Julia Felton stories, Page 63
Scaled-back Saxonburg Carnival returns with food trucks, rides, games
After nearly scrapping the event due to pandemic restrictions, Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company has decided to host its 83rd Saxonburg Carnival. The event, a longtime fundraiser for the fire company, will be hosted from Aug. 18-21 at Saxonburg VFC Firemen’s Grounds, said Carnival Chairman Paul Donaldson, who serves as an...
New Freeport shop sells everything from produce to ammunitionVideo
A new shop in Freeport is selling a wide variety of products — many of which are locally produced — ranging from fresh produce to small furniture. Brandi and Alan Kepple of South Buffalo Township opened The Mercantile last weekend. The store sells “a little bit of everything,” Brandi said....
Social media campaign encourages people to invite ‘Just One’ to register as organ donor
The Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) is encouraging people to invite just one person to register to become an organ donor. Through the Just One campaign, CORE, an organ procurement organization, is taking to social media to spread the word about organ donation. Each day, CORE asks people...
Masks are optional under Freeport Area School District’s safety plan
Masks will be optional this school year in Freeport Area School District, though some other covid-19 mitigation measures will remain in place, according to the Health and Safety Plan passed unanimously by the school board Thursday night. Masks are not required for students, staff or visitors, though anyone may choose...
Return to classroom still recommended by experts despite uptick in pediatric covid hospitalizations
Despite a slight increase in pediatric covid-19 hospitalizations at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, health experts said they think students can safely return to the classroom for the upcoming school year. Pediatric covid-19 hospitalizations have increased slightly over the past month, although the number of children admitted to UPMC Children’s...
Highmark, AHN step up covid vaccination requirements for employees
Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network officials said Tuesday they are taking strict measures to ensure their more than 43,000 employees get vaccinated against covid-19. The health systems said they expect to reach a 100% vaccination rate for all eligible employees by the end of September unless they have a...
University of Pittsburgh names new director of Nationality Rooms
The University of Pittsburgh named a new director of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs — someone who is very familiar with the many benefits students can reap from the cultural staple. Kati Csoman, who received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Pitt, assumed the role on Tuesday. She...
Penn State strongly encouraging, not mandating covid vaccine
Students and faculty at Pennsylvania State University are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated against covid-19, but the university is not mandating the vaccine, university officials said during a virtual presentation Tuesday. “While we are not currently requiring vaccinations, Penn State is not impartial when it comes to getting vaccinated,” Penn...
Vaccination proof required at 2 Pittsburgh restaurants
No shot, no service. Two North Side restaurants will require proof of vaccination for diners beginning on Wednesday. Lola Bistro and Leo. a public house — both owned and operated by Michael Barnhouse, who also serves as the chef, and his wife Yelena — announced new vaccination requirement in a...
Covid spread now ‘substantial’ in Allegheny, other Western Pa. counties
Nine Western Pennsylvania counties are experiencing “substantial” levels of covid-19 transmission that fall under federal recommendations calling for people to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, Lawrence, Washington, Armstrong, Indiana, Clarion and Somerset counties are all experiencing “substantial” covid-19 transmission, according to the Centers for Disease...
Emergency crews rescue kayaker stuck in Kiski River in Bell Township
Emergency crews rescued a kayaker who got stuck on rocks in the Kiski River Sunday evening. Emergency units were helping the kayaker, who got stuck in Bell Township, around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. The kayaker was injured. “They located her and they’re helping her...
Man found dead in Monongahela River identified
A man was fond dead in the Monongahela River on Sunday morning. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Michael Devonta Mason, 27, of Akron. A 911 caller directed first responders to a body in the river. River Rescue, EMS and police discovered him floating in the water...
Jeannette couple killed in Hempfield crash, coroner says
The Westmoreland County Coroner’s office said a Jeannette couple was killed in a crash Saturday on Agnew Road in Hempfield Township. Catherine M. and Walter J. Gardner, 58 and 61, were pronounced dead at the scene of the 5:45 p.m. single-vehicle crash on the 400 block of Agnew Road, according...
