Western PA Local News category, Page 977
Pa. Turnpike bridge in North Huntingdon safe for traffic after strike by truck, official says
A truck that hit a Pennsylvania Turnpike overpass bridge Thursday morning on Route 30 caused no structural damage to the span near the Irwin interchange, according to turnpike spokesperson Renee Vid Colburn. “We have a contractor that is working on the bridge and making a minor repair to it,” Colburn...
Fire marshal finds no signs to link 5 Plum house explosions
Allegheny County’s top emergency management official confirmed Thursday that investigators have not uncovered any links among five house explosions in Plum since the mid-1990s, including the one Saturday that killed six people and decimated part of a subdivision. Emergency Services Chief Matt Brown, who is also the county fire marshal,...
‘Rock for Recovery’ aims to destigmatize addiction with day of music, local resources
Joey Pagano of Monongahela is a recovering drug addict who has been clean and sober since June 1, 2013. And while he knows how hard things used to be, it’s difficult to look back at the past decade with anything but gratitude. In that time, Pagano has maintained his sobriety,...
Animal rescue groups save pets from Penn Township ‘house of horrors’
A pair of Westmoreland County animal rescue groups Monday said they rescued pets from what one group described as “a house of horrors” in Penn Township. Greensburg-based Ninth Life Rescue Center and North Huntington-based All But Furgotten said they combined efforts to save the animals from an undisclosed location in...
Penn Township votes against construction of new golf facility in Blackthorne Estates
Penn Township commissioners voted 4-1 this week to deny construction of a new golf operations facility in the Blackthorne Estates community near Harrison City-Export Road. The new facility for the unfinished 18-hole Blackthorne golf course was discussed at a township meeting last month. After a 30-minute executive session, commissioners held...
Morning Roundup: Man accidentally shot at South Side bar, police say
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Aug. 17: Man accidentally shot at South Side bar, police say A man was accidentally shot in the bathroom of a South Side bar Wednesday night, Pittsburgh police said. Police, EMS and fire personnel responded to the incident...
1 dead after hit-and-run crash on Parkway West; suspect identified
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the Washington County man killed just before midnight Wednesday in a hit-and-run crash on the Parkway West as Husam Raji Shuibat. A vehicle hit Shuibat, 53, in the area of mile marker 67 near Green Tree and drove away, police said. The medical...
Oliver Citywide Academy students to be sent to 4 satellite sites
Students who attended Oliver Citywide Academy will now go to one of four satellite locations rather than the existing North Side site, Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Wayne Walters announced Wednesday. The district plans to relocate all of Oliver Citywide Academy’s students after hearing input from students, staff and families in...
East Deer zoning board recommends approval of 3 billboards; decision pending on a 4th
East Deer’s zoning hearing board found the township’s zoning ordinance is exclusionary regarding billboards and recommended, for now, approval of three of four billboards proposed by America First Enterprises. The board held a public hearing on America First Enterprises’ proposal for four billboards in the township June 29. The company,...
McCandless gets $1 million in state funds for traffic light upgrades, celebrates opening of new sidewalk
PennDOT has awarded McCandless Township more than $1 million in Green Light-Go grants to help upgrade traffic lights. The awards were among more than $35 million given to 77 municipalities statewide, according to an announcement by Gov. Tom Shapiro on Aug. 11. McCandless received: • $306,222 for updated signal equipment...
The Stroller, Aug. 17, 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. Summer Celebration set Saturday in East Deer The East Deer Summer...
Norwin proposed field fee hike rejected as critics cry foul
A divided Norwin School Board rejected a proposal to increase the fees charged to groups that use the high school stadium and athletic fields. The school board this week voted 4-3 to nix the proposed fee schedule. Directors Christine Baverso, Alex Detschelt, Patrick Lynn and Robert Wayman voted against the...
W.Va. man killed in Oakland hit-and-run ‘found the beauty in things,’ family recalls
James Jerry “J.J.” Vas-Patterson wasn’t born into an easy life. After his father died unexpectedly on Sept. 7, 2010, when Vas-Patterson was just 10 years old, he and his younger brothers entered foster care, family members said Wednesday. Later, he added Patterson to his last name after being adopted by...
