Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 35
Phipps Conservancy says members safe despite data breach that disclosed some info
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section contacted its members this week to report a data breach from one of its contractors. For nearly two decades, Phipps has used , Blackbaud, Inc.’s donor data management software, said Joe Reed, Phipps director of marketing. Blackbaud, of Charleston, S.C. calls...
Let the bugling begin: Pennsylvania elk webcam goes live
Elk bugling season is heating up and can be seen and heard on a live webcam provided by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the video company HDOnTap. The webcam is stationed in Elk County, State Game Lands 311, in a field that elk frequent. The webcam went live Wednesday and...
Lower Burrell councilwoman to sing national anthem at Trump rally
Lower Burrell Councilwoman Rosina Albanese is singing the national anthem at President Trump’s campaign stop Thursday at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Albanese, 27, a Republican, said she was called recently by a Republican Party representative asking if she would sing at a high profile event at the Unity airport....
They really are counting bumble bees, and they need your help
Bumble Bee Watch is on. A collaborative effort of nonprofits and scientists around the county, the volunteer citizen science survey aims to track and conserve North America’s bumble bees. A bumble bee is a pollinator and a vital part of the food chain. If residents are so inclined, they should...
Majority of Burrell students to return to school buildings
Giving Burrell parents a choice between in-person or virtual instruction for their children, 70% of students plan to return to the classroom while the remainder of their peers will learn remotely, school officials said. Burrell opens its doors Sept. 8. Burrell, as well as some other school districts, gave parents...
Continuing storms slow power outage repairs, could cause more blackouts
While power companies continued to restore electricity Friday to more than 40,000 customers who were in the dark during violent storms Thursday night, additional outages could be in the offing as more storms roll through the region. “We’re on a roller coaster,” said Todd Meyers, spokesman for West Penn Power....
Spotted lanternfly reports surge statewide with confirmed cases in Allegheny County
In just seven months, reports of the invasive and grotesque spotted lanternfly jumped 147% statewide. Confirmed cases in Allegheny County are creeping up in Swissvale, Avalon and some Pittsburgh neighborhoods, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The moth-like insect from China and Southeast Asia that hit the state in...
Rare catch: Wild brown trout discovered in Roaring Run in Armstrong County
For the first time in at least decades, wild trout are living in Roaring Run, a rollicking, cold water tributary of the Kiski River, once known for its abundance of wildflowers more than a century ago. The Conemaugh Valley Conservancy found seven fish less than a year old and one...
Burrell gets therapy goldendoodle while demand for therapy dogs growsVideo
The ultimate teacher’s pet is expected to show up in the near future in Burrell School District buildings: Her name is Stella, a goldendoodle who is a therapy dog in training. The pet will serve as an aid to support students. Not to mention provide a little fun. The Burrell...
Black bear ‘poses’ for photographer for Kittanning and Pittsburgh Mills exhibits
Yes, Joyce Shellhammer likes nature and to photograph it. But talk about serendipity: A rather large black bear stumbled into her Parks Township yard earlier this month to make off with her bird suet feeder. That photo and others of local wildlife, landscapes and the sky will be featured in...
Kiski Township’s Bill Kerr receives distinguished educator award from Pitt
The University of Pittsburgh honored alumnus Bill Kerr of Kiski Township with the Distinguished PreK-12 Educator Award. An awards ceremony at which Kerr was to be honored in March was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but he received the actual award — an engraved University of Pittsburgh crystal bowl...
Agreement in works for Allegheny CleanWays to access a whopping 973 illegal dumpsites in Pittsburgh
After assessing and cleaning up some of the nearly 1,000 illegal dumping sites in Pittsburgh over the last decade, the nonprofit Allegheny CleanWays is in the process of inking an agreement with the city to formalize its access to city sites. The Pittsburgh Mayor’s Office and Department of Public Works...
Unattended laundry spontaneously combusts in Etna laundromat fire
Unattended laundry started a dryer fire that firefighters quickly knocked down Wednesday afternoon at the Wash and Wear Laundromat at the corner of Dewey Street and Crescent Avenue in Etna. Firefighters were on their way to another scene when the dryer fire was called in by a patron of the...
