Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 42
First eaglet of the season hatched at Hays bald eagle nestVideo
The first eaglet of the season, a light gray puff ball, hatched in the Pittsburgh bald eagle nest at 7:40 a.m. Saturday, according to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. A second egg is expected to hatch Sunday. This is the 11th eaglet for the Hays bald eagle couple, which...
Let there be artificial turf: Burrell School Board decides unanimously on stadium project
The Burrell School Board has voted unanimously to renovate Buccaneers Stadium with artificial turf — reversing its initial decision last year to install natural grass. Burrell School Board awarded a $1.8 million contract Tuesday to W.G. Land Co. LLC, of Acme, to renovate the high school field and track, according...
Emergency pact for Cheswick, Harmar and Springdale provides face masks for first responders
The regional emergency coordinator for Cheswick, Harmar and Springdale has distributed face masks for police, and soon fire companies, for indoor interaction with residents. Bruno Moretti, coordinator of the Allegheny Valley Regional Management Agency, said the measure is meant to protect first responders as well as residents in the potential...
Cheswick borough office closed but services still available
Cheswick has closed its borough offices for visits from residents because of coronavirus concerns, but residents can reach out to the borough by telephone and email, officials said. Office staff can be reached during normal business hours by calling 724-274-5125 or sending an email to boroughsecretary@cheswick.us or assistantsecretary@cheswick.us. Residents can...
Enjoying great outdoors tougher at some Western Pa. parks
Enjoying the great outdoors is getting more difficult at some public parks as organizations are closing some park facilities, canceling events and making some parks off-limits altogether because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has closed facilities including restrooms and buildings at all 121...
State Rep. Pyle closes district offices, but public can still call, email
State Rep. Jeff Pyle, R-Ford City, announced his office will be closed to visitors, but constituents will be able to call and communicate online with his office. Pyle, who has district offices in Buffalo Township and Ford City, said he is following directions from the state House to lessen the...
Car crashes into Motor Mart in Cheswick, 2 injured
Two men were severely injured Monday after a car crashed into a building in the 1400 block of Pittsburgh Street in Cheswick. Allegheny Valley police received a call about a reckless driver on Pittsburgh Street, said Sgt. Craig Cummings. Around 8:30 a.m., police went looking for the car and found...
New Kensington Camera Club exhibit at Pittsburgh Mills shows A-K Valley artists, placesVideo
Despite the inclination to remain at home this weekend, residents still trickled past the photography exhibit “Focus on the Arts” at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer. The exhibit, which features the work of New Kensington Camera Club members, runs through May 31 in the mall near Victoria’s Secret. Local sights such...
Army Corps holds virtual meeting on Lordstown project because of coronavirus concerns
The Army Corps of Engineers scrapped plans to hold a public meeting in Lordstown, Ohio, to discuss a proposed multibillion development project there because of coronavirus concerns. Instead, the corps held a virtual meeting Thursday using a webinar application. People were able to submit public comments electronically. “With everything going...
Bouquet Park Pool extends do-or-die membership campaign to March 26
Efforts to keep the Bouquet Park Pool are continuing as the pool board has planned membership drives and a fundraiser to help them reach a goal of 250 members by March 26. The board of the private pool in Springdale Township has said it cannot reopen in 2020 unless they...
How a Trib reporter is coping with inability to visit mother during coronavirus uncertainty
My darkest fear is the Pittsburgh-area personal care home where my mom is living will be a death trap if the coronavirus finds its way in. My second fear — which has arrived — is that I won’t be able to visit her. Is the reality that she is simply...
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden offers insight on healing gardens
The Pittsburgh Botanic Garden’s spring lecture and workshop is “Healing Gardens: At the Intersection of Nature and Health” on March 25 and 26. The lecture and workshop will be held at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden’s Bayer Welcome Center, 799 Pinkerton Run Road, North Fayette. The lecture will be held 6:30...
Burrell administration recommends artificial turf for Buccaneers Stadium
The Burrell School District administration has recommended artificial turf rather than natural grass for the Buccaneers Stadium renovations. The board will cast a final vote to award the project, choosing from three contract bids, at their March 17 meeting. The administration and the project’s architects, HHSDR Architects/Engineers of Sharon, reviewed...
