Westmoreland County prepares for funding shortfalls in event of prolonged state budget impasse
Westmoreland County leaders huddled for more than an hour Wednesday to begin working on a playbook to ensure essential programs and services continue locally if the state legislature fails to adopt a budget. “We are prepared for it and we want to make sure we have enough money in our...
The Stroller, July 27, 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. Local musicians to be featured at community day and music festival...
Man who died in Shaler house fire remembered fondly by heartbroken neighbors
By all accounts, Tony Garland was an altruistic, lovable man. That’s the way his neighbors remembered him after learning he died at a hospital at 11 a.m. Wednesday following injuries suffered in a house fire Tuesday night at his home at 1601 Burchfield Road in Shaler. His partner, Michael E....
Missing Indiana County woman found
A Marion Center, Indiana County woman who was reported missing yesterday has been located and is safe. Sheila M. Rowley, 60, was located early Thursday morning, according to Pennsylvania State Police. The Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department bloodhound team and a state police aviation patrol unit joined in the search Wednesday...
Boy in stable condition after shooting in Stowe, Allegheny County Police say
A boy was in stable condition after he was shot Wednesday evening in Stowe Township, according to Allegheny County Police. The shooting was reported to county 911 dispatchers shortly after 7 p.m. near Sixth and Ridge streets. First responders found the boy shot in the arm, police said. He was...
Synagogue shooter would live in near isolation in supermax prison if spared death penalty, expert says
If Robert Bowers is sentenced to life in prison, he almost certainly would go to what is called the ADX in Florence, Colo. The administrative maximum-security prison, the only supermax facility in the federal Bureau of Prisons, is reserved for the most notorious prisoners, terrorists and national security threats. Bowers,...
Derry Township man accused of slaying Samantha Lang 16 years ago
A man long suspected in the 2007 death of 22-year-old Samantha Lang was arrested by state police Wednesday on homicide charges. Troopers believe Charles Earl Ream, 53, of Derry Township is responsible for Lang’s death at her father’s home. Ream is being held without bail on charges of homicide, robbery,...
Hydration important as youth sports heat up in North Allegheny Area for the fall
There’s no rest for the weary when it comes to youth sports. Even in the summer, young athletes gear up for the fall season. But it’s still summer and likely hot, so play it safe, said Dr. Tyler McCardell, a board director for McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority, who is also...
Another natural gas drilling well pad, pipeline proposed in West Deer
Another well pad is proposed in West Deer, as residents learned during a public hearing Tuesday for a separate interconnect pipeline. Olympus Energy is proposing the Tyche well pad and an associated pipeline at property located at 201 Bairdford Road, west of the Pittsburgh National Golf Club. The proposed well...
Public pitches in during exotic pet fundraiser in Sharpsburg
Mila the iguana soaked up the sun, and lots of attention, during an animal-themed fundraiser at Kennedy Park in Sharpsburg on July 22. Nanners, the albino ball python rescued in Ross after being released by its owner, was also a hit with people at the Sharpsburg event. “It was a...
Head’s up: Towering statue at Greensburg auto repair shop gets full face-lift
It was literally a tall order, but a local artist, a forklift company and staff of an auto repair shop combined efforts to make sure an iconic lumberjack stands head and shoulders once again above motorists driving along Route 119 in Greensburg. Standing more than 20 feet tall, the fiberglass...
Jail inmate who died Sunday was accused of sexually assaulting nurse
A McKeesport man who died in Allegheny County Jail on Sunday was accused of sexually assaulting an Allegheny General Hospital nurse in March. Douglas Bonomo, 59, solicited sex from the nurse, who police did not name, when she entered the room where she attempted to give him IV medication around...
Hunting Hampton ghosts: Museum serves as frequent site for group’s detection efforts
The Steel City Ghost Hunters held their first evening lecture on ghost hunting at Hampton’s Depreciation Lands Museum on July 22. The presentation included showcasing equipment used during their investigations and some of the methods employed by the ghost hunters. Heather Mahoney, Kim Justice, Lois Dix and Melissa Treglia have...
