‘Acts of cruelty’: Former Westmoreland nurses who secretly filmed patients sentenced to jail
Madeline Buchek joined the Marines during World War II and was a vibrant, stylish and witty woman. Frank Rutkowsky Sr. served his country in the Army and was a respectful, independent man who took pride in his appearance. Neither deserved to be demeaned by two Westmoreland Hospital nurses and have...
Coat collection helps Highlands students be winter-ready
Highlands School District is collecting coats to help keep students warm this winter. The sixth annual Winter Ready Rams program kicked off this week and will run through Oct. 24. New or gently used warm clothes can be donated at home football games or at one of four locations: 200...
Verona council launches junior member program
Verona council has officially launched the borough’s first junior council member program. The program was approved unanimously during the Aug. 26 voting meeting. Jason Dailey, the borough’s interim manager, said council could welcome its first junior member as early as November if everything runs smoothly. During an Aug. 12 agenda...
A-K Valley High school class reunions, Aug. 29, 2025
Publicize your high school’s class reunion for free in The Stroller. Send information as soon as possible 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. • Freeport High School Class of 1955 will have...
Harrison commissioners try to address trucks using Rambler Drive as a shortcut
Keeping truck traffic off Rambler Drive poses a problem for the Harrison commissioners. Residents have complained about big trucks using the residential street between Saxonburg Road and Freeport Road. Commissioner Eric Bengel brought up the complaints at the commissioners’ meeting Monday. He suggested solving the problem by putting up signs...
Morning Roundup: Man charged with attempted homicide in Pittsburgh stabbing
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Aug. 29: Attempted homicide charged in Pittsburgh stabbing A Pittsburgh man has been charged with attempted homicide in a stabbing Thursday in the city’s North Side that critically injured another man. Brian Kellum, 46, also is charged with...
Crews free man from collapsed Charleroi trench in 5-hour rescue effort
A man was being treated at Pittsburgh’s Allegheny General Hospital after emergency crews freed him from a collapsed trench early Friday in Charleroi. Rescue workers freed the man at about 1:30 a.m. after about five hours of effort involving emergency organizations from multiple counties, according to TribLive news partner WTAE....
The Stroller, Aug. 29, 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. Labor United Celebration runs...
A food desert no more: Second Tarentum grocery store opens
Three months ago, Tarentum was considered a food desert. Now, the borough has a second grocery store along East Sixth Avenue, just three blocks from another that opened in May. MacKay’s Market, owned by Harrison resident Linda Gromley, will celebrate a soft launch from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday,...
WCCC sees enrollment increase after years of decline
After 14 years of declining enrollment, Westmoreland County Community College may be starting to reverse the trend. As of the first day of classes, enrollment is up nearly 1.9%, or 42 students, compared to the first day of the 2024-25 academic year. And that doesn’t account for students taking late-start...
Penn Township takes over local recreation as commission dissolves
After nearly a quarter-century in operation, the Penn-Trafford Area Recreation Commission will close its doors. The nonprofit’s five governing bodies — Penn Township, Penn Borough, Penn-Trafford School District, Manor and Trafford — voted in recent weeks to dissolve the organization, with Penn Township commissioners casting the final approval last week....
Savannah Bananas bring viral social media act to PNC Park
The Savannah Bananas have stolen social media users’ hearts over the past few years, from viral TikTok dances to funny anecdotes — and this weekend, they’re poised to bring Banana Ball to PNC Park. Though the Bananas played their inaugural baseball season in 2016, their widespread internet fame didn’t start...
North Allegheny’s Class of 1975 to mark 50th reunion with tour of school, meet-up, golf outing
The Class of 1975, the first graduates of North Allegheny Senior High School, is having a reunion from 5 to 10 p.m. Sept. 20 at Wildwood Country Club. The day will begin at 10 a.m. with a tour of the “new” high school. The event is for “any person who...
Public input sought on replacement of Spang Road bridge in Marshall
The window for Marshall residents to offer input online to Allegheny County Public Works regarding the replacement of a bridge on Spang Road is Sept. 10-24. Big Sewickley Creek Bridge No. 7, which carries Spang Road into Warrendale, is considered too narrow. The project aims to improve safety and traffic...
Ligonier Township proposed solar panel farm gets planners’ OK
The question of whether a three-megawatt solar power array should be built on farmland about a mile from Ligonier Valley High School goes to the Ligonier Township supervisors now that a planning panel Thursday recommended its approval. The Ligonier Township Planning Commission recommended that the supervisors approve Chicago-based SunVest Solar...
First responders work to rescue man in Charleroi trench
Rescuers were working Thursday night to free a man from a trench in Charleroi, Washington County, after an apparent collapse. A borough firefighter at the Charleroi station said it was still an active scene as of 10:30 p.m. with multiple crews responding to the call. TribLive news partners WTAE reported...
Medical examiner identifies man who was fatally shot Thursday in Rankin
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim of a fatal shooting Thursday in Rankin as Razelle Shelton, 22. The medical examiner’s release did not include a hometown for the victim. Police said they were dispatched for the shooting at 3:10 p.m. at the intersection of Oak Way and...
2 sisters killed in Arnold fire: ‘Everybody on the block loved them’
Kenyatta Milisits struggled to find the words to describe the situation that claimed the lives of two of her best friends, and injured a third, in a fire Wednesday night in Arnold. “Why’d something bad have to happen to good people?” she asked Thursday on the porch steps of 1908...
Community group rails against Esplanade in Pittsburgh, despite assurances from developer
A community group on Thursday raised environmental concerns about the Esplanade development, a $740 million project that aims to transform a brownfield in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood into a vibrant entertainment district. Manchester Neighbors, representing a group of residents, opposes the project. In a report released Thursday, the group highlighted environmental...
Judge lifts suspension of Students for Justice in Palestine at University of Pittsburgh
A federal judge on Thursday lifted a suspension against a pro-Palestinian student group at the University of Pittsburgh, finding that the speech they engaged in leading up to the suspension was protected by the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan granted a motion seeking a preliminary injunction for...
UPMC made $349 million by halfway point of 2025
UPMC earned $349 million in the first half of 2025, a massive improvement after having lost almost as much money by the same point last year. The provider side of UPMC generated $243 million in operating income, compared to $106 million for its insurance business, according to a financial report...
Clairton man receives 40- to 80-year sentence for fleeing police, wounding officer
The fear Monroeville Patrolman Craig Huhn felt when he was shot twice in 2023 was not just for his own life, but those of his wife and their two sons if he didn’t survive. “I relive the moment I was shot every single day,” he said Thursday during the sentencing...
Witness is 2nd to testify that Derry Township man admitted killing woman in 2007
A woman testified Thursday that she heard Charles E. Ream admit to killing 22-year-old Samantha Lang, bolstering the prosecution’s case against him in the 2007 homicide. Ream’s admission came in 2010 or 2011 while he was smoking crack at a Derry Township mobile home with a few other men, said...
Washington Township fire company launches official website
Washington Township Volunteer Fire Company officially launched its first website Thursday morning. According to a social media post, the website gives viewers access to the history of the department, members, information on how to join, the memberships offered and upcoming events. The website also offers information about donations, hall rentals...
Woman to serve 3 to 8 years for killing man in Carrick
A Pittsburgh woman who said she feared her partner was sentenced to at least three years in prison after pleading guilty to his killing. Breanna Didolce, 25, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for the June 6, 2024, shooting death of Jeremiah Anger, 25. Anger called 911 that morning around 11:30...
