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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Man, juveniles convicted of poaching white-tailed deer in Somerset County, prohibited from hunting for decades
It will be decades before three people convicted of poaching 19 white-tailed deer in Somerset County over a two-month span in 2020 are allowed to hunt again, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Although authorities were able to tie 19 poached deer to the three suspects, they said they believe...
Murrysville camera company livestreams nearby fox den 
“Sly as a fox” is not just a saying somebody made up. Foxes are cunning and wary. Just ask Bill Powers of Murrysville, who’s been trying to successfully train a wildlife camera on a wild fox den since 2016. “They’re so sensitive that, if they sense a human has been...
Take aim: Gateway forms skeet shooting team
To an untrained eye, the five Gateway students working their way around a shooting arc at the Trafford Sportsmen’s Club are simply taking aim and trying their best to target the clay pigeons shooting across their field of vision. But Mike Buvalla, coach of the newly formed Gateway Skeet Club,...
Rain doesn’t dampen opening day of trout season
The first day of trout season has always been a big deal for the Gombosh family. It became more so after 15-year-old Joey Gombosh fell ill and died in 1995 after he returned from a fishing outing at Northmoreland Park. “This keeps his memory alive,” said Bob Gombosh, who along...
One for the record books? Game commission measures antlers statewide 
If a hunter bags just about any big game animal in Pennsylvania, game warden Zach Hay can take its measurements to see if it qualifies for the state’s record book. “I just want to see if this is bigger than the last one I got scored in 2013,” said Dave...
Great Crossings Bridge returns to Yough Lake’s depths as boating season approaches
The 1818 Great Crossings Bridge exposed last fall during an extended drought is back under water at the Yough Lake Marina in Somerset County. The historic structure dropped out of sight once more Dec. 13, as the lake was replenished with water. “The lake (water level) has come up a...
No limits on Sunday hunting proposed for Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania lawmakers are taking another look at making hunting a seven-day-a-week activity, when in season. State Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, this week introduced Senate Bill 67 to fully repeal Pennsylvania’s prohibition on Sunday hunting. It builds on Act 107 of 2019 that permitted hunting on three Sundays. A similar bill...
Crow is not the only thing they eat at a wild game dinner in rural Pennsylvania
PINE GROVE — The buffet line inside the fire hall in rural Northeast Pennsylvania was a familiar sight last weekend as a crowd of about 150 people heaped dinner onto their plates before sitting down to eat, hear a little live music and wait for the raffle. Aside from a...
Under cover: Game commission releases bonus stock of pheasants in Pa. 
Pheasant hunters aren’t just good at flushing out the birds they’re hunting. They’re pretty adept at figuring out where the Pennsylvania Game Commission is likely to stock them. As Warden Zebulun Campbell and his crew pulled into a small parking lot near Loyalhanna Lake on Thursday morning, a half-dozen hunters...
Special Olympics Winter Games returns to Seven Springs
Snowshoeing and alpine skiing were among the events Wednesday at the 46th annual Special Olympics Pennsylvania Winter Games at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Somerset County. Athletes, coaches and volunteers were at the the resort for three days of activities and competition, which also includes snowboarding. Opening ceremonies were held...
Mark your calendars: Saturday opener for deer rifle hunting backed by Pa. game commissioners
It’s not official yet, but hunters can probably start planning for the sport’s biggest weekend in Pennsylvania — the opening day for the deer rifle season in late November. The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners on Saturday unanimously gave preliminary approval to hunting and trapping season schedules for 2025-26. The...
Sportsmen gather in Harrison for Tri-County Trout Club’s annual show
With the region bracing for a bitter cold snap next week, anglers from near and far, young and old may have been thinking of warmer days ahead along rivers and streams as they gathered for a long-running annual sport show and flea market in Harrison on Saturday. Nearly 50 vendors...
