Western PA Local News category, Page 10
Combating youth suicide tilts increasingly toward early intervention
A suicidal child or teenager may never talk of taking their life. Parents, peers and teachers might not even know they’re living with mental illness. Despite younger generations showing greater openness to discussing mental health struggles, fears of punishment or social exclusion remain, experts say. Even at medical appointments, minors...
Franklin Regional teen’s suicide leaves family seeking answers and raising awareness
When Jeremy Foltz opened his front door and saw the police chief and county coroner, his mind began to race. There were plenty of reasons the chief might be there. There was only one reason the coroner would be. On the morning of Sept. 14, 2025, the Foltz family’s world...
Westmoreland happenings: Egg hunt, Easter dinner, Race for Grace, more
Easter events • Community Easter dinner, 4 to 7 p.m. March 24 at Cook Township Community Center, 1698 Route 711. Sponsored by Stahlstown Trinity Community Church. Donations will be accepted. • Egg hunt for children and dogs, noon to 3 p.m. March 28 at Yinzer Valley Farms, 681 Mulberry Road,...
Woman, 20, fatally shot in McKees Rocks
A woman has died after being shot Friday evening in McKees Rocks. Allegheny County Police said they responded shortly after 8 p.m. to a home along the 20 block of Singer Avenue. Officers found Mya Parker, 20, who had been shot in the head. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s notification...
Gilpin man taken into custody following standoff with multiple police departments
A Gilpin man in his 40s was taken into custody after a standoff with police Friday evening. No injuries were reported in connection with the incident along the 100 block of Stullville Road in the township. Southern Armstrong Regional Police Chief Chris Fabec said officers initially responded to a call...
Lawsuit accused Allegheny County Jail officers of assaulting man in intake unit
A Pittsburgh man is suing Allegheny County and several officers at the jail, alleging they beat him so severely on two separate occasions in the intake unit that they dislocated his shoulder and broke his ribs. Shawn Marple, 36, alleges excessive force, failure to intervene and municipal liability in the...
Thousands celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Pittsburgh, suburbs
Thousands of Muslims from across the region celebrated Eid al Fitr on Friday, a major Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, in Oakland, and the Attawheed Islamic Center, in Carnegie, came together to celebrate Eid at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in...
Mystery daredevil parachutes off Pittsburgh skyscraper
Pittsburgh police are investigating after a “reported parachutist” jumped off a skyscraper near the former site of the Civic Arena. Just three weeks after a Beaver County social-media influencer scaled the Gulf Tower — once Pennsylvania’s tallest building — someone appeared to launch themselves off the FNB Financial Center, a...
1 lane of a portion of West 7th Avenue in Tarentum to close next week
One lane on a small portion of West Seventh Avenue in Tarentum will be closed on Monday starting at about 9 a.m. and last through Friday weather permitting. The affected area is northbound lane on West Seventh on the bridge over Bull Creek between East Street and the Ross Street...
Ligonier Valley ex-police chief John Berger headed to trial on bribery, drug charges
The man Westmoreland County prosecutors said bribed former Ligonier Valley police Chief John Berger with pain pills and an award is now cooperating with authorities. Michael Hootman, 43, of Ligonier Township served as a key witness for prosecutors during a preliminary hearing for Berger on Friday. Prosecutors accuse Berger of...
New Kensington-Arnold students gifted supplies at yearly Adopt-A-School program
Sixth grader Landon Fernandez said he might use new school supplies gifted to him to draw, study and help with his homework. Bags of school supplies, including notebooks, colored pencils, glue and more were given to all 600 students at Roy A. Hunt Elementary School in Arnold on Friday. It...
Concussion effects on women highlighted at symposium in Pittsburgh
While the medical field has made strides in recognizing sex-specific norms and risk factors in concussion recovery, it still falls short in tailoring treatment for high-risk women, according to Alicia Trbovich, a neuropsychologist with the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program. At the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research symposium...
High school students explore careers at Independence Health System Westmoreland Hospital
Students from Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield Area, Penn Trafford and Jeannette City school districts participated in a career fair at Independence Health System Westmoreland Hospital on Friday, Feb, 27, 2026. It was the first of two career fairs the hospital is hosting for students this year; the next...
