Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 41

A Freeport Realtor and a community activist are serving 320 free meals, five days a week to the unemployed, the elderly, frontline workers and anyone else in need.. No questions are asked. No waiting list. Just home cooked meals from scratch. And you can donate if you like. The food...

A foundation honoring New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw, who was shot and killed in 2017, awarded a $15,000 grant for a new police dog to the Allegheny Valley Regional Police. The regional police department was created last year with the merger of the Cheswick and Springdale Township police departments....

Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home order has allowed Albert Trombi to devote more time to do-it-yourself projects around his Vandergrift home. “I can’t do anything else,” said Trombi, 72, who has built a deluxe woodshop above what a relative calls Trombi’s “Garage Mahal.” These days, Trombi is staying busy doing work such as...

Friends and strangers alike have rallied to raise more than $3,400 in a GoFundMe account benefiting a New Kensington man whose 32-year-old car was crushed by a huge oak tree during Wednesday’s high winds and tornado. “Thanks to everyone for all of their support,” said Tom Athey Jr., 63, of...

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy will hold live virtual events to observe Earth Day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 22. Participants can join in by visiting the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s social media channels, such as its Twitter account @pittsburghparks. The Parks Conservancy will share the activities on its Earth...

Animal Friends will host a drive-thru, free pet food distribution for low-income pet owners Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Ohio Township campus. The distribution will be a no-contact drive-thru pick up. Motorists should stay in their cars while Animal Friends’ staff members and volunteers load food...

Government agencies advise residents to throw out meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers in their refrigerators if they have been without power for more than four hours. Thousands of residents lost power Wednesday when a tornado struck the Tarentum and New Kensington areas. Residents should carefully go through their refrigerators...

The fuzzy gray head of at least one bald eagle chick was seen by a local photographer documenting the bald eagle nest above Route 28 in Harmar. The parents were seen feeding young in the nest as early as last Friday, April3, said Gina G. Gilmore of Fox Chapel, who...

A statue of the Greek goddess Hebe is making a fashionable public health statement at one of the Alle-Kiski Valley’s busiest intersections. The 5-foot, 500-pound statue at the foot of the Tarentum Bridge on the Tarentum side of the Allegheny River is wearing a colorful floral mask with a yellow...

Terry Dobradenka never video-chatted before the coronavirus pandemic. Now, platforms such as FaceTime and Zoom are keeping the 90-year-old retired nurse connected with family members who know her as Gigi. They can’t visit her at Lower Burrell’s Bayberry Place personal care home because of restrictions aimed at preventing the spread...

Bill Deasy is among the local musicians to play for the Emergency Fund for Artists Web-a-thon 6 p.m. Saturday to raise money for an emergency fund for local performing artists. As covid-19 has decimated the performing arts scene, the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council is trying to raise money for an...

Animal Friends is offering telephone appointments with a vet for low-income residents who have concerns about their pet’s health. “During this challenging and uncertain time, struggling pet owners may have concerns and having access to a veterinarian over the phone can help to determine whether they need to seek medical...

Sanitary wipes and disposable gloves are among the increasing amount of litter sullying some Pennsylvania state parks. Although the facilities, including restrooms, are closed at 121 state parks, a growing number of residents continue to visit them with few options available for outings under covid-19 restrictions. “Sadly, litter has kept...

The speaker of the state House plans to introduce legislation that would allow all construction projects in the state to proceed under Gov. Tom Wolf’s closure of non-life-sustaining businesses. The governor ordered the closures March 19 to slow the spread of covid-19. After failing to change the mind of the...

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is asking the public and businesses to delay nonessential digging projects. “While the Pennsylvania One Call system has remained fully operational through this pandemic, we join them in asking consumers, businesses and contractors to not begin any nonessential construction,” PUC Commissioner John F. Coleman Jr....

The board members of Bouquet Park Pool were frantically trying to sell memberships so they could open the pool this year, but the spread of covid-19 will close the pool for the season and perhaps permanently. The private, nonprofit community pool in Springdale Township has operated since 1965. In recent...

The Army Corps of Engineers’ Pittsburgh District has begun evaluating possible alternate medical sites that would be used in the event hospitals are overrun treating patients with covid-19. The number of covid-19 cases in Western Pennsylvania has not stretched medical systems to the point where more space is needed to...

The realty transfer tax from the split of Arconic Inc. will result in a $922,000 windfall for the coffers of Upper Burrell, the Burrell School District and the state. Arconic Inc. is planning to separate into two publicly traded companies April 1. As a result, ownership of the company’s property...

Parks across Western Pennsylvania have seen a surge in visitors during the coronavirus pandemic, and at several Allegheny County parks that’s been particularly evident. More people in the parks has translated into a greater need for portable toilets. Allegheny County officials asked vendors to provide more of the toilets and...

Cheswick is taking steps to hold borough council meetings by telephone if necessary during the coronavirus pandemic. Council passed a resolution last week authorizing it and other boards to hold public meetings by telephone. The public would be able to listen in and comment on issues during the meetings. “We...

Penn State Extension is offering a free, one-hour webinar Wednesday on how farmers markets can still operate with the threat of the coronavirus. The discussion, to start at 3 p.m., will focus on strategies to control the spread of the coronavirus at farmers markets. Visit their website for details. Penn...

Cheswick is cancelling its household electronic and hazardous waste pickup on June 12 because of work stoppages to limit the spread of covid-19. The borough’s waste hauler, Vogel Disposal Service, cannot provide the staffing for the special, by-appointment pickup because of the shutdown of nonessential business services, according to Lorraine...