Local stories category, Page 3
Slinging suds: Salem beer distributor expects to move about 40,000 cases this weekVideo
Pallets holding more than 150,000 six-packs moved through the Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale warehouse just off Route 22 in Salem this week. That should get the Labor Day weekend going. Summer is far and away the busiest season for beverage wholesalers like Fuhrer, which opened the 335,000-square-foot distribution facility —...
Highmark Health revenue up $1B
The parent company of Highmark Health insurance and Allegheny Health Network said Thursday its insurance business plans drove revenue in the first half of the year to $14.7 billion — up more than $1 billion from the same period last year. Highmark Health also reported net income of $417 million...
Giant Eagle’s sale of GetGo refocuses company amid growing grocer competition, experts say
Giant Eagle’s decision to sell its GetGo franchise to focus on its role as a leading grocer is indicative of increasing competition from national retailers, an industry expert said. Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard, parent company of Circle K convenience stores, announced the purchase of GetGo on Aug. 19. Giant Eagle CEO...
Rising Latino population drives economic growth in Western Pennsylvania
New Spanish grocery stores are opening, adding a fresh flavor to the city. Amid the usual Pittsburgh traffic noise, reggaeton now pulses from car speakers, and local restaurants are featuring horchata on their menus. The face of Western Pennsylvania is changing. According to the 2022 Allegheny County Latinx Needs Assessment...
Has Ligonier Country Market gotten too big?
The Ligonier Country Market has been a popular fixture in the Ligonier community for nearly 50 years, drawing visitors from throughout the area to shop for everything from fresh produce and baked goods to handwoven rugs and wood crafts. But Ligonier Township officials are wondering whether the seasonal Saturday morning...
4 new businesses to check out in downtown Greensburg
Downtown Greensburg has some new neighbors. Four businesses have opened along South Pennsylvania Avenue and Otterman Street in recent months, selling gift items, wellness services, baked goods and upscale bar food. The Greensburg Community Development Corporation — a nonprofit focused on revitalizing the city — received 15 occupancy permits from...
Kennywood admission cost is similar to other amusement parks, but there are ways to save
In the wake of the announcement that the Steel Curtain would be closed for the 2024 season, Kennywood enthusiasts took to social media to poke the amusement park for its $75 entrance fee. The reasoning, in part, went something like, “You’re charging $75 to get in, and one of the...
Skincare company holds deep roots for Washington County family
Philip and Vania Gbee founded Nabakindo Skincare in 2020 as a tribute to their cultural heritage, family and commitment to their community. Their commitment to simplicity is certainly important for their daughter Amirah, 8, who has eczema and inspired their first product, Sweet Dreams, a body moisturizer designed to alleviate...
‘A big fumble’: Pittsburgh’s clunky rollout of plastic bag ban sows confusion
Jake Diettrich, manager of Market Outlet, a Pittsburgh produce shop, has been grappling since January with the city’s plastic bag ban. Diettrich has had to calm grumbling patrons, swap his stock of outlawed plastic bags for pricier paper ones and contend with worries that the bag ban and mandatory fees...
Rock star: Lab-grown diamonds are skyrocketing in popularity, say local jewelers, industry experts
When Sandee Vargo lost one of her diamond earrings two years ago, she turned that sinking feeling into an opportunity to try something new. Her remaining one-third carat stud earring was a natural diamond, mined from the ground. But Vargo of North Huntingdon became interested in another option for her...
After 60 years, Ligonier barbers hang up their clippers
When cousins Ken Knupp and Walt Boyd closed the doors of their Ligonier Borough barbershop Wednesday, one thing was clear — they will miss their customers the most. After working as barbers for more than 60 years, the two decided to retire together from their longtime practice at Knupp’s Barbershop....
U.S. Steel to be bought by Japanese company for $14.9B, but will keep name, Pittsburgh HQVideo
U.S. Steel would retain its name and headquarters in Western Pennsylvania under a $14.9 billion deal announced Monday with Japan’s largest steelmaker, but ownership of the venerable Pittsburgh company would be shipped overseas. The deal comes after months of speculation and U.S. Steel weighing multiple offers from suitors. In the...
