Pittsburgh WWII serviceman, unknown for 80 years, coming home to rest
A Pittsburgh-area World War II serviceman whose remains were unidentified for 80 years will be laid to rest back home on Sunday, Oct. 12. Paul F. Eshleman Jr., 21, was a technical sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He was a radio operator on a B-24 Liberator that was...
Pittsburgh parents charged with conspiring to delay medical care for gravely injured infant son
A Pittsburgh man charged with fatally abusing his infant son now faces allegations that he and the boy’s mother conspired to delay medical treatment because they feared child welfare officials. Seth Williams and Aleah Ostruh waited more than 12 hours to take a gravely injured Micaiah Williams to the hospital,...
Assault trial begins for suspended state police trooper
Sarah Hellmann told a Westmoreland County jury Tuesday she was hesitant to contact police to report allegations that one of their own had assaulted her during a fight in a Derry Township home. She said it was only after she was encouraged by her employers that she went to the...
Trump’s funding offer to colleges sparks debate in Pennsylvania
Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, fears for his academic freedom. His concerns are shared by many colleagues as the Trump administration tries to broker deals with universities for new educational goals. “The big picture is that the administration has calculated that attacking universities, especially elite universities,...
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato pitches $3 billion budget with no tax hike
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato on Tuesday proposed a $3 billion 2026 budget with no tax increase or layoffs. “The budget is tight, but we’re committed to living within our means,” County Manager John Fournier said, adding officials never seriously considered raising taxes for 2026. Council will hold public hearings...
Tenant future clouded as Walmart plans demolition of Monroeville Mall site
Rick Murray would like to help Walmart pitch its vision of a mixed-use development on the site of the Monroeville Mall, because he thinks it could someday be a real asset to the community. The problem is, despite being a mall tenant, he has no idea what the future of...
Giant Eagle pasta salad recalled for possible listeria contamination
Pasta salad lovers in Western Pennsylvania should double check their refrigerators. Giant Eagle just issued a recall of its “Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad” sold in the prepared foods department of both Giant Eagle and Market District locations across Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and Indiana — for possible listeria contamination. Listeria...
Pittsburgh councilwoman asks Munhall to solve snowplow problem in 1 neighborhood
A Pittsburgh councilwoman is looking to neighboring Munhall for help plowing snow in the city’s Lincoln Place neighborhood. Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, said there were portions of Lincoln Place where the city — handicapped by an aging vehicle fleet and plows prone to breakdowns — struggled to clear snow and...
Cuts in special education not expected as Pine-Richland grapples with $4.9M deficit
While Pine-Richland School District administrators are saying a mix of a spending cuts and a property tax increase will be needed to close a $4.9 million deficit, more cuts are not expected to be possible in special education, where the district is serving more students with fewer staff. In fact,...
Hempfield opens online auction of surplus equipment
Bidding has started for 118 pieces of surplus equipment Hempfield is hoping to unload. The online auction is underway, and several items already have more than a dozen bids. The auction, being conducted by Anderson Auctioneers, will end Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. Payment and pickup for winning bidders...
Pittsburgh police commanders to unionize with Gainey’s blessing
A dozen Pittsburgh police commanders are unionizing, city officials announced Tuesday. Commanders are among the police bureau’s most powerful supervisors, just under the rank of assistant chief. The commanders unanimously voted to form a union with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, separate from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No....
Roxian Theatre renamed in partnership with Citizens
McKees Rocks’ concert venue has been renamed to the Roxian Theatre presented by Citizens as part of the bank’s effort to expand its role in shaping the future of live music in Pittsburgh. The partnership comes months after a separate announcement of a concert venue coming to the former Civic...
Where Pittsburgh Mills Mall stands after another storefront departure
The Pittsburgh Mills is reeling from another national retailer vacating the Frazer mall — the third instance of a major retailer leaving the complex in four months. Bath and Body Works opened its store in the Mills for the last time on Saturday. The company did not respond to requests...
Lower Burrell VFW’s Vietnam-era helicopter restored with help from Forbes Road students
The Vietnam-era helicopter outside VFW Post 92 in Lower Burrell has been restored thanks to the help of students from the Forbes Road Career and Technology Center in Monroeville. Last weekend, students from Forbes’ SkillsUSA chapter partnered with A-K Valley Back the Blue to repaint the helicopter, displayed outside the...
Jury convicts man of 1st-degree murder for gunning down his mom, her friend
A McKeesport man will spend the rest of his life in state prison after a jury on Tuesday found him guilty of killing his mother and her friend last year in Homestead. John Malcolm Smith V, 26, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for killing Antoinette Porterfield, 45,...
New Kensington to increase license fees for skill games
New Kensington anticipates generating about $30,000 in additional revenue under a proposal that would increase the license fee for mechanical skill games. Council this week advanced a plan to increase annual license fees for skill games from $300 to $750, which is an increase of about 150%. “It’s my opinion...
Shady Side Academy senior advocates for nationwide youth financial literacy
Laurence Park grew up in Los Angeles and never thought he’d end up living in Pittsburgh. But when his father was hired as a financial professor at The University of Pittsburgh in 2022, Park traded West Coast living for the hills of Western Pennsylvania. “It’s very different but there’s a...
Walmart plans to demolish Monroeville Mall, according to state grant bid
For the first time since it purchased Monroeville Mall in February, Walmart has declared its intent for the 186-acre property. The mall is expected to be demolished and replaced with retail and public space, according to a state grant application Walmart submitted last month through limited-liability corporation South Saturn Ridge....
For local governments, winter road maintenance is summertime concern
Long before he jumps in his salt truck, Unity Supervisor Mike O’Barto says, the township has to consider winter road maintenance and road salt acquisition. O’Barto is among 21 plowmen, including two other township supervisors, who work to clear the 165 miles of roads in Unity, which is one of...
The Stroller, Oct. 7, 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. Halloween cash bash to...
Springdale Planning Commission to reconvene to continue data center review
After a standing-room-only meeting late last month, Springdale’s Planning Commission will come together again Wednesday to consider a massive proposed data center in the borough. The commission postponed a vote on whether to recommend borough council approve or deny a developer’s application at the previous meeting, opting to further analyze...
Public input sessions on tap for paid EMS Authority in Harrison, Tarentum, Brackenridge
A paid EMS Authority served by the consolidation of Eureka Community Ambulance in Tarentum and Citizens Hose EMS in Harrison remains “a ways off,” according to some local officials. The idea, floated last year as a solution for the nationwide EMS funding crisis, would see member municipalities sharing the costs...
Westmoreland County approves ballot curing process for November election
The Westmoreland County commissioners on Tuesday approved a process to allow voters this fall to correct mail-in ballots. Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew, who for the past five years have opposed efforts to allow what is known as ballot curing, said they were required to reverse course and implement...
North Allegheny senior scores silver in international linguistics competition
North Allegheny senior Jason Liu made his mark globally after winning a silver medal at the International Linguistics Olympiad, competing against other linguistic opponents from more than 40 countries. Liu represented Team USA at the competition held in July in Taipei City, Taiwan. A total of 227 contestants from 42...
No students seriously injured in Moon bus crash
Moon Area School District elementary students were safe and accounted for after their bus crashed with another vehicle in Moon Township on Monday afternoon, according to authorities. At 3:48 p.m., first responders were dispatched to the intersection of Montour Run Road and FedEx Drive for the crash, according to the...
