Top Stories category, Page 998
Lower Burrell councilmen seek new uses for empty JCPenney store, a longtime eyesore
Two Lower Burrell councilmen are working to change the city’s symbol of lost retail luster — the empty JCPenney building fronted by pothole-riddled asphalt once lined with more than 300 parking spaces. Councilmen David Stoltz and Chris Fabry are trying to bring in a new buyer to Penney’s, as well...
Hempfield will no longer maintain, operate Swede Hill Park after county balks at handing over ownership
After a quarter-century run, Hempfield no longer will maintain and operate the 17-acre Swede Hill Park. Hempfield officials chose not to renew the township’s $1 annual lease after they could not persuade Westmoreland County to transfer ownership of the park at no charge, said George Reese, chairman of the township...
Local Provisions, a ‘chef-driven’ market and cafe, to open in Fox Chapel Plaza
A well-regarded Pittsburgh restaurateur is opening an artisan market and cafe in the Fox Chapel area. Brian Pekarcik, a chef best known for operating Spoon in East Liberty, and his wife, Jessica, are launching Local Provisions Market & Cafe in late summer. The 4,000-square-foot venue in Fox Chapel Plaza in...
Aspinwall to get custom florist Fox and the Fleur on Brilliant Avenue
A new artisan floral business is coming to Brilliant Avenue in Aspinwall, thanks to a Fox Chapel woman with a passion for artistic floral expression. Anne Dickson, 41, is the force behind Fox and the Fleur, a custom florist specializing in weddings, events and holiday decorating and more. Dickson secured...
Port Authority reacts to high number of call-offs
A significant number of Port Authority employees called off from work Saturday, in what Port Authority officials called an apparent protest of the authority’s vaccine mandate. Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph declined to give an exact number of how many employees didn’t show up for work Saturday, adding a number...
URA poised to launch pilot programs to encourage minority entrepreneurship, business expansion
Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority is poised to create two new social impact pilot programs aimed at encouraging minority entrepreneurship and business expansion. URA Ventures and the Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise Developer Equity Fund programs will provide risk capital to minority and women-owned businesses. The redevelopment authority is hoping to...
Coroner: East Huntingdon man using snow blower killed by passing pickup
A man operating a snow blower was struck and killed by a pickup Saturday morning, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. County Coroner Timothy Carson identified the victim as Brian P. Hyde, of East Huntingdon. Hyde, 49, was struck around 10 a.m. by a Dodge Ram pickup traveling at...
Cold and snow don’t dissuade hearty Pittsburghers from St. Patrick’s Day parade
Despite ominous snowfall predictions for this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, thousands of green-clad revelers and participants still gathered Saturday morning in Downtown Pittsburgh for the two-hour event. The route started at the Greyhound bus station near Liberty Avenue, moved down Grant Street before turning onto Boulevard of the Allies...
Storm drops up to 9 inches of snow in Pittsburgh region, creates road hazards
A late winter storm that began Friday night dumped more than 9 inches of snow in parts of Allegheny County by early Saturday evening, while lesser amounts were recorded in Westmoreland County, according to the National Weather Service. One of the highest snow totals was reported in Moon Township, where...
Russia strikes near Ukraine’s capital; mosque reported hit
LVIV, Ukraine — Russian forces pounded the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Saturday, shelling its downtown as residents hid in its iconic mosque and elsewhere to avoid the explosions. Fighting also raged in the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, as Russia kept up its bombardment of several resisting cities....
As ice festival business booms, Jeannette company looks to train carvers
The work is plentiful, but the laborers are few. With the proliferation of winter ice festivals across Pennsylvania and neighboring states, DiMartino Ice Co. in Jeannette is looking to train ice carvers to fill the demand. “We’re busy from December through February,” said owner Ernie DiMartino. “We’re somewhere every week,...
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh unveils fashion exhibit
Imagine a dress that senses when someone next to a person is not socially distanced. Technology designer Anouk Wipprecht created that and other state-of-the-art fashions. Her work is being displayed at the “How You Wear It” exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh’s Museum Lab on Pittsburgh’s North Side. The...