Pittsburgh leaders look to sell 200 Ross Street to affordable housing developer
Pittsburgh leaders are looking to sell a Downtown Pittsburgh office building that has housed several city departments and authorities, hoping that a developer would convert the space into affordable housing. The 200 Ross Street building had long been home to Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Housing Authority of the City...
Congressional resolution calls for Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel’s release from Russian prison
Support for the Oakmont teacher who was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison for possessing a small amount of medical marijuana has been growing steadily in Congress, and a new effort was introduced Wednesday. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a resolution in both the Senate and House...
Police: Monessen man sold drugs to informant multiple times
A Monessen man is facing drug charges after, police said, he sold five bricks of a drug mixture containing fentanyl to a confidential informant on as many occasions in January, according to court papers. Justin P. Smith, 38, was arraigned Wednesday. Members of the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force said...
Fine food featured at 1st Monroeville Night Market
The first-ever Monroeville Summer Night Market went off without a hitch on July 22, with several local vendors attending the event in the parking lot of the convention center. The gathering featured a small beer garden and a DJ for live entertainment, maintaining a steady flow of customers that one...
Plum man held for trial on charges of threatening 3 with gun at Republican committee meeting
A Plum man who ran for Allegheny County Council in 2021 was held for trial Wednesday on charges stemming from allegedly threatening three men with a gun outside a Plum Borough Republican Committee meeting in April. The preliminary hearing for Eric Casteel, 62, had been continued four times from May...
Plum hires police officers, honors sports teams
Three new police officers were approved by the Plum Borough Council members at their July meeting: Timothy Troy, Cara Sterling and Jeffrey Bonicky. Troy and Sterling were at the meeting to meet with the council, and Bonicky was on a military assignment. “New faces, new blood, new energy,” said police...
Allegheny-Kiski Health Foundation paying for 2 of 6 new public pickleball courts in Freeport
People passionate about pickleball soon will have new courts to play on in Freeport. The sport that’s sweeping the nation will be available for free at Freeport Community Park, thanks in part to the Harrison-based Allegheny-Kiski Health Foundation. Construction of six pickleball courts is underway, with two of the spaces...
Charges filed in Downtown Pittsburgh hotel attack
Pittsburgh police arrested a man who they say viciously attacked another man this week in a Downtown hotel elevator. Police charged Heiko Lamar Joseph Calhoun, 26, who is homeless, with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, robbery and recklessly endangering another person, court records show. Calhoun was arraigned Tuesday and remains in...
Big men on campus: From snacks to sleeping pads, Steelers load in for 2023 training camp at Saint Vincent College
When Pittsburgh Steelers players are hanging out at the end of a day at training camp, even a game of Uno can get amped up quickly. “Everything you can get competitive about, it’s going to happen,” said offensive tackle Kevin Dotson. “Everybody’s trying to win. That’s part of what’s great...
Pitt to raise in-state tuition for undergrads on its main campus by 2%
The University of Pittsburgh is increasing its base tuition for in-state undergraduate students on its main campus by 2% this fall, but will freeze tuition on its branch campuses in Hempfield, Johnstown, Bradford and Titusville. Out-of-state undergraduates will see increases of 7% on the main campus, while graduate students from...
Mt. Pleasant, Leechburg Area high schools honored for excellence in civic engagement
Two Pittsburgh-area high schools have been recognized by Gov. Josh Shapiro for excellence in civics education. Presented by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Governor’s Civic Engagement Award celebrates the efforts of high school students to engage, educate and inform their fellow students about involvement in the voting process. Leechburg...
New apartment building coming to Pittsburgh’s Uptown
Plans for a new apartment building in Pittsburgh’s Uptown received unanimous approval Tuesday from the city’s Planning Commission. The Standard on Fifth will be located on what is now a vacant site at Fifth Avenue and Moultrie Street. The four-story apartment building will house 51 apartments and include a fitness...
