Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 49
Lions Club looks to clean, restore historic Apollo Cemetery
Back in the 1960s, it was enough for Apollo Area Lions Club members to take their own lawnmowers to cut the grass at the old Apollo Cemetery. But not anymore. Old trees have been uprooting some tombstones and threatening to swallow up the ownerless but historic cemetery in Kiski Township....
Leaf peeper season in full swing in the Laurel Highlands; Pittsburgh, Alle-Kiski Valley must waitVideo
Stunning fall colors in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas like the Alle-Kiski Valley are about a week to 10 days behind other areas in the state that are hitting their peak fall foliage about now, according to experts. The Laurel Highlands is at its peak for foliage-watching now, according to DCNR’s...
Traffic alert: Road work to continue next week on I-579 and Parkway East
Roadwork will continue next week in Allegheny County on Crosstown Boulevard and the Parkway East. PennDOT said the right lane and shoulder of Interstate 579, also known as Crosstown Boulevard, will be closed to northbound motorists from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Monday through Friday nights while contractors remove...
Upper Burrell’s Oak Lake Golf Course to close
After a failed sealed-bid auction to sell Oak Lake Golf Course in Upper Burrell last year, the owners will close the 18-hole course Thursday, Oct. 24 and hold a public auction two days later. All of Oak Lake’s assets will be for sale at the Saturday auction, including the land,...
Lower Burrell limits yard waste disposal to weekends during City Hall project
Lower Burrell residents who want to dispose of leaves and limbs behind City Hall will be able to do so only on weekends because a renovation project has closed some areas of the City Hall campus along Schreiber Street. Nita Serene, a city secretary, said the restriction will be in...
Demolition of Belvedere Hotel in Oklahoma Borough cost 40% less than expected
The demolition of the Belvedere Hotel in Oklahoma Borough came in $36,000 under budget. The demolition was completed Friday and took a little more than a week. The final cost was $48,700, or about 40% less than expected. Originally, Westmoreland County came up with $75,000 and Oklahoma Borough pledged $10,000...
Reward increased for info on fatal shooting of bald eagle in Westmoreland
The organizers of a GoFundMe account created after a bald eagle was found shot in Westmoreland County have increased their reward for information about the shooting to $1,000. The bald eagle died after it was found on the West Penn Trail in Derry Township on Oct. 4. Earlier this week,...
Orionid meteor shower will be dimmed by bright moonVideo
As the Orionid meteor shower peaks Oct. 21 to 23, don’t expect to see fireworks in the sky because of light interference from the waning full moon, according to Terry Trees of New Kensington, past president of Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh. That’s not saying that you can’t see the...
Project aims to make Alle-Kiski Valley section of Rachel Carson Trail saferVideo
The Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy plans to spend $100,000 to make a stretch of the trail in the Alle-Kiski Valley safer. The conservancy is closing on an 18-acre wooded parcel so it can move a section of the existing trail along Murray Hill Road near the border of Frazer and...
Belvedere no more: razing of historic hotel complete
Oklahoma Borough code enforcement officer Lee Schumaker said Monday that demolition of the former Belvedere Hotel along Route 66 has been completed. Crews from Eveready Contracting LLC of Washington Township finished work Friday and carted away the last of the charred debris to a dump in Imperial, according to Schumaker....
Water rescue teams from 6 counties train on Allegheny River in O’HaraVideo
The greater frequency of storms is just another reason for regional swift water rescue personnel to hone their skills on the Allegheny River on Saturday in O’Hara. “Hurricane Ready” was the rescue focus for about 120 certified water rescuers from six counties. They’re part of the Pennsylvania Region 13 Homeland...
Lower Burrell polling place moves from Lower Burrell Manor
Some voters in Lower Burrell will cast their ballots at a different polling place on Election Day, according to the Westmoreland County Election Bureau. Voters in Lower Burrell precinct 3-1 will now vote at Moose Lodge 53, 499 Reimer St. Voters in that precinct had cast their ballots at Lower...
