Western PA Local News category, Page 1978
McKees Rocks woman gets time served, 5 years’ probation for role in cocaine ring linked to GBK gang
A McKees Rocks woman who sold cocaine for members of a street gang in Pittsburgh’s West End has been sentenced to time served and five years of probation, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Mardeja Chapple, 26, was convicted of conspiring to distribute more than 280 grams of crack cocaine — or...
Kiski Township mother accused of assaulting teen, having child live in deplorable conditions
A Kiski Township woman is accused of having her child live in deplorable conditions and assaulting a teen Monday evening. Mindy M. Smith, 44, was taken into custody in a welfare check at a home in the 500 block of Flat Rock Road. Police said the officer responding to the...
Pittsburgh-area artists commissioned to paint the town in murals
Janel Young and Jayla Patton are making Downtown Pittsburgh a little more beautiful. The artists were commissioned by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership to create murals. Young used bright hues on the concrete street along Fort Duquesne Blvd. Patton fashioned watercolor paintings which are displayed on the windows at the former...
Would-be intruder shot trying to break in to Mt. Oliver apartment
A man shot and wounded a would-be intruder Tuesday morning in Mt. Oliver Borough, according to police. The man, who police did not identify, was allegedly trying to force his way into a 19-year-old woman’s Ormsby Avenue apartment, Allegheny County Police Sgt. Matthew Mineard said in a statement. The shooting...
‘Hamilton’s’ Mandy Gonzalez to perform for Jewish Association on Aging fundraiserVideo
Actress and singer Mandy Gonzalez immediately thought of her late grandmother when asked by the Jewish Association on Aging to perform at its annual fundraiser. “My ‘Bubbie’ loved music, and she would always sing at the senior center,” said Gonzalez, who will perform a live virtual concert for the Art...
Market, storytime attract all ages to Latrobe’s Legion Keener Park
Warm weather on Tuesday enticed local residents to explore activities at Latrobe’s Legion Keener Park. Children enjoyed a story time while patrons browsed the town’s weekly farmers market. About 90 kids combined attended two story sessions, sponsored by Adams Memorial Library and WQED as part of Latrobe’s Mister Rogers Family...
Monroeville community shows love to library through paper airplanes projectVideo
Visitors will have a sight to see when they enter the lobby at the Monroeville Public Library. The new art display titled “Soaring Together” invites patrons to show what the library means to them by writing or drawing their favorite book, streaming service, library program or movie title on a...
Penn-Trafford School Board expected to vote on roof project
The Penn-Trafford School Board is expected to vote next week on a renovation project to remedy water damage on the roof of the high school. The project was mentioned in a school board information and committee meeting on Monday. According to Brett Lago, the district’s director of business affairs, the...
Meal deals offered during inaugural Greater Latrobe Restaurant Week
Officials with the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce hope to provide a delicious week in the neighborhoods for those who visit Latrobe and surrounding communities this week. The chamber kicked off the inaugural Greater Latrobe Restaurant Week on Monday, modeling it after similar promotions in Greensburg and Pittsburgh....
Black political advocacy group asks Supreme Court to investigate Zappala’s conduct
The Black Political Empowerment Project sent a letter Tuesday to the state Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Board seeking sanctions against Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. for a now-rescinded policy he issued last month banning his office from offering plea deals to a Black defense attorney. Zappala issued an...
Wabtec Corp. opens 3D printing operation near Pittsburgh InternationalVideo
Instead of using a mill to fabricate aluminum into the parts used in railway systems, Wabtec Corp. will be using a $2.5 million 3D printer that’s among the largest in the world at its new 11,000-square-foot facility in Findlay. The company is the successor of Westinghouse Air Brake Corp. Founded...
Suspected human remains found in basement of commercial Tarentum building
Suspected human remains were discovered Tuesday morning in the basement of a Tarentum building undergoing renovations. Bones including what appeared to be part of hip or shoulder bones and a leg bone were found by a contractor who had been digging in the basement of 305 E. Fifth Ave., a...
Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh expands list of nominees for bishop
Two more names have been added to the list of nominees for the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. The Rev. Jeffrey Murph, rector of St. Thomas Memorial Church in Oakmont, and the Rev. Canon Scott Gunn, executive director of Forward Movement, a spiritual renewal program based in...
Investigators believe Penn Hills teen’s killing was retribution for theft
Investigators believe a Penn Hills teen was killed last month as retribution for stealing drug proceeds two days earlier, according to charges filed. Deontae Deshawn Nalls, 21, was charged Monday with homicide in connection with the death of 17-year-old Darin Hobdy on May 23 on Vantine Street in Wilkinsburg. Two...
Hempfield Area to eliminate dozen positions, will save $923,000
Leaders in the Hempfield Area School District on Monday unanimously voted to eliminate about a dozen positions through attrition, a response to declining enrollments and a decision that supported a balanced 2021-22 budget, officials said. The vote, which took place during the district’s workshop meeting and required a suspension of...
North Hills School District hires long-time educator as middle school principal
The North Hills School District has hired a veteran educator and coach to serve as principal for the middle school. LaMont Lyons’ contract was approved by the district’s school board on June 3. He replaces David Lieberman, who announced this spring that he is retiring. Lyons began his career in...
Vandergrift suspends cop whose encounter with Black restaurant patron went viral
Vandergrift has suspended a police officer who had been the target of an internal investigation concerning his conduct while on duty. Officer William Moore’s unpaid suspension took effect Tuesday and will last four weeks, into early July. The decision was made Monday after council emerged from behind closed doors following...
North Hills School District taxes going up next year
The North Hills school board has approved a tax increase to fund a nearly $88.3 million spending plan for the 2021-22 school year, district officials announced. The 0.39 mill tax hike increases the rate used to calculate tax bills from 18.65 mills to 19.04 mills and is the seventh time...
Police charge Mt. Pleasant Township man with taking money to set SUV on fire
A Mt. Pleasant Township man is accused by state police of accepting $300 to set an SUV on fire in February, according to court papers. Barry E. Albright, 28, was arrested Monday on charges of arson, insurance fraud and causing a catastrophe. Troopers in February arrested Donald E. Cassidy, 55,...
Drugs, disorderly conduct among charges filed by Monroeville police May 20, 2021
The following charges were filed May 20 with Monroeville District Judge Jeffrey L. Herbst. Charges were filed by Monroeville police: • Joseph Pollock, 55, of Penn Hills with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license and without required financial responsibility. Charges were filed May 20 in connection with...
DUI, drug cases among those handled by Judge Zucco in Plum on May 12 and 19, 2021
District Judge Linda Zucco recently handled the following cases. Charges were filed by Plum police unless otherwise noted. Held for • Robert Cedolia, 70, of Pittsburgh on charges of aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and two counts of indecent assault on a person less...
DUI, drug charges among cases handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court May 24, 2021
Penn Hills District Judge Anthony L. DeLuca handled the following cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Charges were filed by Penn Hills police unless otherwise noted. Held for court • Penelope McAllen, 34, of McKeesport on charges of retail theft. Wilkins police...
Scratch-off ticket worth $3 million sold in Ligonier
A scratch-off ticket worth $3 million was sold to a 30-year-old Indiana County man at the Giant Eagle in Ligonier, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Tuesday. The ticket sold was a MONOPOLY 100X scratch-off, the lottery said. The store at 117 South Walnut St. will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling...
Fox Chapel Area Class of 2021
Fox Chapel Area School District celebrated its graduation ceremony June 6. About 330 seniors received their diplomas during the event at 2 p.m. at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. The graduates are: Suparna Agrawal, Arda Akinci, Kaya Akinci, Nathan Anderson, Antonio Andrade, Eliza Auffenberg, Alexis Austin,...
Chartiers Valley High School graduates 234
Following a junior and senior year like no other, Chartiers Valley High School’s class of 2021 received their diplomas on June 2 at Chartiers Valley High School Stadium. Senior speakers were Honora Armfield, Sophia Buffone and Allison Moses. Superintendent Johannah Vanatta addressed the graduates and school board president Darren Mariano...
