Western PA Local News category, Page 2114
Jefferson Hills to explore use of bus garage as substation for JHFR, Gill Hall stays closed
Jefferson Hills officials want to explore the use of a bus garage and other sites as a possible substation for Jefferson Hills Fire Rescue in lieu of reinstating the Gill Hall Volunteer Fire Company. A bus garage along Gill Hall Road in Jefferson Hills may be used as a substation...
Buffalo Township man with dementia found after search died of hypothermia
A Buffalo Township man who was found by searchers late Tuesday after going missing earlier in the evening died of of hypothermia, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Dennis Fester, 74, who suffered from dementia, went missing Tuesday. His wife, Sally Fester, said her husband went for a...
Penn Hills residents express concern for hiring company to appraise sewage system
Dozens of Penn Hills residents tuned in to a virtual meeting Monday to discuss a plan that could lead to the sale of the municipality’s sewage system. Of those who spoke, nearly all were against an idea to hire Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management (PFM) to look into how much the...
Hempfield woman pleads guilty in coffee, urine tossing cases
A Hempfield woman has pleaded guilty in connection with three incidents last year in which investigators said she assaulted a police officer, a deputy sheriff and a prison guard. Sonya Rae Connors, 53, was sentenced by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio to serve up to 23 months...
Couple sues Penn Hills police over broken arm during wrongful arrest
A Penn Hills husband and wife are suing the police department there, alleging that an officer responding to a domestic disturbance wrongfully arrested the woman and, in doing so, broke her arm. Barbara Ann Thompkins, 61, and her husband, Eric Klavon, filed the civil rights complaint in federal court on...
Police say Pittsburgh man restrained and assaulted New Kensington friend, fought with officer
Police say a Pittsburgh man who was taken into the home of a New Kensington friend because he had no place to stay assaulted the friend repeatedly and kept him from escaping his own home. Police say Darius Delaine Smalls, 29, then fought with police when they answered the distress...
Pittsburgh Controller’s Office signs on to end use of racially derogatory acronym in annual reports
Following guidance from its national professional association, the Pittsburgh Controller’s Office will no longer use “CAFR” as shorthand for “comprehensive annual financial reports.” The long-standing acronym sounds like “Kaffir,” an offensive term used by Apartheid-era South Africans for the Blacks who live there. The Government Finance Officers Association, the trade...
Giant Eagle to offer covid vaccine clinic for Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers, staff
Giant Eagle will offer a two-day covid-19 vaccination clinic for Pittsburgh Public School employees at Heinz Field this week, Giant Eagle and school officials said Wednesday. Officials said there will be enough vaccine for as many as 3,000 PPS employees at the Thursday and Friday clinics on Pittsburgh’s North Shore....
Page Dairy Mart on Pittsburgh’s South Side celebrating 70 years of sweet treats
At 10 years old, Chuck Page began working for the family business. He cleaned milkshake collars — stainless steel attachments used to keep ice cream from splattering from the top of a paper cup when blending ingredients. Fifty-seven years later, he’s still at the milkshake machine. “I love ice cream,”...
Hempfield man faces multiple drug charges after traffic stop in Latrobe
A man found hiding in a van after the female driver was stopped by Latrobe police early Tuesday is charged with three felony drug counts. Nathaniel W. States, 22, of Hempfield was arrested by officers on three counts of manufacture, delivery and possession of controlled substances and multiple counts of...
Pittsburgh officials add their support to national $15 minimum wage
Pittsburgh City Council is formally asking federal and state officials to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour. The action, passed unanimously by council Tuesday, is symbolic, and has been taken before. But council members said they did so to stand up for more than 2,000 home care workers...
North Hills mourns death of 17-year-old victim of single-car crash
The Ross Township community is mourning the death of a 17-year-old former North Hills High School student who died in a single-vehicle crash on Sunday night. Jacob Christopher Weiland of Pittsburgh was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident on March 7 by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. The...
AHN, Highmark Health outfit first responders with more personal protective gearVideo
For about a dozen ambulance services that received free boxes of personal protective equipment Tuesday during a distribution of masks, gowns and face shields at AHN Hempfield Neighborhood Hospital, the initiative was a lifesaver — literally and financially, recipients said. “This will really help out. (PPE is) in really short...
