Fitch downgrades Heritage Valley’s rating
Fitch Ratings has downgraded its rating that assesses Heritage Valley Health System’s vulnerability of default to A+ from AA-. The downgrade of the hospital system’s reflects “several years of sizeable operating losses” and ongoing challenges that emerged before the covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020. The report cited pressures due to...
Pittsburgh’s Daniel Moore snags 2nd ‘Jeopardy!’ win
Daniel Moore’s second “Jeopardy!” victory wasn’t as stellar as his first, but he lives to fight another day. The Pittsburgh contestant ended Monday night’s episode with another $14,800, defeating fellow contestants retired elementary teacher Jerry Powers of New Jersey and librarian Leann Craumer of Maryland. Unlike Friday, Moore correctly answered...
Exhibition at Bridgeville library features glass art
Bridgeville Public Library is the site of a “pop-up” art exhibition opening July 21 and running through Aug. 19. The exhibition, organized and curated by the volunteers of Public Art Bridgeville, features glass sculptures, mosaics and pieces from the Bridgeville Area Historical Society’s Higbee Glass collection. An opening reception will...
Lower Burrell recognizes firefighters, police, resident for heroism during June house fire
The heroic and self-sacrificing actions of Lower Burrell firefighters, police officers and residents during a June house fire in the city were recognized by city council. On June 18, crews across the Alle-Kiski Valley were dispatched to the 170 block of Jefferson Drive in Lower Burrell for a house fire...
2 national chain stores set to open in Allegheny Township
Bargain shoppers will have two new shopping options in the coming months in Allegheny Township. Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and Dollar Tree are the newest tenants confirmed by Pittsburgh-area developer Jeff Paul to open in Hyde Park Plaza, the former home to a Big Kmart. Paul is the man behind the...
Morning Roundup: Troopers investigate man’s death in police custody in Monaca
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, July 18: State troopers investigate after man dies in police custody in Monaca Pennsylvania State Police are looking into the case of a man who died Saturday while in police custody in Monaca. The Beaver County District Attorney’s...
Westmoreland County woman killed in W.Va. motorcycle crash
A Westmoreland County woman was killed Sunday in a motorcycle crash on Interstate 79, according to the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s deputies responded to I-79 near mile marker 150 after 2 p.m. Sunday for a crash involving a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle. Christina Barnes, 55, of Bradenville was...
Mental health issues prompt trial delay for Penn Township man accused of killing father, aunt
A Penn Township man charged with the murders of his father and aunt nearly two years ago was found competent to stand trial Tuesday morning. But that ruling was almost immediately rescinded following a mid-hearing outburst during which Neal Hubish, 43, walked out of a court hearing he attended remotely...
Woman found dead in Mon Wharf area
Pittsburgh police on Monday found a woman who died in the area of the Mon Wharf. Officers were called to 1 Fort Pitt Blvd. around 5:45 a.m. Monday for a report on a 35-year-old female found unresponsive. The woman, who has not yet been identified, was pronounced dead by medics...
The Stroller, July 18, 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. Golf scramble scheduled by Riverview Community Action Corp Riverview Community Action...
Westmoreland communities receive share of casino revenue
It’s unlikely that one would expect to win money at a casino for bridge repairs or fire department renovations, but a few Westmoreland municipalities found themselves with the lucky hand Monday. Live Casino Pittsburgh doled out its latest round of Local Share Account grants at the Hempfield location Monday, bringing...
STEAM camp kicks off for children at New Kensington church
The summer is getting STEAMy for area youngsters. Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in New Kensington is hosting a free, four-session STEAM camp for children in partnership with ABC CREATE educators. Monday, participants of the first session learned about computer coding and programmed Bee-Bots. Topics include robotics, computer science, engineering...
Berg Place site in Carrick could become affordable senior housing development
A proposal before Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority would see Carrick’s Berg Place site redeveloped into affordable senior housing. The Berg Place site, which sits off of Brownsville Road, had previously been a multi-unit housing complex, but was condemned in 2014 after years of “disrepair,” said Niklas Persson, a lending analyst...
