Local category, Page 1941
Fire heavily damages 8th-floor apartment at Tarentum high-rise
As she looked on from a nearby parking lot, Maria Gray said the apartment next to hers on the top floor of Rachel Carson Hall in Tarentum looked like “a black void.” A fire Wednesday afternoon caused extensive damage to that apartment, but nobody was hurt, Eureka Deputy Fire Chief...
UPMC reports $6B in 2021 revenue as hospital volumes rebound from covid slowdown
UPMC continues to grow its insurance rolls and investment capacity to record-high levels so far this year as patient demand for services rebounds and covid-19 restrictions ease. “Our hospitals are busy,” UPMC Chief Financial Officer Edward Karlovich said. “We are past the point where we had the significant reduction in...
Fox Chapel Area’s Xavier Perry wins Belle Voci music award
A passion for music — and his ability to bring joy to others through it — has earned Fox Chapel Area senior Xavier Perry the 2021 Jeffrey Dean Memorial Award from Fox Chapel-based women’s choir Belle Voci. “I am so honored,” Perry, 18, said. “It means a great deal to...
Plum mayoral candidate Shawn Marcellino dies after collapsing at a softball game
Plum resident Shawn Marcellino was a selfless, caring man and a calming voice in times of trouble. That is how fellow Plum alum and school board president Mike Devine described his best friend of nearly 30 years. “He was the best guy,” Devine said. “He would literally do anything for...
Pine-Richland votes to hire veteran coach to heal fractured football programVideo
The Pine-Richland School Board has hired a veteran coach it hopes can close the book on a tumultuous chapter in the district’s football program. Steve Campos, an assistant football coach at Seneca Valley with nearly 30 years of experience, was the only candidate for the head coaching position considered during...
Allegheny County judge halts plea deals amid questions surrounding DA Zappala
Criminal justice advocates and elected officials are calling for the resignation of Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. after an email he sent banning plea offers to a Black attorney who called his office “systematically racist” became public. Additionally, an Allegheny County judge is now refusing to accept...
Country concert in Irwin Park to benefit military personnel, veterans
The sixth annual Country Sounds for Soldiers Concert promises music by “home-grown country artists with a party-down-South attitude.” Music will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday in the amphitheater at Irwin Park in downtown Irwin. The concert will benefit Operation Troop Appreciation, a West Mifflin-based nonprofit that provides support for members...
Part of former Troutman store sold; apartments planned
An Arizona-based real estate investment firm bought part of the vacant seven-story building in downtown Greensburg that formerly housed A.E. Troutman Co. department store with plans to convert it into 57 apartments. Urban Communities Steel Valley LLC of Phoenix told city officials it wants to create “multi-family workforce apartments” in...
Pittsburgh region adds 15,200 jobs in April, but 80K short of pre-pandemic level
The seven-county Pittsburgh region added 15,200 jobs in April, raising the total to about 1.11 million — which is almost 142,000 more than the pandemic-restricted economy of a year ago, according to new state labor-force figures. The region saw nonfarm jobs rise to 1,111,700 as 6,500 more construction jobs were...
Weekly food truck event raising money for Restore Freeport Community Park
Freeport Community Park will welcome food trucks throughout the summer for weekly events raising money for the park’s upkeep. Jackie Gaughan, who operates a semi-permanent food truck in Freeport, is organizing the weekly event, which she calls Freeport’s Food Truckin’ Thursdays. Every Thursday — beginning June 3 and continuing through...
Pittsburgh Opera announces its 2021-22 season
The Pittsburgh Opera returns to larger venues with a mix of contemporary and traditional operas for its 2021-22 season. Included in the schedule released Wednesday are favorites such as “The Magic Flute,” originally scheduled for November 2020, and “Carmen,” which was in rehearsals when the pandemic shut down production in...
South Side’s Boom Boom Room raided by state police, shut down by health department
State police raided a South Side club and seized gallons of alcohol over the weekend, while the county health department shut down the bar for operating without a license, records show. State troopers with the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement along with Pittsburgh police served a search warrant on the...
