Western PA Local News category, Page 2214
Drivers not using E-ZPass will absorb a 51% PA Turnpike rate hike in 2021
Pennsylvania Turnpike toll increases announced last year will take effect just after midnight Sunday, Jan. 3, and if you’re not using the state’s E-ZPass program, the hike will be a steep one. Over the summer, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approved a 6% hike for all E-ZPass rates systemwide, along with...
Harrison fire captain: Hoarding contributes to stubborn house fireVideo
Firefighters spent more than two hours knocking down a fire that broke out Thursday night at a Harrison home because of “very heavy hoarding conditions,” Harrison Hills Fire Captain Jules Beer said. No one was seriously injured in the fire that ripped through the house, according to Beer. Two firefighters...
‘Champagne’ flows at New Year’s Eve event for canines in LigonierVideo
More than a dozen dogs and their owners had a howling good time ringing out 2020 Thursday afternoon during the second annual Dog Perignon NYE Day Celebration at Ligonier’s Paws On Main Street pet boutique. Owner Angel Tunstall had champagne on hand for owners who stopped by, as well as...
Dick Thornburgh remembered by Western Pa. dignitaries for leadership, empathy, intellect
Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all state and American flags at public buildings statewide to fly at half-staff Thursday upon learning of the death of former U.S. Attorney General and Pennsylvania Gov. Dick Thornburgh. Wolf, a Democrat, described Thornburgh, a Republican, as “an unequaled public servant.” “He guided Pennsylvania through a...
Port Vue man charged in fatal North Braddock shooting
Police have arrested a Port Vue man in the fatal shooting of a North Braddock resident and are working to identify other people involved in the Nov. 7 incident. Allegheny County Police have charged Duwan Carey, 18, with criminal homicide, burglary and conspiracy. He was apprehended Thursday morning with the...
Dogs, cats greeted with fanfare for opening of new $1.8 million Animal Protectors shelter in New Kensington
Puppy dog tails wagged, cats meowed and the staff and volunteers of Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley rejoiced on Thursday afternoon for the opening of its new $1.8 million animal shelter along Church Street in New Kensington. The facility is the lower Alle-Kiski Valley’s first major, large-scale animal shelter. In...
Butler house fire claims 3-year-old boy, sends others to hospitals
A 3-year-old boy died Thursday in a house fire in Butler County, and three other family members were taken to area hospitals as a result of the blaze, authorities said. A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire that was reported just before noon at a...
Press House brews coffee-flavored beer, readies new Sewickley café
First came the coffee named after a beer and next came the coffee in the beer. Press House Coffee on Pittsburgh’s North Side debuted Iron City Bean coffee with Iron City Brewing Co. in Lawrenceville in June. Last week, Press House introduced Fresh Grounds, a collaboration with North Side’s Allegheny...
Pittsburgh homicides tick upward after lowest level in 20 years
Homicides in Pittsburgh increased in 2020 a year after dropping to the lowest level in two decades, data from the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office shows. Across the city, 51 people – nine women and 41 men – were killed by others over the course of the year. Four victims...
Covid-19 testing to be offered at First United Presbyterian Church in Tarentum
Free covid-19 testing will be available at First United Presbyterian Church in Tarentum on Monday. Testing will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Philip Beck, the church’s pastor, wrote on in a Facebook announcement. A van and tent will be set up for...
Fawn passes 2021 budget, no tax increase
Fawn Supervisors adopted a $1.9 million budget for 2021 that includes no increase in property taxes. The township hasn’t raised property taxes in at least 24 years. The budget keeps the tax rate at 3.04 mills. “We’re pretty prudent on our expenses,” Supervisors Chairman David Montanari said. “We don’t have...
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh set to reopen next week
Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh is scheduled to resume operations at 8 a.m. Monday. The casino made the announcement Thursday after Gov. Tom Wolf eased covid-19 restrictions. It had been closed since Dec. 12. The reopening means some 1,086 casino employees will return to work next week with more to follow...
