Western PA Local News category, Page 2156
Gov. Wolf outlines plan to raise Pa.’s minimum wage to $15 by 2027
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday joined Democrats in the General Assembly to lay out a plan to raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour effective in July. From there, he said, the wage would be raised 50 cents a year until it reaches $15 by July 2027. “Our...
New Stanton man to serve up to 3 years in prison for child sexual assault
A New Stanton man will serve up to three years in prison for the sexual assault of a young girl, his third child victim in more than a decade, according to Westmoreland County prosecutors. Paul E. Chamberlain, 33, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of indecent assault for improper sexual...
All Saints Church steps up to collect donations for Etna food pantry
The Bread of Life Food Pantry in Etna has tripled its donation dropoff days in order to meet the climbing demand for help from hungry families. There has been a 33% spike in the number of people seeking food from the site at 94 Locust St., in the basement of...
Drug and firearm cases among those handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court the week of Feb. 8, 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 • Langston Valentine, 38, of Pittsburgh on charges of leaving an unattended child...
New glass recycling station in Ross open to residents of any community
Ross commissioners were livid last year when the township’s waste hauler asked that residents no longer put glass to the curb for recycling. So they decided to take matters into their own hands. The township has partnered with the Pennsylvania Resource Council to set up a dumpster at the public...
Sprankle’s Saxonburg store now offering free grocery delivery
There’s a new free grocery delivery option in the Saxonburg area. Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market in Saxonburg said Monday it is offering the service to customers living within 10 miles of the store, which opened in July. Sprankle’s stores in Leechburg and Kittanning have offered free grocery delivery for decades. “Covid-19...
Penn-Trafford-Jeannette covid cases tallied for week ending Feb. 9, 2021
The number of new confirmed covid cases in the Penn-Trafford-Jeannette area remained nearly level, with 30 new cases in the seven-day period ending Feb. 9 — up 3 from the week prior — according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Since the pandemic began in March, the six...
Report: Super Bowl bets up 75% this year across Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanians legally bet more money this Super Bowl compared to last year, according to the state Gaming Control Board. Preliminary figures suggest that $53.6 million was bet at sportsbooks across the state on Sunday’s game, which saw the underdog Tampa Bay Buccaneers wallop the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. This year’s...
Mother, daughter injured in Pa. Turnpike bus crash last year file suit
A woman and her 11-year-old daughter who were severely injured in the fatal bus crash last year on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County have filed a federal lawsuit alleging negligence. The complaint, filed Saturday in U.S. District Court, names as defendants Z&D Tours Inc., which operated the tour bus;...
Covid exposure closes 2 Greensburg Salem schools through Feb. 18
Two Greensburg Salem School District buildings will be closed through Feb. 18 because of “the number of faculty, staff and students who were in close contact with a positive covid case,” according to district officials. Students at Amos K. Hutchinson Elementary School and Greensburg Salem Middle School will learn remotely...
Digital series connects music lovers to Pittsburgh Symphony
On a warm fall night in Downtown Pittsburgh, members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performed in the Heinz Hall garden. Principal oboist Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida complemented the symphony’s strings ensemble for Ennio Morricone’s “Gabriel’s Oboe” with a sound that resonated, a memorial to the composer who died in July. Port...
Latrobe looks to soften bite of new stormwater fee in cases of hardship
After fielding an outpouring of calls from residents, Latrobe officials are looking for ways to soften the impact a new stormwater management fee might have on property owners experiencing hardships. “We’ve received a lot of calls from people who have either lost their job or are on a fixed income,”...
3 Baltimore men accused of transporting synthetic marijuana through Westmoreland County
Three Baltimore men are accused by state police of having synthetic marijuana in a vehicle they were traveling in westbound on Interstate 70 through Westmoreland County in April 2019, according to court papers. Jamal Mohammed Alzanam, 32, was arraigned Monday on charges of possession with intent to deliver, transportation of...
Westmoreland County averaging 30% of covid cases it had a month ago
Westmoreland County is averaging about 30% of the number covid cases it was seeing a month ago. The county added 93 additional covid-19 cases Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health, bringing its seven-day average of covid cases to 78 cases per day. A month ago, Westmoreland County was...
Police charge Greensburg woman with assault after son’s hand is injured
Police charged a Greensburg woman with assault and endangering the welfare of a child after her son was injured at her home. Kristen M. Sinclair, 38, was released on $5,000 unsecured bond pending a preliminary hearing Feb. 18. Patrolman Regina McAtee reported that the boy’s injury was discovered after police...
Allegheny County adds most newly reported covid cases in over 2 weeks
Allegheny County on Tuesday reported 405 additional covid-19 cases, the most cases reported in a day in about two weeks. Tuesday’s reported cases were the most since Jan. 23, when 464 covid cases were added. Dates of positive tests range from Nov. 19 to Feb. 8. The county Health Department...
Story of pioneering Pittsburgh Black reporter inspires new documentary
When protesters seeking voting rights for Black Americans made the 54-mile trek from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., in 1965, a Pittsburgh reporter was there. It didn’t matter to KDKA radio newsman George Barbour that his boss considered it too dangerous for a news outlet to send a Black reporter to...
Fox Chapel Area School Board mulling March return for middle, high school students
Fox Chapel Area School Board on Feb. 8 pushed back a full-time return to in-person class for older district students until at least March. Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac said the administrative team is weighing options for a potential return for students at Dorseyville Middle School and the high school, pending...
‘Luxury villas’ proposed as 1st part of Murrysville office park
A community of “luxury villas” could be coming as part of a proposed corporate office park complex in Murrysville, should council approve development plans. Bushy Run Investments is proposing 18 “luxury villas” at the northeast corner of Wilson and Manor roads, just south of the White Valley neighborhood. The residential...
Latrobe considers county offer to inventory blighted propertiesVideo
Latrobe is considering a partnership with Westmoreland County to inventory blighted properties, if city officials can get assistance in paying for the project. According to Mayor Rosie Wolford, county staff would walk areas of the city to note dilapidated buildings, assess the extent of deterioration and determine what might be...
Cases handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court for the week of Feb. 1, 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 • Kyra Starver, 20, of Plum on charges of burglary, criminal trespass and...
Police log: Monroeville police charges filed Jan. 26 through Feb. 1, 2021
Monroeville police filed the following charges Jan. 26, 29 and Feb. 1 with District Judge Jeffrey L. Herbst. Charges were filed by Monroeville police unless otherwise noted: • Magdelena Rose Ludwig, 23, of Pittsburgh with possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. Charges were filed Jan. 26 in connection...
Missing man found safe, Pittsburgh police report
A missing man Pittsburgh police said was considered endangered has been found. Richard Varek, 62, of the South Side Slopes was located and was safe, police said Tuesday morning. Varek had last been seen around 1 p.m. Monday getting off a Port Authority bus at Smithfield and Carson streets. Varek...
The Stroller, Feb. 9, 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. Riverview Community...
Police say woman found dead in Lawrenceville
Pittsburgh police are investigating the death of a woman in Lawrenceville Monday night. Officers responded to a report of a vehicle that struck a utility pole around 9 p.m. along the 4400 block of Davison Street, Public Safety spokesperson Maurice Matthews reported. It was there first responders discovered the driver...
