Local stories category, Page 4
Pleasant Lane Farms takes home 1st place in World Dairy Expo for gouda cheese
Pleasant Lane Farms in Unity had a gouda showing at this year’s World Dairy Expo — literally. The Creamery at Pleasant Lane Farms received four medals, including a first place win for its 1976 reserve gouda cheese. Its cheddar cheese curds placed second, its buffalo ranch cheese curds placed third...
Car wash planned at old Teddy’s restaurant location in North Huntingdon
The site of the former Teddy’s restaurant along Route 30 in North Huntingdon is to be razed for an automated car wash, making it the fourth place to clean a vehicle in a two-mile stretch of the highway east and west of Irwin. Express Wash Concepts of Etna, Ohio, plans...
Out & About: The Westmoreland’s Pride Prom celebrates self-expression
A popular disco-era song said, “Express yourself/You don’t ever need help from nobody else/All you got to do now/Express yourself.” Sung by Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, the tune could have been the anthem of Pride Prom, held June 17 at The Westmoreland Museum of American...
Farmers lament potential losses as lack of rain impacts local crops
James Goldscheitter’s prayers were answered. The rain finally arrived. Now he and other local farmers are hoping the modest amount — and a forecast with a chance of rain Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — is enough to boost their floundering crops. Rain that fell Sunday evening and continued into Monday...
Neighborhood vibes keep smaller grocers afloat as chains battle for supremacy
Some people want to shop where everybody knows their name. “I see some people three or four times a week,” said Gene Tommasi, who runs Golden Dawn grocery store in New Kensington. “It’s a little like ‘Cheers,’ ” he said, referring to the TV show about regulars at a bar...
A lavender haze: Businesses anticipate Taylor Swift windfall that could ‘blow Kenny Chesney out of the water’
Tia Muscarella is already leaning into the Taylor Swift phenomenon, and The Eras Tour is still a week away from its Pittsburgh stop. The North Shore Tavern, where Muscarella is the bar manager, has been featuring the specialty cocktail Lavender Haze, a concoction of butterfly pea blossom gin laced with...
$81M investment to create 300 jobs in New Kensington, Arnold industrial park
A new manufacturing operation will create 300 full-time jobs over the next three years in the New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park, local and state leaders announced Monday. Re:Build Manufacturing’s facility will comprise parts of five existing buildings previously used by Siemens and will total 175,000 square feet once complete. The...
These doctors will lead convergence of eye care and rehab at UPMC Mercy Pavilion
A new medical facility at UPMC Mercy Pavilion in Pittsburgh’s Uptown section will marry for the first time the disciplines of ophthalmology and rehabilitation — and top doctors in those fields — when it opens this week. “To my knowledge, this is the first physical space that will be bringing...
Former Bella Luna space to reopen as The Coxcomb
As he stood behind what will soon be a finished bar top, Will Patterson of Monroeville heard someone driving past the open door of the former Bella Luna restaurant at the Murrysville/Monroeville border. “Are you open?” the woman asked through her passenger side window. “Early June, hopefully!” Patterson shouted before...
As family exits Giant Eagle leadership, question of what’s next remains
It’s increasingly rare for a family-owned business to survive more than 90 years — rarer still when more than one family is involved. But Giant Eagle had done just that. Founded by five families in 1931, the O’Hara-based grocery chain grew into a regional powerhouse whose name has been enshrined...
Braeburn Alloy workers’ vote for union representation upheld by National Labor Relations Board
Last month’s vote for a labor union to represent Braeburn Alloy Steel workers in Lower Burrell during contract negotiations has been upheld by the National Labor Relations Board. The vote Feb. 23 was held by secret ballot. Negotiations have not yet been scheduled. It was an unusual hoop for employees...
Manufacturing apprenticeships a boon to students, employers
When his pursuit of a mechanical engineering degree at Penn State New Kensington was derailed, Cameron Fouse turned to Plan B. “I tried machining for the first time and learned everything I could online,” said Fouse, 29, of Ford City. An entry-level job at Metplas Inc. in Harrison landed Fouse...
