North suburban real estate, week of Feb. 18,2024
Bellevue Edward Dietz sold property at 615 Lincoln Ave. to Edward and Catherine Dietz for $1,220,000. Michael Morley sold property at 44 N Bryant Ave. to Evangelino and Katia Nascimento for $360,000. Tiffany Painter sold property at 632 Roosevelt Ave. B to Wendy Marie Farver for $138,300. Richard Brooks trustee...
East suburban real estate, week of Feb. 18, 2024
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Churchill Phyllis Szoko sold property at 314 Surrey Pl to Leon and Jeanetta Blackston for $239,000. James Reese sold property at 120 Thornberry Drive to Charles Vaughn for $319,000. Forest Hills Mary Duffy Rooney sold property at 109 Bevington Road to Corner Lot Homes LLC for $130,000. Monroeville...
Silent Book Club gains traction in the Pittsburgh region
The rules of Silent Book Club are simple: No assigned reading, no homework and no small talk required. Members are expected to show up at a designated meeting place with whatever title they’re enjoying, sit and read. They can share thoughts if they want, but they don’t have to. The...
The Stroller, Feb. 18, 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. Free shuttle service available for NK, Arnold residents The New Ken...
‘The cost of living in this country’: Experts, Pittsburghers reflect on Kansas City shooting
When news broke on Jeff “Mac” McCafferty’s TV about the Kansas City Super Bowl parade shooting, the retired Pittsburgh Public Schools history teacher instantly thought of two things. Pittsburgh. And St. Patrick’s Day. The longtime St. Patrick’s Day Parade chairman has for eight years helped organize the city’s largest annual...
‘There needs to be somebody that looks like me’: Pittsburgh nonprofit creates recreation opportunities for people of color
Jaiya Hughes loves everything about winter. When temperatures drop, Hughes, 10, cannot wait to don her snow coat and boots and hit the hills of her East Liberty neighborhood in Pittsburgh, sled in hand. Her mother, Tazi Hughes, always joins in on the action. But when Jaiya sees fellow sled...
Highlands to require students to take personal finance, family/consumer sciences courses
Highlands students, beginning with the Class of 2027, will be required to take two classes that are expected to benefit their lives after high school, administrators said. The school board on Monday discussed new guidelines from the state Department of Education for students to enroll in a personal finance course...
Monroeville ‘doodler’ featured at The Manos Gallery in Tarentum
Larry Brandstetter’s passion for art began at the kitchen table. When he was 8, Brandstetter recalls his mother sitting in their Morningside home with an open phone book nearby. “She would draw these ladies in chiffon dresses and heels,” Brandstetter said. Her whimsy sparked his creativity, according to the self-proclaimed...
Greater Latrobe grad takes surgical skills to underserved areas overseas
There was a time, before Dr. Marla Sacks received her 2009 high school diploma from Greater Latrobe, when she was considering a career as a veterinarian. Patients in several countries are grateful that she instead earned a medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine, in the island nation...
Export native recognized by borough for contributions to development, conservation
Larry Larese recognized the value of the former school building in Export when its use was discontinued by the Franklin Regional School District. “My sister was part of the last class to graduate from there in the early 1960s,” said Larese, 76, of Murrysville. “I know how much that building...
‘Rock of Ages’ musical a throwback to big guitar solos, bigger hair
Westmoreland Performing Arts Professional Theatre Company will transport theater fans back to a time of big guitar solos and even bigger hair as they present the musical “Rock of Ages” on Feb. 23-24. “It’s a party!” said director Tony Marino. “You’re going to sing along with pretty much every song,...
Homestead native will tell ‘The Story of Whiskey’ at West Overton Village
Robin Robinson began his entertainment career as a comedian in the 1970s. He convinced a band at the old Portfolio bar in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood to let him use their microphone for a little stand-up comedy during the set break. But while he’ll crack plenty of jokes during a March...
