Sentimental value often bests cash for treasures brought to Tarentum museum appraisal event
Teddy bears well-loved by a woman’s grandfather, a hand-painted plate found at a thrift store and a typewriter with a Ukrainian keyboard were among the treasures people brought to the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Heritage Museum in Tarentum on Saturday in hopes of discovering their worth. In some cases, sentimental value outweighed...
Police release details about motel manager slaying, shooting of woman, Pittsburgh detective
A motel manager was shot in the head at point-blank range Friday afternoon after stepping outside to check on a disturbance at the Pittsburgh Motel in Robinson, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case Saturday. “Are you alright, bud?” Rakesh Bhagavan, 51, asked a man holding a gun...
Man headed to trial for homicide by vehicle in deadly, 5-car crash in North Hills
A distracted dump truck driver who allegedly was taking part in a Facetime call when he triggered a deadly five-car crash in Pittsburgh’s North Hills is headed to court on charges including homicide by vehicle. A judge Friday held a preliminary hearing for Franklin R. Simon, 33, of South Union,...
The Stroller, Oct. 4, 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. Allegheny Valley SD plans...
Western Pa. hunters face new rules as state tries to manage chronic wasting disease in deer
Chronic wasting disease used to be something that was far away for most Western Pennsylvania deer hunters, centered in the south-central region of the state. No longer. In 2024, parts of southern Armstrong County and eastern Westmoreland County became part of a management area after wild deer in each area...
Monroeville Convention Center hosts 5th annual Pittsburgh Gaming Expo this weekend
Organizers have pressed the start button on the fifth annual Pittsburgh Gaming Expo. Festivities kicked off Friday afternoon at the Monroeville Convention Center, 209 Mall Plaza Blvd. The event continues Saturday and Sunday with pinball tournaments and cosplay contests set for both days. Brian Wissner, expo co-founder and co-owner, expects...
Ghost hunters investigate paranormal tales at house on Pitt-Greensburg campus
Joyce Eger, assistant director of admissions at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, had a spooky experience involving a light with an apparent mind of its own at the Hempfield campus building where she works. “I reached in and totally overshot the light switch, wasn’t anywhere near it, and the...
Innamorato says hospital police will shackle jail inmates to thwart escape attempts
An agreement has been hammered out to address safety concerns raised by Allegheny County corrections officers transporting incarcerated people for medical appointments. Under its terms, police officers on hospitals’ security staffs will be responsible for applying leg shackles to people being taken to appointments from the Allegheny County Jail —...
Jury convicts brother, acquits sister in New Kensington Easter Egg hunt assault
A Westmoreland County jury acquitted a New Kensington woman but convicted her older brother of the assault against of an autistic teen during a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Stacey Oneal Jr., 36, of New Kensington was found guilty of a felony count of aggravated assault and misdemeanor simple assault and...
Pittsburgh Mills loses last national tenant as Bath and Body Works bids farewell
The Pittsburgh Mills will say goodbye to its last national retailer tenant this weekend. Employees confirmed Friday the last day to shop at the mall’s Bath and Body Works location will be Saturday. Bath and Body Works and Namdar Realty Group, which owns several companies that operate the mall, did...
Bison burgers offer big flavor, less fat at these Pittsburgh-area eateries
Mooooove over, beef. The bison bandwagon has settled in Western Pennsylvania with restaurants offering bison burgers (and even a bison meatloaf!) on their menus. Touted as being much lower in saturated fat than beef, 100 grams of raw bison contains 109 calories and 1.8 grams of fat, whereas the same...
Pittsburgh police officer shot after confronting suspect in killing of Robinson motel manager; suspect and slain man ID’dVideo
A Pittsburgh police detective was shot Friday afternoon in the city’s East Hills section during an exchange of gunfire with a homicide suspect. The suspect was fleeing from a shooting scene in Robinson, where police say he killed a motel manager about 90 minutes before a confrontation with Pittsburgh police....
Missing Scottdale woman, alleged kidnapper found in Kentucky
A Westmoreland County woman is returning home after she and her husband were found in Kentucky, Scottdale police announced Saturday. Lydia Prince, 48, who was reported missing Thursday, was found after authorities took Shawn Michael Prince into custody early Saturday, police said. He is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania. Authorities had...
