Tony LaRussa stories, Page 45
Overturned truck spills fuel along Route 65 near Downtown
A hazmat team responded to the scene of a tractor-trailer crash along Route 65 in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood early Monday morning after the vehicle overturned and began leaking diesel fuel onto the roadway, according to authorities. The crash was reported shortly after 2 a.m. Authorities said the driver was able...
Early-morning fire in Sharpsburg duplex sends firefighter to hospital
A firefighter was transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries suffered Monday morning while extinguishing a fire in Sharpsburg. A second firefighter suffered a minor injury and was treated at the scene of the fire in a frame duplex in the 1800 block of Main Street. The condition of...
North Allegheny teacher honored for spearheading student jump rope fundraiser
Like any good teacher, Dean Boronyak knows that making things fun can often be a great way to motivate kids. So when the North Allegheny physical education teacher was looking for ways his students could raise money for charity, he came up with a solution that channeled their boundless energy...
Anthony J. Battaglia Clinical Simulation Center at La Roche University dedicated
A La Roche University nursing graduate who founded a company that supplies products for nursing and medical students to practice their skills before working on real patients made sure students at his alma mater had the tools they needed for success. In early 2020, Anthony J. Battaglia contributed the largest...
Former Pine-Richland football coach Eric Kasperowicz suing district, officials for defamation in federal court
Former Pine-Richland head football coach Eric Kasperowicz has filed a federal defamation lawsuit against the school district and several top officials claiming they damaged his reputation by publicly accusing him of knowing about hazing and bullying in the football program and failing to report it to authorities. Kasperowicz was informed...
North Allegheny reverses mask policy for 2nd time, back to giving parents the choice
The North Allegheny School District has done an about-face for a second time by voting to give parents the choice on whether kids should wear masks when they return to school from summer break on Monday. Last week, the district revised its health and safety plan for the return to...
After a pandemic pause last year, Richland brings back popular Community Day event
The Community Day celebration in Richland Township was back this year with a variety of family fun after being scrubbed in 2020 because of the coronavirus. The weather cooperated Aug. 14 for the 27th annual event, with temperatures in the 70s and mostly sunny skies. This year’s event had to...
North Hills requiring masks for staff, students until county’s covid transmission rate dips
The North Hills School District responded to the recent increase in covid-19 transmission rates in Allegheny County by approving a measure requiring all staff and students to wear masks when they return to classes from summer break on Aug. 25. The revised policy approved by the board also contains provisions...
Grad says West Jefferson Hills district officials ignored racial harassment
A 2020 Thomas Jefferson High School graduate who is biracial has filed a federal lawsuit alleging she was the target of repeated racial slurs and other harassment that the West Jefferson Hills School District failed to address. Destinie Bedard and her parents Frank and Jodi Stosic filed the lawsuit Aug....
McCandless Crossing hosting free outdoor piano recital, 1st ‘Makers Market’
The Town Green at the McCandless Crossing shopping center will be center stage for a pair of free events during the next two weekends. The Fort Pitt Piano Co., which is located in the shopping center, is playing host to a free piano recital from noon to 5 p.m. on...
Pine-Richland requiring masks for all staff, students to start school year
Citing Allegheny County’s rapid rise in rate of covid-19 transmissions and the need for students to get back to full in-person learning, the Pine-Richland school board on Monday voted to require all staff and students to wear masks while indoors when classes begin on Aug. 31. The board voted 7-2...
Sounds of the season: North Allegheny marching band camp a chance to fine-tune field performanceVideo
Student musicians and performers with the North Allegheny Marching Band dealt with extreme heat, sweltering humidity and heavy downpours that sent them indoors for rehearsal during a week-long band camp Aug. 9-13. The musicians, color guard and cheer squad fine-tuned musical selections and ran drills for their intricate field performance...
North Allegheny reverses policy that would have let parents decide about masks in class
The North Allegheny School District is reversing its initial plans to let parents decide whether their children wear masks when they return from summer break to full, in-person instruction on Monday. The district’s plan to leave the mask decision up to parents was developed during the summer and approved by...
Pine-Richland to vote on mask requirement, other covid safety measures for return to in-person instruction
The Pine-Richland School Board is scheduled to vote Monday night on a health and safety plan for full, in-person instruction at the start of the school year that will require all students, staff and visitors to wear masks indoors and follow other measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus....
Practicing for perfection: Pine-Richland marching band battles high heat, humidity during annual band campVideo
Members of the Pine-Richland High School marching band battled extreme high temperatures, sweltering humidity and severe storms that sent them scurrying indoors for rehearsal during portions of their annual band camp during the weeks of Aug. 9 and 16. The student musicians and performers, under the leadership of band director...
Steel City Shakespeare Center hosting free outdoor performances of ‘Pericles’
It wasn’t long after the Steel City Shakespeare Center found a new home at the West View Hub that the coronavirus dropped the curtain on the theatrical troupe’s plans for live performances. But now that pandemic restrictions have been lifted, the show must go on. The group’s first live, in-person...
North Park’s Demonstration Garden a proving ground for flowers of the future
The trial, or Demonstration Garden, near the veterans memorial in North Park is planted each spring with flowers and plants sent by growers to determine if they are suitable for sale to the public in the future. Penn State Master Gardeners cultivate the 1,800 -square-foot plot throughout the spring and...
Pair of La Roche alumnae elected to top leadership posts on university’s board of trustees
A pair of alumnae of La Roche University in McCandless have been elected to serve in leadership positions on the board of trustees. Class of 2003 graduate Ernestine Harris will serve as board chair and Dione Graswick, who graduated in 1993, is the new vice chair, university officials announced. “I...
Downed power line sparks fire at Ross day care center, 35 kids evacuated safely
Thirty-five children were evacuated from a childcare center in Ross Township on Tuesday after a tree knocked down power lines that sparked a fire, according to authorities. Firefighters from several departments responded to the Hiland Childcare Center in the 800 block of Perry Highway shortly after 1:30 p.m. The childcare...
North Allegheny’s back-to-school plan leaves wearing masks up to staff, parents
Students in the North Allegheny School District are scheduled to return to in-person instruction five days a week on Monday Aug. 23 with some covid-19 safety measures in place – but no requirement for staff and students to wear masks. The return to school and the health and safety plans...
North Hills Community Outreach launches podcast
The operators of a charity that has helped needy families in the North Hills for the past quarter century understand that when tragedy or hard times strike, knowing where to turn for help can often be daunting for some families. To help highlight the array of social services offered by...
North Hills school board fails repeated attempts to OK return-to-school health plan over mask debate
The North Hills School Board will take another crack at approving a return-to-school plan for the fall after failing to pass the measure because of differing opinions among board members on the use of face masks. The board suspended its Aug. 5 meeting and will reconvene Aug. 17 to reconsider...
Chatham’s campus in Richland teams with CMU to offer enrichment programs for older learners
For the past three decades, older people interested in continuing their education have been able to take a wide variety of courses at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Starting this fall, a number of those enrichment courses will be available at Chatham University’s Eden Hall campus...
Gibsonia man with multiple sclerosis crowned ‘Fittest in the World’ at CrossFit’s first adaptive competitionVideo
By age 21, Brett Horchar had already proved to himself that he possessed the willpower to transform himself from a skinny kid with no self-confidence into a professional fitness trainer. But like anyone else, learning from doctors that he was suffering from multiple sclerosis was “terrifying.” “When I was laying...
Neighbor Spotlight: Retiring Pine manager Scott Anderson reflects on opportunity to help shape the community
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...

