Western PA Local News category, Page 168
Social media influencer charged after jumping into Pittsburgh zoo enclosure
Police have charged an Ohio social media influencer with hopping a fence on his birthday last month at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium’s elephant enclosure, where he was nearly trampled twice by the animal. “Almost elephant food,” the man, 19-year-old Noah Thomas, captioned a video of the encounter posted to...
2 injured in Unity crash
Two people were taken to hospitals Friday after a crash on Route 30 in Unity shut down part of the highway, according to state police. Troopers said Robert W. Reed, 60, of Latrobe, turned from the middle lane of Route 30 east onto Wimmerton Boulevard around 6 a.m. when the...
The Stroller, Oct. 17, 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. Annual Festival of Faith...
8 candidates vying for 4 seats on North Allegheny School Board
Four seats are open on the North Allegheny School Board this general election, which is Nov. 4, with only one incumbent, Paige Hardy, seeking reelection. Other terms ending are currently held by Dr. Vidya Szymkowiak and Leslie Britton Dozier, both of whom served one term beginning in 2021. Also not...
Inside-out: Open space outside, privacy inside become homebuyer priorities in wake of pandemic
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series on real estate market trends in Western Pennsylvania. The pandemic may have ended, but its impact on how people live — and buy homes — hasn’t. Real estate agents say the once-coveted “open concept” is not as popular as buyers reshape...
North Huntingdon zoning board rejects request for gun shop at banquet center
A North Huntingdon man’s attempt to sell guns in the family’s banquet facility was rejected by a zoning panel. The North Huntingdon Zoning Hearing Board last week rejected an appeal from James Stratigos, owner of JGS Arms LLC, for an occupancy permit for a gun shop in a section of...
Developers of would-be data center in Springdale offer first testimony to council
Developers presented the first part of what could be monthslong testimony on Thursday in an effort to earn approval for a massive data center project in Springdale. Allegheny DC Property Co. offered new details about potential tax revenue from the proposed project to a packed council chamber filled with more...
Coroner’s ruling pending in Westmoreland jail inmate’s death
A female inmate was found dead in a jail cell this month, the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office said Thursday. Deputy Coroner Al Lonzo said Amber Knepshield, 32, was pronounced dead at 12:22 a.m. in a Westmoreland County prison cell Oct. 3. Lonzo said the office is awaiting results from an...
Pine-Richland celebrates 2025 homecoming
Pine-Richland School District marked Homecoming 2025 on Sept. 19, capping the day with a 56-14 win over Plum. The celebration began with a Staff vs. Students softball game, followed by the Homecoming Festival and student-led parade, complete with decorated floats and candy tossing, before the football game. Members of the...
TribLive collects 42 awards for excellence in journalism
TribLive garnered 42 awards for journalistic excellence Thursday in the Keystone Media Awards and Keystone Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists annual contests. The awards are presented annually to news organizations in Pennsylvania for print, online and broadcast journalism. TribLive’s awards included first-place honors in the categories of headline...
North Hills marks Homecoming 2025 with close pink-out game against Shaler, night of dancing
North Hills School District celebrated Homecoming 2025 with a close game against Shaler on Oct. 10 and a dance the following evening. Friday night’s game was a pink out, with proceeds benefiting 412Thrive, a local nonprofit that helps people impacted by breast cancer and genetic mutations that lead to cancer....
Leda Health, a Pittsburgh company that makes at-home rape kits, settles false claims lawsuit
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office on Thursday announced a settlement with a Pittsburgh company that sells at-home rape kits. Under the terms of the settlement, Leda Health must provide a written warning that its products do not meet the same standards as hospital-based evidence collection services. The state sued Leda...
Pitt trustee loses lawsuit claiming lack of access, retaliation
A longtime University of Pittsburgh trustee who sued during a bitter dispute with the board and its chairman has lost his case. John H. Pelusi Jr., who joined the board in 1994 and became an emeritus member last year, sued the board and its chairman, Jonathan J. Verbanac Sr., in...
