Stephen Huba stories, Page 6

Pennsylvania’s Catholic dioceses are challenging a recent state policy that has essentially put them out of the adoption and foster care business. The Diocese of Greensburg recently announced that its Catholic Charities agency was closing its adoption and foster care program after 65 years because the state’s nondiscrimination policy added...

Dean Musick was a small-town postmaster whose mettle was tested in the Pacific Theater of World War II. “He was totally dedicated to his work, and he wouldn’t take a day off,” said his son, Craig Musick. “Work was always really important to him,” said his daughter, Debbie Musick. Mr....

One of the country’s oldest charitable giving campaigns is going digital. The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign, a fixture of the Christmas shopping season, will now give people the option to give not by dropping cash or coins in the kettle but by using their smartphones. The Salvation Army Western...

Largely because of growth in Pennsylvania and Ohio, U.S. natural gas production reached a new record in 2018 and saw the largest increase since 1930, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Pennsylvania had the largest year-over-year production increase for dry natural gas in 2018, increasing by 2 billion cubic...

Area food banks are hailing a new state grant program that aims to reduce food waste through the purchase of refrigerators, freezers, refrigerant vehicles and other equipment. “It really comes along at a good time,” said Dennis McManus, head of government relations for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in...

The personal physician to the Dalai Lama will be among the speakers at the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership Summit in Pittsburgh on Dec. 3. An American physician and a Buddhist monk, Dr. Barry Kerzin is one of 130 speakers scheduled to speak at the biennial event at the Wyndham Grand...

Three decades ago, on Nov. 9, 1989, U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Rafferty was at home in West Berlin when word came over the Armed Forces Network that East Germans would soon be able to travel unimpeded to the West. The communist government announcement came after months of civil unrest and...

Pittsburgh’s connections with Ireland may not seem apparent at first, but they are deep and ongoing — well beyond the late Pittsburgh Steelers President Dan Rooney’s stint as U.S. ambassador. An Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh event at the Duquesne Club in Downtown Pittsburgh on Nov. 6 provided an introduction to...

Charles Gillingham spent the last few months of his life working on a religious tract he titled “God’s Road Map to Eternal Life.” The 10-page tract was an outgrowth of his desire to spread God’s word and of his interest in artwork and printing, said his daughter Christi Crawford. “He...

Applications for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program for the 2019-20 winter season are being accepted by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. LIHEAP provides assistance to people who struggle to pay heating bills during the winter. Assistance is available to renters and homeowners, and benefits are paid directly to...

Westmoreland County voters returned incumbent Jared Squires to the treasurer’s office for a third term on Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the Westmoreland County Election Bureau. Squires, 42, a Republican from Mt. Pleasant Township, beat Democratic challenger Matt Mascara, 22, of Rostraver, with nearly 60% of the vote and...

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has issued an alert about Mexican drug cartels manufacturing mass quantities of counterfeit prescription pills for distribution in North America. Based on a sampling of tablets seized nationwide between January and March 2019, DEA found that 27% contained potentially lethal doses of fentanyl, a dangerous...

The race for Westmoreland County treasurer features a two-term incumbent and a newcomer with a political pedigree. Republican Treasurer Jared Squires, first elected in 2011, is running for reelection against Democratic challenger Matt Mascara. The treasurer’s office is responsible for overseeing money collected and disbursed by the county. The office...

Westmoreland County cold weather shelters will open on Friday, offering emergency lodging to residents who are homeless or without heat on cold winter nights. They will remain in service through March 31. Welcome Home Shelter in Greensburg and Union Mission in Latrobe will be open from 8 p.m. to 8...

CNX Resources continues to adjust to the low-price natural gas market but is generally optimistic about 2020, according to its third quarter earnings call. The Canonsburg-based natural gas exploration and production company said it expects to realize $25 million in savings from streamlining activities in the third quarter, including “reconfiguring”...

Trade wars and a calendar fluke will be among the things affecting shopping behavior during this year’s Christmas holiday shopping season. With new U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods set to begin Dec. 15, shoppers who wait until later in the shopping season may end up paying more for some goods,...

A program to alleviate youth homelessness in four Western Pennsylvania counties is set to expand now that it has new funding. Valley Youth House, an agency based in Bethlehem, Pa., recently received $1.6 million from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to build on the host home model...

When heavy rains arrive, residents in Scottdale’s West Park neighborhood brace for flooding. “We have drainage up there but, when we get these rains, there’s no way they can handle it,” said Angelo Pallone, borough manager. Stormwater contributes to flooding along Anderson Run, one of three Jacobs Creek tributaries that...

David Henry’s 1984 Greensburg Salem High School class ring is now also his lucky ring. Thirty-four years after losing it in the Pacific Ocean, Henry will soon be reunited with the white gold band. “It totally blew my mind,” Henry said, describing his reaction upon learning Wednesday that the ring...