Burrell administrators shift for upcoming school year
New initiatives and administrative staffing changes are planned as the Burrell School District prepares for the upcoming school year. Brian Ferra, formerly the principal at Charles Huston Middle School, will be the principal at Stewart Elementary. Travis Welch, Huston’s assistant principal, will be the building’s new principal, and Krista Pisano...
West Deer police accuse Springdale contractor of taking money for work he never did
A Springdale man was accused of contractor fraud after a West Deer homeowner told police that he paid the contractor up front to do some remodeling in a bathroom but that he never showed up to do the work. Police charged Delos J. Hough, 42, of the 700 block of...
The Stroller, Aug. 15, 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. Mutts, Meows and Margaritas event to benefit HOPE Center The Alle-Kiski...
Downtown Greensburg GetGo to celebrate store opening
A GetGo Cafe + Market opens this week in downtown Greensburg. The store and its six gas pumps will open at 9 a.m. Wednesday for continuing 24/7 operation. Located at 531 S. Main St., just north of Euclid Avenue, it is on a site formerly occupied by a shuttered Family...
Hempfield school library book policies approved at heated meeting
New rules will govern books and other library materials at Hempfield Area School District, after the school board voted Monday to enact two policies defining what content is permitted on the district’s bookshelves. About 80 people attended the board meeting and more than a dozen residents spoke their opinions on...
‘Fishing for Keegan and Casey’ fundraiser to benefit family of Plum explosion victims
A Washington Township couple is hoping to help victims of Saturday’s house explosion in Plum by honoring one family’s love of fishing. Angela and Mike Blasko created a fundraiser in which one winner will land an all-expenses paid, full-day offshore fishing trip on Lake Erie on the Blasko’s charter fishing...
2 Plum officials among house explosion deaths, all 5 now identified
Plum Borough Manager Michael Thomas and Community Development Director Heather Oravitz were among the five people killed in a house explosion Saturday, Mayor Harry Schlegel confirmed Monday. Thomas was 57. Oravitz was 51. The other victims, all identified through their families, were Casey Clontz, 38, and his son, Keegan, 12,...
With his home in ruins, Plum’s high school soccer coach committed to tryouts
Rafal Kolankowski was determined to forge ahead, the chaos engulfing his neighborhood — his life — be damned. Soccer tryouts loomed Monday night, the first of three days of tryouts, and the Plum High School boys coach wasn’t about to let the kids down. “Unfortunately, I have to make cuts,”...
Irwin councilman Michael Yunn resigns
Irwin Borough will be seeking a new member of council to fill the remaining months of a council member who has resigned. Councilman Michael Yunn said he resigned effective at the end of the Aug. 9 meeting because he has moved to North Huntingdon. Yunn, a Republican, did not seek...
Pittsburgh man accused of robbing North Side bank
A Pittsburgh man was arrested Monday for robbing a bank on the city’s North Side, which authorities said was the second area bank he robbed in just two weeks. Dwayne Russell Harvey, 55, entered the Citizens Bank at 106 Isabella St. — near the Andy Warhol Museum on the North...
Remembering family man who died in Plum explosion: Kevin Sebunia ‘had a heart of gold’
Above all else, Kevin Sebunia was a dedicated family man — a devoted father and doting husband who willingly gave his time to others. His wife, Kelly, and daughters, Emily and Abigail, were the most important people in Sebunia’s life, longtime friend Joe Pulcini said. “His family came before anything,”...
Democrats scrambling after Hovis withdraws from Westmoreland commissioner race
Westmoreland Democrats are scrambling to fill a vacancy on the November ballot after learning through a social media post Monday that one of the party’s two candidates for county commissioner withdrew from the race. Sydney Hovis, 28, of Scottdale announced via Facebook she formally petitioned to have her name removed...