Caboose at Cooper Station Restaurant moving to Butler-Freeport Community Trail
The board of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail is buying the Cooper Station Restaurant’s distinctive old-style, red caboose along Route 356 in Winfield to relocate at a trailhead off Winfield Road in the township . The purchase honors the history of the 21-mile trail, which was forged by the Western Pennsylvania...
Go ethnic for Easter with pysanky egg demo and pirohi at St. Vlad’s in Arnold
A demonstration of creating the mind-blowing ornate and detailed Ukrainian painted Easter eggs known as pysanky will be featured along with a pierogies and stuffed cabbage dinner at St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Arnold at 4 p.m. on April 4. The dinner includes St. Vlad’s pierogies, homemade stuffed cabbage,...
See eagle, osprey, red-tailed hawk nests on a 13-mile-plus bike ride in Pittsburgh
So many predatory bird nests, so little time. The fourth annual Raptor Row Ride will feature viewing stops for cyclists for bald eagle, osprey, hawk and American Kestrel nests on April 25 starting in West Homestead. The Raptor Row Ride traverses the Steel Valley Trail section of the Great Allegheny...
Lower Burrell teen rises above the ‘behind-the-back’ talkers, counsels other kidsVideo
She collected 300 flavored ChapSticks for a Lower Burrell patient in Children’s Hospital to give to other sick kids, then corralled almost 70 friends to sing in front of a cancer patient’s home. Now, the Lower Burrell teen is starting a nonprofit to help those in need — especially emotional...
Big turnout for trout stocking, Fish Commission predicts excellent opening dayVideo
An officer with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is predicting an excellent opening day of trout season April 18. A bounty of volunteers and good weather Thursday and Friday made it easy to widely distribute four truckloads of trout in Bull Creek in Tarentum, Deer Creek in Indiana Township...
Groups work to expand Pennsylvania habitat for shy and secretive massasauga rattlesnake
Butler County is one of the last strongholds in the state for a mellow and seldom-seen rattlesnake that government agencies and a local conservation group are trying to save. A century ago, the eastern massasauga rattlesnake called 19 areas in Pennsylvania home, living between Allegheny County and Crawford County. Today...
Turf or grass? Burrell School Board to review stadium field bids
Burrell School Board is expected to discuss bids submitted for the Buccaneer Stadium renovation project when it meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The board will likely make a final decision on whether to install artificial turf or natural grass at its March 17 regular meeting, according to board President Tricia...
Modern sculpture by Dan Droz on tap for Sharpsburg’s Zynka GalleryVideo
Seemingly working sculptural magic with metal, the works of Pittsburgh artist Dan Droz will be featured in Gallery 900. The opening reception is set for 5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Gallery 900 is next to Zynka Gallery, 904 Main St., Sharpsburg. Droz’s exhibition “Transformations II” will feature 30 new sculptures...
Lower Burrell close to hiring new director of public works, parks
Lower Burrell City Council is looking to hire a new director of public works and parks to replace a man who resigned after seven months on the job. The city’s last public works and parks director, Jeff Fleming, resigned in January for personal reasons, according to city officials. Council members...
National clientele of Arabian horse owners drawn to Upper Burrell training centerVideo
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact Senior News Editor Tom Fontaine at tfontaine@tribweb.com. Arabian horses are playing soccer in Upper...
Allegheny Health Network’s Harmar hospital to speed up diagnostic results, ER visits
Allegheny Health Network’s future neighborhood hospital under construction in Harmar has gone up quickly over the past several months. When it opens this fall, hospital officials predict it will result in quicker diagnostic test results and shorter emergency room stays for patients. The two-story, 23,000-square-foot Freeport Road facility at Guys...
Bouquet Park Pool draws more members, might extend deadline to stay open
Bouquet Park Pool board’s strategy to reduce the cost for membership drew close to 150 members, but they are still shy 100 new memberships to stay open, according to pool board member Kellie Vergerio of Springdale. The good news is the new membership drive bested last year’s total of 114...