South Huntingdon man arraigned on indecent assault charges
A South Huntingdon man was jailed Friday on $250,000 bail on state police accusations that he sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl. Thomas Howard Sherbondy, 45, was arraigned Friday on charges including rape of a child, indecent assault and corruption of minors. Troopers said in court papers that the accusations were...
Pittsburgh organizations plan 3rd protest ahead of ‘No Kings’ rally
A coalition of Pittsburgh organizations will stage their third demonstration this weekend ahead of the city’s involvement in the second nationwide “No Kings” protest. On Sunday, Indivisible Pittsburgh, Indivisible Black Neighborhoods United, the Black Political Empowerment Project and 1Hood Power plan to gather in the Hill District. The protest is...
‘Cleaner, safer streets’: Shapiro visits Pittsburgh to praise Downtown upgrades
Standing on the North Shore Friday morning, Gov. Josh Shapiro heralded “meaningful progress” in ongoing efforts to make the city’s Golden Triangle safer, cleaner and more vibrant. About a year ago, Shapiro unveiled the $600 million Downtown revitalization plan, which will include about 1,000 new housing units, increased public safety...
New Kensington man arrested following evacuation of apartment building where he lives
A gunshot and the discovery of what appeared to be two grenades led to the evacuation of a New Kensington apartment building Thursday night. The incident began shortly before 9:30 p.m. with an altercation at Valley Royal Court, an apartment complex along Fifth Avenue, that led to a man firing...
16 ‘ghosts’ on tap at Prospect Cemetery fundraiser in Brackenridge
Sixteen “ghosts” of long-gone prominent residents will haunt Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge on Thursday. People are invited to hear their tales at the 17th annual tour which doubles as a fundraiser for the cemetery. Cost is $10 a person. Proceeds pay for maintenance at the 13-acre site along E. 10th...
ESL program offers skills, ‘family’ to English language learners at Allegheny Valley
Though Maria Cosme’s Allegheny Valley students speak more than half a dozen languages from four continents, one tongue unites them: English. Cosme is one of the most recent additions to the district, where she teaches ESL — or English as a Second Language — courses to elementary students through high...
Car enthusiast honored with repair fund to help people with transportation needs
Julian DiNino of Kilbuck bought his first BMW E-30 when he was 14. He was serious about cars. With skills he learned from both friends and his dad, who was an airplane mechanic, DiNino worked on becoming adept at fabrication and welding, eventually becoming a car performance mechanic. After graduating...
‘Bad for everybody’: Western Pa. labor leaders pans federal shutdown
With the U.S. government shut down, thousands of unionized federal workers throughout Western Pennsylvania are wondering whether they’ll still be allowed to do their jobs — and, if so, when they’ll get paid for it. Elizabeth McPeak, first vice president of the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 34, on Friday...
PennWest enrollment declines slightly but is ‘steadying,’ official says
During her first semester at Kent State University in fall 2023, Alison Jones realized she wanted to attend a smaller university where she would be able to make her mark. “Kent was a little too big for me,” said Jones, 20, of Edinboro. “Transferring to Edinboro, there’s obviously a lot...
Plum fire chiefs, borough expect stipend program to continue
Plum officials say they’ll likely carry on next year with a program that offers stipends for volunteer firefighters in the borough. The stipends — $15 per hour — were approved by the borough in January and were first distributed in March. Holiday Park VFD Chief Jim Sims said the stipends...
Teen missing in West Deer found safe
A 15-year-old boy reported missing in West Deer on Thursday was found safe, township police said. The teen was found at about 7:10 a.m. Friday near Golden Lane. No other information was released. Police had requested help from the public early Thursday as they conducted a search in the area...
Fatal high-speed crash on Parkway East leads to charges
A Pittsburgh man is facing involuntary manslaughter and homicide by vehicle charges stemming from a fatal crash on the Parkway East in March. Donald Isiah Lewis II, 28, of Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, told police a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 376 that left one person dead was his fault, according...