Mobile home catches fire in North Huntingdon
Firefighters responded to a trailer fire Sunday afternoon at Dusty Rhodes Mobile Home Village in North Huntingdon. Authorities were alerted of the blaze around 2:45 p.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. It was controlled as of about 3:15 p.m, the dispatcher said. There were no injuries, according to...
Search to continue Monday in Manor Township for missing man believed to be in danger
Search and rescue crews in Armstrong County continued their efforts Sunday to find Cory Dominic Cook, a 31-year-old Avonmore man last seen Thursday and said to be suffering from paranoid delusions and hallucinations. The search, suspended on Sunday at sunset, will continue Monday morning. Authorities began the search on Saturday,...
Pittsburgh City Council approves 2026 budget with 20% property tax increase
Pittsburgh City Council voted Sunday to raise property taxes by 20%, down from an earlier proposal for a 30% tax hike. Council supported the 20% tax hike — the first increase in more than a decade — in a 6-2 vote after hours of deliberation Sunday. “I do feel this...
Alle-Kiski Senior Citizen News – Dec. 7, 2025
Armstrong County Senior Centers Apollo Wednesday and Thursday: closed for the Christmas holiday. Hours: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays. Details: Charlotte at 800-368-1066 or Amy at 724-478-1410. The center is at 707A N. Fifth St., Apollo. Freeport Wednesday and Thursday: closed for the Christmas holiday. The center is at...
The Stroller, Dec. 21, 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. Food distribution set Tuesday...
International priests fill vital roles in keeping Diocese of Greensburg operating
After more than a decade of educating aspiring Catholic priests in his native Philippines, the Rev. Jay Jacinto was ready for a change. Jacinto, 48, was ordained in 2005. He worked in the Philippines for 17 years before volunteering to serve abroad in 2022. A year later, the bishop of...
Diocese of Greensburg ‘on the cusp’ of revival going into 75th anniversary, bishop says
When the Rev. Alexander Pleban looks back on his nearly 60-year career as a priest, one feeling in particular stands out among the flood of emotions. “I feel very, very blessed that my priesthood was during the golden age of the diocese,” said Pleban, 95. He’s talking about the 1970s...
Westmoreland happenings: Christmas services, more
Church news • Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 501 Main St., Irwin, will have a Christmas Eve service for children and families at 4 p.m. The traditional candlelight service will be at 8 p.m. with vocal, organ and bell choir music. The sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated at both...
After a snow delay, Lower Burrell gets in its Christmas parade
Lower Burrell celebrated Christmas with its fourth annual parade on Saturday, a week later than originally planned. While the parade is held at night when lights shine more brightly, the snow on Dec. 13, instead of contributing to the atmosphere, forced its cancellation and rescheduling, Mayor Chris Fabry said. The...
Duquesne man facing charges after boy hospitalized from ingesting narcotics
A Duquesne man is facing charges after Allegheny County Police say a boy was hospitalized from ingesting narcotics. Iedoniae Cole, 32, is facing multiple charges including aggravated assault, possession with intent to deliver, endangering the welfare of children and receiving stolen property. The Allegheny County Police Department said UPMC Children’s...
Pittsburghers share mixed opinions on significant tax hike proposal as council remains divided over budget options
About 24 hours before Pittsburgh City Council is scheduled to vote on a 2026 budget, council members remained divided on whether to cut services, raise taxes or find a middle ground that combines both approaches. Council on Sunday will take preliminary and final votes on the tax increase and budget....
Search efforts underway in Manor Township for endangered man
Police in Armstrong County are looking for a 31-year-old man said to be in danger and suffering from paranoid delusions and hallucinations. According to Manor Township police, Cory Dominic Cook was last seen around 8 a.m. Thursday, and the last time someone had contact with him was by phone or...
Missing 83-year-old woman found safe, Pittsburgh police say
A missing 83-year-old woman with dementia and Alzheimer’s was found safe, Pittsburgh police said Saturday. According to police, Desiree Yates had last been seen Friday about 6:15 p.m. in the 800 block of Inwood Street in the city’s Homewood West neighborhood. She may have required medical assistance, police said. Pittsburgh...
The Stroller, Dec. 20, 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. Free food pantry available...
Passing the torch: Aging VFW honor guards need younger veterans to step upVideo
Military veterans who serve on honor guards for local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts say there is an urgent need to pass the torch to a younger generation. “We’re always asking for young people, but they don’t have the time. We have seven or eight members who...
Springdale Council members say they legally had little choice in data center approval
Despite significant pushback from residents and environmental groups, Springdale Council members said they were powerless to reject a proposed data center project in the borough. Council voted, 5-2, Tuesday to approve a conditional-use application from land developer Allegheny DC Property Co. to build a massive AI data center at the...
Kettle bell ringers in short supply as Salvation Army struggles to meet area donation goals
Salvation Army leaders in Latrobe, Greensburg and the Allegheny Valley are looking to make up ground in their annual Red Kettle Campaigns, as donations to date are far short of the amounts they’re hoping to raise by Christmas. As of Dec. 17, the Salvation Army service center in Latrobe had...
Annual Christmas Bird Count channels ‘addictive’ activity for scientific good
As Annie Lindsay drove her black Honda CR-V Saturday morning on a road splitting a Cook Township meadow, she had a premonition, earned by roughly two decades of studying birds. “There should be hawks in here,” she said. A few seconds later, the car was in park. Lindsay, 44, of...
Wilkinsburg educator tapped for Penn-Trafford High School assistant principal role
Penn-Trafford’s newest administrator is in for more than a career change. Megan Flaherty, a former administrator and special education teacher from Wilkinsburg School District, was hired last month as Penn-Trafford High School’s next assistant principal. She will replace Jim Simpson — who has been a transitionary principal at the high...
Pine passes 2026 budget, which keeps township at lowest millage rate in Allegheny County
Pine Township’s property tax millage rate remains unchanged at 0.998 mills in the 2026 budget, the lowest in Allegheny County. In addition, the budget has been designed to accommodate the maximum allowable Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion in 2026 — 50% of the median assessed value of residential property in the township. Combined,...
Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh spreads joy, toys across Allegheny County
Members of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh took over a section of Petra International Ministries in Penn Hills a week before Christmas to sort through gifts for 500 children across Allegheny County. Mattie Woods of Penn Hills serves as developer of the Urban League’s Opportunity Broker Program. Her job...
Holy Family Parish offering free brunch on Christmas
Holy Family Parish is trying to make sure nobody in the community is alone on Christmas this year. The parish churches in Oakmont, Penn Hills, Plum and Verona will be offering a free Christmas Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Christmas Day at two parish locations: • St....
Pittsburgh Public Schools student dies after being hit by sliding vehicle in Carrick
A Pittsburgh Public Schools student has died after being struck by a vehicle in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood. District officials said the deceased girl is Ishara Kami, 17, a senior at Carrick High School. Police responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian accident at about 2:50 p.m. Friday at the intersection of...
Westmoreland inmate charged with assault in courthouse holding cell
An Arnold man was charged Friday for an assault of another inmate in a Westmoreland County Courthouse holding cell, according to the county sheriff’s department. Officials said Brian Rebold, 39, was taken to a hospital after what officials described as an unprovoked attack in which Rebold was struck at least...
Shapiro designates $5M to state-funded research to tackle neuro diseases
Gov. Josh Shapiro chose the University of Pittsburgh as the backdrop Friday to unveil a new $5 million research grant in the state’s 2025-26 budget — a nod to Pitt’s prominent role in neurodegenerative disease research. Scientists based in Pitt’s Biomedical Science Tower in Oakland walked Shapiro and state Health...
