Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 40

Although its doors have been closed during the pandemic, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is taking orders for native plants from its nurseries and bird seed that it will deliver to area homes. Audubon offers more than 70 species of native plants that attract birds, butterflies and a range...

Lower Burrell Council will hold its regular monthly meeting via a telephone conference 7 p.m. Monday, but residents cannot access it in real time. The public is being asked to submit comments and questions prior to the meeting. While residents can view council’s agenda online and later, the meeting transcript,...

If they follow their Japanese counterparts, maybe U.S. honeybees could surround and fry an invading Asian giant “murder hornet” entering its hive, according to a Carnegie Museum of Natural History expert. Agriculture authorities in Washington State are creating a national buzz trying to eradicate the aggressive and invading Asian giant...

As the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium waits to learn when it can reopen, plans are in the works as to how the zoo will operate with social distancing. The zoo is closed to the public because of the covid-19 pandemic. Gov. Tom Wolf has not given dates when zoos...

Estimated costs have climbed by about 25% to $75 million for the Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority’s treatment plant expansion project. Plans for the expansion have been the works for years. Details of the project and obtaining permits are in progress for the federally mandated upgrade to control discharges of...

State parks and forests will start to open some facilities, mainly a bathroom or two, in an eventual phase-in of all facilities. Many state park facilities will remain closed to comply with Gov. Tom Wolf’s covid-19 restrictions. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is encouraging the public to visit...

A 26-year-old man was in critical condition late afternoon Sunday after he was shot multiple times in the 200 block of McCoy Road in Stowe Township, according to Allegheny County Police. The man was found around 3:37 p.m. on Benwood Avenue, which is near McCoy Road, and taken to an...

More than 50 volunteers including divers, at least two rescue dogs and a drone scoured the area around Slippery Rock Creek in McConnells Mill State Park on Sunday looking for a Meadville man who fell in the water while hiking Saturday. The man was identified at Jeffery Hamby, 38, according...

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified one of the two men shot to death Saturday in Ross as Bing Liu, 37, of Ross. Both men were found dead at the The Mews of Town North, an apartment complex near McKnight Road, according to Ross Police Detective Brian Kohlhepp. The...

Giant Eagle announced it is temporarily limiting the purchase of ground beef and on-sale meat items to two of each per transaction. The supermarket chain had limited some meat purchases before, early in the pandemic in March, according to Dick Roberts, a Giant Eagle spokesman. Meat isn’t disappearing from supermarket...

Country music star Blake Shelton and Outdoor Channel’s “Bone Collector” founder Michael Waddell are making guest appearances in the new Pennsylvania Game Commission podcast series, “Call of the Outdoors.” The series, hosted by Game Commission marketing director and world turkey-calling champion Matt Morrett, will highlight wildlife, hunting, habitat and conservation...

Plans for high school graduation ceremonies at drive-ins are in works across the region, although there were initial conflicting signals from state officials if such public ceremonies are legal under covid-19 stay-in-place orders. Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) turned down the Starlight Drive-In...

While hand sanitizer continues to be missing from many store shelves, Cheswick Councilman Brian Testa is giving away 1,000 gallons of it to first responders and area residents. “This is phenomenal. It’s so hard to find hand sanitizer,” said Bruno Moretti, emergency management coordinator for Allegheny Valley Regional Emergency Management...

Andean condor couple Lianni and Lurch are brooding a new egg after losing a chick — a rarity in captivity — last year at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh’s North Side. Food is being brought in for Lianni, whose 36th birthday was Thursday, as she is on nest duty. Lurch...

The deadly covid-19 pandemic has led some to finally do what many people put off: Draft their will and assign people to hold power of attorney to make medical and financial decisions on your behalf when you can’t. “The vast majority of recent clients say they’ve been thinking about doing...

Adoptions are down at animal shelters across Western Pennsylvania, in part because fewer animals are available for adoption during the coronavirus pandemic. That could change with the arrival of “kitten season,” the feline breeding season that starts in the spring and typically floods shelters with homeless or unwanted cats. Cody...

The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania has received a $1.2 million federal grant to help preserve the Buffalo Creek watershed, one of the wildest, untouched natural areas in the Pittsburgh region. Audubon and other environmental organizations will provide a range of services, including planting chestnut trees, helping landowners preserve environmental...

The Burrell-New Kensington Rotary Club will accept emergency grant applications online until 5 p.m. Tuesday from local nonprofits impacted by covid-19. The business organization established the Emergency Community Grant Program to help nonprofits dealing with the pandemic. “Our Rotary Club would like to express our sincere appreciation for the selflessness...

Two Apollo councilwomen resigned Thursday because of leadership issues and clashes with borough council President John Steele. “I don’t appreciate how business is conducted since we voted in John as president,” said Ashley Stiffy, who resigned as council vice president Thursday, along with Councilwoman Nancy Walker. “I feel bad,” Stiffy...

Nearly 450,000 people have applied to vote in the June 2 primary by mail-in and absentee ballots, and the number is expected to grow as people look for an alternative to voting in person because of coronavirus concerns, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. The agency is urging voters...

Harmar Township supervisors will meet Thursday for a hearing on changing zoning on some parcels along Gulf Lab Road at 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by supervisors regular meeting at the Harmar Township Municipal Building and also via a Zoom conference call. The supervisors will vote on zoning changes. The most...