Regional category, Page 252
Chestnut Ridge golf resort near Blairsville going up for auction
A former U.S. Steel executive is selling a 345-acre golf course and resort just across the Westmoreland County line near Blairsville. The online auction for Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort & Conference Center, planned for noon Saturday, has attracted local and national attention. “We are seeing quite a bit of interest...
WPIAL baseball players flock to Youngstown summer league
From the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the Youngstown Class B league held to its intention to be a place for scholastic-age players, including numerous from the WPIAL, to go this summer. Veterans of the league and newcomers have made the most of the season since early last month, when...
Ohio joins Pennsylvania in statewide mask mandate
Effective Thursday, it will take more than a trip across the Ohio state line for Pennsylvanians seeking to escape orders requiring face masks in public places. Ohio will join Pennsylvania in having a statewide mask mandate. One day after President Trump took to the airwaves endorsing masks and conceding that...
AG Shapiro charges 2 drilling companies with eco-crimes in Washington County
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday charged two drilling companies with environmental crimes for their alleged pollution of a stream in Washington County. The charges stem from a grand jury report released last month that alleged unconventional drilling companies allowed pollutants to fill the water and air around drilling...
Pa. State Police Liquor Control continues covid-19 compliance checks
Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement officers conducted compliance checks at 1,876 licensed liquor establishments Monday and Tuesday to see if the businesses were abiding by covid-19 guidelines, officials said Wednesday. Statewide, LCE officers issued one notice of violation and 48 warnings. The unannounced compliance checks are focusing on areas...
Edinboro to remain online this fall; university reverses decision on campus reopening
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, which previously announced plans to reopen its northwestern Pennsylvania campus in August, will remain largely online this fall. Edinboro President Guiyou Huang announced the about-face on Wednesday. “I realize that this news is being sent after many of you have solidified your return-to-campus arrangements, but in...
Pa. Consumer Advocate: FirstEnergy can’t recover $60 million alleged bribe from customers
FirstEnergy Corp. would not be able to raise electric rates on its 720,000 West Penn Power Co. customers in an attempt to recoup what federal prosecutors say was $60 million in bribes allegedly paid to Ohio power brokers. Prosecutors allege the bribes were paid in an effort to secure a...
Where have the fireflies gone in Southwestern Pennsylvania?
Hot and dry weather during most of July has dimmed the light spectacle of fireflies in some urban and other parched landscapes, according to some local experts. Naturalists from the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy report less of a good showing this year of the beetle of summer — the firefly —...
Mt. Lebanon, Greater Latrobe ranked top school districts in Pittsburgh area, Westmoreland
Greater Latrobe is tops in Westmoreland County and among the best school districts across the state, according to the latest rankings in several categories on Niche.com. The Pittsburgh-based site calculates its rankings based on reviews by students and parents and data from the U.S. Department of Education, along with factors...
It’s all fun and games as ‘Boxes of Joy’ distributed to children in Pittsburgh regionVideo
Bringing a little fun and some learning, too, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Reading is FUNdamental (RIF) Pittsburgh and The Education Partnership teamed up to assemble and deliver “Boxes of Joy” this summer. The boxes contain more than $100 worth of items, including sketch books, colored paper, footballs, bug stamp...
2nd heat wave in Western Pa. strains power grid but utilities handle extra demand
This summer’s heat has pushed the mercury to 90 degrees and higher for 11 days, prompting people to keep the air conditioners humming day and night. It has also strained the electricity lines carrying power to homes and businesses, area utility companies said. But while the system may be stressed...
State grants will expand alternative-fuel fleets in Western Pennsylvania
Companies in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties will collectively add 32 alternative-fuel vehicles to their fleets with the assistance of state grants. • Noble Environmental, which operates the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill and County Hauling, received $600,000 from Pennsylvania’s Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant program. It will add eight compressed natural gas garbage...
VoteSafe Pennsylvania aims to help voters access safe options for election
VoteSafe Pennsylvania has launched a statewide bipartisan campaign that aims to ensure every Pennsylvania voter has access to safe voting options for the November election. The coalition is led by former Republican House Majority Leader Dave Reed and former Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who also served as undersecretary and...
