Emily Balser stories, Page 6
Frozen spinach recalled for possible Listeria contamination
Sprouts Farmers Market is recalling two varieties of frozen spinach products because they may be contaminated with listeria, a bacteria that can cause illness and sometimes death. The products were manufactured by National Frozen Foods of Oregon and shipped to Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma,...
Allegheny Valley passes 2019-20 budget with no tax increase
The Allegheny Valley School Board on Monday approved the district’s $23 million final budget for next school year without a tax increase. The tax rate will remain the same at 20.8377 mills. The average homeowner will continue to pay about $1,530 in Springdale Township, $1,682 in Springdale Borough, $1,905 in...
National Weather Service confirms tornado touched down near Butler, Armstrong border
The National Weather Service in Moon Township has confirmed a tornado touched down Sunday in the area of Parker near the border of Butler and Armstrong counties. The weather service said it was an EF-1 tornado with winds up to 105 miles per hour. An EF-1 tornado is classified as...
Former ITT Tech students eligible for loan forgiveness in new settlement
Nearly 600 former ITT Tech students in Pennsylvania are eligible for $5.3 million in debt relief as part of a new settlement announced Monday by state Attorney General Josh Shapiro. A coalition of 44 state attorneys general reached a settlement with loan company Student CU Connect CUSO that includes more...
Pittsburgh police investigating alleged attack, robbery that sent man to hospital
Pittsburgh police are investigating an alleged robbery that left one man injured after he claimed he was pistol-whipped by two people. Officers responded to an initial report of a man stabbed in the 200 block of Reifert Way around 12:40 p.m. on Sunday. When officers arrived on scene they found...
Crews battle fire in Wilkinsburg, no injuries reported
Crews are on the scene Sunday afternoon of a fire in a commercial building in the 1000 block of Wood Street in Wilkinsburg. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said calls for the fire came in around 3:40 p.m. There were no reports of injuries, the dispatcher said. Crews were still...
Pittsburgh region to stay wet over the next few days
Commuters are in for a soggy drive Monday morning as two storm systems settle over the area. “Right around 5 a.m. to about 8 a.m., we could see some pretty heavy rain showers maybe some thunderstorms,” said John Darnley, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon Township. Areas south...
RAGÚ pasta sauce recalled due to possible plastic contaminants
Five varieties of RAGÚ pasta sauce have been recalled because they may contain pieces of plastic. Mizkan America, Inc., announced the voluntary recall Saturday and asks consumers to check their refrigerator and pantry for the jars affected by the recall. Any recalled sauce should be thrown away. Consumers should look...
No one injured, Vandergrift duplex damaged in early-morning fire
No one was injured when an early-morning fire damaged a duplex Sunday in Vandergrift. Vandergrift No. 1 Fire Chief Randy Dunmire said the fire happened just after 3:30 a.m. in the 100 block of Hamilton Avenue. Dunmire said police quickly arrived on scene because they were patrolling in the area...
Smallman Street reopens after water main break closed it for 3 weeks
Smallman Street in Pittsburgh’s Strip District reopened Saturday evening after a water main break closed a portion of the street for three weeks. Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority spokesman Will Pickering said the street reopened at 5 p.m. Saturday. The $1.5 million project included the water main replacement, paving the...
Target says registers are fixed at all stores after Saturday’s outage
Everyone planning to make a Target run today can breathe a sigh of relief — the retail giant’s registers are back up and running after a brief outage Saturday. Target officials released a statement assuring shoppers the store’s registers are fully back online in all stores. “The temporary outage earlier...
Lombardo family hopes Sam’s Pop Shop customers, old employees come out for reunion
The Lombardo family is hoping to get the Sam’s Pop & Beer Shop gang back together to celebrate its employees and customers of the last nearly 100 years. The longtime Arnold business was sold last year by third-generation sibling owners Sandy (Lombardo) Danison, Sam Lombardo Jr. and Louis Lombardo. Now...