Upper Burrell firefighters display fire truck on department’s wish listVideo
More than 100 people turned out Monday night to check out a new fire truck the Upper Burrell Volunteer Fire Company wants to buy. After some township residents expressed opposition this month to a proposed 2-mill real estate tax increase to help pay for the new truck, the fire company...
Albino buck caught on camera in northern Butler CountyVideo
After an amateur photographer heard about an albino white-tailed deer in northern Butler County, he finally managed to photograph and video the animal twice, most recently in mid-August. “It was a cool sighting,” said Jake Dingel of Butler who found the buck on private property in a wooded area. To...
Hundreds gather for Derek Kotecki golf tournament at Hill Crest Country ClubVideo
It was a great day for golfing and remembering Lower Burrell Police’s K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki on Saturday as 136 golfers and hundreds of patrons gathered at Hill Crest Country Club to raise money for scholarships. In its ninth year, the golf outing pays tribute to Kotecki, who was killed...
State declares drought watch for Armstrong and Butler counties, asks for 5% cut in water usage
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued a drought watch Friday for 16 counties, among them Armstrong and Butler. The agency is asking residents in those counties to voluntarily reduce water consumption by 5%. Varying drought conditions in impacted communities could cause water suppliers or municipalities to request more cuts...
Mt. Lebanon nursing home credits early testing, segregating patients for reducing covid-19 cases
Asbury Heights long-term care facility in Mt. Lebanon credits knocking down its covid-19 cases by more than 92% to early testing and segregating patients. “It’s been a long process and gone much better than I was afraid of,” said Dr. David Nace, medical director of UPMC Senior Communities, which includes...
Pandemic takes toll on Derek Kotecki golf fundraiser, but event trucks on
Because of the covid-19 pandemic, organizers will make $8,000 less on the Ninth Annual Officer Derek Kotecki Golf Tournament at Hill Crest Country Club on Saturday. The golf outing honors the memory of Lower Burrell Police K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki, who was killed in an ambush in 2011. The golf...
Upper Burrell fire department to display new truck to show the naysayers
As Upper Burrell Township supervisors pursue a controversial 2-mill fire tax to buy a new fire truck, the township’s volunteer fire company will display the proposed truck for the public to see on Monday. The truck will be on display for the public at the Upper Burrell Volunteer Fire Company...
Badly damaged AAA office in Lower Burrell to reopen Monday
After a car plunged through the storefront of AAA Travel Insurance office in Lower Burrell’s Crossroads Plaza and demolished the entrance, the motor club plans to reopen on Monday. On Thursday, AAA declined to release an update on the condition of an AAA employee who was injured because of privacy...
Lower Burrell woman sentenced to 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal drug charge
A Lower Burrell woman has been sentenced to five years in federal prison and four years of supervised release in connection with a 2018 traffic stop in which she was caught with an assortment of illegal drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Ranjan imposed the...
Burrell School District to delay first day of school by a week for preparations
The Burrell School Board has decided to delay the start of school by a week, moving the first day of school for students from Sept. 1 to Sept. 8. Earlier this month, the board agreed to offer student families the choice of venue for their children’s education for 2020-21: live...
McDonald man killed in Washington County ATV accident
A McDonald man was killed in an ATV accident on private property Sunday afternoon in Cecil Township, Washington County. Angelo Quaresima, 70, was driving a side-by-side ATV, lost control and rolled the ATV in the 500 block of Swihart Road, according to the office of the Washington County Coroner S....
Angry crowd shows up at Mayor Peduto’s home challenging Pittsburgh police arrest of protesterVideo
Dressed in black and carrying signs like “Defund the Police, Peduto is a coward,” about 150 protesters marched to Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s home Sunday after rallying in Mellon Park in Point Breeze. Protesters were outraged by a “low-visibility arrest” of a protester in Oakland on Saturday during a Black...