Runners shrug off cold in Pittsburgh Undie Run to help fight neurofibromatosis
“Aren’t you freezing?” The question was painfully obvious. But it was hard to avoid repeating it Saturday to runners young and old who huffed and puffed their way across the Roberto Clemente Bridge from Downtown Pittsburgh to the North Shore, wearing enthusiastic smiles, colorful skivvies and not much more in...
Students in Hempfield support programs sell handmade items through boutique
Jack Wonderling carefully lifted the lid of the heat press machine and placed a fresh tote bag inside. He pressed down on the handle of the press and held it for about a minute until the design — a glittery blue Spartan logo — was transferred onto the outside of...
Delmont claims local American Legion improperly sold former post
Delmont Borough officials say their local American Legion improperly sold its former post to the next-door neighbor, and suggested the man should retain an attorney. Matthew Cunningham, 33, received a letter from borough Solicitor Dan Hewitt after agreeing to purchase the post’s property at 64 Freeport St. in November 2023....
Murrysville-based car club charged up about switch to electric cars
Jonathan Belak estimates it costs him about $3 per week to get around in his Tesla Model S. That’s based on the small fraction of his utility bill that results when the retiree plugs in the 2013 model electric vehicle to recharge at his Murrysville home. Belak is president of...
41-0: North Hills Middle School girls undefeated for 2 years in basketball
Last season’s North Hills Middle School seventh-grade girls went undefeated on the basketball court. Coach Jason Pirring wasn’t necessarily expecting a repeat for the players as eighth graders. “This year, we had the bull’s-eye on our back,” he said. “Everybody knew. A lot of coaches came up before the game...
Westmoreland Transit sees increased ridership as plans for revised service loom
Ridership on commuter and local bus service continues to rebound, according to the Westmoreland County Transit Authority The bus service saw the number of passengers increase by nearly 6% in January and over the last year its performance has been on an upward trajectory following declines caused by the coronavirus...
Winter storm dumps 6 or more inches of snow in parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania
Some areas of Southwestern Pennsylvania saw 6 or more inches of snow from Friday evening through Saturday morning, exceeding by a few inches what forecasters had predicted for the winter storm. The heaviest band of snow pushed through southern Allegheny County, after dumping up to 11 inches in areas of...
Uniontown house fire displaces pair, man suffers burns
A man and woman in Uniontown were displaced by an early morning house fire, and the man suffered burns while escaping the flames, according to firefighters. The man was treated at the scene by medics and declined transport for further treatment, according to Uniontown fire Chief Scott Conn. The man...
Project Lifesaver aims to protect cognitively impaired people who are prone to wandering
When Sophie Gass’ grandmother wandered off from a family outing at O’Hara Community Park, every minute was a nightmare. The search, conducted by family, friends and multiple police and fire departments, lasted five hours. When they finally located Alzheimer’s patient Kathy Gass, then 73, she was missing a shoe and...
Religion Digest – Feb. 17, 2024
Blacklight puppet show planned Friday A free blacklight puppet show will be presented at
7 p.m. Friday in First United Methodist Church, 134 Custer Ave., Vandergrift. The show will be performed by the Let It Shine puppet ministry of the youth of Bethel United Methodist Church, Lower Burrell. Refreshments will...
The Stroller, Feb. 17, 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. NK Arts Center to celebrate ninth anniversary The New Kensington Arts...
Stipends help improve fire protection in Rostraver, Southwest Greensburg
Two Westmoreland County volunteer fire departments are looking at how they can continue offering a stipend to firefighters who staff the respective stations after grant funding runs out. Officials at both stations — Rostraver Central and Southwest Greensburg — said their response time has improved by a minute or more...
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium to close Saturday after the deaths of 3 animals, will reopen Sunday
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium will be closed Saturday after the death of three animals this month. In a Facebook post, a zoo spokesperson said the one-day closure comes “out of respect for staff and recent animal losses” and offer the staff “time for grieving and healing.” The post said...
