Mary Ann Thomas stories, Page 63

As the Pennsylvania Game Commission took the use of semiautomatic rifles for big game hunting off the table Friday, patrons at the Pittsburgh Gun Show were not spooked by the controversy surrounding the firearm, whether for hunting or a ban proposed by Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto. Local gun owners weren’t...

An argument between two truck drivers responding to an accident Saturday in Pittsburgh led to a shooting, police said. The shooting occurred at 3:40 p.m. in the 900 block of Washington Boulevard near Shetland, according to Alicia George, Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman. An earlier accident on Washington Boulevard drew multiple...

A missing 67-year-old man from Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood has been found, according to Pittsburgh police. Ronald Simmons was located and is safe, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Police announced around 4:30 p.m. Saturday that they needed the public’s help in locating Simmons. He was in need...

The polar air and rapid freeze of the Northeast and Midwest has prompted reports of “frost quakes” or “ice quakes.” Typically, the uncommon geological phenomenon characterized by a booming sound and caused by the sudden cracking of frozen soil or rock is reported in places like Alaska — not Dillsburg,...

The new Dollar General, replacing the former Sprankle’s market at 523 Franklin Ave. in Vandergrift will hold a grand opening Feb. 16. The grand opening celebration will begin at 8 a.m. with free gift cards and giveaways, according to Angela Petkovic, spokeswoman for Dollar General. Store hours will be 8...

After the lights went dim on the Apollo Bridge in the last month, Oklahoma Borough officials reported that all of the bridge lights were back on this week. The lights went out sporadically for a couple of months, then in the last month, went completely dim, according to Larry Lizik,...

The state Game Commissioners approved reclassifying the status of three types of cave bats from threatened to endangered, which is more protective of the species. During their Tuesday meeting, the Commissioners granted endangered status protection to the little brown bat, northern long-eared bat and tri-colored bat, according to a state...

A New Kensington cat shelter rescued 30 severely neglected farm animals including donkeys, goats, sheep and rabbits at a residence in Harmony, Butler County. The animals were emaciated when they were rescued on Saturday, according to Dr. Becky Morrow, founder and veterinarian with Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue in New Kensington....

The arctic blast predicted for this week, with wind chills well below zero, will not be fit for man nor beast — nor exterior wall plumbing. Emergency room doctors and veterinarians alike are urging residents to stay indoors with their pets and limit time outside to no more than 15...

State Sen. Jim Brewster, D-Allegheny/Westmoreland, added new permanent satellite offices, including one in Lower Burrell, throughout the 45th senatorial district, which spans communities from Forward Township in Allegheny County to Allegheny Township in Westmoreland County. Brewster’s office will be staffed at Lower Burrell City Hall, 2800 Bethel St., on the...

Warming centers in the region are beginning to open as temperatures are expected to plummet to the single digits Wednesday and Thursday. The list below will be updated as more shelters open. Allegheny CountyMagee, West Penn, Brookline and Phillips Community Recreation Centers in Pittsburgh will be open until 9 p.m....

Allegheny Township is seeking proposals for bank loans to help it pay for an anticipated $1.6 million in improvements to its community Building. The proposals are due by Feb. 6. Township supervisors are expected to pick one of the proposals in the next few months, and construction could start as...

The potential names for varieties of beer seem as endless as a Millvale craft brewery’s new home in a rambling Nike missile command site that was also a concrete bunker built to withstand a nuclear explosion. The Grist House’s new location at the former Cold War missile defense site in...

Penn State announced Thursday it is one of 10 universities selected nationwide to work on a project for the U.S. Department of Energy to modernize the nation’s power grid. The Penn State team of researchers chosen for the department’s Grid Optimization Competition’s first challenge is led by Uday V. Shanbhag,...

The 22nd Great Backyard Bird Count is set for Feb. 15- 18. Volunteers from around the world are invited to count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. Participating counters enter their bird checklists at birdcount.org. Anyone with internet access...

Allegheny Township Police are warning residents of unsolicited phone calls from someone falsely claiming residents are eligible for a phone service upgrade. Police say someone claiming to be a representative of AT&T called a township resident recently and tried to scam them into releasing credit card information. The bogus caller...

Vandergrift council will vote on an amendment to expand the number of handicap parking spaces in town during their regular meeting on Feb. 4, at the borough building, 109 Grant Ave. “The intent of council is to expand the handicap parking opportunities in our town,” said Larry Loperfito, borough solicitor....

After an October blaze shut down the only local bait and tackle store between Harmar and Kittanning, Allegheny Angler in Tarentum will soon be back in business. The owners, who will be in their 31st year of selling minnows, shiners, worms and rods and reels of all kinds — as...

The Pennsylvania Game Commission relocated a female bear and her four cubs spending the winter in a den located against a home in Galeton, Potter County. The bear is believed to have hibernated in a den against the same house before, according to a report from the game commission on...

Apollo soon could have a borough secretary and a solicitor again. The borough’s personnel committee has candidates to fill the vacancies, which council is expected to vote on during its regular meeting on Thursday. Borough council will meet at 7 p.m., Thursday, at the borough building, 616 First St. Late...

Cheswick has lost its second borough secretary in little more than a year. Joseph Puet, 60, of Arnold resigned Tuesday, only two months into his yearlong contract. The borough’s previous secretary, Ian Fitzgerald, was hired in November 2017 and left in October 2018 to take a job with a jump...

In a 5-4 vote Monday night, Kiski Area School District board members voted not to renew the contract of girls soccer coach Melisa O’Toole. At least one parent said she was not comfortable with O’Toole coaching her daughter given the charges and the alleged behavior of her husband, Ryan O’Toole,...

“You may find a cushy job and I hope that you go far, But if you really want to taste some cool success, You better learn to play guitar.” If John Mellencamp’s “Play Guitar” song is true, Apollo- Ridge students are well on their way as the district’s education foundation bought...

The lights will be out for a while longer on the Apollo Bridge. Apollo officials were trying to get the lights back on but, according to West Penn Power, the ball now is in Oklahoma Borough’s court. Motorists have been in the dark on the bridge since the lights went...