Tony LaRussa stories, Page 78

Residents in Cranberry Township who are 65 or older can get free smoke detectors next week from the volunteer fire department. The battery-operated smoke detectors will be distributed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 9-11 at the municipal building located at 2525 Rochester Road. The devices will be handed...

The McCandless Police Department is partnering with North Hills Community Outreach to collect items for the needy during the holiday season. The following items are being collected at the police station along Grubbs Road in McCandless: • Fleece Blankets • Non-perishable food items • Board games • Gift cards to...

A more than four-month long project to replace a bridge along McClellan Road in Indiana Township has been completed, according to PennDOT. The replacement project for Deer Creek Bridge No. 9 also included drainage work, installation of guide rails and signs, paving, line painting and other safety improvements. A temporary...

An Allegheny County sheriff’s sergeant was injured while trying to eject a McKeesport man from Heinz Field on Sunday during the Pittsburgh Steelers game. Elvis Matejcic, 47, got into an argument with the officer after he was told to leave the Champions Club shortly before 2 p.m., according to a...

The Smithfield Street Bridge was closed for several hours overnight after a barge slammed into the structure, according to authorities. The incident was reported around midnight, according to Allegheny County officials, who said there were no injuries or obvious damage to the structure. The bridge between Downtown and the...

McCandless is hosting an afternoon event on Dec. 14 to help residents get into the holiday spirit. The Holiday Heritage event at the McCandless/Northern Allegheny County Heritage Center runs from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and will feature a variety of seasonal hits and carols performed by Toby Cordek, Amy Steele,...

Ross Township commissioners are considering a budget for 2020 that keeps the property tax rate unchanged while earmarking significant spending for road repairs, park improvements, stormwater control and public safety. The nearly $40.38 million spending plan, which includes a $23.44 million general fund budget to cover most operating expenses, allocates...

North Hills residents can get a glimpse into what life was like at the time of Jesus’ birth during an outdoor live nativity complete with live animals, on Dec. 9 at Bradford Woods Community Church. Continuous performances, which last about 10 minutes, will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m....

Bradford Woods is ushering in the holiday season with Light Up Night activities Dec. 15 in the Bradford Wood Reserve. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. and will include hot chocolate, cookies, carols and Santa lighting memorial trees. The entrance to the Reserve at Lincoln and Bradford roads will...

All but two of the 11 candidates for nine vacancies on various boards and commissions that advise McCandless council breezed through their appointments. Jason Moots of Montclair Avenue, who was nominated for a seat on the planning commission, failed to be appointed after council learned that his application for the...

A section of Jacks Run Road in Ross Township that has been closed since late June for work has reopened, the Allegheny County Department of Public Works announced. The road was closed north of Balsam Street June 24 to replace the structurally deficient Jacks Run Bridge No. 4. Jacks Run...

For the first time in five years, Bradford Woods residents could receive a tax hike to help cover increases in road construction costs and borough operations, officials announced. And if it’s approved, the tax increase won’t be a small one. To generate more income, the proposed budget calls for raising...

Ross Township police have issued a warning about a possible child-luring incident along Sangree Road. Police say an 11-year-old girl got off the school bus on Friday at about 3:15 p.m. and was walking up the driveway of her home when a man in a silver Jeep asked if she...

The headache-inducing road-repair project that has snarled traffic at the busy intersection of Babcock Boulevard and Peoples Road in Ross Township since late June is complete. PennDOT announced Friday that the intersection’s original configuration has been restored and reopened to traffic. The posted detour for trucks will continue while the...

On Dec. 6, the cafeteria at North Hills High School will be transformed into the banquet room of a Renaissance-era castle for the 9th annual Madrigal Dinner. The celebration will include a royal procession, singing and entertainment. Choir members will serve a home-cooked pasta meal courtesy of Dellalo Foods as...

The North Hills Chorale will present a Christmas concert titled “Let Your Heart Be Light” on Dec. 7 and 8 at La Roche University. Concerts are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Dec. 7 and 3 p.m. on Dec. 8 in the Visitation Chapel at La Roche’s Kearns Spirituality Center. Free-will...

Ross Township has worked out a “special arrangement” for children to speak to the head elf in charge at the North Pole. Santa will be making calls to kids from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 17-19. The cost is $3 per child or $5 for a family. For additional details...

McCandless police issued an alert for motorists to be aware of a new stop sign being installed along West Ingomar Road. Allegheny County, which maintains the road, is scheduled to install the stop sign along eastbound West Ingomar at the intersection of Ingomar Heights and Highland Roads. There currently are...

Residents in Ross will now be able to download an app on their mobile devices to request services or register a complaint with the township. Commissioners approved the purchase of a new communications system that also will be able to track the telephone calls, letters, walk-ins and social media requests...

Students from North Allegheny Senior High School performed “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” for their fall play. The ‘whodunit’ by John Bishop is a contemporary comedy which first appeared on Broadway in 1987, written as a spoof celebrating the murder mysteries of old....

The McCandless/Northern Allegheny Heritage Center held an opening reception Nov. 15 for an art exhibit titled “Down the Drain.” The exhibit is a “found object” art installation that “explores how life, though rich and complex, ultimately ends, leaving only traces,” according to its creator, local artist Meg Dooley. The installation...

A new business approved by Ross commissioners will add a little sparkle to the McKnight Road corridor. But developers of the state’s first Diamonds Direct location won’t be able to skirt the township’s requirement that sidewalks be installed on the property. The board granted conditional approval Nov. 18 for plans...

Ross Township commissioners have postponed a vote on whether to approve a major redevelopment of the former state liquor site on Perry Highway until a zoning question can be clarified. Commissioners on Monday were poised to consider site plans for the mixed-use project proposed by Kossman Development, called “The Ross,”...

A Ross police lieutenant accused of making unprofessional and sexually explicit comments to fellow officers will serve a five-day suspension without pay. Township commissioners voted Monday night to suspend Lt. Matthew Grubb and ordered him and the entire police department to under go sensitivity, implicit bias and sexual harassment training....