Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 10
Holiday light display expansion and more in the works at Freeport Community Park
As if Freeport Community Park hasn’t sparkled enough lately with renovations, park officials are trying to expand its drive-thru Christmas holiday light display. The 95-acre park was established in 1965 by Freeport Brick Co. owner Francis “Dutch” Laube Jr. but went downhill after he died in 2000, Freeport Mayor James...
Building the Valley: Upper Burrell’s new 3740 Cafe offers combo of coffee and community
It’s a family affair at 3740 Cafe in Upper Burrell. Located along the winding and rural Milligantown Road, 3740 Cafe seems like it’s in the middle of nowhere. It is anything but. Mike and Christy Albert strategically chose the one-story building at 3740 Milligantown Road because it is within two...
Cold snap to thrash above-normal temperatures; Dubois breaks heat record Sunday
If it seemed a bit balmy for late April, it was, especially if you were in Dubois, where a new record high temperature of 83 degrees was recorded Sunday. The old record was 79 in 1990, said David Shallenberger, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon. In the...
Plum family whose house exploded treated at hospitals, 1 child with burns; no gas leaks found
Authorities are still investigating the cause of a house explosion Friday night along Hialeah Drive in Plum that sent a family to local hospitals. Although the family of five — a husband, wife and three children, ages 2, 6 and 11 — escaped the house safely, one child suffered burns...
Wildfire firefighters train with controlled blazes in Parks Township
The crackling sound and the odor of burning weeds were unmistakable and necessary for a training exercise for wildfire firefighters from 15 volunteer fire companies in the region Sunday in Parks Township. These firefighters train every spring to prepare for wildfires during warm weather. Extinguishing wildfires demands a lot of...
Alle-Kiski Historical Society premieres video of beloved New Kensington cobbler Gene Montemurro
Gene Montemurro, a beloved New Kensington cobbler who retired after 66 years, is immortalized in a documentary produced by the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society and videographer John Bailey. An armed robbery and some family health issues caused Montemurro to close Gene’s Shoe Service on Fifth Avenue in 2015. He has...
Flyers Field fishing derby reels in young anglers with bountiful trout
With sunny skies and highs in the low 80s, kids reeled in trout Saturday during the second annual Fishing Derby in Pucketa Creek next to Flyers Field in Lower Burrell. “I’ve seen 50 to 60 fish caught, and we still have the afternoon to go,” said organizer Chris Lowe, an...
Successful growth of baby mussels in Kiski River indicates continued health of waterways
Several years ago, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy biologists documented the first freshwater mussels — eight species in all — found in the Kiski River in over a century. Then, last summer, the biologists implanted some baby mussels in concrete silos in the Kiski, as well as a dozen other waterways, to...
Pa. Game Commission creates award for John Oliver who preserved more than 200,000 acres in the state
If you’ve been to state parks or public lands in Southwestern Pennsylvania, chances are John C. Oliver III had a hand in acquiring some of that acreage. Regional parks that Oliver helped secure additional property for include Ohiopyle, Moraine, McConnell’s Mills and Raccoon state parks. That’s just a small part...
Freeport businesses to offer food trucks, live music and more every month
Freeport businesses have teamed up to offer a community open-air market with food trucks and live music every month through November, weather permitting. Dubbed “Freeport Days,” the event offers a festival vibe showcasing the products and services of local businesses. To accommodate the festivities, the borough will close down a...
Kayak Pittsburgh to open kayak rentals in Sharpsburg
Sharpsburg borough council unanimously approved a kayak concession rental recently at the James Sharp Landing. The outdoors nonprofit Venture Outdoors will locate a Kayak Pittsburgh rental site for a one-year pilot program. Sharpsburg Mayor, Brittany Reno said she was excited that residents would have the opportunity to kayak the Allegheny...
Spring has sprung for Art in Bloom Floral and Photography Show at Pittsburgh Mills mall
Spring is in full swing at the Art in Bloom Floral and Photography Show at the Focus on the Arts Gallery in the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. The gallery displays and sells work from the New Kensington Camera Club and the Allegheny Valley League of Artists. Nearly 80 pieces...
