Westmoreland native’s new guidebook explores the ‘weird, wonderful and obscure’ in New York City
Having grown up in Western Pennsylvania, Rossilynne Skena Culgan had a leg up when she started her first guidebook, “101 Things to Do in Pittsburgh Before You Die.” A few years ago, the Murrysville native moved to New York City, where she quickly began cataloguing five boroughs’ worth of oddities...
Supply issues slow down Freeport’s $18.6M sewage plant, but it still could meet schedule
Work on Freeport’s new $18.6 million sewage treatment facility is going slower than expected, with possible change orders looming. Robert Horvat, the project’s engineer from KLH Engineers, estimated that if “everything goes perfect and we get a little lucky,” the plant will be ready during the third quarter of next...
Reenactors, artisans, parade bring diverse appeal to Fort Ligonier Days
The 18th and 21st centuries will intersect in Ligonier this weekend as the town hosts the annual Fort Ligonier Days. The festival’s historical appeal includes reenactors portraying French and Indian War combatants and one of the country’s founding fathers — no, not George Washington. Live entertainment, a parade and vendors...
Pheasant season opens for junior and mentor hunters; 15,000 birds stocked
Junior pheasant season is set to start Saturday for junior hunters and mentored hunters of any age. That opportunity will wrap up Oct. 19 and statewide pheasant season starts Oct. 26. The Pennsylvania Game Commission plans to stock about 15,000 pheasants for the junior season and approximately 237,000 birds through...
Obama implores Pittsburghers to ‘get off couch’ and vote for Harris at Oakland rallyVideo
Former President Barack Obama pleaded with Pittsburghers to get out and vote for Vice President Kamala Harris during a rally Thursday evening in front of thousands, urging the crowd that this year’s election is too important to sit on the sidelines. During his trip to the Steel City, he spoke...
Morning Roundup: $5M lottery scratch-off sold at Washington County casino
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning: Thursday, Oct. 10: $5M scratch-off sold in Washington County A $5 million winning scratch-off ticket was sold at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in North Strabane Township. The ticket, “MONOPOLY Own It All,” is a $50 game with prizes...
Young chef fulfills lifelong dream, opens Italian bistro in former CC’s Cafe in Sharpsburg
Old is new again at a staple Italian restaurant in Sharpsburg. Ranucci’s Trattoria is the newest restaurant in the borough, but customers who frequent the former CC’s Cafe Italian Cuisine can expect to enjoy the same neighborhood hospitality they’ve enjoyed since CC’s opened in 1995. Owner/chef Robert Volpe of the...
2nd runaway sheep found safe, reunited with previously rescued animal on the lam
Storm and Baby are reunited. The runaway sheep from Plum spent three weeks on the lam, creating social media buzz with sightings from Lower Burrell to Tarentum. “It’s been a nightmare,” owner Rick Borowski said. Storm, a 180-pound black-and-white male sheep, was captured Monday in Brackenridge Memorial Park with help...
The Stroller, Oct. 10, 2024: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Fall fun day set...
Everything you need to know before the Stewart Elementary vote
The time is finally near for the Burrell School Board to make a decision on Stewart Elementary School’s fate. The board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to consider closing the building, which serves fourth and fifth graders, effective next school year. Superintendent Shannon Wagner recommends the board close
Stewart...
Police search for missing Homewood teen
Pittsburgh police seek the public’s help in locating a missing Homewood teen. Sincere Mack, 16, was last seen in the Homewood area Monday night, Oct. 7. He is described as standing 5 feet 11 inches, weighing 160 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. Sincere is also known to frequent...
Man, 82, faces trial for exposing himself to kids outside Sewickley ice cream shop
An 82-year-old man facing trial on charges that he exposed himself to children outside a Sewickley ice cream shop was previously sentenced to probation on indecent exposure charges in two separate incidents, court records show. Allegheny County Police last month charged David Whitten of Franklin Park with corruption of minors,...
