Allegheny category, Page 264
DEP: Fungicide caused fish kill on Chartiers Creek; fish are returning
The state Department of Environmental Protection found that the thousands of dead fish found on July 14 in Chartiers Creek tested positive for fungicide. Some fungicides, used on food crops and golf courses, are lethal to freshwater organisms, according to studies by the University of South Florida and other researchers....
Ladles restaurant to reopen in Springdale
The popular Springdale restaurant Ladles is set to reopen soon, according to a Facebook message from the owner of the eatery. “Since the building has not sold and we haven’t had any interest (from) potential buyers, I have decided to reopen because I do not want to lose my employees...
Kurt Angle reflects on gutsy gold medal victory 25 years later
The pain was excruciating, and Kurt Angle remembers it vividly. It stands out among the memories of his 1996 Olympic experience: the neck pain he had to deal with through seven wrestling matches, two during the Olympic trials and five more in the Atlanta Games. There have been many courageous...
Hampton School Board to vote on masking plan
Hampton elementary students will have to wear masks when school starts later this month, if the school board approves the current proposal during its meeting Monday. The board is expected to approve a health and safety plan during its 7:30 p.m. meeting in the middle school auditorium, 4589 School Drive....
Allegheny County Jail under fire for contracts seeking weapons and militaristic training
Allegheny County administrators have approved two no-bid contracts totaling more than $400,000 to provide militaristic training, weaponry and other equipment for the jail’s emergency response team. The contracts, recommended by Warden Orlando Harper, come at the same time that the administration is seeking public bids for “rethinking the Allegheny County...
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...