Study: Climate change could make dozens of bird species extinct in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s state bird, the ruffed grouse, could go extinct in the state along with dozens of other bird species because of climate change, according to a National Audubon Society study released Thursday. It’s more bad bird news. Last month, the journal Science reported the loss of 3 billion birds since...
Reward increased for info on shooting of bald eagle on West Penn Trail
A reward for information leading to charges being filed against whoever shot a bald eagle on the West Penn Trail in Derry Township last week has been raised from $500 to $750, according to the couple who started a GoFundMe account to pay for bird’s medical expenses and the reward....
Belvedere Hotel demolition in Oklahoma Borough nears completion
The Belvedere Hotel demolition along Route 66 in Oklahoma Borough could be completed next week, according to Lee Schumaker, borough code enforcement officer and the demolition project coordinator. Orr Avenue has been closed between Hancock Avenue and Route 66, which is the project’s staging area. It’s expected to reopen sometime...
Water experts to test polluted waters in the Buffalo Creek watershed to find the source
The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania will plant six acres of native vegetation along area waterways within two weeks and testing polluted waters to find the source in the Buffalo Creek watershed. Known for its rich environmental quality and beauty, the Buffalo Creek watershed runs through Butler and Armstrong counties...
Lower Burrell police Chief Tim Weitzel to step down but remain on force
Lower Burrell police Chief Tim Weitzel will step down as the city’s top officer and return to his former position of lieutenant next year in a move that he said would insulate him from being ousted over politics. “I have to watch my back in 2020,” Weitzel said at a...
Lower Burrell long-time detective retiring; two new full-time officers hired
Lower Burrell has hired two new police officers to increase the size of the force to 17 full-time officers, according to Chief Tim Weitzel. Daniel Rote of Lower Burrell started in September, while Steven Guelich of Manor started this month. The starting salary for both patrolmen is $58,039. The city...
4 candidates look to fill empty supervisor seat in Kiski Township
A woman has never served on Kiski Township’s Board of Supervisors since the township incorporated 188 years ago. That could change Wednesday if the board appoints one of two women seeking to finish out the term of Jack Wilmot, who stepped down last month. Two men also are seeking appointment...
Why grow 1,000-pound pumpkins? Allegheny Township man says ‘it’s fun and nutty’Video
Moving an estimated 1,000-pound pumpkin from the Reiter pumpkin patch in Allegheny Township is a precise process. Justin Reiter, 39, has a custom pumpkin harness, iron-lifting ring and custom wooden tripod outfitted with chain winch to prove it. He needs the peculiar tools of the trade, along with plenty of...
Harrison firm awarded Army Corps contract to help prevent flooding in Johnstown
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District awarded a $1.2 million contract to Green World Contracting Co. of Harrison to remove accumulated sediments and vegetation along the Stonycreek River in Cambria County. The project will allow for unimpeded water flow, which will reduce the risk of flooding. The work...
Army Corps to hold training exercise at Crooked Creek Lake Recreation Area
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Pittsburgh District plans to conduct an exercise dubbed Operation Dark Frost on Saturday at the Crooked Creek Lake Outdoor Discovery Center in Bethel. It will run from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the center on Kerr Road. Agencies participating will include state police,...
Nonprofit aims to restore Allegheny County’s tree canopyVideo
If it seems you can see more of the sky in Allegheny County these days, you’re right. And that’s not necessarily a good thing. Allegheny County lost 10,000 acres of tree canopy between 2010 and 2015, according to a survey released last year by Tree Pittsburgh, a nonprofit group aiming...
$100K upgrade to Avonmore riverfront park includes gazebo, fishing pierVideo
Avonmore is close to completing a $100,000 upgrade at the Pasternak Recreation Area along the Kiski River and Railroad Avenue. A longtime canoe launch in the Kiski River, the Pasternak Recreation Area now has a trail along its pond — a formerly grown-over, somewhat hidden borough reservoir — along with...
Time is running out to vote for the fattest bear in Alaska
Katmai National Park and Reserve knows how to have a good time with its brown bears. In addition to a live webcam, catching all of the action of bears catching and feeding on salmon at the Brooks River, the park holds a fattest bear contest, complete with brackets and elimination...
