Western PA Local News category, Page 121
Shapiro calls $740M Esplanade a ‘game changer’ as Pittsburgh project breaks ground
One of the most expensive development projects in modern Pittsburgh history, the $740 million Esplanade on the North Side, took a definitive step forward Monday with a groundbreaking ceremony that drew Pennsylvania’s governor and generated accolades for its intent to revitalize a long-stagnant brownfield. Gov. Josh Shapiro called the ambitious...
In brief: Happenings across the Penn Hills area
River City Brass to present Christmas concert River City Brass will perform its Christmas Brasstacular concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at Linton Middle School, 250 Aster St. This year, the holiday tradition will feature new arrangements from “Home Alone,” “A Christmas Carol” and Duke Ellington’s “Nutcracker.” There might even...
Westmoreland preps for 1st snowfall with reduced staff amid limited furlough savings
Furloughs will leave Westmoreland County with just half of its staff available Tuesday morning to maintain 52 miles of roads during the season’s first significant snowfall. Public Works Director Dante DeCario said all four remaining employees will begin salting and clearing county roads as early as 3 a.m. and will...
Ross budget cuts fail to make dent in projected 8% property tax increase
Ross officials have continued to work on the township’s 2026 budget but have not found enough cuts to make a dent in a proposed 8% property tax increase. At a commissioners meeting Nov. 17, finance director Dan Berty told commissioners that while they found spending that could be cut, they...
Shapiro visits Verona to tout $25M in funding for child care workers
Gov. Josh Shapiro visited a Verona day care Monday to tout $25 million in new state-funded bonuses for industry workers, which he says will help attract and retain staff. The initiative, part of the state budget passed last month after a lengthy legislative impasse, gives about $450 annually per employee...
Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile, Coco Jones to perform at Super Bowl pregame
Super Bowl Sunday’s pregame entertainment lineup just dropped for February — including Charlie Puth singing the national anthem. Super Bowl LX will take place Feb. 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. — home of the San Francisco 49ers — and air live on NBC, Telemundo and Peacock....
Pittsburgh to host Riverhounds championship rally Downtown
Downtown Pittsburgh will host a celebration Thursday afternoon of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds’ championship title. Part of Grant Street will be closed to traffic from noon to 2 p.m. A rally will go from noon to 1 p.m., followed by a receiving line to meet the team and take photos with...
4% pay hikes included in contract for Chartiers Valley educational support staff
Chartiers Valley school officials inked a 3-year contract with the district’s non-teaching staff. The new agreement calls for a 4% wage increase for its members, which include secretaries, cafeteria workers, technology technicians, instructional aides, playground monitors, paraprofessionals and office staff. The current agreement expires in June. “By meeting early, both...
Westinghouse retiree group makes record donation to help food insecurity
As food insecurity continues to climb across Southwestern Pennsylvania, a dedicated group of retired Westinghouse employees mobilized, raising a record $55,000 this year to support local organizations battling hunger. The nonprofit group, SURE (Service Uniting Retired Employees), shattered its previous donation record and further assisted the community by hosting its...
Property taxes expected to hold steady for Harrison residents but small fire tax to be added
Harrison residents likely won’t see a property tax increase in 2026, but they might pay a slight fee for a dedicated fire fund. The township commissioners approved a proposed $5.85 million budget that maintains the property tax rate of 5.6 mills. The owner of a home assessed at the median...
Penn Hills eyes amending code to enable acting police chief to apply for permanent post
Three months into his service as acting police chief of Penn Hills, Jason Bonace has never felt more satisfied with his life. “About one month after I started this role was the first time in my 48 years of life that I felt content, and it’s a really good feeling,”...
Alleged burglary in Freeport ends in ICE taking 3 men into custody
Three men were taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday morning after they were caught in a vacant apartment in Freeport, police said. Chris Fabec, chief of Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department, said police were called about 4:30 a.m. to a Lane Court townhouse in the...
