Western PA Local News category, Page 2259
Murrysville officials propose 2021 budget with no tax hike
Murrysville council will vote in December on a $14.2 million budget for 2021 that does not include a tax increase. While real estate taxes will remain at 12.15 mills, “the allocation among the various municipal funds has been changed to better meet the needs of the community,” Chief Administrator Jim...
Last-minute assignments, lack of training left Pittsburgh-area poll workers unprepared on Election Day
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. This article is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan reporting project covering local election integrity and voting access. PITTSBURGH — About...
Greater Latrobe loses senior high staffer to covid-19, reacts to state directive
A staff member at Greater Latrobe Senior High has died of complications of covid-19, according to the school district. Superintendent Georgia Teppert stated in an email sent to district faculty and staff on Thanksgiving Day that district officials learned Terri Sherwin, a senior high secretary, died Wednesday evening from covid-19...
Clergy covid-19 case suspends in-person Masses at 8 East Pittsburgh churches
The Diocese of Pittsburgh has suspended in-person Masses at eight churches in East Pittsburgh neighborhoods after a member of the parish clergy team tested positive for a covid-19 infection. The suspension, which extends through Dec. 4, affects churches in the newly formed St. Joseph the Worker Parish — including St....
Another student tests positive for covid-19 at Leechburg Area
Another student in the Leechburg Area School district in grades 7-12 has tested positive for covid-19, Leechburg Superintendent Tiffany Nix said Friday in an email to district parents. The student was last on campus Nov. 19. The district did not identify the infected student. Current total cases in the district...
Covid-19 cases trigger closure of Catholic school in Robinson
Archangel Gabriel, a Catholic school in Robinson, is temporarily suspending all in-person instruction because of local covid-19 cases reported over the Thanksgiving break. According to the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, three members of the school community tested positive for the illness, resulting from exposure to the virus unrelated to school...
Winners announced for Pittsburgh’s Gingerbread House Display and Competition, can vote for People’s Choice
Barbara Rothermel received a text message from her daughter Monica Gesk when she heard the City of Pittsburgh’s Gingerbread House Display and Competition was returning this year despite the pandemic. “She told me she had the perfect idea,” said Rothermel of Peters. “She said ‘Mom, we have to make the...
Westmoreland County covid-19 transmission level rises, remains at ‘substantial’ level
Westmoreland County remained in the “substantial” level of covid-19 transmission this week, as it has been for more than a month. As health officials expressed concern about the transmission risk related to Thanksgiving holiday travel and gatherings, Westmoreland ended the most recent seven-day period with a case level of 321.2...
Brackenridge, Harrison, Tarentum to hold public hearings on development plan
Three Alle-Kiski Valley communities that have drafted a plan to guide their collective future have scheduled public hearings for residents to comment on it. Tarentum, Brackenridge and Harrison, in that order, will hold hearings on their proposed joint comprehensive plan in December. The plan, in development for more than a...
Boston Market customers irked over long waits for Thanksgiving preordered meals
Boston Market declined Friday to address complaints from customers who said they waited up to three hours to pick up preordered Thanksgiving meals at the Green Tree restaurant. A restaurant manager in Green Tree referred questions to corporate headquarters, which didn’t respond for comment. Trib news partner WPXI reported that...
The show must go on for mask-wearing Burrell drama students
Exemplifying that the show must go on, the Burrell High School Drama Club is taking it a step higher, donning theatrical, hand-painted masks for the upcoming play, “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” While the actors will be performing live on stage, the district will present the play virtually for three shows on...
Westmoreland development corp. acquires 110 acres near casino
The potential for 110 vacant acres in Hempfield and Unity is big given its proximity to the newly-opened Live! Casino Pittsburgh inside Westmoreland Mall, according to Jason Rigone, director of the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. “We’re excited for that region of the county,” he said. The Westmoreland County commissioners...
