Western PA Local News category, Page 1922
Firefighter disputes Kiski Township police charges stemming from plans to burn building debris
Kiski Township police arrested an Apollo firefighter and charged him with disorderly conduct after they say he refused to abandon plans to burn rubbish with prohibited items. Police charged Lyle Rusz, 60, of Kiski Township with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and tampering with fire apparatus. Rusz’s attorney, Gregory Swank, disputed...
Astrobotic’s MoonRanger rover a step closer to lunar mission
On the 52nd anniversary of the day Apollo 11 blasted off and headed for its historic moon landing, Astrobotic has taken a “giant leap” toward its own moon landing. The Pittsburgh-based aerospace company has announced the autonomous rover MoonRanger it partnered with Carnegie Mellon University to create, has passed another...
Westmoreland road work to affect traffic on routes 30, 119 beginning Monday
Motorists will encounter a detour and lane restrictions in Youngwood and additional restrictions on Route 30 in Hempfield beginning Monday, as work proceeds on PennDOT road projects. In Youngwood, beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, a section of Depot Street, between northbound Route 119 (Third Street) and South Second Street, will...
Pitt faculty unionization vote slated, Pitt says
The University of Pittsburgh’s faculty members will be able to vote starting next month on whether they want the United Steelworkers to represent them in contract negotiations. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board decided the secret-ballot vote for about 3,000 employees will be conducted from Aug. 27 to Oct. 12, the...
Got glass? Roving bin to hit Allegheny County Parks as curbside recycling wanes
Western Pennsylvanians who don’t want to see their glass garbage end up in a landfill can bring it to a roving bin scheduled to rotate across Allegheny County’s parks. The county teamed up with the Pennsylvania Resources Council for its 2021 Traveling Glass Recycling Bin Program. They plan six-day stops...
Latrobe nonprofit plans week-long virtual auction, wellness series
Latrobe-based nonprofit Laurel Faith in Action is inviting area residents to take a break from the heat outside to join in a virtual Fun in the Sun online auction. Set for Monday through July 23, the fundraising event includes about 50 items up for bid. Participants also can check out...
Gilpin man hospitalized after large tree falls on his campground homeVideo
A Gilpin man was taken to a local hospital for treatment after a tree fell on his porch Friday. Neighbors Lori and Brian Barbieri said they heard a snap as the late-afternoon storms died down and watched as the tree came down across their neighbor’s home in the Kiski River...
McKeesport residents warned not to drink tap water after commercial building fire
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County is asking residents in the Lower 10th Ward of McKeesport to not use the tap water after firefighting foam may have been sucked into a fire hydrant as crews battled a blaze at McKeesport Auto Body on Friday night. According to an advisory posted...
Harmar supervisors reappoint Karen Peconi-Biricocchi as acting township manager
For the second time in two months, the Harmar supervisors appointed Karen Peconi-Biricocchi as the acting township manager. Peconi-Biricocchi was initially appointed acting manager at the end of May, succeeding Tony Rozzano. He was hired to fill the position full-time earlier in May but had to step down because he...
Norwin promotes covid vaccine clinics
Norwin students 12 and older and school district residents will be able to get a free covid vaccine before school starts Sept. 8 by making an appointment at Excela Square at Norwin Medical Commons in North Huntingdon. To be fully vaccinated, two doses of the Pfizer shot will be administered...
Lane closures needed for bridge work along Wildwood Road in McCandless
Work to repair the deck of a bridge along Wildwood Road in McCandless will result in traffic disruptions next week, PennDOT announced. The project involves concrete deck repairs on Wildwood Road Bridge, which traverses Pine Creek, according to the state transportation agency. Single-lane restrictions will occur at the bridge from...
Raises approved for much-needed Go Westmoreland bus drivers
Go Westmoreland paratransit bus drivers are getting raises. Westmoreland County Transit Authority board members this week approved 4.6% raises for nonunion drivers with the agency’s shared-ride program which provides subsidized door-to-door trips in small buses to seniors, disabled and low-income riders. Driver pay will increase to $15 per hour starting...
