Local category, Page 3088
Foreign exchange students shine at Highlands musical ‘Hunchback’Video
An all-female foreign exchange student troupe graces the Highlands High School stage this season. Five young ladies — Elisabetta Negrosini from Italy, Froydis “Freya” Rygh from Norway, Luna Vavourakis from Belgium, Tehreem Komal from Pakistan and Pat Sampantanarak from Thailand — will appear this week in the spring musical “The...
Donora man ordered to repay $159K he scammed from retired Lancaster teacher
A former Indiana University of Pennsylvania basketball star will avoid prison time after he promised to repay the $159,000 that he admittedly conned from a retired school teacher. Yancey Darnell Taylor, 47, of Donora, pleaded guilty Friday in Lancaster County to two felony theft counts and was sentenced by Judge...
Pittsburgh, McKees Rocks among municipalities to receive state transportation funding
The Commonwealth Financing Authority on Tuesdayapproved $54.7 million in state grant funding for 106 multimodal transportation projects in 40 counties, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said. Allegheny County will receive more than $6.8 million of the allocation, which will fund an array of projects ranging in scope from $390,000 for Verona’s...
Greensburg artist featured at East Suburban Artists League’s April meeting
In high school, Brian McCall of Greensburg didn’t take art classes, despite having a seemingly natural ability to draw. Instead of delving into a creative career path, he signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox. But when injuries cut short his baseball career after just four years in 1964,...
Young boy found wandering along Overland Avenue in Duquesne
Duquesne police used social media to locate the parents of a young boy found wandering Wednesday morning on Overland Avenue. But Allegheny County Office Child, Youth and Family took custody of the boy after his father and mother’s boyfriend were arrested when they came to the police station, according to...
No snow this year, but another chilly home opener predicted for Pirates
If you are planning to attend the Pirates’ home opener Monday against St. Louis you’ll want to bring a jacket. And maybe a sweater. The forecast from the National Weather Service in Moon calls for temperatures that are colder than the average for April 1, with a high of 47...
Unity dairy farm gets grant funding for expansion into cheese production
A Unity dairy farm is one of the beneficiaries of a new grant program designed to help Pennsylvania dairy farmers thrive at a difficult time for the industry. Pleasant Lane Farms, near Pleasant Unity, received $364,082 in grant funding from the new Pennsylvania Dairy Investment Program — $286,744 to build...
Free Christmas tree mulch available in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh residents can pick up free mulch from the city’s Christmas Tree Recycling Program beginning Saturday. Residents can pick up the mulch from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the city’s forestry division, 6520 Stanton Ave., on Saturdays through April 20 or while supplies last. Residents are required to bring...
Aspinwall Riverfront Park earns Western PA Environmental Award
Aspinwall Riverfront Park will receive a $5,000 prize for its work to restore the area’s lackluster waterfront. The park is a winner of the 2019 Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards, presented by Dominion Energy and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. It is among five groups chosen for a commitment to environmental stewardship....
Longtime Latrobe hardware store to close as owner retires
Like many customers, Alex Cairns has mixed feelings about the impending closure of Petrosky’s Pro Hardware in Latrobe. “I just wish them a happy retirement,” Cairns, of Ligonier Township, said as he shopped the retirement/closing sale over the weekend. “That should be good for them. Then I’m sad because it’s...
Freeport officials unhappy with lack of progress on sewer project
Freeport officials likely won’t have much sympathy if the contractor on a borough sewer project asks for more time to complete work. That’s because no work has been done on the first phase of the project even though it was supposed to have started in October. “They moved in their...
Section of Ashbaugh Road in Murrysville closed for gas company work
Ashbaugh Road between Mamont Road and Saltsburg Road (SR 286) was closed in Murrysville for road work by People’s Gas on Wednesday morning, according to Murrysville police. An estimated time for the closure was not provided....
Ceremony for fallen officers an annual reminder of sacrifice for Penn Hills
A group of police officers — retired and active — and their family members gathered around Penn Hills’ new police memorial March 25 to reflect on the day 47 years ago when they lost two of their own. Police Chief Howard Burton and the Rev. Doug Rehberg of Hebron United...
Annual TakeOff Race honors fallen Trooper Iwaniec at Saint Vincent College
The 10th annual TakeOff Race in memory of Trooper Kenton Iwaniec will be held April 13. The charity race raises money for a nonprofit foundation Debby and Ken Iwaniec, of Cook Township, created after their 24-year-old son died after an impaired driver hit his vehicle in Chester County. There are...
Butler County native’s heart donated to 10-year-old after fatal Tennessee crash
The heart of a Jefferson Township native who died Saturday in a crash along a Tennessee highway will go to a 10-year-old. Sarah Kasunic, 23, was an organ donor, according to information shared in a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for her funeral. The fundraising effort had taken in almost...
Pa. selects pilot programs to boost support for those battling addiction
Western Pennsylvania human services agencies will play a major role in a new pilot program designed to help individuals battling opioid addiction remain in treatment and find stable housing. Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday announced that agencies in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties are among 16 in...
Apollo-Ridge support staff get new contract, raises
Apollo-Ridge School Board approved a new, four-year contract with paraprofessionals and secretarial support staff that includes annual raises. The new agreement begins July 1 and lasts through June 30, 2023. Raises during the first year of the agreement range from $1.00 per hour to $3.05 per hour, depending on the...
An awesome friendship between 10-year-olds at Pittsburgh’s Beechwood Elementary
Friendship came naturally for Lawrence Lynch and Gavin Zett. Gavin has Down syndrome and can’t communicate very well with other kids, particularly those outside of his life skills support classroom at Beechwood Elementary in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood. Lawrence is in a general education classroom at the school. Life skills and...
Jeannette microbrewery seeking volunteers for cleanup day
A lot of junk inside an old building in Jeannette needs to be cleared out before craft beer can be served there. Sobel’s Obscure Brewery is hoping for some volunteer help this weekend. The craft beer community “likes being involved in the start-up in breweries,” said owner Jackie Sobel. But...
New Otter Trot 5K series features 6 trail races
The Conemaugh Valley Conservancy is encouraging people to welcome spring’s return by signing up for its new Otter Trot series of 5K races along regional trails. The six races, spaced over as many months, “seemed like a fun way to get people to explore the trails in the area,” while...
Water main break closes Mt. Lebanon High School
Mt. Lebanon High School is closed Wednesday because of a water main break, the district announced on its website. Cochran Road had been closed near the high school, but has reopened, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported. Drivers are being advised to avoid Cochran between Cedar Boulevard and Washington Road/Route...
40 years ago, Three Mile Island had the nation on edge
Bob Hauser still remembers the metallic taste he got in his mouth while playing in the backyard with his two sons the afternoon of March 28, 1979. “Tony (Hauser’s then-8-year-old son) was climbing a tree and he said, ‘My mouth tastes funny.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, what is that?’” said...
Just Ducky Tours resuming Pittsburgh operations in April
Quack, quack — duck boat tours are coming back. Just Ducky Tours, which operates eight World War II-era amphibious craft out of Pittsburgh’s Station Square, announced on its website that it will be resuming its land and water tours in mid- to late April. The company ended its 2018 season...
A sport that hasn’t gone to the dogs
I have been a sports fan most of my life, but in recent years, my interest in big-time sports has declined significantly. Dog sled racing is an exception; I still find it extremely interesting and am a little frustrated no one else is aware of it and that the local...
Blessed Trinity Academy basketball team earn third in state Diocesan championships
All of the Diocesan champions from around the state came together in Johnstown to play and determine a state champ. Blessed Trinity Academy continued their strong season as they competed and came in third place in the state....
