Julia Maruca stories, Page 6
Monroeville Chick-fil-A employee receives $25K scholarship
A Monroeville Chick-fil-A employee received a $25,000 scholarship from the company this month to support his future education. Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew T. Cathy presented Luke Marasco with the scholarship, which is one of 14 $25,000 scholarships that Chick-fil-A will award across the U.S. and Canada this year. Monroeville Mayor Nick...
SummerSounds and Greensburg Community Development Corp. make merger official
SummerSounds, an annual Greensburg concert series and community favorite for the past 23 years, took a big leap into the future Tuesday as its members voted unanimously to merge with the Greensburg Community Development Corp. The merger will help ensure the summer concerts, which garnered around 41,000 total visitors last...
Hempfield Area works through ‘legal ramifications’ in effort to use former architect’s work for renovation
Hempfield Area School District officials say they won’t know what they can use from a completed architectural plan for the high school renovation project until a legal process plays out between the district and the firm that drew up the plans. Interim Superintendent Kimberlie Rieffannacht declined to provide specifics about...
Planning and events continue to mark Youngwood’s 125th anniversary
As part of ongoing celebrations for the 125th anniversary of Youngwood Borough, the Youngwood Fire Hall will host a karaoke night from 6 to 10 p.m. April 27. The event will be held at 104 S. Second St. in Youngwood. Replicas of the borough building, T-shirts, hats, totes and an...
Hotter, quicker, more toxic: Varied construction methods, modern materials change the rules of firefighting
Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tom Bell can remember watching an informational film early in his training that emphasized the importance of escaping a fire in the first five minutes. Now, he says, people have closer to three minutes to get out of a burning home safely. “It’s a new...
Former Greensburg Salem high school principal honored by Pa. House of Representatives
Recently retired former Greensburg Salem Principal David Zilli was surprised with an honor from the state House of Representatives. State Rep. Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, presented Zilli with a citation commemorating his 35 years in education and 15 years as principal of Greensburg Salem High School at this month’s school board...
Fort Ligonier bestows awards on miniature model makers
The young creators of three miniature forts came home from Fort Ligonier with prizes this month. Through the Model Fort Contest at Fort Ligonier, area students worked to build miniature models of forts to be graded and judged by museum officials and guests. The models were limited to 2 feet...
Duquesne woman wanted by police in connection with Pleasant Hills stabbing
Police are looking for a Duquesne woman in connection with a stabbing early Saturday morning in Pleasant Hills. Pleasant Hills police and first responders found a 27-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds in the 100 block of Cerasi Drive around 4 a.m. Saturday. She was taken to the hospital in...
‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ coming to Geyer Performing Arts Center
The Geyer Performing Arts Center will bring a macabre favorite to the stage this week with “Arsenic and Old Lace.” The play showcases the tale of two elderly sisters who are famous for their acts of charity, but secretly poison old men who come to their home for lodging. Directed...
Spring sniffles: Tree pollen season is a little early this year, allergists say
When Dr. Bob Gorby of Westmoreland Allergy and Asthma Associates in Greensburg notices the tree in his home’s backyard starting to bud, he knows it’s tree pollen season. “It’s early this year a little bit,” he said. “Tree pollen can come out as early as late February, but it’s very...
Hempfield family fighting son’s leukemia encourages people to join transplant registry
When Lucas James’ mom came to pick him up from school two years ago, Lucas knew something was terribly wrong. “I had on-and-off fevers, and we ended up having to do a blood test,” said Lucas, 14. “I was at school when my mom had gotten notified. “She was so...
‘This is my dream come true,’ says Pitt med student, a Fox Chapel native, on Match Day
Medical student Rachel Kann said she couldn’t be happier to find out she’ll be staying in Pittsburgh. “This is my dream come true. … I’m just so grateful to have gotten the chance to stay in this amazing city for seven more years and practice here,” Kann said. A Fox...
