explosion probe
Officials with the state Department of Environmental Protection gave an update Monday on the agency’s investigation in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood following a fatal house explosion Aug. 12. It came a week after Gov. Josh Shapiro directed the agency to start a stray gas investigation. DEP Secretary Rich Negrin dispatched...
Hempfield Area posts lists of library books before purchase following approval of new policy
Following the approval of new district policies governing library resource materials, Hempfield Area School District posted an expansive list of books being considered for purchase at each of its libraries online Saturday. The books, ranging from elementary school books about animals to National Book Award-winning novels, will be listed online...
Offutt Field focus of Greensburg Salem community during 2nd Back to School Bash
Music, games, food and school spirit brought members of the Greensburg Salem School District community to Greensburg’s Offutt Field Monday for the district’s second annual Back to School Bash. The event showcased the high school band, student organizations and members of the Golden Lions fall sports teams. The high school...
Superhero Run in Bethel Park honors memory of Joey Fabus
Photos show a boy with a particularly engaging smile, whether he’s hanging out with family members and friends, or wearing a custom-made Bethel Park Police Department uniform. Some of the images on the Joey Fabus Childhood Cancer Foundation, though, are of an 8-year-old boy with an altered appearance caused by...
Northbound Route 28 reopens after crash between Russellton, Tarentum exits
Northbound lanes of Route 28 reopened shortly after 5 p.m. Monday after a crash, PennDOT said. The 4:15 p.m. crash closed the lanes of the highway between the Russellton and the Tarentum exits. Photos from the Frazer Volunteer Fire Department show a medical helicopter arriving following the crash....
University Line construction to alter several Pittsburgh bus routes
Some Pittsburgh bus riders will see altered service because of upcoming construction beginning for the University Line bus-rapid transit project, the region’s first major public transit operation in years. Four bus routes that currently cut though Oakland on their way to Downtown Pittsburgh will be shortened in order to make...
Another tiki boat captain saves person from drowning in Pittsburgh river
A tiki boat captain saved a woman from drowning in the Monongahela River near Point State Park on Saturday, just one month after another tiki boat captain fished a drowning boy out of the Allegheny. Captain Robb Rusiewicz, who saved the unidentified woman shortly after 10 a.m., was modest in...
Lawsuit contends Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board violates transparency laws
Two women who regularly attend Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board meetings are suing the board claiming it violates Sunshine Act laws on transparency. Rachel C. Radke and Tanisha Long are being represented, in part, by the ACLU of Pennsylvania. They filed an amended complaint on Friday. Previously, Radke was the...
Schenley Plaza will host ‘Disability Pride PGH’
The nonprofit Disability Pride PA will host “Disability Pride: Weekend Under the Tent,” Friday and Saturday . It will kick off Friday with the Oakland For All 9th annual Ramp Crawl, set for 4-7 p.m. at the Schenley Plaza, 4100 Forbes Ave. The evening will include recognition awards for Americans...
Upper St. Clair-Bethel Park Rotary farmer’s market continues through Sept. 28
With summer coming to a close, you might think the Upper St. Clair-Bethel Park Rotary Breakfast Club members would be exhausted from their 22-week-long farmer’s market. The market runs through Sept. 28 in the parking lot across the street from Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2040 Washington Road, and this year boasted...
Planned helicopter exercise to take place over Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire announced Monday that approximately four helicopters will fly over the city on Tuesday morning as part of a planned exercise with the Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team. Team members will be picked up by Black Hawk helicopters from the vicinity of the former Veterans Affairs...
Pittsburgh police avert nightclub shooting during patrol
A group of quick-thinking Pittsburgh police officers thwarted a nightclub shooting Sunday at a Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar intersection. Two officers were on surveillance around 5 a.m. outside the nightclub known as Batcave, or just The Cave, near the intersection of Lincoln and Lemington avenues. They said that they spotted a man, later...
Bethel Park promotes Laura Grimm to athletic director
Bethel Park School District promoted Laura Grimm to athletic director. Grimm becomes the district’s sixth full-time athletic director and the second woman to hold the post. She succeeds Dan Sloan, who has transitioned into overseeing facilities and operations. She served as Sloan’s assistant for the past two years. Before that,...
Penn Hills woman accused of animal cruelty after pets left behind in Jeannette home
A former Jeannette woman relinquished her rights to seven dogs, four cats, five cockatiels and a gecko that police said she left behind in a condemned home after moving out of town, according to court papers. Paula Kessler-Nock, 45, of Penn Hills, is free on $30,000 unsecured bail after being...
Man accused of setting fire at Knights Inn motel in Southwest Greensburg
A South Greensburg man awaiting trial for throwing rocks at passing vehicles in Greensburg last year is being held without bail after police said he lit several items on fire at the Knights Inn. James G. Wilbur, 55, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Friday on charges of arson, dangerous...
Busy Fox Chapel intersection gets $205,000 in state grant to upgrade traffic signals
A traffic signal more than 50 years old that controls vehicles at a major Fox Chapel intersection will be modernized in the coming years. The borough was named Aug. 11 as part of PennDOT’s Green Light-Go program, designed to improve efficiency and operation of traffic signals across the state. Gov....
Part of Dorseyville Road in Indiana Township to close for bridge repair
Dorseyville Road between Rawlins Run Road and Fox Chapel Road in Indiana Township will be closed into November for the replacement of Little Pine Creek Bridge No. 15, according to the Allegheny County Department of Public Works. The work will include new pavement, scour protection, pavement markings, and guide rail....
Bethel Park 2023 graduate earns Big Heart Scholarship
Bethel Park High School announces that Nick Perdziola, a 2023 graduate, has been awarded the Big Heart Scholarship, which recognizes students who embody exceptional character, compassion and a commitment to positively impacting their community. The Big Heart Scholarship, administered through bold.org, was established in memory of the late Jon Gentile,...
Highlands grad heading to Dominican Republic with Peace Corps
Highlands alum Madalyn Heinle is about to set off on the adventure of her life. The 22-year-old will jet off to the Dominican Republic as a member of the Peace Corps, a federal program that deploys volunteers to provide help in 60 developing countries. “I’m very nervous, but the excitement...
Portion of Sixth Avenue in Tarentum closed for gas line work
Portions of Sixth Avenue in Tarentum were shut down Monday for work by Peoples natural gas company crews. Spokesman Nick Paradise said crews were closing off a gas line in the area. The road is closed from near the Marathon gas station and Gatto’s to the intersection at Lock Street....
