Tom Davidson stories, Page 43
Staff shortage keeps some rides closed during opening days at Kennywood
It’s been a bumpy opening for Kennywood Park this year. First they changed the cheese that tops the Potato Patch fries. Then, word spread the park switched ketchup brands — from Heinz to Hunt’s. Now, visitors to the West Mifflin amusement park are less than amused by rides and attractions...
Region can’t afford to pass on $1.1B Pittsburgh airport plan, officials say
Allegheny County’s aviation chief says the authority she runs has no choice but to spend at least $1.1 billion to overhaul Pittsburgh International Airport less than 30 years after it opened as a hub for the former US Airways. Changes in the airline industry, local air service and the region’s...
After success in Africa, Open Field launches programming in Pittsburgh
Soccer’s more than football. It can — and has — made a difference in people’s lives, thanks to enthusiasts like Justin Forzano. In 2010, Forzano founded the Cameroon Football Development Program, a non-profit that uses soccer as a means to help youth in the central African nation. On Saturday, the...
PPG donates new paint job to iconic Mars flying saucer
She’s gleaming now, Jim. The flying saucer that’s been a landmark in Mars has a new paint job that “Star Trek’s” James T. Kirk would appreciate, thanks to PPG. The Pittsburgh-based coatings company donated a new paint job to the spaceship that’s been in the Mars town square since the...
Tensions escalate in New Ken-Arnold contract negotiations
John Pallone, superintendent of the New Kensington-Arnold School District, is accusing a spokesman for its teachers union of violating an agreement to not discuss contract negotiations until a deal is done. The union spokesman, Phil Cope, has made “several inaccurate statements” to the media about the negotiations, Pallone said in...
WPXI’s Courtney Brennan moving on after 9 yearsVideo
Courtney Brennan is leaving WPXI-TV to pursue other opportunities, she told her fans on Facebook this week. “My friends! This is my last week as a reporter at Channel 11,” Brennan wrote on her page “Oh, how I have LOVED these last 9 years and all of YOU for coming...
Via Airlines stops flights at Pittsburgh International Airport
A Florida-based airline that started flying April 4 at Pittsburgh International Airport said Thursday it was ceasing operations there, effective immediately. Via Airlines Vice President Don Bowman said the move was made because of challenges in finding qualified crew members and called it a “painful, but necessary decision.” Those with...
Sheetz to sell CBD products at 140+ locations
People can now buy cannabidiol, or CBD, at more than 140 Sheetz stores across the region, the Altoona-based company announced Thursday. Cannabidiol products have become popular for a variety of ailments and, although it’s derived from marijuana, it’s legal to sell in Pennsylvania outside of medical marijuana dispensaries. Sheetz is...
A field of 9 vying for 6 seats on New Kensington-Arnold School Board
A change in the makeup of the New Kensington-Arnold School Board is inevitable next year, as three incumbents are not seeking another term. There’s also a movement afoot where five newcomers are running together on a Change4NKASD ticket that’s promising an overhaul in the way the school board operates. Change4NKASD...
Embattled Arnold mayor faces a primary contest from a councilman
A Democratic councilman in Arnold is attempting to knock off the city’s mayor in Tuesday’s primary election. Joe Bia II, 45, is at the midpoint of his first term council term but decided to make a run against Mayor Karen Peconi Biricocchi because, he said, “we can’t financially support the...
Garth Brooks fans swarm North Shore prior to Heinz Field concertVideo
The temperature on the North Shore was 84 degrees and rising at 4:15 p.m. Saturday, less than an hour before the gates at Heinz Field were set to open for the Garth Brooks concert. People sought shade and were filling the grassy spaces near trees outside the stadium. Others were...
Low voter turnout expected in Tuesday’s primary despite key local races
Between 75% and 80% of the region’s registered voters aren’t expected to cast a ballot in Tuesday’s primary, according to elections officials. The primary features county, municipal and school board races for Republican and Democratic party nominations to run in November’s general election. Local taxes are traditionally one of the...