Hampton superintendent retiring after 42 years in public education
Michael Loughead remembers having a positive experience when he was a student growing up in eastern Pennsylvania years ago. That curiosity inspired him to consider a career in public education — and that’s where he has been ever since. Loughead, 66, of Oakmont, will retire as Hampton Township School District’s...
Penn-Trafford hockey team gets championship send-off from classmates, familyVideo
The Penguins Cup champion Penn-Trafford High School hockey team is headed east to compete against North Penn in the Class 2A state finals, and their classmates cheered the players on Friday afternoon as they boarded the bus for West Chester. The Warriors won their first Pens Cup title on Monday...
Hempfield Area superintendent vows to ‘support kids and our staff’ after PTO treasurer charged with theft
Hempfield Area Superintendent Mark Holtzman said the district will financially support Fort Allen Elementary School’s students and staff after Westmoreland County detectives accused a parent of taking $46,000 from the school’s parent-teacher organization. Darshanna L. Truss, 35, of Hempfield, a treasurer of the PTO, was charged this week with two...
Virtual learning for Pittsburgh Public Schools during NFL Draft draws national reaction
A decision tied to the NFL Draft is quickly turning into a national public debate, as people flood social media with reactions to Pittsburgh Public Schools’ decision to move classes online that week. Pittsburgh Public Schools announced this week that students will be learning remotely April 22 to 24, the...
Plaza at North Shore to open ahead of Pirates’ 1st game at PNC Park
The North Shore will gain a new dining and entertainment space ahead of the Pirates’ home opener and the NFL Draft. Legacy Hospitality Partners announced Thursday that The Plaza at North Shore, along with its first restaurant concept, SugarBird, will open April 2. The 30,000-square-foot Plaza is at the corner...
Council approval ushers in next phase of lighting project at Oakmont’s Riverside Park
It looks like ground will be broken by summer in Oakmont’s Riverside Park. A unanimous vote this week by Oakmont Council set in motion the next phase of adding lights to the Riverview Raiders’ home fields in the borough-owned park. The borough collects rent from the school district so it...
Pittsburgh Regional Transit to get $350K to support added services during 2026 NFL Draft
Pittsburgh Regional Transit will receive financial help to boost its services during the 2026 NFL Draft. “The best way for football fans to get Downtown is on public transportation,” Jerad Bachar, president and CEO of local tourism agency Visit Pittsburgh, said during a transit agency committee meeting Thursday. The Greater...
Police seize cocaine, mushrooms, cash, guns in Robinson bust
A Robinson man was jailed Thursday after authorities said they found nearly a kilogram of cocaine, psychedelic mushrooms and about $30,000 in cash in his Statia Street home. Nicholas Giese, 40, was charged with seven drug counts. He was taken to the Allegheny County Jail, where he posted $100,000 bail...
EPA to conduct water testing around South Huntingdon landfill siteVideo
When U.S. Rep. Summer Lee visited South Huntingdon’s Yukon neighborhood last summer, she sat with families to hear their concerns about decades of potentially toxic pollution from the nearby Max Environmental Technologies landfill. On March 19, Lee, D-Swissvale, announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would begin sampling residential drinking...
Arnold police to wear body cameras
Arnold Mayor Shannon Santucci said getting body-worn cameras for police officers was one of her top priorities coming into office. Now that the department has them, she hopes they’ll help to protect those officers and the community. “(It will be beneficial) if there are any questions of legal disputes on...
‘Immaculate Collection’ clears 400 tons of litter ahead of 2026 NFL Draft
As the 2026 NFL Draft approaches, efforts to clean up the region are kicking into high gear. Allegheny CleanWays, a nonprofit dedicated to removing litter, in September launched a regionwide cleaning and beautification effort dubbed the Immaculate Collection, a play on the famed Immaculate Reception that Steelers legend Franco Harris...
Murrysville burglary suspects charged with additional attempt in Penn TownshipVideo
Two men charged with attempted burglaries in Murrysville this month are facing additional charges related to a third attempted burglary the same day in neighboring Penn Township. Sebastian M. Montano 24, of Chicago, and Kevin D. Piza-Alzate, 24, of Reading, were initially both charged with burglary and criminal conspiracy for...