World War II Army pilot memorialized 76 years after being killed in actionVideo
Seventy-six years after 1st Lt. Robert M. Leety was killed in action during World War II, his family dedicated a stone in his honor at Mt. Royal Cemetery in Shaler on Saturday. Four generations of his relatives gathered for a memorial service at the cemetery, where an honor guard offered...
Benefits of Pittsburgh Blues and Roots Festival goes beyond the musicVideo
The Pittsburgh Roots and Blues Festival is about more than good music — it’s also about supporting those on the autism spectrum. The event, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Harmar, serves as a fundraiser. The groups benefiting are the Autism Society of Pittsburgh and...
Sheetz offers free coffee to Pitt students after false hope of Oakland store
Sheetz is offering a consolation gift to University of Pittsburgh students disappointed that a store is in fact not coming to Oakland. Throughout the month of August, Pitt students can treat themselves to a free fizz drink or coffee at regional Sheetz locations. The offer for Pitt students comes after...
Pittsburgh native A.J. Ross back home to cover Steelers camp
National broadcast journalist and Pittsburgh native A.J. Ross has returned home to cover the Pittsburgh Steelers during training camp and preseason for KDKA-TV. Ross, of Highland Park, said she grew up playing sports at the Shadyside Boys and Girls Club and cheering for Pittsburgh’s favorite teams. Returning to Pittsburgh to...
Pittsburgh Public Schools board approves mask mandate
Students in Pittsburgh Public Schools will have to continue wearing masks during the upcoming academic year, according to the district’s health and safety plan. The plan — which requires masks indoors and keeps many covid-19 mitigation measures in place for the 2021-22 school year — was passed during Wednesday’s school...
Basketball clinic to raise awareness about gun violence, memorialize slain Woodland Hills student
The family of a Woodland Hills High School student who was found shot to death in November is hosting a basketball clinic this weekend to honor his memory and raise awareness about gun violence. Micah Graham was 16 when he was killed Nov. 4 in Les Getz Memorial Park. He...
Churchill public hearing on potential Amazon site likely to stretch several more days
Churchill Borough’s ongoing public hearing regarding a potential Amazon distribution center is likely to stretch several more days. During the public hearing — which began Monday and continued Thursday evening — Texas-based Hillwood Development is outlining their proposal for an Amazon distribution center at the former site of the George...
PennEnergy to install well on Ekastown Road in Buffalo Township
PennEnergy will be installing a well site in Buffalo Township after gaining approval from township officials. Construction at the site, located at 765 Ekastown Road, is slated to begin later this summer, said Amanda Peterson, a stakeholder relations manager with PennEnergy. Some township residents have voiced concerns on social media...
Carnegie Mellon researchers teach autonomous vehicles to navigate narrow, car-lined streets
Driving through Pittsburgh’s narrow, car-lined streets can pose a challenge to even experienced drivers. It’s a particularly difficult situation to teach to autonomous vehicles without a human driver behind the wheel. A team of Carnegie Mellon University researchers at the Argo AI Center for Autonomous Vehicle Research developed an algorithm...
Entrepreneur, philanthropist John G. Rangos Sr. dies just before 92nd birthday
Entrepreneur and philanthropist John G. Rangos Sr. died Wednesday, one week shy of his 92nd birthday. Rangos died following a brief illness, according to a news release from the John G. Rangos Sr. Charitable Foundation. The release said he died surrounded by his children — John Rangos Jr., Alex Rangos...
GenOn delays closure of Cheswick Generating Station, Allegheny County’s only coal-fired plant
The closure of Cheswick Generating Station — Allegheny County’s only coal-fired power plant — has been postponed until spring. Houston-based GenOn Holdings LLC, which owns the plant, said in June that the plant would be permanently retired by Sept. 15. The company last week moved the plant’s retirement date to...
Woodland Hills appoints interim high school principal
Woodland Hills School District appointed one of the high school’s assistant principals to be the school’s interim principal. The school board on Wednesday approved naming Shelly Manns as interim high school principal. She joined the district in September 2020 and served as an assistant high school principal last year. Manns...
