Western PA Local News category, Page 2151
Chartiers Valley welcomes new principal to primary school
Chartiers Valley School District welcomed a brand new addition to its primary school on Feb. 1. Emily Mather, 38, of Pine Township, will serve as the school’s academic principal, a position that was recently created to help younger students transition to higher learning levels. The school district places students into...
‘Lady Gaga of Vietnam’ finds a home in PittsburghVideo
She is known as the “Lady Gaga of Vietnam.” Her name is Mai Khoi (pronounced “my coy”) and she is a successful Vietnamese pop star turned activist who was forced to leave her home country after being harassed and silenced by the Vietnamese government. The 38-year-old Khoi has found refuge...
Police say driver crashed into gas station in effort to steal ATM
A man crashed a pickup into a Hill District gas station Friday morning trying to steal an ATM machine, Pittsburgh police said. Police and medics responded to the report of a vehicle into a building in the 2300 block of Centre Avenue shortly after 7 a.m. Officers found a large...
Squirrel Hill’s Amazing Books & Records to write a new chapter with moveVideo
Eric Ackland’s love of books came from before he was born. “I feel like I’ve been reading since the womb,” said Ackland, standing in the newest location of Amazing Books & Records in Squirrel Hill on Thursday. “My mom was an English teacher. I was reading by age 3. I...
North Huntingdon woman to run for Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts
A North Huntingdon woman said her experience as a crime victim will be an asset needed to run the Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts office. Dorey Stabile McCarron, 46, a Republican, announced her candidacy this week to run the courthouse office that oversees the filing of criminal court records and...
Route 356 reopens after crash took out pole, closed road
A stretch of Route 356 between Route 56 and Freeport has reopened after a crash that brought down a pole and wires Friday morning, a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher said. The one-vehicle crash happened shortly after 5:30 a.m. when the driver of a pickup was pulling into his own driveway,...
Fish fries during Lent in the Alle-Kiski Valley
To have your non-profit organization’s Fish Fry added to this list send information to The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084 or email vndnews@triblive.com. Fish fries are scheduled Fridays during Lent throughout the Valley, including: Allegheny Township Markle and Vandergrift No. 1 volunteer fire departments, 470...
The Stroller, Feb. 12, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Grants available...
Volunteers needed for this weekend’s Great Backyard Bird Count
The 24th Great Backyard Bird Count is set for Friday through Monday. Volunteers from around the world are invited to count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. Participating counters need only internet access to enter their bird checklists at...
Unity officials eye comprehensive plan update, handicapped access for recreation
Unity officials are set to improve access to a walking trail as they look to address the need for handicap-accessible recreation as part of the township’s comprehensive plan update. Supervisors learned Thursday township engineer Dan Schmitt is preparing trail project documents for review by county officials. “We expect within the...
South Fayette officials hire Latrobe firm as township’s new engineer
South Fayette officials have tapped a Latrobe-based firm to provide engineering services. Commissioners voted 4-0 Wednesday to hire Gibson-Thomas Engineering. Commissioner Joe Horowitz was absent. Township Communications Director Andrea Iglar said they received 13 engineering proposals and five companies were interviewed for the position. Gibson-Thomas’ cost is estimated at $120...
Police: Monroeville man facing multiple sexual assault charges involving child
A Monroeville man was arrested last week on multiple sexual assault charges stemming from the early 2000s, according to Pittsburgh police. Raymond Dixon Jr., 36, was arrested Feb. 4. He faces charges of unlawful contact with a minor, two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, two counts of...
Hempfield students participate in project benefiting cancer patients
Lining the hallways of Hempfield’s Wendover Middle School, seventh-graders are getting a lesson in math while preparing packs that will benefit cancer patients. As part of the Chemo Comfort Care Totes Project, students are helping to fill totes and backpacks with supplies that will help cancer patients through chemotherapy sessions....
