Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 13

The St. Patrick’s Day parade organized by a community group in Lower Burrell will return this year on March 12 at 11 a.m. Parades have become so popular in Lower Burrell lately that during a recent city council meeting, Mayor John Andrejcik dubbed the town “Parade City USA.” A Christmas...

PennDOT announced periodic traffic stoppages on North Warren Avenue in Apollo from Feb. 14-17. The stoppages, 15 minutes or less, are planned for North Warren Avenue near North 11th Street. Stoppages should be less than 15 minutes or less at a time between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. The stoppages...

As part of a routine audit, the state Auditor General’s Office found three issues with the business practices and financial accounting of Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, which serves the city’s Kinloch neighborhood. In an audit covering Jan. 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2020, the auditor general concluded...

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is hosting an in-person job fair to fill at least 10 positions at Fallingwater from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Barn at Fallingwater. The famous Fayette County home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright will open for its 59th tour season on...

Eight Hampton High School students won awards in the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing competition, Pittsburgh region. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards bills itself as the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Teens in grades seven-12 (ages 13 and up) compete nationally and regionally in...

After a successful run of four food truck rallies last year, Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3 will present four new events this year featuring food trucks, craft beer and whiskey, and arts and crafts. When the covid-19 pandemic quashed most fire companies’ fundraisers — a necessity for the...

The Upper Burrell supervisors have approved a Marcellus shale natural gas compressor station off of White Cloud Road on Arconic property, which is zoned industrial. The official vote Wednesday night was unanimous but complicated. Two of the three supervisors, Michael Conley and Kenneth Slahtovsky, initially abstained from voting because they...

The family of Jorden “Flashlight” Lee Puskar, who was shot to death Jan. 22 in Avalon, is looking for justice — and the death penalty for the suspect in the killing. Puskar, 21, of Coraopolis was a 2019 graduate of Springdale High School, where he played tight end for the...

While there’s been steady growth in demand for computer chips amid worldwide shortages, an O’Hara company that creates products to help produce those chips has added space and now more jobs. Aerotech Inc., headquartered in the RIDC Park in O’Hara, produces automation and motion control technologies and products. Their clients...

Upper Burrell supervisors will hold a hearing on a proposed Marcellus Shale gas compressor station following their 7 p.m. meeting on Wednesday. Olympus Energy of Canonsburg wants to install a gas compressor station on undeveloped industrial land owned by Arconic along White Cloud Road. The compressor station, known as the...

A Pittsburgh couple in a red pickup truck cheated death twice as the Forbes Avenue bridge collapsed Friday and crashed to the ground with their truck still on it. Ten people were injured in the collapse, including Tyrone and Velva Perry, both 69, of Pittsburgh. An estimated 14,000 motorists daily...

Life will be a little different for people living near the collapsed Forbes Avenue bridge. The consensus among residents is that while the loss of the bridge over Fern Hollow in Frick Park has created some inconveniences, they’ll adapt just fine. They don’t have a choice. The vibe in nearby...

Declarations of emergency from Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Gov. Tom Wolf could help fast-track federal and state money to help pay for the cleanup and construction of the Forbes Avenue bridge over Fern Hollow in Frick Park. How quickly the process will move along is uncertain, but constructing a...

First there was Pink Day 11 years ago in Leechburg to raise money for breast cancer research and have some fun. Now there’s Pink Day plus two smaller fundraisers brimming with live music and more fun that continues to faithfully draw hundreds to thousands of people annually. Even the pandemic...

Recent clear and frigid nights accelerated ice formation on the Allegheny River stretching from Cheswick north past Kittanning, according to the National Weather Service. With more than 45 river miles iced over, authorities are urging residents to stay off the ice for safety reasons. The ice mass is expected to...

The Burrell School Board has agreed to not raise property taxes for next school year higher than the state-inflation based limit of 4.4%. For the 2022-23 budget budget, the board could vote on a budget calling for that maximum tax increase, a smaller tax hike, or none at all. The...

French Creek, in the northwestern Pennsylvania, has been named 2022 Pennsylvania River of the Year by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). One of the most environmentally diverse small waterways in the country, French Creek took almost half the votes in a contest with three other bodies of...

When multiple families attended in-person registration for kindergarten at Burrell School District every January, the process took several days. That was pre-pandemic. Now, it takes 10 minutes of in-person time at the school. Before the pandemic, parents met with the principal, school nurse and district employees handling the registration paperwork....

At St. James Lutheran Cemetery, one of Bell Township’s oldest graveyards, more than 40 tombstones have fallen over. The patina and names have faded. The cursive writing engraved on some of the oldest stones is there but barely visible. Some stones are so old, they have been wiped clean of...

Freeport officials have landed a huge state grant — $11 million — to help pay for a new $16.9 million sewage treatment plant. The borough’s 50-year-old plant discharges partially treated sewage during heavy rains into Buffalo Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River. The plant needs upgrades to meet state...