Allegheny category, Page 259
Allegheny County to require covid-19 vaccination for all new hires
Allegheny County will make covid-19 vaccination a requirement for new hires going forward, county Executive Rich Fitzgerald said Thursday. “We are not going to hire anybody going forward that does not have a vaccine card,” he said, noting the county hires anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people each year. Current...
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...
Former Fox Chapel cardiologist gets 6½ years in prison for health care fraud
A former Fox Chapel cardiologist convicted of health care fraud for falsely billing more than $13 million in specialized treatment his patients didn’t need asked for mercy at his sentencing Thursday. Dr. Samirkumar J. Shah, who failed to show at his original sentencing hearing last month, and for whom the...
Renowned Periwinkle’s Bakery & Café returns after 15 years
All it took was one bite of a fresh maple-cinnamon roll for a patron to know he was in the right place. Periwinkle’s Bakery & Café, a descendant of the iconic Harmar bakery Periwinkle’s, has finally opened the doors at its new location in O’Hara along Route 28, at Exit...
Ibex to add 400 jobs at new customer-service center in Wilkins
Ibex, a national customer-service company with a longtime Pittsburgh operation, plans to open another center this fall in Wilkins, employing an additional 400 people. The company is building out a 33,000-square-foot facility in the Penn Center East office complex near Monroeville Mall, with a target opening date of Oct. 1....
Ross Township police welcome new K9 ‘Tyr’ to their ranks, will be deployed by mid-October
The Ross Township police have a new officer in their ranks — a 15-month-old Belgian malinois shepherd from Holland named Tyr, who is completing training to serve in the department’s K9 unit. Tyr was born at the De Stroete Kennels in Holland and sent to trainer Bertil Leezer when he...
Ingomar Garden Club fêtes 7 local winners of national essay, poetry, poster contest
The Ingomar Garden Club recently honored seven local students who were this year’s winners in an essay, poetry and poster competition sponsored by the National Garden Club. The Aug. 4 celebration at St. Thomas Anglican Church in the Fields in Richland was an opportunity for the winners to show off...
Neighbor Spotlight: North Allegheny’s Owen Prem earns perfect score on SAT, ACT college entrance exams
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...
Mt. Lebanon School District to require all people in district buildings to wear masks
Mt. Lebanon School District notified parents Wednesday that everyone inside district buildings will be required to wear masks starting Monday. The mandate applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The letter sent to parents said the district hopes “to maximize in-person learning and minimize any disruptions caused by covid outbreaks...
Officials identify Mt. Lebanon man killed in suspected double murder-suicide
Officials on Wednesday released the name of a man killed along with his wife nearly a week earlier in a suspected double murder-suicide in Mt. Lebanon. John Tratras, 66, died in the shooting incident at about 2:40 a.m. Thursday in the Gilkeson Road home he shared with Ana Tratras, 59,...
Richland Township’s Community Day back after pandemic hiatus
After being forced to cancel last year’s community day celebration because of the coronavirus pandemic, Richland Township officials are hoping residents are good and ready to get outside for a little summer fun. The 27th annual Community Day is scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 14 at Richland...
Allegheny County covid hospitalizations tick upward behind rising case counts
The average weekly number of covid-19 hospitalizations in Allegheny County nearly doubled over the past month, according to state Department of Health data, as those numbers begin ticking upward to match the rising case counts. The seven-day average of hospitalizations on July 3 in Allegheny County was 30. On Wednesday,...
Flight cancellations continue for Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines’ flight cancellations continued Wednesday and Thursday for passengers planning to fly out of or into Arnold Palmer Regional and Pittsburgh International airports. Four arrivals and three departures were canceled at the Unity airport Wednesday and an additional five flights were canceled Thursday. Eleven Spirit flights were canceled each...
Food Podcast: Why donors are investing in healthy food
On this episode of the Food Podcast presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank talks with Arconic Foundation about why it was so important to step up to help local communities during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, the food bank started the Grow, Share Thrive...
Police seek SUV driver who fled scene of Forest Hills crash on foot
A 19-year-old woman was hospitalized in critical condition after a hit-and-run crash in Forest Hills Monday night, Allegheny County Police said. According to county police, the crash happened at Ardmore and Yost boulevards shortly after 10:30 p.m. Police determined the woman was traveling west on Ardmore in a sedan. She...
Crafton Heights man sentenced to 7 years in federal prison for drug offenses
A Crafton Heights man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to serve seven years in prison on a drug offense, according to prosecutors. William Jamar Saunders, 31, was sentenced to serve six years of probation after the prison term. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession with intent to distribute heroin...
Monroeville police: National Night Out event proves successful after missing out last yearVideo
Alana Grant marveled at the big white-and-yellow STAT MedEvac helicopter parked on one of the grass fields in Monroeville Community Park West. “Please come sit with me,” the 5-year-old North Versailles resident begged her 10-year-old brother Quincy Palmer, who was occupied with his popcorn. Grant beamed happily as Flight Nurse...
Steelers win appeal on spelling out ‘Heinz Field’ on lower bowl seats
A Commonwealth Court opinion on Tuesday clears the way for the Pittsburgh Steelers to paint the words “Heinz Field” on the seats in the lower bowl of the stadium. The issue has been working its way through the city’s zoning board and the courts for more than two years. Heinz...
Kennywood, Idlewild and Sandcastle requiring masks indoors
Kennywood Park, along with Idlewild & Soak Zone, has brought back part of its mask policy now to fall in line with federal guidance now that Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are considered to have “substantial” spread of covid-19. Both parks and sister water park Sandcastle had dropped the mask requirement...
Parkway North HOV lanes reopen open in both directions after 15-month repairs
The High Occupancy Vehicle lanes along the Parkway North will reopen to vehicle traffic in both directions starting on Wednesday morning after being shut down for nearly 15 months, PennDOT announced. A technical issue delaying the reopening, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said around 6:20 a.m. They were open about an...
Spirit Airlines cancellations, delays continue Tuesday for 3rd straight day
Flights on Spirit Airlines continued to be canceled and delayed Tuesday at Arnold Palmer Regional and Pittsburgh International airports. The “proactive cancellations” are a result of “overlapping operational challenges including weather, system outages and staffing shortages,” Spirit spokesman Field Sutton said. It was unclear when the issues might be resolved....
FitzDaniels? Allegheny County executive meets doppelganger, Jeff Daniels
For years, many observers have remarked about Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s uncanny resemblance to Emmy Award-winning actor Jeff Daniels. Some might have wondered if they were the same person. That theory was put to rest Monday as the two met up on the set of Showtime’s “American Rust” series...
Parishioners participate in last Mass at St. Bartholomew Church in Penn Hills
Pat and Tom Zullo walked through the halls of St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Penn Hills on Monday night, just like they did a thousand times before. The Penn Hills couple were a part of that house of worship for more than five decades. Tom Zullo sang in the choir...
Northbound lanes of Route 28 in O’Hara reopen after vehicle fire
A ramp leading to the Highland Park Bridge in O’Hara did not sustain any damage after a vehicle caught fire along Route 28 Monday night, officials said. Crews responded to the northbound lanes of Route 28 near the exit leading to the bridge around 8:30 p.m., according to a tweet...
Group urges victims of sexual harassment, assault at Pine-Richland to come forwardVideo
A recent Pine-Richland graduate was joined by her parents and supporters at Monday’s school board meeting as she leveled accusations that district officials failed to take proper action when she says was raped in 2019 while at school. Ana Baxter, 18, along with several members of a parents group called...
