Western PA Local News category, Page 944
Sentencing in $15 million tax fraud involving Bell Acres mansion will continue Monday
When Joe Nocito built his 51,000-square-foot Bell Acres mansion he named Villa Noci, an IRS agent said Thursday, every check and payment he made on it was illegally expensed to one of his companies. For the builder, nearly $900,000 in invoices between 2006 and 2012 were classified through Nocito’s companies...
‘A different perspective’: Event gives Scott residents close look at public safety
Police and Fire Department personnel often find themselves interacting with the public, but not always in relaxed circumstances. Usually, police officers and fire fighters are responding to one crisis or another on what often amounts to the worst day of someone’s life. On Sept. 9, the circumstances were different for...
Clairton man chased by North Huntingdon police convicted of fentanyl possession
An Allegheny County man was found guilty of possession of fentanyl after police claimed he tossed out as he ran from police during a traffic stop. Anthony Martin Jamison, 34, of Clairton, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday of one felony charge and three misdemeanors. The investigation began...
$9 million in federal grant money to fund Pittsburgh forestry efforts
The city of Pittsburgh and a coalition of local nonprofits received a combined $9 million in federal grants to support forestry efforts. The U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service awarded a $1 million grant to Pittsburgh’s vacant lots tree planting project. The $1 million granted to the city of...
Allegheny County exec candidate Joe Rockey unveils economic plan
Republican candidate for Allegheny County executive Joe Rockey lamented the county’s loss of jobs in a press conference Thursday and called for an economic renaissance plan to address it. Rockey, a former PNC executive from Ohio Township, said Allegheny County has lost 50,000 jobs over the last five years. He...
Music is center stage at Hempfield Area Band Festival
Three high school marching bands will take the field at Spartan Stadium together during the Hempfield Area Band Festival this Saturday. The three ensembles — a step down in number from the annual festival’s usual total of eight to 10 bands — will combine into one “mass band” after an...
‘I’m trying to link those little stories’: Trafford Historical Society gathers stories, unlocks community memories through map project
In the last days of her life, Nancy Woodall was flooded with memories of her childhood — all because of a yearbook and the Trafford Historical Society’s quest to identify the 250 oldest buildings in the borough. Woodall’s daughter, Lia, began searching years ago for a copy of her mother’s...
Clogged nose woes: Doctors weigh in on decongestant medicine declared ineffective
The over-the-counter decongestant medicine you reach for when suffering from a stuffy nose or clogged sinuses may not actually be giving you much relief, according to the Food and Drug Administration. But effective medications remain, though it may take an extra step to acquire them. FDA advisers voted this week...
Hazelwood Initiative plans to build 3 houses to sell to lower-income residents
A Hazelwood nonprofit is looking to build three affordable, for-sale houses in the Pittsburgh neighborhood. Hazelwood Initiative will build three, three-bedroom houses with one-and-a-half bathrooms on Flowers Street, with a goal of selling them to low-income residents. The Urban Redevelopment Authority on Thursday unanimously approved a $245,000 grant to help...
North Allegheny grad and NASA astronaut Hoburg returns to Earth
After 186 days and many, many miles aboard the International Space Station, former North Allegheny graduate Dr. Warren “Woody” Hoburg, a North Allegheny High School graduate and astronaut on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6, is back on Earth. Crew-6 returned to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, splashing down at 12:17 a.m., Sept....
Authorities identify Allegheny County Jail inmate who died this week
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the jail inmate who died at a local hospital Wednesday as Beaver County resident Zachary J. Sahm. Sahm, 27, of Glasgow, was taken to Allegheny County Jail on Saturday on a bench warrant and detainer charge from outside Allegheny County, Warden Orlando Harper...
Grant application for Norwin library expansion will need to wait
Norwin Public Library officials will wait until next year to apply for a $400,000 state grant to cover half the cost of planned improvements to the library. “It’s not going to be possible,” to complete an application for the grant by the Oct. 13 deadline for applications, said Diana Falk,...