Westmoreland increases signing bonuses for Manor nurses
Westmoreland County is upping the ante to hire nurses. With nearly three dozen openings at Westmoreland Manor, the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield, officials said increased signing bonuses will be paid to new hires during the final five months of this year. They will receive up to $6,000 in addition...
Swin Cash surprises McKeesport students with virtual messageVideo
McKeesport Area School District students were in for a surprise Thursday afternoon when former WNBA star and McKeesport native Swin Cash sent in a special video message for them. The video was a part of her partnership with the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation. McKeesport Area School District’s annual six-week summer...
Latodami nesting box program a boon to bluebird population in North ParkVideo
The din of passing vehicles fades as you walk deep into North Park. It is replaced by the symphonic warble of birds chiming their presence. But ensuring the prosperity of the bird population in the 3,075-acre park is no mere act of nature. Staff and volunteers with the Latodami Nature...
Man who shot at Pittsburgh officers said he wanted them to kill him, gets 15 to 30 years
Issa Abdus-Salaam had a difficult childhood, including being moved from his home in Philadelphia at age 7 to live with strangers in Senegal, West Africa. Although his parents eventually joined him four years later, it wasn’t before he had lived in filth, saw a man beaten to death in the...
Irwin cops take turn as baristas
The owner of a boutique bakery in Irwin and borough police participated in a fundraiser with a caffeinated kick on Thursday. Caroline Lewis, owner of the Cheesecake Caffe on Main Street, sponsored a cleverly-named “Lattes With Law Enforcement” three-hour event, where officers donned aprons over their police uniforms to make...
Latrobe police say neighbors’ complaints led to drug arrests
Multiple complaints this month over an influx of pedestrian and vehicle traffic at a Latrobe home resulted in the arrests of a couple Thursday by city police on charges of trafficking cocaine and heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. William E. Schall, 34, and Bobbi Rae Ragazzini, 26, who live...
Norwin GOP fills vacancy on school board ticket
Norwin area Republican committee members selected a replacement for the candidate who withdrew from the GOP ticket for the school board election in November, snubbing the school board president who also sought the nomination. Shawna Ilagan of North Huntingdon beat fellow Republicans Dorey Stabile McCarron and Norwin School Board president...
Brookline couple faces charges after 6-week-old tests positive for cocaine
A Brookline couple faces charges after doctors discovered cocaine in the system of their 6-week-old infant, according to charges filed by Pittsburgh police Thursday. Matthew Bell and Lindsey Satterfield both face charges related to drug possession, assault and child endangerment. According to the criminal complaint, Satterfield took her infant son...
Penguins schedule community meetings on Hunt Armory rink and hockey diversity
The Pittsburgh Penguins have scheduled in-person and virtual community meetings this month on their plans to open an ice rink at the Hunt Armory in Shadyside. The community sessions are being held July 26 and July 28 and will involve discussions about specific plans related to the project — hours...
La Roche to mandate covid vaccines for resident students, student athletes
La Roche University in McCandless will require all resident students and student athletes be vaccinated against covid-19 by the start of the fall semester. Students in the nursing program who are scheduled for clinical experiences and students who apply for study abroad trips will also need to be vaccinated, Rosemary...
Owners of Vandergrift home destroyed in blaze thankful to be alive
Robert Harvey Mills and his wife Caroel Mills watched a fire destroy their Vandergrift home of 51 years Thursday morning. They helplessly stood by as their their home on Holland Street burned — along with two neighboring houses. Still, the couple said they’re thankful to be alive, and determined not...
Police: Desperate notes in Walmart, Fallingwater led to woman held captive
The first note appeared just over a week ago. Stuck to a mirror in the women’s restroom at the Walmart on Washington Pike in Scott, a handwritten note pleaded for help, police said. The writer, a woman, wrote that she was being held captive by a man named Corey Brewer...
Former Excela nurse accused of stealing pain pills from patients
A former nurse at Excela Health Westmoreland hospital in Greensburg was arrested this week by the state Attorney General’s office on accusations of stealing prescription painkillers from patients over a five-month period in 2020, according to court papers. Joel M. Gazal, 34, of North Versailles, was arraigned on two counts...