Structural failures elsewhere spur call for emergency repairs at Westmoreland courthouse
It had been a month since the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh’s East End collapsed, and the memory was fresh in the mind of Westmoreland County Public Works Director Greg McCloskey as he gathered his bosses around a conference table to meet with an engineer. It was at that Feb....
Census undercount may lead to funding shortfalls, Western Pa. leaders warn
Some communities and neighborhoods across Western Pennsylvania could be left without their fair share of funding after the 2020 census undercounted millions of people in certain communities nationwide. The once-a-decade survey undercounted Black, Hispanic and Native American residents while overcounting white and Asian American residents, according to a Census Bureau...
Harrison family’s missing dog found after week-long search
When Harrison resident John Latour was involved in a traffic accident last month, he never thought it would lead to a week-long search for a family member. The story started Feb. 26, when Latour and his girlfriend, Hannah Kish, were driving on Freeport Road in Natrona Heights, Harrison, and got...
Woodland Hills hosts Western Pa. school districts for summit to address social issues
When Cassidy Laffey took a sophomore robotics class at Shaler High School, she was the only female. “Everyone, even the teacher, was male,” said Laffey, a senior. “I felt out of place because I didn’t see people like me in that class. I want females to know they can study...
23-year-old shot in Plum upgraded to stable condition
A 23-year-old Plum man who was shot in the chest last week has been upgraded to stable condition, Allegheny County Police said Tuesday. Officers responded to the shooting at about 8 p.m. Friday along the 7800 block of Saltsburg Road. The man, whose name was not released, was taken by...
Hempfield school board shelves any changes to its library book policy and selections for now
The Hempfield Area School Board next month will further discuss the possibility of tweaking a policy related to reevaluating course materials after high school students were allowed access to two books deemed inappropriate by a small group of parents. The board’s policy committee on Friday decided to not move forward...
Westmoreland jury awards $19M to swimming pool injury victim
A jury on Friday awarded $19 million in damages to a Vandergrift man left paralyzed from an accident in a friend’s swimming pool, in what is believed to be the largest verdict ever issued in Westmoreland County. Jurors found that Washington Township homeowners Robert and Laura O’Black were negligent and...
Elizabeth-Forward special education teacher sent explicit photos, messages to student, police say
An Elizabeth-Forward special education teacher is accused of sexually abusing a teenage student and then demanding that he delete her number and all of their messages after she was placed on leave, according to a criminal complaint. Nicole Corson, 41, of Pittsburgh’s Lincoln Place neighborhood, is charged with institutional sexual...
Part of Butler Street in Pittsburgh remains closed after large water main break
Butler Street between the 62nd Street Bridge and 57th Street in Upper Lawrenceville will be closed for at least a week because of damage caused by a 42-inch water main break Thursday afternoon, officials said. The break flooded the street as well as several nearby buildings. Pittsburgh Water & Sewer...
Port Authority leaders warn of ‘significant delays’ with 500 unvaccinated employees facing discipline
Port Authority of Allegheny County officials on Friday warned of “significant delays and a large number of missed trips” as 500 employees face being placed on leave now that a judge has cleared the way for the authority’s vaccine mandate to continue. Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman said moving forward...
Carnegie pastor and wife hoping to adopt 3 Ukrainian children
Three foster children huddled in a basement in Ukraine await a Facebook Messenger call from a couple in Carnegie who are hoping to adopt them. The Rev. John Charest and his wife, Laryssa, check social media constantly to see if the kids are online so they can reach out. “Sometimes,...
Police brace for large crowds as Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade returns
For the first time since 2019, Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade will go on as planned in March, and police are expecting its return to be very well-attended. “After two very challenging years, it’s understandable that people will be in the mood to celebrate one of Pittsburgh’s most beloved traditions:...
More Pittsburgh officials urge PennDOT to slow down on Fern Hollow Bridge replacement
Some officials continue to voice concerns with the proposed design for Pittsburgh’s new Fern Hollow Bridge. PennDOT is overseeing the bridge’s design and construction, but the city will take control of the bridge once construction is complete. Because the project would be done under an emergency declaration, with work tentatively...
