Maddie Aiken stories, Page 10

University of Pittsburgh students can expect their tuition, housing and dining bills to go up next semester. On Thursday, the Pitt Board of Trustees budget and executive committees unanimously approved the university’s $2.7 billion operating budget and $667 million capital budget for the 2022-23 academic year. Highlights include:a 3.5% tuition...

Westmoreland County is about to become more computer science-friendly. Saint Vincent College has received about $317,000 in state grant money to build a computer science ecosystem in the county. Over the next few months, the Unity college will develop a plan to make computer science more accessible for students and...

Flames overtook a Jefferson Hills house Sunday afternoon. A fire at a Roberts Drive home began around 12:30 p.m. All residents safely exited the home, according to a Facebook post from the Jefferson Hills Police Department. Emergency crews blocked the entrances to and from the residential plan in order to...

Those who stepped inside Irwin’s Shidle Hall this weekend suddenly found themselves among Earth’s mightiest heroes on Penny Lane in a galaxy far, far away. The borough hosted its second annual CARLcon event Sunday. Organized by the Irwin Business and Professional Association, CARLcon was an excitement-filled day for lovers of...

Singer Shawn Mendes has postponed his upcoming Pittsburgh concert. In an Instagram post, the 23-year-old cited mental health concerns as the reason he is pushing back 12 shows from “Wonder: The World Tour” over the next three weeks. “After speaking with my team and health professionals, I need to take...

This weekend, about 1,000 people saw Bigfoot in Murrysville Saturday — no, not that Bigfoot. Export Tire hosted the monster truck Bigfoot during a day full of festivities. Families and truck enthusiasts gathered to watch the car-crushing truck fulfill its purpose. The monster truck crushed junk cars in a field...

Updated: The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Thomas Linwood Ligon, 47, of Monroeville. A person died in car crash on I-376 Saturday morning after another driver was traveling on the wrong side of the road. At around 2:30 a.m., a driver was traveling westbound in an eastbound...

A man is in the hospital after sustaining injuries in a Wilkinsburg shooting Saturday morning. According to Allegheny County police, the man was shot in the leg around 4:30 a.m. in the 1400 block of Cresson Street. He is expected to survive. A vehicle also suffered “ballistic damage” in the...

Four people are in stable condition after a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Terrace Village neighborhood early Saturday morning. Just after 12:30 a.m., police responded to the shooting at the 220 block of Oak Hill Drive. Two people had been shot and two others were injured, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. Emergency...

Fred Rogers is renowned for the ways he taught and interacted with children — and this July, educators will have the opportunity to glean some of his wisdom during a virtual symposium. Saint Vincent College’s Fred Rogers Institute in Unity will host the two-day symposium on July 19 and 20....

Latrobe residents are invited to go back in time and learn more about the city’s six wards in the upcoming months. The Latrobe Area Historical Society will present four shows about this history between July and October. The first show, which will delve into the First Ward, will take place...

The University of Pittsburgh is set to narrowly escape with its state funding after months of heated back-and-forth between Pitt and House Republicans over the university’s fetal tissue research. The state House voted Wednesday night to pass Pitt’s appropriation. Lawmakers reworded an agricultural funding bill to provide Pitt’s funding and...

In Pennsylvania, students with intellectual or developmental disabilities are able to attend high school until they’re 21 years old — but many of these students want to move on to bigger and better things with their same-age peers. That’s where Saint Vincent College’s Bearcat BEST program comes into play. The...

In June 1932, Rose Rubinoff Buchman opened a shop at the corner of Ligonier and Depot streets to sell bridal dresses and formal clothing to the women of Latrobe. Nine decades and countless changes later, Rose Style Shoppe is still bustling with business. Ronda Goetz, third-generation owner and Rubinoff Buchman’s...

As a merger between the Excela and Butler health systems is pursued, those in the Mt. Pleasant area are unsure how the intended merger will affect the local Excela Frick Hospital, but many wish for a positive outcome. “Mergers can go either way,” Mt. Pleasant Mayor Diane Bailey said. “I’m...

Democrats continue to throw their full support behind the University of Pittsburgh’s funding after Pennsylvania House Republicans added a take-it-or-leave-it amendment to Pitt’s appropriation bill. Numerous Allegheny County Democrats gathered Tuesday in Harrisburg to speak in favor of Pitt and decry the amendment that would restrict state-related universities from receiving...

As local school districts scramble to find teachers and substitute teachers, a bill that would make it easier for out-of-state educators to work in Pennsylvania has received unanimous support from lawmakers thus far. State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington, is co-sponsoring the bill, which now awaits House and gubernatorial approval. “This...

Flamingo selfie walls and California-style lounge rooms aren’t commonplace in downtown Latrobe. That’s exactly why Emily Pasqualino included them in her new party venue. Pasqualino wants to “bring something different” with The Paper Heart Social Goods and Event Studios, a Ligonier Street business that serves as a venue space, shop...

When Josi Bennett lost her legs in a car crash 24 years ago and spent months in the hospital recuperating, the best part of her stay was Blizzard, a Great Pyrenees therapy dog. More than two decades later, when she saw Great Pyrenees puppies for sale on Facebook, she decided...

Blanket punishments and cookie cutter programs aren’t appropriate responses when children have experienced trauma, according to Duquesne University professor Tammy Hughes. Hughes discussed the psychology and needs of such children at the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit’s 2022 School Safety and Security Symposium at Westmoreland County Community College. “This isn’t about breaking...

When Eric Hartman was 5 years old, he watched Herbie star in Disney’s “The Love Bug” — and it was love at first sight. “I saw the movie … and that was it,” Hartman said. “I wanted one ever since.” Now, Hartman does have his own “love bug.” The Hempfield...

Angelo Caruso loved Latrobe, loved what it stood for and loved doing things to make the community better, his son Lee Caruso said. That love manifested itself in decades of service. “He was always involved in this community no matter what,” said Lee Caruso, of Latrobe. “He worked with everybody....

Congressional Republicans and Democrats in Western Pennsylvania fell in line with their respective parties as they voted on legislation that would enact stricter gun laws. The Protecting Our Kids and Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order acts passed in the Democratic-led House of Representatives last week. The bills need to overcome...

After three years, the full Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow is back — and Latrobe area businesses anticipate an influx of customers during the action-filled weekend. “It’s a very big weekend for us,” said John Heiple, general manager of Sharky’s Cafe. “We definitely benefit greatly between having an outdoor facility...

Baked goods have returned to 335 Main St. in Latrobe. Four months after its grand opening, Rachelle’s 15650 is moving away from sandwiches and leaning into its historical roots. It will now serve as a bakery like its 19th-century predecessor — Mailey’s Bakery — a flagship of the city that...