Westbound turnpike reopens after road repairs from tanker truck crash near New Stanton
The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s westbound lanes from Breezewood to New Stanton reopened Friday morning after repairs to the highway as a result of a crash Thursday near the New Stanton exit. One person was hospitalized after a tanker tractor-trailer overturned about 1:50 p.m. Thursday during a collision with a flatbed tractor-trailer....
Delmont swears in new full-time police officer
Part-time Delmont Police Officer David Johnston is the newest full-time member of the borough’s police force, after being sworn in at the borough council’s Sept. 12 meeting. Johnston will replace Officer Richard Stephens, who resigned in late August. Johnston has been working full-time in the borough since Sept. 1. In...
Murrysville area: ‘Pilgrimage Jr.’ tickets, glass recycling, local live music and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Tickets on sale for ‘Pilgrimage Jr.’ The Delmont Pilgrimage is expanding to include a session specifically geared toward children. “Pilgrimage Jr.” will be Dec. 2 from 2-4 p.m., where pre-school and elementary-age children can experience the Nativity while interacting with the angel...
Pittsburgh International Airport to auction off abandoned items
People leave a lot of odd items at the Pittsburgh International Airport and the public will soon have an opportunity to bid on some of them. The airport is hosting its annual auction in October and this year’s items up for bid include cars, jewelry, Marc Jacobs and Telfar bags,...
Official: Boil water advisory for Leechburg area could extend past Saturday
Depending on test results, the earliest a boil water advisory would be lifted for people in the Leechburg area would be Saturday, according to authorities. The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County issued a precautionary boil water advisory Monday for its customers in Leechburg, West Leechburg, Hyde Park and part of...
Bond interest earnings benefit Hampton
Bonds issued by Hampton over the past few years are paying off handsomely. The township at various times took on additional debt “when interest rates were at their lowest in decades,” according to bond legal counsel Ronald Brown of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote. “Within the last year or two, with...
Target of undercover drug probe in Lower Burrell accused of selling crack cocaine
Lower Burrell police accused a man of being a crack cocaine dealer after officers working undercover bought crack cocaine from him. Jerrail Albert “Kobe” Carver, 30, of the 900 block of Evans Street in New Kensington was charged with two felony counts of possession of drugs with the intent to...
Penn State study says spotted lanternflies don’t damage trees, forests
Spotted lanternflies have overtaken much of Pennsylvania and are expanding their reach, but a new study reports that the invasive insects are doing less damage to trees than previously believed. Research from Penn State recently published in the journal Environmental Entomology shows spotted lanternflies have no long-term effects on forests...
Freeport’s plan to pave portion of Dam Road on hold for now
A public-private road paving proposal in Freeport has hit at least a temporary obstacle. Freeport Council tabled action on a proposal from Freeport Terminals to pave a section of Dam Road with each picking up 50% of the cost. The reason council balked at taking action is a 60-foot section...
Kiski Township supervisors toss animal regulation proposal amid pet alligator escapes
Regulations governing the keeping of animals in Kiski Township are unchanged, for now. Facing a crush of public criticism and opposition, the township supervisors voted Wednesday to toss out the draft of an ordinance governing everything from pets to farm animals. It specifically would ban crocodilians, including the American alligator....
Norwin board deadlocked on inviting anti-socialist speaker
A Venezuelan immigrant who discusses the harsh life his family endured under a socialist regime in his native county, will not be invited this fall to tell Norwin High School students about his experience and offer his anti-socialism message. In a typical result when the Norwin School Board votes on...
Car cruise aims to help with bills for Penn Township man’s cancer treatment
Nick Van Bibber is in the midst of a battle against cancer that has put an emotional and financial strain on him and his Penn Township family. “It’s a roller coaster ride,” said his mother, Silvia. Friends are rallying around the 23-year-old to organize a charity car show Sunday. Their...
Allegheny Valley School District setting up clothes closets to fill a need for students
Danielle Britton was working as an intern in the Penn Hills School District when she decided to start a project to establish a supply closet, where students could pick up clothes and hygiene materials. When she graduated and got a job with the Highlands School District, she was able to...