Stretch of snowy, cold weather pulls cross country ski lovers onto Laurel Highlands trails
Jean Thompson learned one thing Friday — don’t lean back. That tip made the Fairchance woman’s first time cross-country skiing alongside her friend, Kristin Dunham, a fun experience. Despite the cold air atop Laurel Ridge at the border of Fayette and Somerset counties, both women had smiles on their faces...
Smart bird feeders gain popularity and spark interest in bird-watching
CONCORD, N.H. — Marin Plank truly had no interest in birds when she gave her husband a camera-equipped bird feeder for his birthday. But by Christmas, she had become so obsessed with birds that most of the gifts she received this year — books, stickers, notecards — were related. “This...
Pittsburgh will get to see a total lunar eclipse in 2025
You can see a solar eclipse in Presque Isle this year. Unfortunately, it’ll be a partial eclipse. And it will require some travel, because it will be in Presque Isle, Maine, rather than the one in Erie. While the Erie area was the epicenter for local looks at the total...
Running a marathon a day in 2024, she has a world record within her grasp
GHENT, Belgium — Finally coming to a halt on Tuesday — the last day of 2024 — Belgian ultra runner Hilde Dosogne felt she had done all to take the world record as the first woman to run a marathon every single day of the year. Weary but seemingly far...
First Day Hikes scheduled in 3 area state parks
For those whose New Year’s resolution is to get in better shape or just do more outdoor activities, the state has the ideal way to ring in the new year. Guided hikes are scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 1, in Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh, Laurel Hill State Park in Somerset...
Feds propose protection for giant salamanders devastated by Hurricane Helene
You never forget your first time seeing a giant salamander, according to Andy Hill. He was a teenager, standing thigh-high in the Watauga River outside Boone, North Carolina, casting a line on an early fall day when he saw his first eastern hellbender. The salamander stretched 2 feet long and...
Minnesota reaps windfall from epic comeback of lake trout in Lake Superior
MINNEAPOLIS — Once-rare lake trout in Lake Superior are doing so well that state biologists will use the fish to stock the species in lakes around the state, officials have announced. This fall, the Department of Natural Resources successfully harvested lake trout eggs from fish captured in two nets set...
Saturday’s deer season opener still draws fire from traditionalists
There are few items on the Pennsylvania hunting calendar that draw more anticipation than the opening day of firearms deer season. There also are few events that have generated as much heated debate in recent years, particularly since the Pennsylvania Game Commission made the decision in 2019 to shift opening...
Fish photos hazardous to their health? Tips for safer catch and release
Pick a social media platform and a fishing-related hashtag, say #patroutfishing on Instagram. It’ll turn up thousands upon thousands of posts. Anglers have long posed for photos with their latest and biggest catches, but the phenomenon of being able to pull out a smartphone and share your achievement globally is...
Game commission releases 500 antlerless tags for new chronic wasting management area in Armstrong
In response to the detection of new deer populations hosting chronic wasting disease, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has issued 500 additional antlerless tags for a newly established hunting area in Armstrong County. Hunters can purchase additional tags for Deer Management Assistance Program unit 7305, roughly 25,000 acres including part or...
Hampton girls excel at riding waves, even on Allegheny River 
Once everyone and everything is ready to go, a motorboat surges forward, pulling a tow rope. As the speed increases, a person holding the rope rises from the water to stand atop a specially designed board. Eventually, he or she drops the line and starts riding the waves generated by...
Motorists should be on the lookout for deer as rutting season peaks, Pa. Game Commission says
Steve Boeser has been a busy man since June. Boeser is contracted by the Municipality of Murrysville to collect and dispose of dead deer that have been struck by cars. His contract starts in June, and he’s usually well into January before he reaches 100 calls. As of Oct. 22,...
On Lake Erie, getting rid of problem algae starts with giving it less food
OREGON, Ohio — On a warm late-summer evening, a small speedboat motored across a pea-green stretch of Lake Erie past a beach where a child sat splashing and a pair of newlyweds waded for a portrait photographer. On the sand, unseen or ignored, bright red signs warned people to stay...


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