Vandergrift pool to open Tuesday
The Vandergrift Pool is expected to open Tuesday. The opening was announced via Facebook Monday. It is scheduled for noon to 7 p.m. The pool, officially named the Joseph A. Petrarca Memorial Pool, at 1639 La Belle Vue Road had not opened for the season because of repairs needed on...
Scottdale car dealership catches fire
First responders headed to Keystone Autoworx LLC in Scottdale after receiving reports of a fire just before 8 p.m. Westmoreland 911 said fire crews asked West Penn Power to cut off power in the area while battling the flames. Multiple surrounding streets were closed while the blaze was knocked down....
Fallen EMS remembered in memorial service; ‘lives on the line every day’
Pietro Manno was overcome with emotion Monday during an EMS Memorial Service as he took identification tags engraved with the name of his son, Fred Manno. The North Huntingdon EMS/Rescue paramedic died almost a year ago after suffering a cardiac arrest while tending to a patient. Pietro Manno of Penn...
Ala. man pleads guilty for role in New Kensington motorcyclist’s death
An Alabama man who pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide on Monday told the surviving family members of 71-year Martin Stephen Susa of New Kensington that he couldn’t explain his actions leading up to the man’s death. “I’ve never come close to hurting anyone with a vehicle or anything else. You...
Soaring Lottery jackpots fuel big dreams, big ticket sales
Massive lottery prizes are leading local retailers to see an uptick in lottery sales. On Monday, the Powerball jackpot was $900 million — the third-largest in its history and the seventh largest U.S. lottery jackpot — and worth an estimated cash value of $465.1 million. There have been 37 consecutive...
Chinese national pledges to continue appeal of human trafficking conviction and deportation order
A former Mt. Pleasant woman awaiting deportation to China told a Westmoreland County judge she will continue to appeal her conviction for human trafficking without the help of a lawyer. Hui Xu, 48, appeared for court Monday and, with the help of a Mandarin translator, asked to fire the Philadelphia-based...
Bethel Park hires municipal manager
At the July 10 Bethel Park Council meeting, Kristen Denne was approved as the new municipal manager. Her start date is Aug. 28. “Kristen is very well qualified, with substantial local government managerial experience,” Tim Moury, council president, said. “We’re excited to have her on board and look forward to...
New start-ups to join Lawrenceville’s ‘Robotics Row’
Several more companies are joining the ranks of Pittsburgh’s growing robotics industry. The Robotics Factory, a consortium of start-ups, announced Monday that it will move into the Tech Forge building in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. Six start-up companies will be joining the Robotics Factory’s “Accelerate” program, which provides them with funding...
Everyone learns at Bethel Park’s Camp Invention
Teachers still are learners. “I never knew who invented the Bose speaker,” Melinda Romito said. “I never thought about it.” She discovered the answer while serving as an instructor for, appropriately enough, Camp Invention. An educational program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the camp took place in Bethel...
Trooper says man stopped for speeding in North Buffalo had 4 ounces of crack, nearly $5K cash
State police said a man pulled over in North Buffalo Township for speeding had more than 4 ounces of crack cocaine in the glove box and nearly $5,000 under the seat. Kahn Mykle Holliday, 30, of the 1100 block of Leishman Avenue in Arnold was charged July 12 with a...
Former Westmoreland Commissioner Kopas tapped to fill Cerilli Thrasher’s seat
Former Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas will return to the job he held for more than a decade. The county’s 11 Common Pleas Court judges on Monday appointed Kopas to complete the remaining five months of the unexpired term of Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher, who will resign July 31 to...
‘Such a huge void’: Survivors of synagogue shooting victims testify in trial’s final phaseVideo
For weeks, everyone in the courtroom had become accustomed to the pictures of the victims. They were displayed frequently. State-issued ID photos, sometimes smiling, but often stoic, on a blue background. On Monday, the pictures changed. As the government told the jurors about each of the lives lost Oct. 27,...
