Latest news with #Tarentum
CBS News
17-07-2025
- CBS News
Tarentum leaders want to improve safety at spray park after multiple vehicle crashes
Tarentum's spray park is a popular spot for families to visit and cool off, but local leaders said it has been the scene of multiple crashes, which is why they're taking action to improve safety. On a hot summer day, you may find Lisa Sobek and her daughter at the spray park at Riverview Memorial Park. "My daughter absolutely loves it," Sobek said. "It's super fun and exciting for the children." Throughout the summer, the place can be packed with kids running through the water. But it's next to a busy corridor for trucks and tractor-trailers on First Avenue. Families, along with borough leaders like Mayor Bob Lang, have been concerned about the traffic, and the three or four crashes that have happened there in recent years, the worst this past spring, forcing the borough to delay opening the spray park for a week. "Mostly not paying attention, and we had a few DUIs," Lang said. Lang said these incidents caused severe damage to the fence surrounding the park, and they had to replace it each time, which is expensive. Thankfully, no one was in the park when the crashes occurred, but they fear the possibility. "I've got grandkids, I don't want anybody's kid to get hit by a car," Lang said. To try to prevent that, the borough plans to install more bollard posts from the spray park to the end of the playground by Allegheny Street. "They're going to be three feet apart, and they're going to be behind the fence," Lang said. The borough also plans on making updates to the security cameras. It is currently working with a contractor, and construction should start soon. "It would be unthinkably tragic if something happened to the children," Sobek said. After seeing the hole in the fence this spring, Sobek is relieved to learn about these upgrades. "Children are so valuable, they're so worth that kind of investment to be protected," Sobek said. The project is expected to be done by the end of the year.
CBS News
17-07-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
After a day of heavy rains, most of the Pittsburgh regions will get a break from showers
Yesterday's First Alert Day that we issued due to a risk of flash flooding certainly verified. We saw several communities see more than three inches of rain, including radar estimates of 4.5" of rain in the Tarentum area. After all that rain yesterday, we could certainly use a break, and most are going to get that today. WEATHER LINKS: Current Conditions | School Closings & Delays | Submit Your Weather Photos While close, I can't say everyone will be rain-free, though. By far, the highest chance for rain today will come for places south of I-70. If you are heading south to West Virginia, the entire state is under a flood watch through midnight. For Morgantown and places south of I-70, today's highest chance for rain arrives after 6 this afternoon and continues through around 3 this morning. While the sun is still up, expect to see a couple of isolated storms in this area, turning to more rain as we head through the overnight hours. The reason for the rain in this area will be a weak boundary that will be lagging in place. Where the boundary goes, the rain chance will tick up. Highs today will hit the mid-80s with partly to mostly cloudy skies. Winds will be out of the southwest at around 10mph. It's still fairly humid outside today, so you'll be battling that today. Part of our rain chance for today comes from a trough of dry air pushing in from the north. Most data shows a powerful blockage of stable air keeping us mostly dry, even as this boundary dips and moves through. This boundary will likely enhance storms and rain chances south of I-70 through the overnight hours. Friday is looking like the pick of the week. With highs in the low 80s and humidity levels lower. I can't guarantee you'll be dry, but rain and storms will be isolated. Downpours will be possible. Rain on Saturday and Sunday will come during the afternoon, with mornings dry. Highs both days will be in the low 80s with morning lows dipping into the mid to upper 60s. It should feel nice. Stay up to date with the KDKA Mobile App – which you can download here!
CBS News
16-07-2025
- CBS News
Video shows how pit bulls got out of house before Halloween attack in Tarentum last year
A Tarentum man is facing several charges after a dog attack left three injured, including himself, last Halloween. Tarentum police arrested 34-year-old Shawn Flynn on charges including aggravated assault, criminal trespass, and recklessly endangering another person for the incident that took place about five minutes before trick-or-treating was set to begin. Eight months later, Michael Shutack now has scars from his arms to his face and legs. They're painful memories from when pit bulls brutally mauled him on Oct. 31, 2024, leaving him out of work for two months. "Not knowing what's going on, I walked into an ambush, and they took me down," Shutack said. Surveillance video obtained by KDKA reveals how the dogs got loose in the neighborhood by East Seventh and Ormond Street. In the video, Flynn is seen in a hoodie, opening the door to the owners' home and running away. Seconds later, three pit bulls escape outside. "Who knows who else would have been attacked, and in a way, I'm kind of glad it was me and not a kid," Shutack said. That's initially how Shutack got caught in the crosshairs. He heard a noise, saw the dogs heading towards some kids and got them out of harm's way. "I picked him up and tossed him over the fence down at the end there, and I asked him, 'What's going on?' And he was too scared to talk," Shutack said. Before Shutack knew it, the dogs went after him. Flynn even tried to help, using a rug to distract the dogs, but got attacked himself. Another neighbor threw an old PlayStation console at the animals. Shutack eventually learned that the dogs had injured a woman in the area. "Whatever reason he had for doing it, there's no excuse," Shutack said. The dogs' owners weren't home at the time, but neighbors told KDKA they were evicted right after the incident, and court records show charges against them were recently dismissed. A spokesperson with the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office told KDKA that dismissal was due to the new video evidence received by police. The criminal complaint also said Flynn only admitted to letting the dogs out after officers showed him the video. In an interview with investigators, he told them the landlord told his friend, "he would pay money for them to let the dogs out of the house" in an effort to evict the owners. Flynn said he never received that money. "He has to answer, take his lumps for what he did," Shutack said. As for Flynn, his mom told KDKA her son had never been in trouble until now. Flynn remains out of jail on non-monetary bail and will be back in court on July 30. It's unclear whether the landlord will face any charges.
CBS News
06-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
New grocery stores planned for Tarentum, New Kensington and Natrona
Food deserts are an issue for several communities in our region, but now, in parts of Tarentum, New Kensington, and Natrona, three new community markets are planned, which will make fresh food for people in these areas just a short walk away. On Tuesday morning, crews were hard at work gutting an old convenience store along East 6th Avenue in Tarentum and converting it into the soon-to-be Horizon Market. Local developers Cameron Yockey and Brianna Thorpe are the power couple putting this place together. They say that they saw a need in this part of Tarentum, as well as in New Kensington and Natrona, to have a local market where people can buy more than just chips and soft drinks. "So, we want to have ground meat, we want to have chicken breast, we want to try to get into produce," Yockey said. "All that kind of stuff. So, things that they would currently have to get on a bus line to go to, things along those lines. We are in a predominantly walking community." Yockey and Thorpe say they aren't just looking for shoppers for these new markets, they are also looking for local vendors to supply the store with fresh food and products. They also say that they are hoping to create about 12 new jobs at each store once they are open. One community member that KDKA-TV spoke with, Demani, says that he will definitely be coming here for groceries in the future because he not only knows and likes the owners, but the shop is within walking distance from his home. "I know a lot of people who actually come here all the time," Demani said. "The old store was very popular before, so now that this is happening, they are going to build it up even more. And probably more people are going to come, honestly. Out here, once a new store opens, a lot of people like to flood it." The Horizon Market in Tarentum will hopefully be completed by the end of May, and once completed, it will be open seven days a week.
