Week in review: August Wilson Center makes comeback, Pirates legend puts home up for auction
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The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is making a comeback five years after confronting a sheriff’s sale and over a decade since its 2009 grand opening.
Last year, the center held 227 events, of which 87 were produced and presented by the center. The number of privately booked rentals increased to 140, officials said. The individual donor base has grown from none to more than 300, and more corporate and philanthropic sponsors have pledged money from across the region as well as outside Pennsylvania.
Located in downtown Pittsburgh, the center aims not only to draw tourists from outside of Pennsylvania but also reach out to more Western Pennsylvanians in Pittsburgh’s suburbs, through the likes of school field trips and free or low-cost dance, art and educational classes.
Pittsburgh Pirates legend puts Hempfield home up for auction
Pittsburgh Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski and his wife put their Hempfield Township home up for auction, coming less than three months after memorabilia from his Hall of Fame career and other household items attracted hundreds of people to a New Year’s Day auction.
Bids on Bill and Milene Mazeroski’s house on Walton Tea Room Road are scheduled to be taken March 22, according to Mark Ferry Auctioneers of Unity.
The 1,700-square-foot house has three bedrooms, three baths and sits on 19.6 acres, according to an auction listing. The modest single-story ranch house has a garage, outbuilding and small outdoor patio. There is an enclosed sunroom at the rear and a finished basement along with a mid-century kitchen and bathrooms, including one turquoise and brass accents and other adorned with pink tile walls and tub.
Landslide closes Route 28 lane
A landslide closed a southbound lane of Route 28 Tuesday after boulders the size of small cars slid from a hillside onto the busy highway’s shoulder.
Officials said two large boulders fell from a height of about 125 feet and brought debris down with them. After the engineers determined the hillside was stable, crews began working to remove the rocks and debris.
The lane closure caused traffic to back up about a mile before Exit 10. The closed lane is between the Harmar (Exit 11) and RIDC Drive (Exit 10) interchanges.
The department says engineers need to determine if material is still moving before the lane restriction can be lifted.
Spigots turned back on at Westmoreland Manor
After three weeks, the spigots are back on at Westmoreland Manor after county officials found traces of the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease.
About 400 residents and hundreds of workers at the county-owned facility in Hempfield were prohibited from using tap water to drink, for hygiene or for cleaning after the Legionella bacteria was found in the water. Tests were first conducted after the state’s Department of Health reported Jan. 24 that a current or former Manor resident had been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease.
A first attempt to eradicate the bacteria by heating the water failed, forcing the county to pay more than $16,000 to a private company to flush the water system with chlorine. That process was completed in early February, but final testing to confirm the bacteria was gone took an additional week.
Serious charge against woman accused of stabbing Terrelle Pryor dismissed
Officials dismissed the most serious charge against the woman accused of stabbing Terrelle Pryor during a preliminary hearing Thursday.
Allegheny County District Judge Anthony Ceoffe dismissed a charge of attempted homicide that Pittsburgh police filed against Shalaya Briston, 24, who was dating Pryor, 30, an NFL football star who is a native of Jeannette.
They shared an apartment in Pittsburgh’s North Side until Nov. 30, when they fought after a night out. Pryor ended up in the hospital with two stab wounds. His attorney, Steve Colafella, said the injuries nearly killed him.
Although he dismissed the more serious charge, the judge sent to Allegheny County Common Pleas Court an aggravated assault charge filed against Briston and a simple assault charge filed against Pryor. Pryor was a standout sports star at Jeannette High School. He went on to play quarterback at Ohio State and played for several NFL teams.