Westmoreland Fair leaders aim to exceed last year’s 63,000 attendance
Westmoreland Fair organizers are hoping to meet or exceed last year’s record-breaking attendance at the nine-day event. This year’s fair begins at 4 p.m. Friday at the Mt. Pleasant Township fairgrounds, and will feature motocross races, demolition derbies, an animal auction, food, music and more. Last year’s event drew 63,000...
Penn Hills School District superintendent to retire in October
Penn Hills Superintendent Nancy Hines is calling it a career after more than 25 years in public education. A search is underway for her replacement. Her last day is scheduled for Oct. 1. “It just feels right,” Hines said. “It feels like the district is stable. I think the energy...
Aspinwall’s ‘Big Night Out’ a foamy success
Foam, family and fun were all part of Aspinwall’s “Big Night Out” on Aug. 10 at the borough’s recreational fields along Field Avenue. The free event, presented by Aspinwall Neighbors, a community organization dedicated to promoting the borough, featured a bounce house, games, information booths from community groups, a foam...
Westmoreland officials dedicate reconstructed plaza at courthouse
Westmoreland County officials and guests gathered Wednesday at the main entrance and plaza in front of the courthouse on Main Street in Greensburg for the dedication of the renovated plaza. The redesigned plaza allows for the return of outdoor recreation and programs and is once again a gateway into the...
Extended weekend lane restrictions on Route 28 to start Thursday in Harmar
PennDOT’s extended weekendlong single-lane restrictions in both directions on Route 28 will begin Thursday in Harmar, near the structure over Barge Basin. Crews will perform expansion dam replacement work and approach roadway reconstruction according to the following schedule: • Northbound — Starting at 6 p.m. Thursday and running through 3...
No common links between Plum home explosions, gas company says
Peoples natural gas company officials said Wednesday there does not appear to be a common denominator linking last weekend’s fatal house explosion in Plum with four previous blasts in the borough since the mid-1990s. “At this point, there’s not any indication of any relationship,” said spokesman Nick Paradise, adding that...
4 injured in Butler County crash
Four people were hospitalized in Butler County early Wednesday when state police said a woman drove her SUV into oncoming traffic and overturned the vehicle, causing a second driver to swerve into an embankment to avoid her. Sara Brown, 20, of Butler, was driving southbound on Oneida Valley Road near...
Westmoreland officials hopeful Amazon warehouse portends future growth
Amazon’s plans to open a massive warehouse in New Stanton may be just the first step in a wave of economic development, Westmoreland officials said Wednesday. Amazon confirmed Tuesday it will occupy a 1 million-square foot warehouse in what has become an industrial hub for the county near the intersection...
6th annual Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship Ride to draw 800-plus bikers
A charity motorcycle ride in memory of New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw has grown into the largest of its kind in Western Pennsylvania. The event, scheduled to pull out of the Shrine Center in Harmar at 10 a.m. Saturday, is expected to draw more than 800 riders, organizers said....
Council members see progress of Latrobe municipal building renovation
The Latrobe municipal building along Jefferson Street is being renovated to make operations more efficient for staff, officials said. Talk of a renovation has circulated through council chambers more than once, but the work was ultimately prompted by aging computer equipment and the need for space. After Mutual Aid Ambulance...
5 North Allegheny students participate in the Governor’s School for the Sciences
Five North Allegheny seniors participated in The Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences this summer, an annual program that fosters scientific thinking, scholarly collaboration, and interpersonal connections while encouraging women and minority students to consider science careers. The program, which took place July 2-Aug. 5, is considered the premier STEM...
Harrison police accuse ‘stressed’ babysitter of walking out on 3 kids under 3 years old; felony charges filed
Harrison police accused a woman who was babysitting three children under the age of 3 of walking out on them because she was frustrated about the way they were behaving. Charlene Reed, 33, of the 400 block of Park Avenue in Harrison was charged by summons with three felony counts...