WVU mandates covid-19 testing and education; Pitt to require students to quarantine
West Virginia University will require students to get a covid-19 test and complete an education module on the virus prior to returning to campus next month. Those who fail to meet those requirements could be fined $250, school officials warned Tuesday. Like colleges across the region, WVU has published a...
Meth lab dump sites ‘fairly common’ on Indiana County’s rural roads
Indiana County’s rural roads have become appealing places for methamphetamine manufacturers to get rid of their illegally used materials, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. It’s become a “fairly common occurrence” for state troopers to find dump sites in remote areas or off dirt roads, said Trooper Cliff Greenfield. The...
Backpack giveaway coming to Western Pennsylvania
The annual School Rocks Backpack Giveaway is set to donate 140,000 backpacks full of school supplies this weekend. Round Room LLC, a Verizon Wireless retailer, announced its TCC and Wireless Zone stores will give away school supplies at over 800 locations nationwide. This year will mark more than 1 million...
Connellsville chamber cancels ‘Savor the Avenue’
The Greater Connellsville Chamber of Commerce will cancel the Savor the Avenue “Celebrating the Jewel of the Yough” event originally scheduled for Aug. 6, due to ongoing public health risks associated with covid-19. “The safety and health of our guests and restaurant staff comes first,” chamber officials wrote in a...
Former assistant college basketball coach indicted on federal child porn charges
A Blair County man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on several counts of production of child pornography and exploitation of minors. Jacob Kolonis, 27, of Duncansville is the sole defendant in the 16-count indictment unsealed Monday. He’s accused of interstate transmission of an extortion communication, production...
AHN announces mobile covid-19 testing locations
Allegheny Health Network’s mobile covid-19 testing unit will be visiting several Pittsburgh sites this week. Covid-19 testing will be available from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the following locations:Shop N’ Save plaza in the Hill District (1850 Centre Avenue) on Monday, July 20City Hall Building in Clairton (551 Ravensburg...
Analyst: Drivers enjoying lowest gas prices in 16 years as markets hang on covid-19
Gasoline prices fell slightly over the past week as markets await the next chapter in the coronavirus situation, an industry analyst said. “As cases continue to rise, the likelihood rises that gas prices will stabilize and demand may continue to see small decreases, which is the name of the game...
How to see comet NEOWISE in Pittsburgh area
It’s a sight you won’t get a chance to see again. Not unless you live another 6,800 years. It’s the ball of ice, rock and dust that everyone is talking about: a fuzzy-looking star with a tail otherwise known as comet NEOWISE. To see it, start to look below the...
As schools’ reopening plans balance safety with education, officials left feeling they’re picking ‘the best bad option’
Some school officials say their districts are in a no-win situation as they draw up reopening plans meant to balance health and education amid a pandemic that closed schools in the spring and upends any hope of normalcy in the fall. Those plans, required by state health and education officials...
Blaze causes extensive damage to steel manufacturer in Ambridge
A Beaver County manufacturing plant was extensively damaged in a Saturday morning fire, while the workers inside were safely evacuated. The five-alarm fire was reported at about 5 a.m. at Sukup Steel Structures in the 300 block of 14th Street in Ambridge, according to a county 911 dispatcher. Ambridge Fire...
Week-in-review: Covid-19 dominates headlines, Maz’s house sold, top creameriesVideo
The covid-19 pandemic continues to dominate daily life and news, with state leaders imposing restrictions on bars and restaurants and asking more travelers to self-quarantine as the number of cases continues to increase. Giant Eagle is defending itself in court against a lawsuit that calls its policy requiring shoppers to...
DEP issues code orange air pollution alert for Southwestern Pa.
Children, the elderly and those with respiratory issues should be careful and limit outdoor activity on Saturday, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Most of Southwestern Pennsylvania will be under a code orange designation for ozone, the DEP said. Orange is the third level of a four-tier air...
