Tanisha Thomas stories, Page 2
Newly installed solar panels in West Leechburg to help save money for borough, taxpayers
The West Leechburg Borough Building has a new look after 32 solar panels were installed on its roof. Officials announced the new addition on Facebook. The post said the panels should offset electric use at the borough’s garage and pump station. “Electric companies will be able to buy back energy...
Allegheny County Police searching for missing 18-year-old man last seen in mid-June in Clairton
Allegheny County Police are requesting help in locating a missing 18-year-old man. Police said Dorian Serrano was last seen June 14 with his family in Clairton. Police described Serrano as 5 feet 9 inches tall and 145 pounds with brown eyes and black medium length hair. He was wearing a...
Cheswick officials weigh options after railroad crossing is deemed private
Cheswick officials would like to see some sort of warning lights, gates or signals at a railroad crossing at Pittsburgh and Blockdale streets that has been the scene of several crashes. They are considering what actions they can take after learning the railroad crossing is considered private property, owned by...
Free firearm safety seminar to be held in Penn Hills
Urban Second Amendment will be holding its fourth Firearms Safety and Responsible Gun ownership seminar in Penn Hills on July 31. The free seminar will cover shooting fundamentals, proper storage claiming and the legality of legal gun ownership. The class will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. at Griff’s...
Penn Hills sisters team up to clean up Shannon Heights neighborhood
Picking up litter in the Shannon Heights neighborhood is a typical routine for two Penn Hills sisters. During the clean-ups, Bette DiCocco and her sister Marie Facchiano find cigarette butts, plastic bottles, fastfood bags, shoes and other litter. The two began the daily cleaning routine in May. “We want to...
Penn Hills Parks & Recreation Summerfest back to normal
Organizers of the seventh annual Penn Hills Parks & Recreation Summerfest are looking forward to a return to normalcy. The festival will take place Aug. 6 at Turner Friendship Park from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. A Zambelli fireworks show will go off at 9:30 p.m. John Scaglione, assistant superintendent...
California artist paints giant Mac Miller mural on side of Etna recording studioVideo
California artist Gustavo Zermeño Jr. was happy he waited three years to paint a giant mural of Mac Miller at I.D. Labs, where the late rapper and Pittsburgh native recorded his music in Etna. Zermeño painted a mural for Miller, whose real name is Malcolm James McCormick, on the side...
Buffalo Township bus company receives honor for 75th anniversary
When Jeanne Roenigk is asked about retirement, she responds with a simple question. “What else would I do?” Roenigk, 90, runs the Buffalo Township-based bus company founded by her late husband, William Roenigk Sr., in 1945. Her longevity with W.L. Roenigk is the reason the family-run bus company continues to...
Cheswick, East Deer among municipalities working to connect trails to Three Rivers Heritage Trail
A decade-long project is making headway as officials from Allegheny County, Cheswick, East Deer and Tarentum are connecting trails to extend the 33-mile Three Rivers Heritage Trail. Residents can explore a rough draft of the East Deer-Tarentum trail through a virtual tour on the Friends of the Riverfront website. The...
Leechburg Area School District to experience closures for construction
The Leechburg Area School District will have a couple closures this summer because of construction projects. Superintendent Tiffany Nix sent out a letter Friday morning informing families the school district’s playground will be closed starting Monday until the David Leech Elementary School’s roof is completed. The playground will be closed...
Benefit concert at Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Harmar to raise funds for Flight 93 Rose Garden
A concert will be held at the Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Harmar to help raise funds for the Flight 93 rose garden near Shanksville, Somerset County. “It’s our way to giving back to the heroes of Flight 93 and the sacrifices they made,” said John Vento, a board member for...
Poppin’ Tags Free Store in West Deer to hold Christmas in July event
Christmas is coming early to West Deer — really early — with the Poppin’ Tags Free Store’s Christmas in July event. A large selection of Christmas items will be free to pick up Monday, July 25. Customers will be able to choose from lights, figurines and other holiday decorations. Larger...
