Highlands High School band holds annual Pie Night
The Highlands High School Varsity Marching Band held its annual Pie Night Tuesday at Golden Rams Stadium, Harrison. The $5 donation included a slice of pie, drink and a performance by the marching band....
Westmoreland 250: 10 unique things in Latrobe
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
Memorial ride/run/walk will benefit Westmoreland Heritage Trail
The third annual Ted Hayes Memorial Bike Ride/Run/Walk to benefit the Westmoreland Heritage Trail will be Aug. 26 at the Slickville Firefighters Pavilion. Registration begins at 9 a.m. with the event kickoff at 10 a.m. Along with Bill O’Hara, Hayes oversaw development of the first section of trail, from Slickville...
Lower Burrell man denies sex assault, gun charges
A Lower Burrell man denied to a Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday that he had sexual contact with a preteen girl who claimed she was molested. “I did nothing close to anything like that,” Edgar Lee Williams testified during the second day of his trial in which a now teen-age...
Two Indiana area men to face drug charges
Tips from the public helped police in investigations that led to the arrest of two men for allegedly selling drugs in Indiana County, the Indiana County district attorney said. Richard Shaffer, 38, and Sterling Friel, 25, both of Indiana, are accused of selling drugs to informants, said District Attorney Robert...
Boat dock leases terminated in Tarentum
Boaters demanded answers from Tarentum Council on Tuesday night regarding future leases at the riverfront, but most people didn’t like what they heard. Council voted to terminate dock leases on Oct. 31 due to aged utilities, safety issues and legal concerns. The move infuriated longtime boaters who said they’ve poured...
Body cam footage shows Ligonier Township man was shot with handgun, stun gun nearly simultaneouslyVideo
Ligonier Valley police officers who responded to a domestic call fired a stun gun and a handgun nearly simultaneously when confronted last month by a man wielding a machete, body camera footage obtained by the Tribune-Review shows. The man, Robbie Thomas Saunders, 59, died later July 2 at Conemaugh Memorial...
Breakfast program impacts student health, participation in school, leaders say
Gov. Josh Shapiro spent his lunch hour Tuesday at Penn Hills Elementary School talking about breakfast. The recently approved state budget includes a $46.5 million increase for the Universal Free Breakfast Program, resulting in morning meals for the state’s 1.7 million public school students. Funding will level the playing field...
Lower Burrell man on trial for sex assault charges against child
A mother’s questioning of her 10-year-old daughter over suspicions of stolen rent money led to allegations of sexual improprieties against a neighbor, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said Tuesday. Assistant District Attorney Judi Petrush told jurors that instead of admitting to theft of the cash the child unexpectedly disclosed reports of...
Citizens Bank robbed on Pittsburgh’s North Shore
A Citizens Bank branch near the Andy Warhol Museum on Pittsburgh’s North Shore was robbed Tuesday afternoon, Pittsburgh police said. A male, believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s, entered the bank at 106 Isabella St. at about 12:30 p.m. and demanded cash from the teller, police...
Third state probe of Westmoreland juvenile center finds potential riot averted despite inadequate staff training
A state agency Tuesday disclosed findings from a third investigation of operations at Westmoreland County’s temporarily closed juvenile detention center. The investigation resulted in an additional violation related to a physical altercation this year between a staff member and a teen that officials feared created a potential for a riot...
More than 25 dogs rescued from North Fayette home, had been neglected for months, humane officer says
When North Fayette police and Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh Officer Angela Fry entered Audrey Stevenson’s North Fayette home to check on her dogs in mid-July, “the odor was so severe that our eyes began to water and we were coughing,” Fry wrote in a criminal complaint. The Azalea Drive...
Police: Barrel of loaded pistol spotted in SUV during traffic stop in New Kensington
New Kensington police say a man they pulled over for allegedly running a stop sign had a loaded pistol stuffed between the seat and center console of his vehicle. Police said Laquinta Dewayne Shuford, 31, did not have a license to carry the gun. Shuford of the 1700 block of...
