Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 3

When local hospitals try to arrange non-emergency medical transports, they sometimes make dozens of calls, and patients can wait for hours. Recently, Shaler Hampton EMS launched a new service to transport patients from the hospital to a rehabilitation or nursing facility or home. “These residents have been in a hospital...

The new 64-gallon recycling bins are beastly, some Lower Burrell residents say, compared to the small plastic crates that were retired for the city’s new recycling contract with Waste Management Inc. City council agreed to the new contract with Waste Management this summer that included 64-gallon recycling bins on wheels....

Like many, Morgan Lineman of Lower Burrell likes a good cup of coffee or a mocha, latte or cold brew. When Lineman, 28, lost her job during the pandemic while she was pregnant, the Lower Burrell woman and her husband charted a new course. “We decided to start something on...

Lower Burrell’s 2023 budget of $11 million, which is 2.1% higher than this year’s budget, will include no tax increase. City council and the mayor voted unanimously, 5-0, to approve the preliminary budget. The $11 million preliminary budget holds the line on real estate taxes for next year at 24.75...

National headlines predict doom and gloom at the Thanksgiving dinner table this year. “Inflation is so bad you may be better off dining at a restaurant for Thanksgiving this year,” Fortune magazine prognosticated, while the Eating Well website proclaimed, “Your Thanksgiving Turkey Might Be Twice as Expensive This Year.” Wells...

Wesley Westerman was in a sea of leather-vested motorcycle riders and a pile of frozen turkeys Thursday at Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell for a good cause. Westerman, with the help of the City Kings and Warriors of Chaos Veterans motorcycle clubs, collected more than 180 turkeys to distribute...

District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec spoke at the Lower Burrell Council meeting Monday to report a suspicious silver/gray car with three men that stopped at a city home and other locations. She asked city police Chief John Marhefka whether he had heard of any incidents involving the car and the...

Upper Burrell supervisors on Wednesday approved the fourth Marcellus shale well in the township known as the Hephaestus well pad. Other unconventional gas wells in the township include the Selene well pad on property along Seventh Street Road, the Calliope well off White Cloud Road and the Zeus well off...

A Parks Township man stabbed his son in the chest with a steak knife during an argument Wednesday, according to state police. The victim was flown by emergency medical helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian hospital; his condition was unknown Friday. A UPMC spokeswoman said they could not give out patient information....

It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing at the borough offices in Freeport this year. Day-to-day operations were impacted when the borough secretary had a health issue in September. With no backup secretary to fill the void, the borough offices were temporarily closed. The events made it clear to Freeport Mayor...

The state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program awarded $2.5 million in grants to ACMH Hospital’s oncology wing and the new Butler County Community College in Ford City. Both projects were championed by the late Rep. Jeff Pyle. His colleagues, state Sen. Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, and state Rep. Abby Major, D-Ford City,...

A college-educated truck driver, Bob George of Ford City, is challenging incumbent state Rep. Abby Major, R-Ford City, to represent the state’s new 60th House District. The new legislative map of the 60th District takes effect Dec. 1. Instead of covering most of Armstrong County and parts of Clarion and...

It took all of about five minutes for the owners of a McDonald’s in Lower Burrell and other locations to deliver a huge $75,000-plus check to Ronald McDonald House Charities. McDonald’s restaurants have been raising money throughout the year by dedicating 10 cents from each Minute Maid frozen Slushie and...

A state $344,000 grant will help pay for a $650,000 project for stream bank restoration, buffers and flood control along Pine Creek in Hampton. The work is planned for the creek near the intersection of Wildwood-Sample Road and Sample Road. The project also includes installation of a boardwalk to allow...

In October 1992, Franco Harris, WPXI news anchor Della Crews and Belgian horses were on hand for the grand opening of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail. Then some unhappy landowners filed lawsuits, which took about a decade to settle. “Among other managers, our trail is known as the ‘little trail that...

The Allegheny County Department of Public Works announced today that Vilsack road in Shaler is open to through traffic after the completion of a $1.4 million bridge project. The road project closed a section of the popular artery, between Mt. Royal Boulevard and Thompson Run Road, for more than three...

A crossing guard is recovering after being hit by a car last week in front of Bon Air Elementary School in Lower Burrell. The crossing guard, Bill Thomey, a member of Lower Burrell police’s auxiliary service, was directing traffic shortly after 8 a.m. Oct. 20 in a painted crosswalk in...

The estimated 225 visitors Friday afternoon in Schenley celebrating the new Kiski Junction Railroad trail was about four times greater than the population of the village in Gilpin. Federal, state and local officials attended, including Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; state Sen....

Hubz Kitchen, renowned for its cheesesteak hoagies and 25 varieties of french fries, will open in early November at the site of the former Gigi’s Place and Ida’s restaurant at 2803 Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell. Hubz is well-known in the city, as it operated out of Just JAK’S bar...

A geotechnical firm is investigating the cause of a slight movement of the hillside near Burrell School District’s Buccaneer Stadium. Over the summer, the district’s athletic custodian noticed at least one fissure in the ground near the stadium. There was a slight pulling away of the ground from a light...

What could be more special than the new Special Olympics bocce team at Burrell? A coffee and cookie fundraiser Thursday served up by the players from 9 to 11 a.m. at Cora Lee Cupcakes. Burrell School board recently approved the new Special Olympic bocce program that will begin practice after...

A herd of 200-plus-pound men running around Acrisure Stadium on Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was no match for a flock of pigeons. In case some fans were concerned about the birds’ persistent boldness, they did not impact the game, said Steelers spokesman Burt...

Armstrong Trails is throwing an outdoor party next Friday to celebrate the acquisition of a 14-mile railroad corridor and a bridge to link 140 miles of trails. The free public party will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kiski Junction Railroad train station in Gilpin’s Schenley...