Former Arnold Treasurer Joseph Puet, city involved in severance dispute
City officials in Arnold were given an $8,491.36 question this week and thus far have only provided an implied answer based on their solicitor’s advice: No. Retired treasurer Joseph Puet wants more than that. “I deserve to receive an answer. There’s been nothing,” Puet, 61, a lifelong resident of Arnold,...
New Kensington-Arnold teachers union reports ‘setback’ in contract talks
New Kensington-Arnold School District and its teachers union failed to reach an agreement on a new contract during a bargaining session Wednesday night. The two sides can’t even agree on who was involved in the latest negotiations. “No school board members attended the scheduled bargaining session,” New Kensington-Arnold Education Association...
Lawmaker says pets should be given special consideration in divorces
In a divorce, deciding who gets a pet should be treated differently than deciding who gets a piece of furniture, according to a state legislator from Allegheny County. But Pennsylvania law treats pets as chattel to be divvied up, said state Rep. Anita Kulik, D-Kennedy Township. Kulik wants to change...
The Commonwealth strikes back in another trial for Luke Skywalker
Fans of “Star Wars” have another chance to see the hero of the iconic franchise brought to justice. The Allegheny County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division’s annual Fairy Tales Mock Trials series this year put Luke Skywalker on trial. It will wrap up its mock trials at 10 a.m. Saturday...
Mayor: Closure of Akers plant in Avonmore devastating for community
The upcoming closure of a rolling mill in Avonmore is heartbreaking in the borough of about 1,000 people, many of whom have ties to the plant, according to Mayor Paula Jones. “A lot of people have worked there from cradle to grave. My dad worked there. Uncles. Cousins. Everyone has...
Averting crisis, Kennywood restores classic cheese sauce on Potato Patch fries
Some changes are welcomed at Kennywood. Take, for instance, the highly anticipated Steel Curtain roller coaster set to open this summer. Other changes aren’t. Social media began buzzing with chatter that the cheese sauce on Kennywood’s Potato Patch fries is different this year. “Heard the fries and cheese at the...
Intense Etna fire melted steel, cracked concrete, fire chief says
The dense, dark smoke that filled Butler Street in Etna during Wednesday’s fire in the heart of the borough’s downtown was a small indication of the magnitude of the blaze that raged inside the store facility, the borough’s fire chief said Friday. The scene inside the 110,000-square-foot building, formerly a...
Massive Etna fire likely destroyed rare, exotic cars worth millionsVideo
Moments after he realized the STORExpress building in Etna was ablaze, Ross Godber’s only thought was to try to save the cars. Godber, 42, of Indiana Township was working on a rare Bentley at his business, Victory Garage, which rents space inside the building. He was on the ground beneath...
Bike Pittsburgh giving away free lights in Oakland
Cyclists who are biking without lights will be treated to free light sets from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday on Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. The pop-up event is sponsored by Bike Pittsburgh and its Operations Illumination program. Those biking without lights will be flagged down so volunteers can...
Gas leak leads to building evacuations in Duquesne
A gas leak Wednesday morning closed a street and caused buildings to be evacuated in Duquesne, the city’s police department said in a post on its Facebook page. The leak started about 10:30 a.m., when a contractor struck a gas line near 46 S. Linden Street in the Regional Industrial...
CMU researcher designs suitcase, app to help the blind at airportsVideo
The blind can lead the blind successfully. Chieko Asakawa has proven it, time and again. Blind since she was 14, Asakawa is a pioneering researcher at Carnegie Mellon University who is exploring how artificial intelligence can be used to help the visually impaired in everyday life, from surfing the web...
Kitchen fire causes smoke damage at former Giuliani’s Market in Arnold
There was heavy smoke damage Saturday afternoon after a kitchen fire in an apartment in the former Giuliani’s Market in Arnold. Arnold No. 1 Fire Chief Walter Gouza said it was an accidental grease fire that broke out at about 4:30 p.m. and was put out in about 15 minutes....
After overcoming bullies, 9-year-old becomes Lower Burrell’s mayor
Lower Burrell Mayor Nico Pampena was full of smiles as he shook hands with a bevy of officials after taking office Saturday, when Richard Callender abdicated his seat for a day. Nico, 9, was excited to get to inspect the city’s fleet of police cars, fire trucks and other vehicles...
