Green Bay offers advice for NFL Draft in Pittsburgh
Kyle Cousineau created lasting memories in his hometown of Green Bay when it hosted the 2025 NFL Draft last April. Cousineau, a lifelong resident, is a die-hard Packers fan. He grew up watching the team and was eager for the country to experience the city he loves during the NFL...
Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Treatment Plant’s odor problem persists despite efforts
With warm weather fast approaching, officials are trying to tackle the long notorious odor emanating from the Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority treatment plant. Half a mile across the Allegheny River from the treatment plant in Harmar, Oakmont residents have long griped about the smell wafting from the plant. State...
Local governments step up to tax skill games in absence of state regulations
The lack of state taxes on so-called “skill games” is leaving regulation of the devices, and any tax revenue they could provide, up to municipalities. Pennsylvania currently provides no regulation on the games, even as they proliferate across the state in gas stations, convenience stores, bars and even grocery stores....
Friendship Donut Co. opens in Leechburg, fostering community spirit
Virginia Lindsay and Karen Heilman have been business partners for a long time. From gardening and antiquing to two successful local coffee shops, the women have long mastered the balance of friendship and business. “I always say, ‘Women in business: You either support each other or fail,’ ” said Heilman,...
1st responders help man stuck on Harrison Hills cliff return to safety
Chivalry isn’t dead. Thursday night’s rescue in Harrison Hills Park proves it. According to Citizens Hose Fire Chief TJ Bajack, a man and his girlfriend were walking along the Rachel Carson Trail, a 45-mile hiking trail that starts in Harrison, when the woman dropped her phone down the hillside. The...
Plum boy has perfect women’s March Madness bracket, the only person in ESPN’s nationwide contest
Otto Schellhammer isn’t just one in a million. He’s one in 41.2 million. The 14-year-old from Plum is the creator of the last perfect bracket standing after the opening weekend of the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments — from more than 40 million entries across all the major contests. The...
Pittsburgh Brewing to host NFL Draft watch party
Can’t make it to the 2026 NFL draft in person? Pittsburgh Brewing Co. is offering an alternative. On April 23, the East Deer brewery will be hosting a watch party for the draft in partnership with WTAE. The night will feature food, entertainment and a live broadcast of the NFL...
Pittsburgh Mills repair efforts lead to 2nd trial postponement
Owners of the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills have been making progress after years of inactivity on the campus. Monday morning, a status conference, or nonjury trial, to address the criminal charge against the owners of the Mills was continued for a second time. Last April, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s...
1 injured after Route 28 car rollover
Multiple emergency response agencies responded to a flipped car along Route 28 southbound about a mile from the Pittsburgh Mills Boulevard exit Monday. Lower Valley Ambulance Service Chief Terry Anzaldi said his crew was dispatched to the scene just after 10:30 a.m. They transported one person to UPMC St. Margaret...
Legal pressures mount on Namdar for Pittsburgh Mills mall maintenance
With spring weather could come accountability for Pittsburgh Mills mall owner Namdar Realty Group. At least that’s what Frazer Zoning Officer Bill Payne is hoping for. “Since all the roads and all the other code enforcement stuff were on the exterior of the property, and with all the weather and...
Council approval ushers in next phase of lighting project at Oakmont’s Riverside Park
It looks like ground will be broken by summer in Oakmont’s Riverside Park. A unanimous vote this week by Oakmont Council set in motion the next phase of adding lights to the Riverview Raiders’ home fields in the borough-owned park. The borough collects rent from the school district so it...
Weekend’s high winds lead to brush fires across region, proactive response from fire departments
High winds in southwestern Pennsylvania had first responders on high alert over the weekend, and the concerns went beyond downed trees and power lines. Brush fires were reported in Indiana Township, Tarentum, Reserve, Unity Township, Hempfield and other local municipalities. The potential for the high winds to carry a spark...
Young Leechburg entrepreneurs take over Boulder Landscape, Excavation and Supply
Be it residential lawn care or an industrial project, folks in the Leechburg and Gilpin area will be seeing some familiar faces as the weather heats up. Leechburg natives Chace Wadsworth, 23, and John Wagner, 24, are cornering the local market in landscaping services. The men have worked together since...