Burger King’s upside-down Whopper for ‘Stranger Things’ is just burger flipped over
Burger King is the latest company to partner with Netflix’s “Stranger Things” to offer up some nostalgia for customers and fans of the show as they wait for season three to start. The company announced Thursday it will serve upside down Whoppers in 1980s packaging at select stores beginning June...
Actress Jessica Biel clarifies stance on vaccinations after backlash
Actress Jessica Biel insists she’s not against vaccinations after she raised concerns when she met with anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about a new bill that would limit medical exemptions in California. Kennedy shared a photo as they headed to California’s capitol to lobby against the bill. View this...
CCAC Juneteenth activities to include honoring slain rapper Nipsey Hussle
The Community College of Allegheny County’s Homewood-Brushton Center will partner with TRIO Student Support Services and the black art expo to host the center’s annual Juneteenth event this month. The event, which commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States in 1865, will be held from 6 to 9...
For the first time in 60 years, no Shriners circus in Pittsburgh
For the first time in roughly 60 years, the Pittsburgh Syria Shriners won’t host its annual circus. The Shriners, based in a facility in Harmar, serve Western Pennsylvania. They often are seen with their signature clowns and miniature cars in local parades. The group has to find new ideas for...
Deer Lakes senior takes set design all the way to Point Park University
Just three years ago, Noah Glaister never thought he’d enjoy working on the plays and musicals at Deer Lakes High School. But with a little encouragement from his parents, he got involved in the behind-the-scenes work of the school’s productions. He quickly rose up through the ranks to work on...
Shaler teacher writes letter to Tooth Fairy after student loses tooth at school
First-grade teacher Laura Roth went above and beyond to make sure a Shaler Area School District student got a visit from the Tooth Fairy. Roth, a teacher at Burchfield Primary School, wrote a letter to the Tooth Fairy on Tuesday verifying that a student lost her tooth at school and...
Lane closures to begin on Hite Road in Springdale Township, Harmar
Traffic along Hite Road in Springdale and Harmar townships will be reduced to a single lane in each direction beginning at a 7 a.m. Wednesday as crews start a bridge repair project, PennDOT said. Crews will do demolition work, deck replacement and road reconstruction through late August on one side...
Rabid baby raccoon dropped off at Penn Hills rescue center
A baby raccoon dropped off at the Humane Animal Rescue Wildlife Center in Penn Hills last week has tested positive for rabies, the Allegheny Health Department said Tuesday. The health department is urging the person who dropped the raccoon off to call the department at 412-687-2243 as soon as possible...
UPMC partners with local institutions to offer classes for minority business owners
UPMC announced Tuesday it’s launching a Diverse Business Education and Development Program aimed at helping companies run by minorities, women, the disabled and other diverse groups do business with the hospital and health care group. The program is designed to give diverse businesses equal access to the health system’s opportunities....
CCAC to offer free introductory court reporting course
The Community College of Allegheny County is offering a free “Introduction to Court Reporting” course this summer. Students are required to register to attend the three-week course. Classes will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. June 19, June 26 and July 10 and from 10 a.m. to noon on...
Burn Camp brings together survivors for support, fun
After Tyaira Cobb suffered burns from an accident involving hot water, she had a hard time explaining to her friends how the experience affected her. “When I talk to my friends at home about it, they don’t really understand how traumatic the experience is,” she said. Cobb, 15, of Duquesne...
Strawberry festival an annual Cheswick highlight
The threat of rainy weather didn’t keep Cheswick residents away from the borough’s annual Strawberry Festival on Sunday. Hundreds of people turned out for the festival at Rachel Carson Park that featured strawberry shortcakes, Glen’s Custard, strawberry pie, dozens of vendors and live music from Up the River band. The...
Pittsburgh police investigating Uptown shooting in which woman was shot
Police are investigating after a woman showed up to a local hospital Saturday shot in her stomach. Pittsburgh police and officers from the Major Crimes Unit responded to the hospital just before 7 p.m. where the victim said she was shot by another female in an alleyway in the Uptown...
