Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 13
St. Patrick’s Day parade is back at Lower Burrell, ‘Parade City USA’
The St. Patrick’s Day parade organized by a community group in Lower Burrell will return this year on March 12 at 11 a.m. Parades have become so popular in Lower Burrell lately that during a recent city council meeting, Mayor John Andrejcik dubbed the town “Parade City USA.” A Christmas...
Traffic stoppages on Apollo’s North Warren Avenue Feb. 14-17
PennDOT announced periodic traffic stoppages on North Warren Avenue in Apollo from Feb. 14-17. The stoppages, 15 minutes or less, are planned for North Warren Avenue near North 11th Street. Stoppages should be less than 15 minutes or less at a time between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. The stoppages...
State auditor general finds 3 issues in audit of Lower Burrell’s Kinloch fire company
As part of a routine audit, the state Auditor General’s Office found three issues with the business practices and financial accounting of Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, which serves the city’s Kinloch neighborhood. In an audit covering Jan. 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2020, the auditor general concluded...
Want to work at Fallingwater? Job fair set for Feb. 15 to fill 10 positions
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is hosting an in-person job fair to fill at least 10 positions at Fallingwater from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Barn at Fallingwater. The famous Fayette County home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright will open for its 59th tour season on...
8 Hampton High School students win Pittsburgh Region Scholastic Art & Writing competition
Eight Hampton High School students won awards in the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing competition, Pittsburgh region. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards bills itself as the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Teens in grades seven-12 (ages 13 and up) compete nationally and regionally in...
Food trucks galore, craft beer, whiskey on tap for Lower Burrell fire department events
After a successful run of four food truck rallies last year, Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3 will present four new events this year featuring food trucks, craft beer and whiskey, and arts and crafts. When the covid-19 pandemic quashed most fire companies’ fundraisers — a necessity for the...
Bear reports spike during pandemic as harvests also rise in Western Pa.Video
Looking at the statistics, it appears there are more black bears in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. But state officials aren’t sure if that really is the case. For the public, however, it seems black bears are popping up all over urban settings. In late December, a Pennsylvania Game Commission game...
Upper Burrell supervisors approve Marcellus shale gas compressor station
The Upper Burrell supervisors have approved a Marcellus shale natural gas compressor station off of White Cloud Road on Arconic property, which is zoned industrial. The official vote Wednesday night was unanimous but complicated. Two of the three supervisors, Michael Conley and Kenneth Slahtovsky, initially abstained from voting because they...
Family seeks justice for former Springdale High football player shot to death
The family of Jorden “Flashlight” Lee Puskar, who was shot to death Jan. 22 in Avalon, is looking for justice — and the death penalty for the suspect in the killing. Puskar, 21, of Coraopolis was a 2019 graduate of Springdale High School, where he played tight end for the...
Mill workers at U.S. Steel Irvin plant construct peaceful solution for owl vs. eagle spatVideo
After a great horned owl knocked a bald eagle off a branch near its nest at a Pittsburgh steel mill, workers at the company are trying to protect the once-endangered bird — by giving aid and comfort to its fellow raptor. On wooded property that’s part of the U.S. Steel...
Murrysville vocalist will parody Pat Benatar song at Gobbler’s Knob on Groundhog DayVideo
A Pittsburgh band fronted by a Murrysville singer will play their parody of Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” at Gobbler’s Knob on Groundhog Day. The band No More Daisies is one of two finalists selected Sunday for the “Gobbler’s Knob Got Talent” competition. They will play at...
O’Hara company adds jobs to boost microchip production in response to global shortage
While there’s been steady growth in demand for computer chips amid worldwide shortages, an O’Hara company that creates products to help produce those chips has added space and now more jobs. Aerotech Inc., headquartered in the RIDC Park in O’Hara, produces automation and motion control technologies and products. Their clients...
Hearing set for Marcellus Shale gas compressor station in Upper Burrell
Upper Burrell supervisors will hold a hearing on a proposed Marcellus Shale gas compressor station following their 7 p.m. meeting on Wednesday. Olympus Energy of Canonsburg wants to install a gas compressor station on undeveloped industrial land owned by Arconic along White Cloud Road. The compressor station, known as the...
