Quincey Reese stories, Page 5
WCCC to expand burn building used by thousands of region’s firefighters
Firefighters in Southwestern Pennsylvania will have more training options available to them upon the expansion of a burn building at Westmoreland County Community College’s Public Safety Training Center in South Huntingdon. The center — nestled in between corn fields, the Youghiogheny River and industrial buildings in the rural township —...
Mt. Lebanon named highest-ranked Pittsburgh-area high school in national listing
Mt. Lebanon was the highest-ranked Pittsburgh-area school in a U.S. News and World Report listing of the country’s best public high schools. The list, released last week, assessed more than 24,000 public high schools across the country. The majority of the schools, 18,000, were ranked on several performance-related factors: college...
As back-to-school costs rise, educators rely upon donations to bolster classroom supplies
The brightly colored posters, comfortable seats and hands-on science experiments present in Kaylyn Wojnarowski’s Gateway classroom might not exist if the first grade teacher relied solely on the district’s budget for supplies. Wojnarowski welcomed students back to her classroom at Cleveland Steward Jr. Elementary on Thursday — the start of...
Hempfield Area drafts 3D designs for high school renovation
Five years after Hempfield Area School District approved a feasibility study for a renovation of its 1956 high school, the district is starting to nail down what the refurbished building will look like. Architect Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates laid out visions for the project in October, and the school board...
Budget busters: Western Pa. schools battle rising costs, strained finances to renovate aging facilities
Superintendent Tammy Andreyko started her tenure at Quaker Valley in August 2018 meeting with district officials to discuss the possibility of building a new high school. Seven years later, dirt has yet to be moved on the 150-acre property the district purchased in May 2017 to replace its nearly century-old...
Penn Township to draft ‘no parking’ ordinance; Rowe Road residents vie to keep street parking
The Penn Township Commissioners gave the go-ahead to start drafting a “no parking” ordinance for some roads throughout the municipality. Commissioners discussed expanding the parking ordinance to select roads about a year and a half ago but revisited the topic after township staff noticed potential parking complications on Rowe Road....
Toys for Pittsburgh Tikes seeks donations for new warehouse, Penn Township fundraiser slated
Four months out from Toys for Pittsburgh Tikes’ busiest time of year, the nonprofit is seeking donations to purchase a new warehouse space. Toys for Pittsburgh Tikes was launched 12 years ago by Javid Shojaie, the owner of 37-year-old Monroeville business Jaden’s Catering. The operation has grown from generating about...
Derry Area, Clairton City school district officials wary of state budget impasse
As Pennsylvania’s budget impasse approaches the two-month mark, Derry Area School District is missing out on vital state funding just days out from the start of the academic year. More than half — 55% — of the district’s $43 million budget is supported by state funding, said Business Manager Scott...
‘He devoted his life to these things’: Late Pittsburgh artist Charles Jackson showcased at Greensburg Art Center
Walking through Sandra Jackson’s childhood home is akin to walking through an art museum. The Perrysville Avenue property in Pittsburgh’s North Side holds the artwork of Jackson’s father, Charles Jackson, who devoted nearly six decades of his life to documenting the city through paintings. A selection of his work —...
Penn Township examines parking along Rowe Road following house fire on nearby street
Penn Township officials might prohibit street parking on a road after emergency services ran into complications when responding to a house fire last week. Fire and EMS services extinguished flames that erupted Aug. 4 near the rear deck of a home along Timber Ridge Court in Penn Township. The home...
Hempfield Area looks to bolster curriculum oversight at elementary schools
Hempfield Area School District is looking to add another layer of oversight to the curriculum at its five elementary schools. The school board will vote next week on assigning one chairperson per K-5 grade level. Each chairperson would help ensure continuity in learning at the district’s Fort Allen, West Point,...
Greensburg Salem slated to host Back to School Bash
Greensburg Salem students and families attending the annual Back to School Bash next week will be able to meet the district’s first assistant superintendent and support the student-run Mini-THON fundraiser. The Back to School Bash is slated for 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at Offutt Field, 109 Laird St. in...
Greensburg Salem launches expanded online learning program to ‘compete’ with cyber charters
Greensburg Salem is revamping its online learning program in the hopes of bringing its 185 cyber charter students into the district. Western Pennsylvania’s school districts have cited cyber charter tuition expenses as a pain point in their budgets for years, and the issue has caught the attention of state legislators....