Westmoreland commissioners OK $350K in technology upgrades
More technological upgrades are coming to Westmoreland County’s courtrooms with the help of federal funding. The county’s 16 district court buildings will be better connected to the courthouse, and courtrooms in Greensburg will have improved wireless infrastructure under two projects totaling about $353,000. Both were approved by commissioners this week....
Covid surge overwhelms Allegheny County case investigation efforts
A staggering rise in new covid-19 cases in Allegheny County means fewer people will receive calls from case investigators who have been overwhelmed with the rapid increase, Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said Friday. On Thursday and Friday, the county recorded a combined 1,642 new cases – more...
2021 Irwin photo calendar for sale
A 2021 wall calendar with current and past photos of Irwin is being sold by an Irwin business group. “The initial response has been great,” said Michael Pochan, a member of the nonprofit Irwin Business & Professional Association, which is selling the 11-by-17-inch calendar for $15. The calender will be...
Hempfield schools to go remote in week following Thanksgiving break
All schools in the Hempfield Area School District will move to remote learning next week following the Thanksgiving break, according to Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. Students will attend remote classes Dec. 1-4. Schools are expected to reopen Dec. 7. The decision to temporarily close schools came after an influx of coronavirus...
Toy drive benefiting New Kensington Salvation Army becomes drive-thru eventVideo
A long-running toy drive benefiting the New Kensington Salvation Army will be done a bit differently this year. Choosing to postpone it because of the covid-19 pandemic wasn’t even considered, said Dr. Lawrence York, a New Kensington chiropractor who has hosted the toy drive since 1999. “We knew — one...
Allegheny County Sheriff closes Firearms Division after covid exposure
The Firearms Division of the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office is closed until further notice after a covid-19 exposure, the office announced via its Facebook page. “We will be sanitizing the office and waiting room as a precautionary measure due to covid exposure,” officials wrote in the post. Canceled appointments will...
Westmoreland County 2-day report has 516 new coronavirus cases, 8 deaths
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 516 new cases of covid-19 in two days and eight new deaths. The county added 253 cases Thursday and another 263 on Friday. Those cases came after the county reported a record high number of new cases (273) on Wednesday. The seven-day average is now...
2 accused in West Newton drug overdose death
A Youngwood man is free on bail after Westmoreland County detectives arrested him last week in connection with a drug overdose death in West Newton, according to court papers. Frank Edward Bogley, 68, is accused by police of selling stamp bags filled with fentanyl to a buyer on Jan. 31....
3 black bears bagged in Allegheny County during archery season
Three black bears were taken by archers in Allegheny County so far, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The black bears bagged in Allegheny County were in West Deer, Elizabeth and in the state game lands in Marshall and Franklin townships, said Zeb Campbell, game warden for Allegheny County. While...
Coronavirus cases continue at record pace in Allegheny County
Allegheny County on Friday reported 869 new cases of covid-19, up sharply from the previous daily record of 773 set just the day before. As predicted by health experts, coronavirus infections are reaching new highs as we approach the colder season and people shift to indoor activities. Allegheny County has...
Thanksgiving is a day like any other for officer on the beat
Like most other places, Market Street in Leechburg was calm early Thanksgiving Day morning. People appeared to be staying in amid covid-19 travel advisories. And newly hired, part-time borough police Officer Kyle Lewis was hoping it would stay calm. “I don’t want to jinx it by saying it will be...
Police investigating early-morning robbery in Pittsburgh’s Banksville
Pittsburgh police are investigating a robbery they say happened Friday morning at a business in the city’s Banksville neighborhood. Officers responded to the 2900 block of Banksville Road shortly before 5 a.m. for reports of a robbery. A store clerk told officers that a man went behind the counter, grabbed...
Police investigating robbery in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood
Pittsburgh police are searching for a man they say robbed a business in the city’s Oakland neighborhood early Friday. Officers responded to reports of a robbery in the 100 block of North Craig Street around 2 a.m. Police said a man entered a store, went behind the counter and smashed...