Lawrence County added to Pittsburgh metro area
Lawrence County, the birthplace of Donnie Iris, Chuck Tanner and Zambelli Fireworks, is now part of the Pittsburgh metro area thanks to a revised designation from the White House. The move gives the Pittsburgh metro area a population boost of nearly 85,000 people, increasing its total to 2,434,021, based on...
Paving to impact parking at several Highlands buildings
Parking at several Highlands school buildings will be impacted this week and next as crews pave the lots in preparation for the start of classes Aug. 31. Work is part of $25 million in construction upgrades that will include new sidewalks and paved lots at the high school, elementary and...
Father of starved Oakmont girl sentenced to 33 to 66 years in prison
An Oakmont man who was convicted in May of starving his 3-year-old daughter to death has been sentenced to 33 to 66 years in prison. Jose Salazar-Ortiz, 32, was sentenced Tuesday after being found guilty of third-degree murder in the 2020 starvation death of his daughter, Bella Seachrist. He also...
New Aldi store to open next month in Hempfield
The new Aldi store in Hempfield Plaza is expected to open in September. The store is taking over a former Staples location at 6207 Route 30 in Hempfield. The office supply retailer closed March 10. “We are excited to provide local shoppers a revamped and refreshed Aldi store designed to...
Overgrown plants a concern for traffic in Greensburg alleys; summer paving continues
Property owners in Greensburg are responsible for keeping vegetation from spreading beyond their yards and interfering with traffic, and city officials are underlining that fact in black and white. Public works director Tom Bell said the city has begun issuing letters to those who need to trim back growth that...
Norwin board to hold special meeting for those seeking to fill vacancy
The Norwin School Board is seeking candidates who want to fill the remainder of the term of a school director who died last week. The school board Monday authorized an advertisement seeking candidates interested in serving the remainder of Joanna Jordan’s term, which was to end the first Monday of...
Kids games to return at St. Margaret Mary Parish’s annual festival
An annual Lower Burrell festival will be returning to St. Margaret Mary Parish church grounds later this week. The St. Margaret Mary Parish Festival of Friendship will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the church at 3055 Leechburg Road. “Our main thing is that we...
Woods Family Band to rock Natrona with free concert
Blues musician Tim Woods will light up Natrona Community Park on Thursday with soulful sounds from his newest album, “For You,” currently charting in the Top 10 on the National Blues Rock radio list. The Greensburg resident will belt out classics with his five-piece Woods Family Band, which includes his...
Allegheny County Jail Warden Orlando Harper announces retirement
Allegheny County Jail Warden Orlando Harper is retiring next month after 11 years as the jail’s top official, the county announced Tuesday. “I have been honored to serve in this role for over a decade and am announcing my retirement with mixed feelings,” Harper said in a statement. “When I...
Garbage truck worker jumps out of path of speeding pickup before collision, police say
Two people were hospitalized with serious injuries Friday after a crash involving a garbage truck in Hempfield. State police said a Ford Ranger being driven on Arona Road at 9:30 a.m. by Franklin Klavora, 87, of Irwin was speeding as it approached the garbage truck from behind. A worker on...
New Kensington woman accused of stealing ex-boyfriend’s identity to get credit card while he was in prison
A New Kensington woman is accused of stealing her former boyfriend’s identity to get a credit card in his name, charging more than $3,500 on it after they broke up while he was in state prison. Melissa A. McGreal, 41, of the 600 block of Campbell Avenue was charged July...
Police say Pa. woman took 220-mile Lyft ride to shoot couple fostering her biological daughter in Kennedy Township
Police say a Dauphin County woman took a three-and-a-half hour Lyft ride Monday to Kennedy Township and began shooting at a family there. She is facing a half-dozen counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. Kennedy police were called to a home along Julia Lane just after...