Greensburg, Hempfield see business changes on Pittsburgh Street
Jeannette resident Jim Bosco knew when he was in college he wanted to open a restaurant someday. That’s why his partner was shocked when Bosco, 55, decided to turn over the Greensburg building that housed his Major Stokes restaurant to neighboring Stone Bridge Brewing Co. after seven years in business....
Penn Township recreation director could take over PTARC operations
The Penn-Trafford Area Recreation Commission could dissolve after 24 years following votes by the nonprofit’s governing bodies. Founded in 2001, the commission organized a variety of recreational events for community members of all ages, including sports leagues, a summer playground program, an annual 5K at Bushy Run Battlefield, art activities...
Southwestern Pa. graduates 1st class from introductory state police training program
Trooper Tristan Fay had no idea what to expect when she arrived at the State Police Academy in Hershey. Now, seven years into her law enforcement career, Fay wishes she had access to the introductory training programs state police offer today — Camp Cadet for middle school students, Hill Impact...
Nicely Elementary fire alarm should be up and running for 1st day of school, superintendent says
Greensburg Salem aims to have a working fire alarm system at its Nicely Elementary School before students return to its halls Aug. 26. The school’s fire alarm stopped working in mid-April when a power surge — prompted by nearby line replacement work by West Penn Power — damaged the alarm...
National Night Out events to be held this week and next
First responders in local communities will participate in the National Night Out events this week and next. The National Night Out campaign, launched in Philadelphia in 1984, focuses on fostering positive relationships between residents and first responders — including firefighters and police officers. The movement has spread throughout the country,...
Hempfield eyes sidewalks for Mt. Pleasant Road
Hempfield is eyeing sidewalk installation along sections of Mt. Pleasant Road to bolster pedestrian safety near the area’s neighborhoods, businesses, Pitt campus and future Weatherwood Park. The first phase of a proposed project, which could start in 2027, would add 13,000 square feet of 6-foot-wide sidewalk along the county-owned road...
Trafford resident leads charge in replacing steps in Veterans Memorial Park
When Trafford native Donna Morocco walked to elementary school as a child, she always took the small set of stone steps leading up to Edgewood Avenue. Morocco, who grew up on parallel Duquesne Avenue, walked the concrete ramp through Trafford Veterans Memorial Park to get to school each day —...
JCPenney stores in Westmoreland and Robinson malls to be sold but will remain open
Two JCPenney stores in Western Pennsylvania will be sold to a private equity firm near Boston about five years after the retailer filed for bankruptcy, but those stores will remain open. JCPenney’s locations in Westmoreland Mall and the Mall at Robinson will be among 119 stores sold to Onyx Partners...
Citing cultural concerns, Bushy Run to update name of hill during reenactment
Bushy Run Battlefield in Penn Township is using its upcoming reenactment as an opportunity to right a wrong — giving a more culturally appropriate name to a hill on its 218-acre property. The reenactment, slated for Saturday and Sunday, is a staple event in the township. It portrays a 1763...
Officials remain mum on details of traffic stop suicide in Ligonier Township
Authorities have yet to release the identity of a man who they said shot and killed himself during a traffic stop in Ligonier Township on Saturday. Ligonier Valley Police initiated a traffic stop around 5 p.m. near the intersection of Route 30 and Baywood Road, said Melanie Jones, spokesperson for...
Police: New Alexandria man sought after former landlord’s lawnmower explodes
State police are looking for a New Alexandria man they believe injured his former landlord in an explosion in Salem Sunday. James M. Sever, 54, is charged with criminal attempt, aggravated assault and unlawful possession of weapons of mass destruction for allegedly placing a bomb underneath his former landlord’s lawnmower,...
‘It was an impossibility’: Penn Township couple completes 500-mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage
Penn Township couple Cheryl and Larry Sturm don’t consider themselves hikers. That’s an ironic statement for a pair who traversed a 500-mile trail from France to Spain in just 40 days. Cheryl, 70, and Larry, 73, are lifelong Penn Township residents. Larry started Sturm Plumbing along Harrison City’s Route 130...