DEP to close mine opening and demolish old fan building at Roaring Run Trail
The once polluted and blighted Roaring Run Trail area in Kiski Township has greened over much of its past and has become a destination for walking, biking and kayaking. But the history of coal mining still haunts the area. A visitor to Roaring Run a few years ago found a...
Lower Burrell cracks down on vacant building blight with $1,000-a-day fine for uncorrected violations
On the face of Lower Burrell’s new vacant property ordinance, the fines are hefty — $1,000 a day — for property owners who don’t fix unsightly issues on their vacant property. But the fines will be levied in only the most severe cases, according to city officials, such as when...
Holiday warning: Easter lilies can kill your cat
As people decorate homes for the Easter holiday, there’s a fresh warning about a certain flower. Easter lilies — those lanky, white beauties of spring — are extremely toxic to cats. According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration, any plant in the lily family, including daylilies, is deadly for cats....
Lower Burrell Flyers to host 2nd annual Fishing Derby along Pucketa Creek
The Lower Burrell Flyers football organization will host the second annual Fishing Derby for kids 13 and younger April 23. The Flyers organization is stocking Pucketa Creek, along Flyers Field, with 150 to 200 rainbow trout for the special fishing event, said Chris Lowe, one of the organizers. An angler...
Shaler grad wins Fulbright Scholarship to teach in Canary Islands
A 2018 graduate of Shaler Area High School has won a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship for teaching in the Canary Islands. Gabrielle Girton, 21, is a senior at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, where she is majoring in environmental science. She lived in Shaler while attending high school and currently...
Don’t mess with momma: Hays bald eagle defends nest against intruderVideo
Dining on a meal of Monongahela fish just after 6 p.m., the Pittsburgh Hays bald eagle mom fed her three eaglets. Then — bam! A large predatory bird swooped the nest and the Hays’ mom sprang into action. She outstretched her wings, which can span six feet or more, over...
Kiski Township police identify and are looking for suspect who led them on a chase Friday
Kiski Township police identified a Leechburg man who they say led them on a car chase last Friday, April 8. Police say that Jeffrey Nedley, 39, has been identified as the man driving a white Mitsubishi Endeavor that nearly struck a marked police car along Garvers Ferry Road in Kiski...
Local music legend Bill Deasy returns for show at The Oaks, with new album online for free
Bill Deasy wasn’t planning on making his new album, “If the Creek Don’t Rise.” Nor was he planning on playing a show featuring his new and favorite songs at The Oaks on April 22. But Deasy — the longtime singer, songwriter, solo artist and front man of The Gathering Field...
City to repave 2 Lower Burrell streets, chip-and-seal others
Lower Burrell’s public works department is working on plans to repave Kentucky Drive and Reed Street while preserving other city streets this summer. The city will repave all of Kentucky Drive. That includes repaving Kentucky Court and a portion of Reed Street, from Leechburg Road to Reed’s intersection with Kentucky...
Curated nectar bar and shop CoNectar to open in Millvale
Sweet dreams are happening in Millvale with major renovations of the former Grub Hut building at 411 Grant Ave. for CoNectar, a curated nectar bar with a mission. The store will feature locally and globally sourced honey, pesticide-free flower bouquets, a honeycomb sculpture, a botanical art gallery and a café,...
Firefighters stage fundraisers for Arnold emergency scene photographer who lost legVideo
Steven Matto shoots some of the most intense fire scene photos ever taken. It’s just that most people don’t get a chance to see them. Matto, 54, is the official photographer for many Alle-Kiski Valley fire companies, documenting more than 700 emergencies. His photos are used by fire companies to...
Armstrong County to present Gateway Clipper tours on Allegheny River in October
After the Gateway Clipper fall foliage tours sold out quickly last year, Armstrong County is back at it, offering another three tours throughout the day of Oct. 1. Before last year’s cruises, the Clipper fleet hadn’t offered tours in the county waters for five years. This year, organizers aren’t billing...
Faces of the Valley: Burrell student sings and writes her way into WYEP’s Reimagination Project
Burrell High School freshman Elliana Koulouris is one of 13 teens selected for WYEP’s Reimagination Project, which will highlight the recording of one of her songs. The local radio station asked applicants to submit songs and videos of themselves. “The selection committee found Elliana to be a talented singer with...