Verona shooting was targeted, police say
A shooting Sunday night in Verona was not a random act of violence, according to borough police Chief Thomas Dessell. “This was targeted,” Dessell said. As of Monday morning, police had not identified a suspect, he said. First responders were called around 10:20 p.m. to the 500 block of Vogels...
Ministry in motion: Penn Hills church helps others through clothing outreach, handmade goods
Mt. Hope Community Presbyterian Church in Penn Hills has more than just worship services going on under its roof. Downstairs, Wendy Redington leads a team of 11 faithful volunteers to stock the Clothesline Ministry. And on Thursday mornings, members of the Hearts and Hands Ministry are busy making a variety...
Verona Council appoints new full-time borough manager
Verona added a new member to its administrative team Tuesday night. Jacob Russell, 26, was unanimously appointed full-time borough manager, a position he will fill on Monday. According to council president Trish Hredzak, the borough received 12 applications for the position. She said the pool was narrowed to four candidates...
Penn Hills business owner, police support awareness, education surrounding naloxone
Kelly Anker wants to keep her neighbors healthy and informed. The owner of Kindred Curl in Penn Hills recently held a naloxone training session at her store along Frankstown Road. It was her first step to help introduce wellness initiatives to the neighborhood. Naloxone, perhaps best known by the brand...
Lower Burrell man charged with 2 counts of attempted homicide
A Lower Burrell man is facing two felony charges of attempted homicide after, police say, he traded gunfire with officers in February. Jordan Blaise Lindner, 29, is accused of firing shots into a home near Rodgers Drive and then at police officers during a standoff at his home next door....
Allegheny Township man facing more than 400 child pornography charges
An Allegheny Township man is facing nearly 450 felony charges relating to distribution and possession of child pornography. According to Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law offender database, Jesse Lee Roberts, 38, has been registered as a tier-three sex offender since 2018. Allegheny Township police received a tip in January that Roberts was...
Retired WTAE news anchor Michelle Wright shares her love of reading with David Leech Elementary students
Students at David Leech Elementary School got a visit from a special guest Thursday afternoon during their Read Across America week. On the heels of her last morning broadcast, newly retired WTAE news anchor Michelle Wright made her second appearance at the elementary school to read to students. Children ranging...
Pittsburgh Brewing’s Brew Basket Hunt to return in April
The Easter Bunny is expected to leave something a little different than painted eggs at Pittsburgh Brewing Co. this year. The East Deer brewery will host its annual Brew Basket Hunt at 1 p.m. April 4. Adults 21 and older will be given free rein of the brewery’s outdoor campus...
Oakmont council discusses deer population solutions
Oakmont is taking the next steps toward deer population management. During Oakmont Council’s agenda meeting Tuesday, Luke Leonard, owner and operator of Suburban Whitetail Management, spoke about deer management program options available to the borough. Council member Deborah Ormay said 10% of Oakmont’s population responded to a borough survey sent...
Community-driven program aims to beautify West Deer business district
The Deer Lakes Regional Revitalization Committee is taking the next steps to beautify West Deer’s Russellton business district. Committee members are reaching out to business owners to gauge interest in a Russellton Neighborhood Facade Program, said committee president Leonard Verdetto. The Revitalization Committee is considering applying for various grants that...
Riverview School District students to perform ‘The Addams Family’ musical
The iconic “creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky, and altogether ooky” Addams Family is coming to the Riverview School District. Riverview students ranging from seventh to 12th grade will embody the eccentric family in “The Addams Family” musical starting March 12. Despite opening night being yet to come, the show...
‘Buyers of last resort’: Experts weigh in on Namdar’s Macy’s purchase
Despite owing Frazer and Allegheny County millions of dollars in fines, the owner of the Pittsburgh Mills mall campus is purchasing real estate there. It’s a practice that experts say is uncommon but not prohibited. “In general, I mean, if real estate’s for sale, and you have a buyer and...