Penn-Trafford-Jeannette area coronavirus test results tallied for week ending March 9, 2021
The number of new confirmed covid cases in the Penn-Trafford-Jeannette area climbed in the last seven days after several weeks of steady declines. There were 28 new cases in the seven-day period ending March 9 — up from 16 the week prior, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of...
Greensburg hires new police officer
The Greensburg Police Department has a new member. Patrol officer Shelby Hubert was sworn in via Zoom this week during a virtual city council meeting. Hubert previously worked part time at the Frazer Township Police Department, according to Greensburg Capt. Shawn Denning. Her salary will be $52,000 a year. Hubert’s...
Pittsburgh working to iron out eviction ban enforcement as challenge proceeds
A moratorium on evictions in Pittsburgh during the coronavirus pandemic went into effect Friday as a group representing landlords in the region sued the city, alleging local officials aren’t allowed to enact the ban under state law. City officials are moving forward with enforcing the ordinance, according to Councilwoman Deb...
Ex-Mt. Pleasant Township church treasurer accused of stealing $150K, spending funds on porn site
The longtime treasurer of a Mt. Pleasant Township church was arrested this week after admitting to state troopers he stole at least $150,000 from church coffers and spent a large portion of the money on a pornographic website, according to court records. Glenn E. Yothers, 56, of Unity, is charged...
9 North Hills municipalities named Banner Communities for 2021
Nine municipalities and two authorities in the North Hills have been designated 2021 Banner Communities by the Allegheny County League of Municipalities. The program, which is in its ninth year, recognizes communities that show “a commitment to professional development, prudent fiscal management, transparency, accountability, and proactive communications to engage community...
Pittsburgh officials seek proposals to develop former Beltzhoover ElementaryVideo
Pittsburgh officials and a community group are seeking a developer partner to renovate the historic Beltzhoover Elementary School into senior housing and a community center. It’s a project more than three years in the making led by city Councilman Bruce Kraus, who represents the neighborhood, and the Beltzhoover Consensus Group...
Latrobe eyes expansion of $2.7M bond issue, OKs blight inventory, sharing ordinance officer
Latrobe Council is expected this month to consider refinancing 2016 bonds while adding $550,000 to the issue to pay for capital projects. Bond consultants will present a proposal for council approval at a special meeting before the March 22 agenda session, according to Michael Gray, city manager. At this week’s...
Lawrence County CYS director alleges defamation over domestic violence fundraiser
The director of Lawrence County Children & Youth Services filed a defamation lawsuit Monday over a GoFundMe page that accuses him of abusing his family. John Bout, who was named director of the agency in 2019, filed the complaint in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court against Jennifer Lybarger, an adjunct...
Thousands receive covid-19 vaccine at Monroeville Convention CenterVideo
Jeannie Hall-Harris did a lot of praying going into Tuesday’s mass-vaccination event in Monroeville. “I was hesitant at first,” she said, moments after receiving her first dose of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine. She was one of 5,100 people who received the shot at the Monroeville Convention Center, which partnered with Allegheny...
Latrobe July 4th parade, canceled last year, doubtful this summer
Organizers hope to have a scaled-back Fourth of July celebration in Latrobe this summer, though it appears likely the key event, a parade in downtown Latrobe, may not occur for the second year in a row. Latrobe Fire Chief John Brasile, a co-chair of the celebration, told city council this...
2021 Westmoreland airshow to feature drive-in attendance, livestream, flyovers
This year’s airshow at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport is moving to a new drive-in format, under tentative plans for complying with covid-19 pandemic restrictions. At the same time, organizers want to expand the show’s reach, with proposed livestreaming of the event and some civilian performers expected to fly over portions...
Mt. Troy Road reopened; Port Authority bus routes reinstated
A portion of Mt. Troy Road in Reserve has reopened after a two-month closure. The street was shut down in late December between Fornof Lane and Lonsdale Street for construction of a retaining wall and a rock embankment. The project cost was $689,388. The accompanying Port Authority bus route detour...