Season’s 1st major snowfall to pound Western Pa. during morning rush hour
Western Pennsylvania’s first major snowfall of the season will hit Tuesday morning during rush hour and is expected to dump up to 5 inches in spots. Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon, said precipitation will likely begin around 1 or 2 a.m. The heaviest snow is...
Harrison officials seek $3.2 million in grant money for sewer projects
Harrison Township officials are pursuing more than $3.2 million in grant money for proposed sewer projects. The commissioners voted to approve grant applications for six different projects through the Commonwealth Financing Authority last week. “They are all state LSA (Local Share Account) grants,” Township Manager Amy Rockwell said. “There is...
Tinsmill group can’t agree over proposed monument to local WWII veterans
The tiny coal-patch village of Tinsmill, in Bell Township, made an outsized contribution to World War II, sending a great many of its sons abroad to fight. Nearly all of them came back, including relatives of Salem resident Ray Machulsky. In 2023, Machulsky approached a local nonprofit, the Tinsmill Citizen...
Morning Roundup: Gunshot victim takes himself to UPMC Shadyside; police investigate Homewood South shooting
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Dec. 1: Gunshot victim takes himself to UPMC Shadyside On Saturday night, a man walked into UPMC Shadyside with a gunshot wound, TribLive news partner WTAE reported. Officials say authorities arrived at the hospital to speak with a...
The Stroller, Dec. 1, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. New Kensington Christmas events...
Mt. Pleasant OKs upgrades for gazebo, Frick Park overlook, eyes work on borough building
Mt. Pleasant’s gazebo is getting a makeover as the holiday season gets underway. Borough council also is moving forward with a project benefiting sports spectators at Frick Park and is seeking funding for improvements at the borough building. Doug Davis of Jeannette-based The Glass City has been at work preparing...
Long-time coach provides ‘GPS’ for youths in book detailing challenges from childhood
A McCandless resident, known to many in the North Hills as Coach Dave Gray, is celebrating the release of his debut book, “Next Point Wins: A Playbook for Future Champions.” The book details what it was like growing up as a foster child, finally being adopted, his challenges as a...
Consultant’s report finds no evidence of Penneco liability in Plum house explosion
A private consulting firm’s report for a Delmont energy company being sued over a 2023 fatal house explosion in Plum has determined Penneco Oil Co. was not responsible — a conclusion sure to be challenged in court. Penneco and Peoples Gas were among those sued for negligence and wrongful death...
Separated at birth? Mayor-elect O’Connor and Pens GM Dubas embrace the resemblance
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor and Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas bear an uncanny resemblance. They look so much alike that O’Connor posted photos of himself with Dubas on social media Saturday, joking they could be twins like the separated-at-infancy siblings in the 1998 film “The Parent Trap.” “Great to...
Hunter seriously injured in fall from tree stand in North Buffalo
Emergency crews used a side-by-side rescue vehicle to extract a hunter from a remote section of woods in North Buffalo early Saturday after the hunter suffered a fall from a tree stand. The hunter was then taken to a waiting life-flight helicopter to be transported to a hospital. Jamison Hughes,...
Allegheny County homicide detectives investigate fatal Ben Avon fire
One person died in a housefire in Ben Avon late Friday night. The identity of the victim has not been released yet. Allegheny County homicide detectives are assisting the county’s Fire Marshal’s Office in the investigation. Emsworth VFC, which serves the small borough on the Ohio River, was dispatched to...
Power outages hit Harrison, Fawn and Tarentum on Sunday
Residents in Harrison, Fawn and East Tarentum experienced a series of power outages Sunday. An outage that began about 7:30 a.m. Sunday left residents of Harrison and Fawn without electricity for several hours. West Penn Power showed more than 5,000 customers without electricity in the area. But by noon, the...
Police chase ends in officer-involved shooting on I-279; 1 dead, 3 injured
One person is dead and three are injured after a lengthy police chase ended in a crash on I-279 and an officer-involved shooting, according to police. The chase of a white SUV began on Route 8 in Penn Township, Butler County, just before 8 p.m. Saturday, according to state police...