Retailers, shoppers gear up for final holiday rush
Shoppers had their pick of products and parking Friday ahead of what retailers hope will be a chaotic and profitable weekend — the last full weekend before Christmas celebrations get underway. “It’s not very crowded. I was thinking it would’ve been busier on a nice Friday,” said Karen Belin of...
Somerset Trust’s Westmoreland construction bucks industry trend
The new Somerset Trust Co. bank branch in Hempfield that opened in late September is definitely not your father’s or grandfather’s financial institution. It has the traditional tellers, loan officers, conference rooms and vault. But the two-story building fronting East Pittsburgh Street also has a coffee bar where customers can...
Southwestern Pa. enjoying low natural gas prices after large drop from last year
Historic levels of natural gas production are among factors leading to low prices in Southwestern Pennsylvania. There are signs natural gas prices could stay low moving into next year. Purchased gas prices for Pennsylvanians are down 9% to 65% compared to where they were last year, according to Pennsylvania’s Public...
Westmoreland airport contemplates future as airline merger looms
Local leaders insist they don’t know what the future holds for Arnold Palmer Regional Airport amid fears the Unity facility’s lone carrier could pull up stakes pending the outcome of a proposed airline merger. “We don’t have a plan,” said Westmoreland County Airport Authority board member Richard Ridilla. “No one...
Astrobotic expansion could spur creation of ‘space district’ in Pittsburgh, officials say
Pittsburgh’s leading space company said Tuesday it plans to move some of its operations into a $20 million office building on the North Side and more than double its workforce. Astrobotic, a Manchester-based company that builds equipment to send to the moon, said it has bought a five-story building on...
Giant Eagle to merge fuel discounts with newer myPerks loyalty program
Giant Eagle customers who have been earning GetGo gasoline discounts through the supermarket’s fuelperks+ loyalty program will be switched to the store’s newer myPerks program next year. Giant Eagle announced on its website that it will retire the fuelperks+ program effective Jan. 25 and will automatically move customers with accounts...
Bus driver shortage leaves schools, public transit agencies scrambling
A shortage of drivers is pinching school bus companies and public transit agencies that are left scrambling to transport students and workers, fill vacancies and keep their current stable of employees from burning out. “It’s just hard to get drivers. We just can’t figure it out,” said James Varner, manager...
Fluctuating prices leave recycling industry at mercy of supply and demand
Robert Megela goes out of his way to recycle — about 17 miles out of his way. Megela, 70, of Penn Township will drive from his home to the Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling Center in Pleasant Unity to drop off used glass items, which are not collected by the township’s...
Leechburg Recycling Center still going strong after about 40 years
Leechburg has taken recycling into its own hands. The Kiski River town in Armstrong County operates its own recycling center with an all-volunteer staff of about a dozen dedicated people from the Leechburg, Apollo and Allegheny Township areas, said Leechburg Council President Tom Foster. And it has been doing it...
PNC says it will cut workforce by 4%
PNC Financial Services Group said it will cut its workforce by 4% by year’s end as it looks to pare down expenses. The move is expected to slash costs by $325 million in 2024, the Downtown Pittsburgh-based bank said on its third-quarter earnings call Friday. PNC did not specify what...
Self-driving vehicle testing in Pittsburgh area shifting gears to focus on trucking industry
Not long ago, cars topped with a futuristic apparatus could regularly be seen cruising along Pittsburgh’s streets, testing technology that allowed the vehicles to get around without a person steering the wheel. But such car sightings have become rare as the autonomous vehicle sector has refocused from the hype of...
Pleasant Lane Farms takes home 1st place in World Dairy Expo for gouda cheese
Pleasant Lane Farms in Unity had a gouda showing at this year’s World Dairy Expo — literally. The Creamery at Pleasant Lane Farms received four medals, including a first place win for its 1976 reserve gouda cheese. Its cheddar cheese curds placed second, its buffalo ranch cheese curds placed third...
Car wash planned at old Teddy’s restaurant location in North Huntingdon
The site of the former Teddy’s restaurant along Route 30 in North Huntingdon is to be razed for an automated car wash, making it the fourth place to clean a vehicle in a two-mile stretch of the highway east and west of Irwin. Express Wash Concepts of Etna, Ohio, plans...
