Local category, Page 3173
Shady Side Academy hosts successful waste reduction campaign
Shady Side Academy senior school students got to sleep in on March 7 as a reward for a successful challenge issued this winter. Members of the environmental club challenged students and staff to reduce waste on campus. Their work paid off — trash was slashed by 25 percent, school officials...
Inclusive theater troupe will hold auditions for upcoming season on March 24
Acting Up, an inclusive theater troupe for people of all ability levels led by Megan Nelson of Export, will hold auditions for its upcoming season on March 24 in Murrysville. Actors in grades 1 through 5 will be asked to introduce themselves, recite a poem or tell a joke and...
Detroit police want charges against Chelsa Wagner, prosecutor saysVideo
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner and her husband both appeared drunk as they interacted with police inside a Detroit hotel, the city’s police chief said Friday. Chief James Craig, during a press conference that was streamed live on Facebook, said video footage of a confrontation in the Weston Book Cadillac...
Fish fry season begins in earnest
Grab a fork and some cocktail sauce, because fish fry season is under way! From Ash Wednesday through Good Friday, Catholic churches, fire departments and private organizations will be hosting weekly fish fries during Lent. If you’re headed through the Star’s coverage area and need a place to get your...
Girls on the Run club encourages positivity among Hempfield elementary students
A new running club at Hempfield’s Stanwood Elementary School is empowering girls and teaching them their potential. Girls on the Run, a club for girls in third through fifth grade, is part of a nonprofit organization started in Charlotte, N.C., in 1996. The program quickly spread across the country, hosting...
Highland Hose fish fry kicks off Lent
The Highland Hose Volunteer Fire Company kicked off the 2019 fish fry season on Ash Wednesday. Like many volunteer fire departments, churches and service organizations, Highland Hose serves fried fish throughout the Lenten season as a way of raising funds as well as bringing the community together....
Monroeville plans summer pavement projects
Nearly 20 miles of road work is planned in Monroeville this summer. Council is expected to open the bidding process for the proposed list of roads March 12. Code officer and engineer Paul Hugus said if the list is approved then, bids will be available for review by May. The...
Doyle looking to set up Monroeville office
Monroeville council will consider signing a lease agreement through January 2021 with Congressman Mike Doyle that would allow him to set up a district office within the municipality’s administrative building. Monroeville council will consider a lease agreement with the congressman at its voting meeting March 12. The agreement would be...
New West Jefferson Hills special ed supervisor focused on restorative practices
Jade Fiore plans to bring her extensive experience in special education and restorative practice training to West Jefferson Hills when she joins the district as the supervisor of special education/pupil services this spring. The West Jefferson Hills School Board hired Fiore, 34, of South Fayette, Feb. 26. She will earn...
Breakfast Hero: Plum food service director honored for launching meal programs
Plum School District food service director Jessica Griggle is a School Breakfast Hero. She was one of 11 in southwestern Pennsylvania to receive the honor from Share Our Strength, a national organization focusing on child hunger. Griggle was recognized for bringing in Second Chance and Grab and Go, both grant-funded...
West Penn Hospital and ACHIEVA promote Early Intervention program
In a new twist on the importance of books, ACHIEVA’s Early Intervention is launching a new program at West Penn Hospital to promote literacy and the value of early help for children facing developmental challenges or disabilities. “Books at Birth” will provide families who give birth at West Penn’s NICU...
Annual Kidney Gift of Life Gala to raise money for National Kidney Foundation
The annual Kidney Gift of Life Gala is set to raise money for the National Kidney Foundation this weekend. With performances by Protégé, an open bar, silent auction and dinner, the event will raise awareness about the prevention and treatment of kidney disease. “This event will draw people who want...
Pittsburgh Councilwoman Darlene Harris again defies city campaign finance rules
Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Darlene Harris is once again flouting Pittsburgh’s campaign finance ordinance, contending the law is illegal, unconstitutional and unenforceable. Harris, a Democrat running for re-election this year, informed the Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Board by letter on March 1 that she would not comply with the ordinance requiring candidates...