Frazer Volunteer Fire Department No. 2 plans Touch-A-Truck fundraiser Saturday
Frazer Volunteer Fire Department No. 2 invites the public to take a closer look at its emergency service vehicles during the second annual Touch-A-Truck event Saturday. First responders, tow trucks, SWAT trucks, construction vehicles and 12 food trucks will be on-site in the Pittsburgh Mills mall parking lot. Community members...
Building the Valley: Harmar candy store to relocate, rebrand in Buffalo Township
After four years, Harmar’s niche candy store Oh How Sweet It Is will be moving and opening at a new home in early September. Owner Robert Wyant announced the move recently in a Facebook post. The candy store will relocate to plaza in South Pike Square in Buffalo Township. Wyant...
Officials hold meeting to discuss status of Cheswick railroad crossing, safety measures
Officials from Cheswick, PennDOT, Norfolk Southern and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission met Friday, July 8, to reexamine the status of a railroad crossing that is at the center of a lawsuit. Cheswick Councilman Michael Girardi said the meeting focused on whether the railroad crossing — at Pittsburgh and Blockdale...
No injuries reported in fire at McKeesport high-rise
Fire broke out at the Midtown Plaza Apartments on Sinclair Street in McKeesport on Sunday but no injuries were reported. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said county police, fire and EMS were on the scene at the high-rise. The dispatcher said the fire was reported around 6 p.m....
Hartwood Acres Sculpture Garden officially opens after years of work on the project
A formal ribbon-cutting was held Sunday afternoon to officially open the Hartwood Acres Sculpture Garden. The yearslong Allegheny County project involved refurbishing and relocating sculptures around the landscape to provide a centralized experience for parkgoers. There were 12 sculptures acquired in the mid-1980s that were sandblasted, repainted and rewelded. New...
Sizzling Summer Night makes hot debut, draws big crowd in New Kensington
It was a community party in New Kensington as the Sizzling Summer Night event made its debut Saturday afternoon. Hundreds of people already were wandering along Fifth Avenue between Eighth and 11th streets or setting up chairs to sit and mingle at the beginning of the first hour. About 45...
Lock Fest in Harrison gives a glimpse into Allegheny River Lock 4, water safety
With weather made for being out on the river, it couldn’t have been a better day for the annual Lock Fest in Harrison, a free water safety event. The event gave the community a chance to get an inside look of the inner workings of Lock and Dam 4 in...
Estate of truck driver who died in train crash in Cheswick sues Norfolk Southern
The estate of an Easton man who died in an August 2020 crash with a train in Cheswick is suing Norfolk Southern for $50 million, alleging the company’s negligence resulted in the man’s death. Brittney Brown, an administrator of David Nezekiah Howell’s estate, filed the lawsuit June 8 seeking compensation...
Amateur Astronomers Association to host free star parties for public in West Deer
A tradition of bringing new and passionate stargazers into the hobby is still going strong after 35 years. The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will be holding free public Star Parties on Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9, at the Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Regional Park...
Brackenridge couple plans to open day care in Springdale
A Brackenridge couple is working to open a day care center in Springdale. Kaci and Ray Bollinger plan to open Bright Futures Child Care Center in August at 950 Pittsburgh St. The couple pursued opening a day care after Kaci Bollinger noticed young children coming to school unprepared and not...
Black-owned cigar lounge opens in Penn Hills
For years, every Tuesday, East Liberty native Sheldon Oliver would meet with a group of his male friends to have a space to be vulnerable, share laughs and talk about life. The small gathering of five men began to grow as people around them would gravitate to their conversations. Three...
Harmar teen’s campaign raises money, awareness for dad’s rare brain tumor
A Harmar teen has become one of the largest donors for an effort aimed at raising awareness about a rare brain tumor. Sam Kieffer was 7 when he first became aware of his father’s epidermoid brain tumor. As Kenny Kieffer underwent his second surgery, Sam learned there was no cure...
Penn Hills Rotary, #3 North Bessemer VFD to hold Community Carnival & Cookout
The annual Penn Hills Community Carnival and Cookout will have new hosts and a new home this year. The Penn Hills Rotary and North Bessemer Volunteer Fire Department No. 3 will be hosting the second annual carnival at Turner-Friendship Park. “The Rotary and fire department are looking forward to hosting...