Fight over loud music ends with New Alexandria man jailed in Indiana County, troopers say
Police say an argument over loud music in Indiana County resulted in $5,000 damage to a woman’s car and a New Alexandria man facing multiple charges. Ryan Lee Reynolds, 30, was arraigned on charges of criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, harassment and simple assault after his arrest by state troopers in...
ATM kiosk approved for vacant lot along Route 8
An ATM kiosk was approved for construction along Route 8. Hampton council approved the conditional use during a recent meeting for the vacant lot at 4640 Route 8, Manager Chris Lochner said. The property sits at the Talley Cavey intersection, just north of the BP station near Alpine Pools. Developers...
Purchase of SWAT bots questioned by Pittsburgh council
Pittsburgh City Council members gave preliminary approval Wednesday for the police department to buy two small robots equipped with cameras. But they did so only after discussion among members and asking the police department’s Special Deployment Cmdr. Ed Trapp about how the robots will be used. “It’s just distressing to...
White Whale Bookstore expanding in Bloomfield
White Whale Bookstore is expanding in the Bloomfield building where it has operated for nearly five years. “We had been thinking about expanding for a couple years,” said Jill Yeomans, who owns the bookstore with her husband, Adlai. The expansion will be in a second storefront in its current building...
Covid cases, hospitalizations continue to drop in Pennsylvania and Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
Covid cases and hospitalizations in Pennsylvania and Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have continued to drop in recent days, as the number of people vaccinated slowly rises. Cases The Allegheny County Health Department reported 42 additional cases — 35 confirmed and seven probable — on Wednesday, with the county’s total reaching...
Hartwood Acres Sculpture Garden breaks ground on multimillion-dollar site renovation
A ceremonial groundbreaking for the $2.4 million sculpture garden at Hartwood Acres showcased grand, decades-old art that will dot the landscape in new configurations at the 629-acre Allegheny County-owned park. Hosted by the county and the Allegheny County Parks Foundation, the June 1 event spotlighted 13 large-scale pieces of art...
Lawrenceville’s retro Arsenal Bowl up for sale
Lawrenceville’s iconic Arsenal Bowl is up for sale. The bowling alley, in operation since 1938, survived the pandemic after a record-setting year in 2019, according to the Specialty Group, the real estate broker tasked with finding a buyer. Pennsylvania’s pandemic-related business restrictions have been slowly loosening for months, and all...
Westmoreland happenings include sunset yoga, strawberry festival and food trucks
Church events • First Church of God, West Newton, will have vacation Bible school from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. June 13 to 17 at the church, 157 N. Second St. Registration and questions: 724-872-7467 Class • Laurelville Christian Retreat Center, 941 Laurelville Lane, Mt. Pleasant Township, will host outdoor Sunset...
Marshall Township’s Kevin Walker becomes 1st Black man to lead Duquesne Light Co.
Kevin Walker of Marshall Township has been named the new president and CEO of Duquesne Light Co., company officials announced. Walker is a U.S. Army combat veteran with more than three decades of experience leading utility companies and is the first Black man to become head of Duquesne Light Co.,...
Litter gitters get it done during monthly trash pickups in North Park
While Allegheny County public works and maintenance crews handle most of the heavy lifting when it comes to keeping North Park tidy, a dedicated group of volunteers regularly roams the park in search of trash. In addition to taking away from the park’s natural beauty, the trash can be a...
Staffer Katie Byerly comes of age at Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall
The Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall has been a big part of my life, teaching me many things that help me to this day. I have been working at the library for the past 20 years. It all started when I was a sophomore in high school and...
Letter to the editor: Governance ethics, transparency and conflict of interest concerns in Sewickley
Sewickley council needs ethics code I am one of two neighbors who recently opposed an adjoining neighbor’s variance request to build a large addition on his small lot. Despite our presentation of valid arguments why this property did not meet the conditions required to issue a variance, the Sewickley Zoning...
Galley Bakery Square’s 4 new restaurants officially open for business
Pittsburgh’s East End received a dining infusion Tuesday. Four restaurants officially opened as part of Galley Group’s latest endeavor: Galley Bakery Square. The options are as diverse as the restaurants themselves: City Fresh Pasta, Bubba’s, Somi and GG’s Cafe. The timing comes on the heels of the state lifting capacity...