East Huntingdon couple to serve probation for handling of elderly aunt’s estate
Blair and Chester Loffer wanted an apology. Instead, the brothers will receive more than $91,000 in cash and the deed to their dead sister’s Scottdale home as part of a deal with Westmoreland County prosecutors to end the case against the Loffers’ niece and her husband. John and Jane Kiliany,...
Community gathers for vigil honoring house explosion victims in Plum
The power of prayer united strangers and friends Monday during a daylong candlelight vigil to honor the victims of the house explosion Saturday in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood. Holy Family Parish’s St. Januarius Church on Renton Road in Plum hosted the vigil from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. “We just...
Judge in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial permanently seals juror list
The federal judge who presided over the trial of the man who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue has permanently sealed the names of the jurors who convicted him. U.S. District Judge Robert J. Colville initially sealed the names and addresses of the jurors and prospective jurors during jury...
Plum family recalls neighbor’s cry for help after blast
Beth Napoleon felt the force of the blast that obliterated her neighbor’s home directly across the street from hers in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood on Saturday. Worse, she heard her neighbor’s cry for help. “I was in-between things. I was just relaxing on the couch with one of my dogs...
Mon Incline closed indefinitely
The Monongahela Incline has been shut down for an indefinite time period, Pittsburgh Regional Transit announced Monday. The 153-year-old incline that shepherds passengers between Station Square and Grandview Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood has had a slew of problems over the years, including several closures. On Friday, the incline...
UPMC Children’s Hospital launches pediatric behavioral health walk-in clinic
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh on Monday announced the launch of a pediatric behavioral health walk-in clinic where people up to age 18 can get help for a variety of behavioral health concerns. The clinic, which was opened in partnership with UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, is located on the hospital’s...
Allegheny Valley School District to offer new learning, technology for upcoming school year
It has been a busy summer of planning in the Allegheny Valley School District. When students return Aug. 21,
there will be several new programs in place, including a reading series for elementary students, a math intervention pilot program for first and third graders and technology upgrades districtwide. Superintendent Pat Graczyk...
‘Just heartwarming’: Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games to be held in September in Lower Burrell
Courtney Kobelenske recalls seeing a sea of purple shirts, signaling they were volunteers for the inaugural Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games, last fall at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park in Lower Burrell to set up for the day’s activities. Then came the blue shirts — representing the event’s participants — to...
Proposed Bakery Square expansion cause for excitement, concern in East End
Charles Taylor said he loves working in Pittsburgh’s Bakery Square. The operations manager at City Kitchen was originally from Larimer, but moved away to find work in the 1990s. He said there were no good jobs in the area then, but he’s glad there are now. “I just love coming...
Carnegie Mellon cyber hacking team wins record 7th title in annual competition
LAS VEGAS — Carnegie Mellon University’s cyber hacking team, the Plaid Parliament of Pwning (PPP), defended its title in DEF CON’s Capture-the-Flag competition — its seventh victory in the past 11 years. The team joined forces with the University of British Columbia’s Maple Bacon team and hackers from CMU Alum...
New entertainment venue coming to former Shop ‘n Save in Hempfield
A new entertainment venue is expected to open in Hempfield in November. Owners of 814 Lanes & Games of Johnstown announced last year they would open a second location at the former Shop n’ Save, 4589 Route 136. The grocery store closed in 2014 and the 44,000-square-foot building has remained...
Pittsburgh looking for annual holiday tree to display at City-County Building
It may seem to be a bit early for most people to be thinking of Christmas decorations, but Pittsburgh officials are already working to find the city’s annual holiday tree. The city’s Forestry Division is looking for the tree that will serve as Pittsburgh’s official Christmas tree. It will be...
White Valley AMVETS ladies’ auxiliary collecting hearing aid donations
The Ladies Auxiliary at the White Valley AMVETS is collecting used or unwanted hearing aids for donation to the John Tracy Clinic, which offers programs to educate and offer emotional support to parents and preschool-age deaf children. The clinic is named after actor Spencer Tracy’s son, who was diagnosed with...