Drop the Puck on Cancer nets $450,000, sets next event for March 30 in Brentwood
John Toth knows cancer. The 44-year-old Brentwood resident lost both parents to the disease, his mother dying when he was just 12. “I’ve been around cancer my whole life,” said Toth. It’s what inspired him to find ways to support others affected by a diagnosis, including spending entire days refereeing...
Parkway North tractor-trailer wreck cleared; lane restriction lifted
An overturned tractor trailer that snarled traffic along the outbound Parkway West near the Pittsburgh International Airport for most of the morning has been cleared. The wreck along the outbound lanes of I-376 near Exit 51 was reported at 7 a.m. The accident caused a lane restriction until a tow...
Free fly fishing event for veterans planned near Stahlstown
A free fly fishing event for veterans will be held near Stahlstown on May 11. The event at Foggy Mountain Lodge Lake in Cook Township is for all veterans, including those with disabilities. Six hours of fishing will get underway at 9 a.m. Adaptive equipment, fishing tackle and restroom facilities...
Allegheny Health Network’s new cancer center in Butler opens today
Allegheny Health Network’s new cancer center in Butler is opening today. The 34,00-square-foot facility in the Pullman Business Park is part of a $300 million investment the health system is making to expand access to cancer treatment in the region. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled from 12:30 to 2 p.m....
Police: 3 people arrested for attempted home invasion in Scott Township
Surveillance video was used to track down three people from Butler County who allegedly tried to break into a Scott Township woman’s home by knocking on the door and announcing themselves as police officers. The investigation began Feb. 20 when a woman along the 500 block of Carothers Avenue reported...
Fire guts vacant East Huntingdon farmhouse
No one was injured Thursday night when fire gutted a stone farmhouse in East Huntingdon. Firefighters battled the blaze from outside since the building was fully engulfed when units arrived, East Huntingdon Fire Chief Brian Kite said. Half of the second floor collapsed, he said. The fire was reported around...
Gov. Tom Wolf visits Carnegie to discuss Restore Pennsylvania initiative
Gov. Tom Wolf stopped by the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall on March 6 to share plans for his Restore Pennsylvania initiative, an effort that would supply funds for victims of natural disasters and to prevent flooding, something Carnegie residents are all too familiar with. “I think we...
North Allegheny student helps food allergy sufferers enjoy eating again
Brandon Negri loves pizza, despite the fact that he’s allergic to nearly all the ingredients that go into a traditional pie. You can often find the 17-year-old enjoying a slice at Mandy’s Pizza, his family’s business in West View. At age 9, unfulfilled by gritty, gluten-free bread topped with a...
BrainSTEM Robotics team to compete at World Championships
The BrainSTEM Robotics First Tech Challenge Team #6931 was part of the winning alliance, which placed first at the at the First Tech Challenge PA State Tournament, hosted at Oxford Area High School in Oxford, PA, on March 2-3. This victory qualifies the team to go to the FIRST World...
Workers fill in Rostraver sinkhole near Route 51Video
A once-expanding sinkhole along a busy stretch of Route 51 in Rostraver no longer worries PennDOT, municipal officials and passing motorists — because it no longer exists. The crater that had been inching toward the state highway near a storm drain, reportedly growing more than 10 feet deep, was filled...
Fire marshal to investigate fire that damaged Youngwood toy business
A state police fire marshal will investigate the cause of a fire Thursday night that destroyed an adjoining storage shed and caused mostly interior smoke damage at a Youngwood toy business. According to Youngwood Fire Chief Lloyd Crago, the owners of Gene and Troy’s Toys, who live nearby, had not...
Post-graduation plans in jeopardy for some Plum High School seniors
Plum High School students hope they can work with administrators to resolve graduation scheduling conflicts. Senior Isabella Stoll noted that graduation originally was scheduled for June 6 but may be pushed to June 10. That, she said, would impact many district families’ plans. Multiple seniors joined Stoll at a recent...