UniSound launches Black teaching artist-in-residence program
An initiative to support the musical and professional development of Black teaching artists in the Pittsburgh area has been launched. The Black teaching artist-in-residence (BTAR) program is supported by UniSound, which bills itself as an alliance of organizations dedicated to creating a more accessible youth music ecosystem in Greater Pittsburgh....
Zoning change clears way for housing on Unity portion of former Valley Green golf course
Unity supervisors have granted a zoning change that helps clear the way for a proposed residential development on a portion of the former Valley Green Golf & Country Club. The supervisors Thursday approved a shift from an agricultural zone to a suburban residential zone for the 116-acre section of the...
Glassport man accused of child sex assault at church, during volunteer work
A Glassport man allegedly sexually assaulted two teenage girls he met through church and volunteer work, abuse that police said took place over several years, according to the criminal complaint filed against him. Dominic Muscante, 46, is charged with indecent assault, child endangerment, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with minors...
John Fetterman: ‘Race played no role’ in shotgun-wielding chase of Black jogger he mistook for criminalVideo
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Thursday rebuffed criticism stemming from a 2013 decision to grab his 20-gauge shotgun and chase after someone he thought might be a shooter on the run but turned out to be an unarmed jogger. The incident resurfaced this week with the ambitious, progressive Democrat’s newly...
‘Tenacious’ Greensburg Coin Club hangs on despite dwindling membership
George Yonek sees coins as both an art form and a glimpse into a nation’s culture. “What people put on coins is indicative of the country’s pride, what’s important to them,” said Yonek, a Penn Township resident who serves as president of the Greensburg Coin Club. “That’s why I collect...
Lower Burrell passes hazard plan to receive money for federal disasters
Lower Burrell Council recently agreed to participate in the Westmoreland County Hazard Mitigation Plan, which helps the city prepare for disasters. It also sets up Lower Burrell to respond and receive money to pay for expenses for disasters like floods and hurricanes. Since 1955, Presidential Disaster and Emergency Declarations have...
RMU partners with 4 community colleges for new dual enrollment program
Leaders of five higher education institutions in the region announced a new partnership Thursday, with the goal of improving college accessibility and affordability. Officials from Robert Morris University, Community College of Allegheny County, Community College of Beaver County, Butler County Community College and Westmoreland County Community College signed an agreement...
Bishop Larry Kulick ordained to lead Diocese of Greensburg
The Diocese of Greensburg welcomed its new bishop Thursday with worship, prayer and pageantry — but without the crowds of parishioners usually present to celebrate such an event. “Like so many things we have done differently during the pandemic, this liturgy is no exception,” said Monsignor Raymond Riffle, rector of...
Westmoreland commissioners plan for vaccine registryVideo
The Westmoreland County commissioners, bowing to public pressure and a growing frustration among residents, said Thursday they will create a county registry to assist residents to receive coronavirus vaccines. “We are doing something at this point to assist and make sure that the residents of Westmoreland County who want a...
Pa. Supreme Court won’t take former Allegheny County councilman’s appeal on theft conviction
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday declined to take an appeal by former Allegheny County Councilman Charles McCullough — clearing the way for him to begin serving a 2½-to 5-year prison term he received in 2015 for stealing thousands from a widow’s estate. In a one-page order, the appellate court...
Pa. community groups key in helping underserved populations get covid vaccine
Community groups, particularly those that work with older and underserved Pennsylvanians, are the next hope for helping those most vulnerable to covid-19 make appointments and get to appointments, as the state’s vaccine rollout continues to move slower than anticipated. Those community groups can be the missing link for people who...
Implosion of Dooker’s Hollow Bridge delayed till Saturday
The implosion of the Dooker’s Hollow Bridge in North Braddock and East Pittsburgh was delayed from Friday until Saturday, according to the Allegheny County Department of Public Works. It was originally scheduled for Thursday, then delayed till Friday. The implosion is now slated for 2 p.m. Saturday, though the date...
