Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 47

There are changes coming to Apollo this month and next, as the borough office is moving to a new location, its council vice president has resigned just after winning a new term, a new councilwoman has started a little early, and the Christmas parade returns Friday. Council expects the borough...

The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania will use a $30,000 state grant to put on a bird festival and offer free tree giveaways, youth programs at libraries and more in Buffalo Township and nearby communities. The nonprofit also will use grant money from the state Department of Conservation and Natural...

Cheswick Council is expected to appoint a new council member and board representative to the recently formed Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department. Incumbent councilman Michael Girardi won two seats in the Nov. 5 election, one with a four-year term and another with a two-year term. Girardi is expected to choose...

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is asking the public for information about the illegal dumping of 100 tires on state game lands in Washington County over the weekend of Nov. 9-10. The Game Commission issued a report of 100 tires dumped along Lindley, Dutch Glory and Little Daniels Run roads in...

For the third time in four years, the Harmar supervisors want to decrease real estate taxes for township homeowners. The tax cut would come in the form of homestead tax exemptions that reduce the assessed value of homes for tax purposes. Allegheny County offers homeowners an $18,000 decrease in the...

Turn on the Thanksgiving tunes Thursday for a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young marathon on WYEP and the annual WDVE airing of Arlo Guthrie’s 18-minute-plus song “Alice’s Restaurant.” As much a tradition as turkey on Thanksgiving, WDVE will air “Alice’s Restaurant” at noon Thursday when cooks throughout the region pause...

For Aspinwall’s Philip Beard, a punctuating moment in an 18-year journey came when he and his daughter watched actress Sadie Sink of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” shoot a scene in Kennywood Park for a movie based on his novel, “Dear Zoe.” “It’s surreal not only hearing my words coming from the...

Cheswick residents can dispose of their electronic and hazardous household waste in the final of four special collections this year on Dec. 6. Residents have until 5 p.m. Monday to schedule a pickup by calling Vogel Disposal Service at 724-625-1511. Household items being collected include latex paint, automotive products, garden...

A New Kensington-based attorney and mother of four wants to challenge state Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, for his seat in the 2020 general election. Nicole Ziccarelli, a Republican, announced she is running for Brewster’s seat in the 45th Senatorial District, which includes the Alle-Kiski Valley communities including Plum, Arnold, Lower...

Details of a reported armed robbery along Route 28 in Harmar that left one man wounded remain a mystery, state police said Wednesday. A Pittsburgh man who was treated at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison for shooting-related injuries told police that he had been robbed and shot near Route 28’s...

A preliminary report on the future of Pennsylvania’s 121 state parks revealed that park users want pet-friendly campsites and no Wi-Fi. While “glamping” was not mentioned, park users do want more adventurous sleepovers by trying something new, such as building elevated camping cottages to simulate a treehouse effect. “Penn’s Parks...

The flowers of a makeshift memorial at a Washington Township intersection where a Brackenridge woman died in a July 27 crash haven’t faded yet. The fatal crash happened when Haley Montgomery’s northbound car tried to turn left from Route 66 onto Route 366 but was struck by an oncoming SUV....

A Venango County man drove more than 120 mph while holding a woman against her will in his car as police pursued him on Route 28, according to state police. Kirk Edward Heath, 43, was arraigned Monday on 19 charges, including kidnapping to facilitate a felony and fleeing or attempting...

The Burrell School Board will have the chance to appoint a new school board member at its Dec. 3 reorganization meeting because of the lack of candidates and a win by board President Tricia Shank for a seat she didn’t seek and can’t accept. Shank won two seats — both...

An estimated 500 million pieces of litter were strewn along Pennsylvania roads in 2018-2019, with cigarette butts and plastic food packaging, bottles and bags ranking among the most commonly picked-up items, according to the Pennsylvania Litter Research Study. Motorists and pedestrians are leading litterers, followed by improperly secured truck loads,...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday reopened the Allegheny River’s Lock 2, which has been closed most days for three months because of a $6.6 million renovation project. The land wall in the 87-year-old lock chamber near the Highland Park Bridge had been deteriorating for years at what...

A new estimate knocks down the cost of artificial turf to a $550,000 option for a renovation project at Burrell High School’s Buccaneers Stadium. The original estimate for the field renovation with natural sod was about $400,000, while artificial turf was expected to cost $1.2 million to $1.3 million. However,...

Buffalo Township Supervisors are scheduled to vote Wednesday on the final site plan for a $1 million nature center and park along the Butler-Freeport Community Trail. The nature center site is owned by the township and operated by the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. The proposed nature center and park...

The architects for Burrell High School’s proposed Buccaneer Stadium renovation project are scheduled to present new estimates at Tuesday’s school board meeting on the cost to install artificial turf versus natural grass. “We’ll wait to see what the architects say Tuesday night, mull it over and make a decision during...

The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is offering a double header event, combining nature with the partaking of microbrews, later this month. The event, which runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Nov. 30, starts with an owl prowl at Audubon’s Buffalo Creek Nature Center in Buffalo Township led by an...