Freeport scuba shop owners produce documentary on Cedarville freighter shipwreckVideo
The Freeport couple who own Scott’s Scuba Service are behind a just-released documentary, “The Cedarville Expedition,” exploring the famous shipwreck of a freighter in Michigan in 1965. Jennifer and Josh Dillaman, the local diving experts who bought the Freeport scuba shop in 2019, assembled a team of scuba divers from...
Pittsburgh couple who survived bridge collapse thought they were going to die, twice
A Pittsburgh couple in a red pickup truck cheated death twice as the Forbes Avenue bridge collapsed Friday and crashed to the ground with their truck still on it. Ten people were injured in the collapse, including Tyrone and Velva Perry, both 69, of Pittsburgh. An estimated 14,000 motorists daily...
Residents near collapsed Forbes Avenue bridge adjusting to traffic, longer commutes
Life will be a little different for people living near the collapsed Forbes Avenue bridge. The consensus among residents is that while the loss of the bridge over Fern Hollow in Frick Park has created some inconveniences, they’ll adapt just fine. They don’t have a choice. The vibe in nearby...
O’Connor: Rebuilding Forbes Avenue bridge could take 2 years, more than $10M
Declarations of emergency from Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Gov. Tom Wolf could help fast-track federal and state money to help pay for the cleanup and construction of the Forbes Avenue bridge over Fern Hollow in Frick Park. How quickly the process will move along is uncertain, but constructing a...
Always pretty in pink: Leechburg’s 1st fundraiser for Pink Day draws full house
First there was Pink Day 11 years ago in Leechburg to raise money for breast cancer research and have some fun. Now there’s Pink Day plus two smaller fundraisers brimming with live music and more fun that continues to faithfully draw hundreds to thousands of people annually. Even the pandemic...
Stay off the ice: Allegheny River frozen for more than 45 miles north of Cheswick
Recent clear and frigid nights accelerated ice formation on the Allegheny River stretching from Cheswick north past Kittanning, according to the National Weather Service. With more than 45 river miles iced over, authorities are urging residents to stay off the ice for safety reasons. The ice mass is expected to...
Burrell School Board agrees to not raise property taxes above 4.4% — if at all
The Burrell School Board has agreed to not raise property taxes for next school year higher than the state-inflation based limit of 4.4%. For the 2022-23 budget budget, the board could vote on a budget calling for that maximum tax increase, a smaller tax hike, or none at all. The...
French Creek wins Pa. River of the Year; 2nd place Monongahela will still party on
French Creek, in the northwestern Pennsylvania, has been named 2022 Pennsylvania River of the Year by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). One of the most environmentally diverse small waterways in the country, French Creek took almost half the votes in a contest with three other bodies of...
Pandemic pushes innovation for student registration at Burrell
When multiple families attended in-person registration for kindergarten at Burrell School District every January, the process took several days. That was pre-pandemic. Now, it takes 10 minutes of in-person time at the school. Before the pandemic, parents met with the principal, school nurse and district employees handling the registration paperwork....
Historical cemetery in Westmoreland, where Revolutionary War hero rests, launches effort to restore fallen tombstones
At St. James Lutheran Cemetery, one of Bell Township’s oldest graveyards, more than 40 tombstones have fallen over. The patina and names have faded. The cursive writing engraved on some of the oldest stones is there but barely visible. Some stones are so old, they have been wiped clean of...
Burnin’ love: Wood-fired pizza at Gus Franco’s of Lower Burrell is hot itemVideo
Orders at Gus Franco’s Pizza should be made in advance because the artisan pies are hot — real hot. Boasting a top-of-the-line, wood-fired pizza oven from Italy, Gus Franco’s sizzles dough with an air temperature reaching 900 degrees, which is more than 100 degrees higher than many commercial pizza ovens....
Freeport lands $11 million grant to pay for most of new sewage treatment plant
Freeport officials have landed a huge state grant — $11 million — to help pay for a new $16.9 million sewage treatment plant. The borough’s 50-year-old plant discharges partially treated sewage during heavy rains into Buffalo Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River. The plant needs upgrades to meet state...