A Western Pennsylvania native, college student and Florida visitor all brace for Hurricane Milton
Kyle Swan evacuated from the Tampa area Wednesday morning after official notice that his family’s Sarasota, Fla., home would be in the path of impending Hurricane Milton. “It was very worrisome,” he said. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a Category 5 hurricane.”...
Penn Township author to discuss self-publishing
Penn Township author Leslie Savisky will offer tips on how to self-publish books during a program Thursday at the Penn Area Library, 2001 Municipal Court, Harrison City. Savisky is a freelance writer for Pittsburgh Parent magazine and the Monroeville Times Express. She is the author of the self-published novels, “Other...
Man used toddler as ‘human shield’ during SWAT situation, police say
A man used his toddler as a shield from police during a standoff Tuesday, according to authorities. Manuel Antonio Turcios-Perez, 23, faces charges of endangering the welfare of children, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, unlawful restraint and disarming a police officer in connection to the five-hour standoff that occurred in his...
Gia Visto reopens after Health Department hang-up
Gia Visto, the Italian restaurant in Penn Hills that closed under Allegheny County Health Department orders in August, has reopened after getting a permit and upgrading its kitchen. Owner Jill Varmecky characterized the permit situation as a mix-up. “I’ve always had a pleasant relationship with the Health Department all these...
Gateway students explore different paths at college fair
For Gateway counselors, graduating from high school is not the end. In fact, it’s just the beginning. The expectation is that all students research the path they’d like to take after graduation. whether it be joining the workforce or military, pursuing a skilled trade, or enrolling in a traditional college,...
Bob Butter, Pittsburgh’s ‘patriarch of public relations,’ dies
Tree of Life Congregation Rabbi Jeffrey Myers made a daily call to Bob Butter for comfort and advice. Butter, a public relations giant in Pittsburgh, helped Myers handle the media onslaught after the Oct. 27, 2018, attack on Tree of Life in Squirrel Hill. “We knew we would need extra...
Obstruction charges filed against Blackburn Center staff in child custody case
Four employees of the Blackburn Center in Greensburg are facing charges after, state police said, they denied entry to troopers attempting to serve an emergency child custody order. Police reported prying a door open Oct. 1 in an effort to locate the child after repeated attempts to get inside a...
Bradford Woods Conservancy celebrates 30th anniversary
When a commercial nursery in Bradford Woods closed in the 1980s, developers no doubt eyed up the 4½ acres as a potential site for pricey homes. Property owners Ted and Janet Eck had a different idea. “When they left, they wanted to have their property remain open space for the...
Verona police identify cigar theft suspect, issue arrest warrant
Verona police are looking for a Buffalo, N.Y., woman suspected of stealing nearly $1,500 in high-end cigars. Caitlin Connelly, 40, was caught on Verona News and Cigars security footage taking six boxes of cigars by West Tampa Tobacco, a high-end cigar company based in Florida, without paying on Sept. 26,...
Plum man to face trial for sexual assault of 14-year-old girl
A Plum man will face trial on charges of sexually assaulting one of two girls he took to his home after encountering them outside a borough bar in June. John Dale Vorous, 61, was shackled and wearing prison garb when he waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday before...
Death penalty dropped against Allegheny Township man in Blawnox workplace slaying
An Allegheny Township man won’t be facing a possible death penalty when he goes to trial on charges of killing his ex-girlfriend at their Blawnox workplace in March. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office rescinded its intention to seek the death penalty against Sean Black, 43, because of opposition from...
Game Commission pitches in $1.3 million for Indiana Township land purchase
The Pennsylvania Game Commission will cover half of the $2.6 million cost to buy 280 acres in Indiana Township as part of an Allegheny Land Trust-led conservation effort. Game commissioners voted unanimously last week to put $1.3 million toward purchasing two parcels near Emmerling Community Park, along with additions to...
Killer of off-duty Oakdale cop fires lawyer, disrupts sentencing
A Pittsburgh man on Wednesday disrupted his sentencing for the 2022 road-rage killing of an off-duty Oakdale police officer by firing his lawyer, arguing with the judge and inconveniencing the victim’s relatives. Kevin McSwiggen, 42, of the city’s Greenfield section, was scheduled to be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas...
