Roundup: Master postal key stolen from Garfield mail carrier, police say
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Aug. 8: Master postal key stolen from Garfield mail carrier, police say A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier who was robbed Aug. 4 had one of the organization’s master keys stolen, according to Pittsburgh police. The carrier was...
The Stroller, Aug. 8, 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. Bicycle safety program planned in Leechburg Leechburg Police Department and Leechburg...
Hempfield Area to review 1st round of high school renovation bids this week
Hempfield Area School Board members will discuss bids for the first phase of a $132 million high school revitalization project at a public meeting Wednesday. The special session will be at 3 p.m. in the administration board room at 4347 Route 136. In addition to identifying the lowest bidder, the...
Allegheny County most wanted fugitive found in Ohio
A Duquesne man wanted on multiple warrants has been apprehended after being on the run for about two years, Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus said. Jordan Lattimer, 23, who was declared a fugitive in September 2021, was arrested without incident in Ohio by the Columbus police on Aug. 1. Kraus...
Strong winds split massive park oak, topple other tree limbs in Greensburg
The worst of Monday’s windstorms bypassed Westmoreland County, but strong morning gusts brought down limbs and damaged trees at several locations in Greensburg. The winds sheared in half a massive pin oak toward the eastern end of the city’s St. Clair Park, temporarily blocking part of a paved walking path....
Herminie man pleads guilty to finger gun threat
A Herminie man pleaded guilty Monday to allegations he made a gun-pointing gesture with his fingers at potential witnesses during a court hearing last year. Michael Wichelmann, 60, was sentenced to up to 23 months in jail in connection to the July 7, 2022, incident in a Westmoreland County courtroom....
Park manager: 4-year-old Pittsburgh boy drowns at Moraine State Park
A 4-year-old Pittsburgh boy drowned Monday at Moraine State Park, according to park officials. A park visitor found the boy unresponsive in a roped section of the park’s Pleasant Valley Beach on the South Shore shortly before 2 p.m., park manager Dustin Drew reported. On Tuesday, officials identified the boy...
Covid cases rise slightly but remain low compared to previous years in Western Pa.
Despite a slight increase in the number of covid-19 cases across the country, rates remain low, and they are far below the past few summers, both regionally and nationally. “Overall, we’ve had a pretty flat trajectory,” LuAnn Brink, chief epidemiologist for the Allegheny County Health Department, said Monday. “The changes...
Speed humps to be placed in Pittsburgh’s South Side Flats to slow motorists
Workers will install speed humps and other traffic-calming measures this week in Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes. The work will take place on Pius Street between South 18th and Brosville streets from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, weather permitting. City officials said data collected in 2021 showed that...
State issues violations against closed Westmoreland juvenile detention center
State investigators issued multiple violations against Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center after two teens suffered injuries while incarcerated, officials confirmed Monday. Controller Jeffrey Balzer, who serves as chairman of the county’s Juvenile Detention Board, said the violations focused on staffing issues at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield. “It’s...
I-70 project in Westmoreland lauded for use of technology in site design
A $93 million project along Interstate 70 in Westmoreland County received a regional America’s Transportation Award for its use of technology. The reconstructed interchanges at the Yukon and Madison exits, and 4 miles of highway in between them, used aerial photography rather than traditional on-the-ground surveying and software that modeled...
Shoring work nearly complete on Route 28 bridge in Harmar
Additional work to fix a railroad bridge where rocks fell onto the Route 28 expressway last week is underway. Crews are adding shielding under the railroad structure, this time southbound, between Exit 11 (Harmar) and Exit 12 (Cheswick) with single-lane restrictions for travelers. Northbound Route 28 was closed early Friday...
‘True to the spirit of the times’: Plum native set to release 3rd historical novel
If it ever comes up during Trivia Night, the 58th doge of Venice died on July 18, 1365. OK. So, what’s a doge? And who cares? The first answer is the ceremonial leader of the canal-laden city-state in what now is Italy. The second is Kevin Butler. For his soon-to-be-published...
New Kensington police charge woman with indecent exposure, drug counts
New Kensington police charged a woman with indecent exposure after, they say, she urinated in a parking lot after being pulled over and accused of driving too slowly. In addition to indecent exposure, police charged Joanne Lynn Stone, 56, of Moon Township on Friday with driving under the influence, drug...
Elderly man rescued from hillside fall in Harrison Hills Park
An elderly man suffered minor injuries after falling over a hillside Saturday in Harrison Hills Park, according to emergency crews. “He must’ve tripped and fell because when we got to him he was laying on the hill with his arms stuck under some branches,” Citizens Hose EMS Chief Jim Erb...
Tub overflow damages apartments at Pershing Square in Greensburg
A Greensburg man was charged with causing catastrophe after police said he let the water in his bathtub run “for an extended period of time,” flooding his apartment and damaging three other units, according to court papers. Firefighters were called to Pershing Square on West Third Street at 7 a.m....
River Valley administrators visit White House as part of 2 national programs
The U.S. Department of Education invited River Valley School District to the White House twice this summer. In July, the district was recognized as part of the Rural Community of Practice as an exemplary school district that reimagines how the nation’s high schools prepare students to thrive in the workforce....
Respite from gas price increases may be brief on Saudi production cut, hurricane season
The pace of gasoline price increases appears to have peaked over the weekend and is beginning to gently fall, an industry analyst said Monday. “Average gasoline prices continued to move up last week thanks to a continued rise in oil and continued pressure from hot weather that impacted refineries,” said...
Just how many loose alligators are there around here anyway?Video
How many loose alligators do we have around here anyway? Alle-Kiski Valley residents with frontage along the Kiski River can breathe a little easier this week, after news that the alligator seen several times over the past week was caught by kayakers Sunday and turned over to humane officers. But...
Worst of severe thunderstorms likely to miss Western Pennsylvania
Monday morning may have been overcast and rainy in the Pittsburgh region, but National Weather Service alerts about possible severe thunderstorms with the potential for hail and isolated tornadoes are likely to miss the region, meteorologists said. “We have some thunderstorm activity northwest of Pittsburgh at the weather center office,...
Murrysville council continues fine-tuning short-term rental ordinance
There is only one short-term rental unit currently listed in Murrysville on the AirBnB website. But municipal officials want to ensure that if that number grows, they have some local controls in place. Council continued working to hammer out the finer points of the ordinance at its Aug. 2 meeting,...
In brief: Plum area happenings, week of Aug. 7, 2023
Plum Class of ’73 reunion Plum High School Class of 1973 will hold its 50-year reunion starting at 4 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Lighthouse Marina, 799 Industrial Blvd., New Kensington. Price is $30 per person. RSVP by Aug. 19. For more information, contact Debbie Rittmeyer Martin at 412-798-4422 or...
Morning Roundup: Dog dies of gunshot wounds in West Mifflin
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Aug. 7: Dog dies of gunshot wounds in West Mifflin A dog that was found shot twice Sunday in West Mifflin has died of his injuries, according to staff at Sable Kennels in McKeesport. The dog, Marshmallow, was...
The Stroller, Aug. 7, 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. Help available to replace unreadable license plates The office of state...
Wayward Kiski River alligator headed to new home after capture
Apollo-area officials and volunteers are celebrating the successful and safe capture Sunday of an alligator living in the Kiski River. The gator, nicknamed “Chomper” by the search team and rescued by two adult male kayakers Sunday evening, had been the subject of an intense search over the past week. “They...