‘Healing held hostage’: Sex assault survivor warns Pa. budget impasse imperils rape crisis centers
With trembling hands but a steady voice, Maria Gardner stepped up to the podium outside city hall in Downtown Pittsburgh to speak publicly for the first time about the day she was sexually assaulted. Flanking Gardner were her husband and an advocate from Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, a quiet show...
5 candidates vie for 4 seats on Verona Council
There are four seats up for grabs on Verona Council. Voters in the Nov. 4 election will select four members from the five candidates seeking seats. The ballot is a mix of incumbents and newcomers. Democrats have four candidates on the ballot, while Republicans have one, according to the Allegheny...
Murrysville area: Horse-farm fundraiser, middle-school play and more
Fundraiser for horse rescue farm The Pleasant Valley Rescue Ranch will host a fundraiser to help collect donations for veterinary care of its horses on Nov. 16. “Rein In the Magic of Christmas” will take place from 1-4 p.m. Nov. 16 at the ranch, 2205 Pleasant Valley Road in Murrysville....
North Huntingdon man accused of recording police, disrupting meeting, endangering official ordered to stand trial
A North Huntingdon man will face further prosecution on police accusations that he illegally recorded video in the township police lobby, put an officer in danger and disrupted a township commissioners’ meeting. Nicholas A. Carrozza, 36, maintained that he was exercising his rights in all three misdemeanor cases against him....
Arnold man charged after kids test positive for cocaine
An Arnold man faces three counts of endangering the welfare of children after his 5-, 3- and 1-year-old each tested positive for cocaine. Westmoreland County detectives say they began investigating Josiah Hughes, 30, in May with a case involving child endangerment, according to the District Attorney’s Office. A ChildLine report...
State-owned universities to recruit former students who never completed degrees
If you’re one of the 130,000 people who obtained course credits at one of the state system’s colleges but never finished your degree, you’ll be hearing from the university soon. Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education will be rolling out a program reconnecting with and recruiting former students who didn’t...
Pittsburgh, Strip District merchants compromise to resolve bike lane brouhaha
Pittsburgh’s bike-lane battle appears to be over. The Strip District Business Association on Thursday struck a reluctant compromise with the City of Pittsburgh on plans to convert a portion of Penn Avenue to a one-lane road with a bike lane. The city initially wanted to add a protected bike lane...
Plans for future of Penn State’s closing campus properties to be set by 2027
A second round of meetings with Penn State leadership and communities where branch campuses are closing, and what the future holds for those properties, will soon be underway, university administration said Thursday. Seven branch campuses — New Kensington, Fayette, Shenango, Mont Alto, DuBois, Wilkes-Barre and York — will close at...
Research shows annoying sounds might not be in your ears, but in your brain
The sound of someone sniffling can be irritating, but that has almost nothing to do with the sound itself, new Carnegie Mellon University research shows. “It’s not the sound, it’s how I feel about the person sitting next to me, and how it’s rude to sniffle,” said Laurie Heller, a...
Report claims Heritage Valley Sewickley, St. Clair hospitals perform needless back surgeries
Two Pittsburgh-area hospitals and one near State College are being called out by a health care think tank for performing what it calls unnecessary back surgeries. A report released earlier this month by the Massachusetts-based Lown Institute says around 38% of spinal fusions performed at Heritage Valley Sewickley weren’t warranted,...
Bids for Plum’s O’Block Elementary addition, renovations come in $2M under projection
The Plum School Board is moving forward on a set for bids that are about $2 million under initial projections for multimillion dollar renovations at O’Block Elementary. Earlier estimates showed the “hard costs” of the large-scale project sitting at $21.6 million, but that number ended up closer to $19.6 million....
Oakmont Recreation Board addresses concerns regarding field lights, some residents unconvinced
Some community members’ worries were put to bed Wednesday night after the Oakmont Recreation Board held a second public meeting regarding lighting at the sports fields at Riverside Park. Riverview High School uses the park fields for its home football, soccer, baseball and softball games. “The goal of this project...