Turnpike reopens after fallen wires blocked all lanes
Eastbound and westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike I-76 between Pittsburgh and Irwin are now open again, after a crash left electrical and communication lines across the road, blocking traffic. The fallen wires shut down all lanes of traffic Wednesday afternoon starting around 3:20 p.m. The blockage lasted for nearly...
Pitt-Greensburg to host blood drive with the American Red Cross
The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg will host a blood drive with the American Red Cross on March 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Smith Hall Lounge. Community members are invited to participate in the drive, and can schedule their donation by calling 1-800-733-2767 or visiting www.redcrossblood.org and...
Hempfield Area mulls funding options for stalled high school project
State funding might be available to help defray some of the cost of the work on the stalled Hempfield High School renovation project, its construction manager told the school board Monday. The board put the brakes on the project in August after bids for some of the work revealed its...
Reenactors, historians celebrate Pennsylvania’s birthday at Bushy Run museum
Educators, craftspeople, reenactors, volunteers and visitors hoping to learn more about local history crowded the halls of the Bushy Run Battlefield Museum on Sunday. The occasion? The state of Pennsylvania’s 343rd birthday, or “Charter Day” — the day in 1681 that Pennsylvania was named, when England’s King Charles II granted...
Miniature fort building contest brings hands-on education to Fort Ligonier
The 15 tiny forts on display at Fort Ligonier on Saturday were much too small to keep any intruders out. But they were just the right size for kids from elementary to high school to learn about 18th-century history. Through the Model Fort Contest at Fort Ligonier, area students worked...
Forum tackles the future of firefighting in Hempfield
Some Hempfield firefighters came away from a department meeting Saturday with answers to their burning questions. Others left seeking further information. At Saturday’s fire forum, township officials hoped to smooth over concerns, answer uncertainties about the state of the fire department and clarify the “all-in” process, through which individual stations...
Greensburg Salem to move forward with contractor on part of outdoor classroom project
The Greensburg Salem school board will vote next week on whether to move forward with a new contractor for the pavilion portion of its delayed outdoor classroom project, after having rejected previous bids for being too expensive. The district plans to go with contractor RJT Contracting for the labor and...
Monongahela Incline to stay closed for the rest of the week
The Monongahela Incline, which shut down Tuesday, will remain closed for the remainder of the week, Pittsburgh Regional Transit said. In a statement Wednesday, Pittsburgh Regional Transit said the 154-year-old incline shut down Tuesday afternoon when a brake resistor and motor controller unexpectedly failed. The incline cars were docked at...
Free at-home covid test mail program will end Friday
Get your orders in while you can — the federal free covid test program is shutting down again at the end of the week. The program, run through the U.S. Department of Health and the United States Postal Service, has provided free at-home covid-19 rapid tests in sets of four...
Diagnosing ear infections in children is difficult; a new AI tool at UPMC could help
Using artificial intelligence technology, doctors may soon get a helping hand with diagnosing pediatric ear infections. A new software tool developed by UPMC and Pitt scientists analyzes video captured of a child’s ear canal via an auriscope connected to a smartphone camera to help determine if the patient has an...
Mainline Pharmacy closure leaves community, staff mourning loss of local pillar
When Barbie Fordyce of Greensburg pulled up to the drive-thru window to get her medications at Mainline Pharmacy in Harrison City on Monday, it was for the last time. “It’s a crying shame,” Fordyce said. “I’ve been coming here forever.” The business has been a community staple for decades. But...
Independence Health addresses losses from 1st year as merged health care system
Independence Health System continued to lose money as it passed its one-year mark at the end of December 2023, though annual losses have shrunk by almost $9 million, according to recently released financial reports. Reports indicate the health system formed by the merger of Excela and Butler health systems has...
Pittsburgh police: Missing 11-year-old boy found safe
Pittsburgh police say an 11-year old boy who went missing late Tuesday afternoon has been found safe. They earlier reported that Skyler Johnson was last seen in front of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Lawrenceville. Police updated their report to say he was found safe Downtown....
