Week 7 recap: Defense offers two dozen witnesses in effort to save synagogue shooters’ life
Over the past two months, 130 people have testified as part of the trial for the man convicted of killing 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue. They have described the terror inside the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2018. They have spoken lovingly of those killed. They...
The Stroller, July 30, 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. National Night Out celebration planned in North Apollo Kiski Township Police...
Summer cadet camp: graduates learn police work, discipline, perseverance
Jordan Litz plans to follow in her father’s footsteps into law enforcement one day after finishing her education at her preferred college, Michigan State University. “I would like to be a (state police) trooper when I graduate and also a criminal investigator,” 13-year-old Litz said at the Westmoreland County Camp...
Out & About: Summer in Ligonier Block Party hosts fun for all ages
A summer Saturday is always a good time for a trip to Ligonier to do a little shopping, have a meal and see the sights. There was added incentive for visitors on July 22, as the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted a Summer in Ligonier Block Party. A block...
Out & About: Pittsburgh bands rock out at Twin Lakes concert series
Two sets of Pittsburgh rockers played the July 22 date of the Westmoreland Parks and Recreation summer concert series, to the delight of the crowd on the hillside above the Brian T. Rusnock Amphitheater. The amphitheater, at the Twin Lakes Peach Plaza Expansion Area in Hempfield, is in an acoustical...
Out & About: Westmoreland Walks event gives cancer the boot
What do you wear to Give Breast Cancer the Boot? Boots, obviously — and cowboy boots, specifically. Westmoreland Walks hosted its annual country-and-western-themed event on July 21 at Yinzer Valley Farms in East Huntingdon, and attendees took the dress code seriously. There were boots, hats, neckerchiefs, jeans, prairie dresses and...
Murrysville ministry volunteers plan to paint mural in Jeannette
Cornerstone Ministries is finalizing plans for a mural on the side of a building in Jeannette, said Pastor Brandon Vieth. Once leaders at the Murrysville church complete that process, young adult volunteers are going to get to work with paint brushes, hopefully next month. It’s a way to help the...
Free student meals coming this fall to 3 schools in the Kiski Area School District
Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? More than 1,000 students in three of the six schools in the Kiski Area School District will receive free breakfast and lunch during the 2023-24 school year. The meals are being provided to all students at Kiski Area Intermediate School...
Health and wellness fair a hit in New Kensington
They came looking for answers to any number of questions about services they needed: transportation, physical therapy, shelter to escape abusive relationships, hunting licenses, how to deal with bears and coyotes on their property, or help filling out the required forms to replace their hard-to-read license plates. Hundreds of people...
Squirrel Hill holds complicated feelings about death penalty for synagogue shooter
Many in Squirrel Hill hate Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers. But their feelings about how to punish him as his federal trial nears a conclusion are as unique as the individuals themselves. Lori Kline grew up in this tree-shaded East End neighborhood, where roughly half the residents are Jewish and...
Canoe/kayak access ramp officially opens in Leechburg’s Riverfront Park
The Kiskiminetas Watershed Association formally opened a canoe/kayak access ramp Saturday in Leechburg’s Riverfront Park. The boat launch actually has been in use since mid-April. Genay Hess, association president, told the people gathered that the group took on the project at the request of late Leechburg Mayor Wayne Dobos and...
Unity company holds First Responders Appreciation Day to benefit local volunteers
The blue skies arrived just in time for Saturday’s annual First Responders Appreciation Day. The event outside Nickos Chimney Co. on Route 30 in Unity was started four years ago by employee Lisa Tatsch. It’s a way for workers and volunteers to give back to local first responders. All proceeds...
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County looks to continue expansion efforts
Sewers are the new growth industry for the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. The agency last week completed the purchase of a municipal sewer system that services Scottdale, Everson, Upper Tyrone and part of East Huntingdon, and officials said the utility, whose primary business during its first 60 years has...
Allegheny Tunnel work to cause restrictions on turnpike
Motorists traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike between the Somerset and Bedford exits beginning Monday night and nearly every other weeknight for the next four weeks will experience delays through the Allegheny Tunnel, the turnpike commission said. The traffic will be impacted Monday nights through Thursday nights with single-lane traffic patterns from...
Franklin Regional swimmers make All-American list, including first mother-son duo
Four Franklin Regional swimmers have been named to the 2022-23 National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association’s high-school All-American list, placing them among the top 100 in the nation in four categories. “We had a very good season,” said FR swim coach Vic Santoro. “Our medley relay were state champions, and our...
Body of 17-year-old McKeesport boy recovered from Monongahela River
The body of a 17-year-old boy was recovered from the Monongahela River overnight, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Benjerman T.N. Coleman of McKeesport went into the water around 8:15 p.m. Friday in the area of Harrison Street in Glassport. Search and rescue boats spent several hours looking for...
The Stroller, July 29, 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. Vandergrift PD to collect school supplies The Vandergrift Police Department is...
Grocery store eyed for West Tarentum
It’s been several decades since Tarentum residents had a full-fledged grocery store to shop for anything but chips, pop and frozen foods. Councilwoman Carrie Fox recalled browsing the A&P grocery aisles as a child, saying her parents shopped at the Fourth Avenue store and, later, at the Town and Country...
Student organizing 5K in Lower Burrell to raise money to start mental health foundation for teens
A Burrell High School student aiming to promote mental health wellness is coordinating a physical challenge for the cause in August. Grace Nesko, a rising senior at Burrell High School, is coordinating a 5K on Aug. 12 in K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park. Nesko said shirts and concessions will...
Arnold hosting 130th annual Western Pennsylvania Firemen’s Association convention
Firefighters from across Western Pennsylvania will gather next week in Arnold for their annual convention. The Western Pennsylvania Firemen’s Association’s 130th annual convention is scheduled to run from Thursday night to Monday morning. Public events will include a golf outing Friday morning in Kiski Township; the Battle of the Barrel...
Murrysville Golf Club tees up for court battle
The operator of a Murrysville golf course claims the landlord wants to take over what has become a successful business. J.K. Golf Inc., the operator of the Murrysville Golf Club, filed a lawsuit this week seeking an arbitration panel be convened to determine the future of the 18-hole course on...
Youngstown Whitney Volunteer Fire Department celebrates 100 years
Youngstown Whitney Volunteer Fire Department is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The department has about 30 active firefighters. Among activities on Friday was a Battle of the Barrel competition. On Saturday, starting at noon, the station will hold a parade and festival. The department was created through the merger of Youngstown,...
Woman shot in parking lot of Collier shopping center
A woman is in police custody after allegedly shooting another woman in the parking lot of a Collier Township shopping plaza Friday, according to Tribune-Review news partner WTAE-TV. The shooting victim was reported hospitalized in stable condition, police told WTAE-TV. The shooting occurred at 3:50 p.m., an Allegheny County 911...
Hanna’s Town kicks off Civil War reenactment with children’s program
Of all the portrayals and demonstrations Friday at Historic Hanna’s Town, Waylon Bizup was most excited about the weaponry. “I liked the cannon,” 10-year-old Waylon said. “I liked the Gatling gun over there. We got to fire it, like two rounds. It was really cool, and we got to be...
Frog Week created to bring attention to often overlooked species
Frogs are finally getting their due — and their own week of celebration — thanks to the efforts of an Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate student. “Most tend to fear frogs and other creatures around them; frog week helps break this and bring attention to what is in our backyard,”...
