Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 61

Lower Burrell’s new solicitor appears to be charging about half as much as the city’s former solicitor, but the former solicitor questions whether the city will wind up paying half as much. City council voted this month to part ways with its longtime solicitor, Stephen Yakopec Jr. It then hired...

Kiski Township police are investigating two fraudulent withdrawal attempts from North Apollo Borough’s bank account in February. According to borough council, someone tried to withdraw $4,200 from the borough’s Apollo Trust Bank account on Feb. 12 and another $5,000 on Feb. 26. An unauthorized person tried to convey the money...

The National Aviary in Pittsburgh’s North Side has a new female brown pelican that sustained injuries in Florida but has been rehabilitated. The lady seabird is in need of a name and you can help. Voters can choose from among three names and can win four free admission passes and...

Lower Burrell Council voted unanimously Monday to approve $2.8 million in spending for the long-anticipated renovation of City Hall. The biggest chunk of money will go to Arcon Contracting of Lower Burrell, which bid $2,015,000 to be the project’s general contractor. Arcon beat out 11 other bidders. Other contracts awarded...

Cell phone footage captured Larry the Alligator lumbering across the road this weekend in a retirement community northwest of Orlando, Florida. The image has gone viral. The gator believed to be at least 12 feet long, has a fan following, and even its own Facebook page, according to Fox News....

It didn’t take long for the new Pennsylvania Game Commission webcam to show one bear cub tucked under momma bear Tuesday evening. There are more cubs, but just how many, the game commission isn’t sure. In most of the webcam views, the mother black bear has had her back to...

Bigfoot, UFOs and other strange occurrences in the region? You betcha, according to Stan Gordon, author and paranormal investigator, who will speak for a free presentation at 11 a.m., March 30 at the Vandergrift Public Library. Although Gordon’s presentation isn’t typical library fare, it’s a “spine-tingling program” that is interesting...

A new Vandergrift resident plans to run for borough council in the upcoming primary on May 21. Steve Jurovic, 81, a Democrat and retired structural designer, has lived in the borough for about a year and a half. Jurovic, who has never held public office before, said he has some...

The Pennsylvania Game Commission flipped the switch Monday on a new live web cam in a bear den under a porch in Monroe County. In the den are a sow and an undetermined number of cubs. The agency can’t confirm how many cubs are in the den as the cam...

California, the state where most environmental trends begin, wants to phase out single-use plastic containers that are not recyclable or compostable such as plastic bags, water bottles, straws and most food packaging. According to supporters, if the legislation passes, it could reduce the type of plastic polluting beaches and the...

The first day of spring still is weeks away, but only a mere 10 days away is the opening day of Glen’s Custard in Springdale and Lower Burrell. The marquees at both stores recently announced the March 14th opening. Facebook fans welcomed the news. “I can’t wait…need me some good...

Diminishing water quality, litter, development and lack of recreational opportunities were among the chief concerns in an upcoming report on the Buffalo Creek watershed, which extends from Buffalo Township to north of Chicora in Butler County. Keeping the beautiful and biologically diverse Buffalo Creek area that way continues to be...

Michael Korns, a member of the Kiski Valley Republican Committee and professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, announced he was running for Allegheny Township supervisor. There are three seats on the Board of Supervisors with Supervisor Joseph Ferguson’s seat expiring in December. A township resident for 25 years, Korns earned...

The Allegheny Valley School Board recently approved trips for students and staff in the school’s music and choral programs. Headlining the trips is the 2019-2020 fall band and choir trip to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., from Nov. 28 through Dec. 3. The cost for each...

Do they or don’t they? The North Park bald eagles are drawing crowds of watchers noting that the birds have been spending lots of time at their nest — but not enough time to confirm an egg just yet, according to North Park rangers on Thursday. The pair built the...

Apollo-Ridge High School received an Amazon grant for instructional materials for two computer classes. Amy Guido, Apollo-Ridge’s business and computer teacher, applied to the Amazon Future Engineers program in 2018 for curriculum and class materials for a computer class. Guido had been using a curriculum supplied by Amazon and students...

Sixteen years to the day after he died defending fellow soldiers in Iraq, Army Staff Sgt. Stevon Booker will posthumously be presented the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest military award for bravery. A special Army ceremony will be held starting at 10 a.m. April 5 in Soldiers &...

Egg-ticipation is in full swing at the Harmar bald eagle nest, although there is no webcam to confirm the details. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is expected to confirm any day that the eagles have at least one egg based upon their behavior at the nest. This is the...

The Plumbers Local Union No. 27 is accepting applicants for its apprenticeship training program at its Coraopolis headquarters now through March 9. The union is looking for 22 applicants, who will embark on a 5-year apprenticeship that includes working fulltime and attending classes two to three nights a week for...

Vandergrift Council will vote next week on a “Quality of Life” ordinance that would allow the borough to ticket residents for code violations such as junked cars, high grass and other property violations. Issuing a ticket instead of a citation wouldn’t require the involvement of a district judge, and could...

Allegheny Township provided a water buffalo Tuesday for residents with well water service who still don’t have power from Sunday’s wind storm. “Although most of the township is on public water, we still have homes that rely on well water and for them, this is their third day without electricity,”...

Knowing how to hand-raise flamingos comes in handy when there are 1,800-plus orphaned flamingo chicks of a near-threatened species in South Africa. A severe drought in late January at Kamfers Dam in the Northern Cape, Cape Town, South Africa, caused one of only three breeding colonies of flamingos to abandon...