Week in Review: Covid vaccines, mitigation orders to be liftedVideo
Nursing homes across the region began receiving vaccines this week through a partnership between the federal government and two national pharmacy chains, CVS and Walgreens. Long-term care facilities were among the hardest hit throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The first doses went out Monday and, throughout the week, facilities across the...
Penn Township man accused of assaulting teenager during food delivery
An 83-year-old Penn Township man was accused this week of sexually assaulting a teenage girl who made a food delivery to his home earlier this month. Clifford B. Wareham was charged Tuesday by township police with harassment and indecent assault in connection with the Dec. 21 incident that occurred at...
Judge orders mental health evaluation for assault suspect
A Westmoreland County judge on Thursday ordered an updated mental health evaluation for a Unity woman jailed on assault charges whose attorney is trying to win her release to get treatment. Judge Christopher Feliciani ordered the evaluation take place within 10 days at the Westmoreland County Prison or he will...
Friends, family hold out hope for answers in disappearance of Pittsburgh artist
A Pittsburgh artist has been missing for one year, and family and friends say they are still holding out hope for answers. Tonee Turner was last seen Dec. 30, 2019. On that day, she went to Dobra Tea on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill and later got on a bus...
Hempfield baseball team to host Christmas tree recycling event
A Hempfield baseball team is hosting a Christmas tree recycling program this holiday season. Members of the 13U Hempfield Spartans Metro Baseball team will head out into the community between 10 a.m. and noon Saturday and again on Jan. 9 to pick up trees at houses around the township to...
Westmoreland County finishes year with 19,000 covid-19 cases, 423 deaths
Westmoreland County ended the year with a total of 19,333 coronavirus cases and 423 deaths since the first cases were reported in March. The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday reported 263 additional coronavirus deaths and added 14 deaths to the year totals for the county. December saw 10,072 cases...
Year in review: A look back at the stories that shaped Monroeville in 2020
Monroeville participated in some of the world’s largest and most impactful stories in 2020. Here’s a look back on how the municipality fit into some of the top stories that defined the year. The covid-19 pandemic It’s the story that, unfortunately, won’t go away. Covid-19 rapidly spread through every fabric...
Year in review: A look back at some of the top stories that shaped Penn Hills in 2020
Penn Hills, like just about every other town in the world, was touched by one of the largest and most impactful stories in 2020 — the covid-19 pandemic. But that wasn’t all that happened in the municipality over the past year. Here’s a look back at some of the top...
Allegheny County ends year with over 53,000 covid-19 cases, 955 deaths
Allegheny County ended the year with a total of 53,809 coronavirus cases and 955 deaths. The county on Thursday reported 811 additional coronavirus cases and added 10 deaths to the total. The case numbers have been trending down this week after higher totals were reported in the beginning of the...
Pork, sauerkraut and other traditions to ring in a prosperous new year
After a tumultuous 2022, we could all use a little luck next year. Here are some traditions to ring in 2023: Eating pork and sauerkraut The New Year’s Day meal, popular in Western Pennsylvania, comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch, who brought the Germanic tradition of eating pork and sauerkraut with...
Quaker Valley teacher Amanda Madden named as finalist in 2020 Champions of Learning Awards
An elementary school teacher in the Quaker Valley School District was among three finalists for the 2020 Champions of Learning Awards. Amanda Madden, 32, of Ross was named among three other educators in the K-6 Educators award category. The award went to Jerone Morris of Pittsburgh Public Schools. Madden has...
Monroeville family has warm Christmas after receiving free furnace
It was a warm Christmas for Doug Gaworski of Monroeville, his wife and nearly 2-year-old daughter. The Gaworski family received a free furnace from a Plum heating and cooling company just two days before Christmas. Gaworski, 29, said the family moved to the house in 2017. The move meant inheriting...
Penn-Trafford students nominated for National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awardVideo
Last spring, two groups of Penn-Trafford High School video production students tied for first place in the National Academy of Television Arts & Science regional competition. Now, one of those groups will compete for a national NATAS Student Production Award. Junior Emily Coles and 2020 graduate Madison Pleins’ news segment,...