Braeburn steelworkers to vote on another labor union representation since new owner ‘doesn’t recognize’ first one
Although they already are represented by the United Steelworkers, Braeburn Alloy Steel employees in Lower Burrell are taking the unusual step of voting Feb. 23 for a labor union to represent them for contract negotiations. A new owner, G.O. Carlson Inc. of Oil City, took over Braeburn last year. The...
Contractors hit with $1.1M fine for illegal asbestos removal at Churchill property
The Allegheny County Health Department has fined a contractor nearly $1.1 million for illegally disposing of asbestos while renovating the former Westinghouse headquarters in Churchill. An environmental group called the contractor’s disregard for the asbestos-containing material “unconscionable” and said the fine “is a victory for public health.” “Their reckless behavior...
‘Maybe I will cry’: Southwest travelers in Pittsburgh frustrated by cancellations, delays
Barbara Gray and her husband, Ken, stood at the back of a long, winding line of frustrated passengers Tuesday morning waiting to get to the Southwest Airlines ticket counter at Pittsburgh International Airport. Like many others in line, their flight had been canceled — one of at least 35 Southwest...
Short stack, short staff: Restaurant industry still hurting for workers
For Tracy Allison, a bartender who serves the dining room at Ligonier Tavern and Table while completing a host of other tasks, finding good employees has been an ongoing challenge. “I have no earthly idea why” it has been so hard to attract and retain workers, said Allison, a Ligonier...
‘City of Steel’ lets former workers chronicle the rise and fall of Pittsburgh steel industry
When Bruce Spiegel was a child, he would look out his Greenfield window at the heart of American industry: the U.S. Steel Homestead Works. “I would look out into the night and watch the Homestead furnaces blowing blue flames,” Spiegel said. “I thought steel-making was never going to end.” In...
Why some Western Pa. hospitals choose to remain independent
Editor’s note: This is the final part of a three-day series examining the rapidly changing health care landscape in Western Pennsylvania. Lynn Botelho has lived her life traveling the globe, navigating some of the world’s most time-honored academic institutions. But when she was handed a cancer diagnosis, she looked no...
Hospitals embrace mergers as path to survival
Editor’s note: This is the second part of a three-day series examining the rapidly changing health care landscape in Western Pennsylvania. As Excela Health CEO John Sphon irons out the details of a merger with Butler Health System, his message to the public is clear. He believes the alliance...
As Western Pa. hospitals expand, fears grow over higher health care costsVideo
Editor’s note: This is the first part of a three-day series examining the rapidly changing health care landscape in Western Pennsylvania. Western Pennsylvania’s two health care giants have jumped into a controversial nationwide hospital building boom, spending billions on glitzy, state-of-the-art facilities that critics say patients ultimately will pay for...
Airfare takes off this holiday season — priciest in recent years
Airline ticket prices are set to soar this holiday travel season. Domestic airfare for Thanksgiving is expected to increase by more than 17% per round-trip ticket, according to travel booking group Hopper lead economist Hayley Berg. International fares have increased 30% compared with last year, with a round-trip ticket this...
Homeowners brace for higher heating costs this winter
Miranda McDermott is dreading winter. With home heating costs forecast to reach their highest levels in more than 10 years, McDermott of Allegheny Township said her family can’t afford to pay monthly heating bills in full. “Our average heating bill is $800,” McDermott said. “We have wood chopped and ready...
Greensburg beef jerky business aiding troops, veterans
A Salem man who started a beef jerky business in California six years ago is competing for a slice of the $1.2 billion annual domestic meat jerky market. Part of the mission of Air Force veteran Christopher Prascus’ Soldier Boy Beef Jerky is to give back to those who serve...
Pa. plan for electric vehicle supercharger stations becoming reality
Davie Huddleston wasn’t looking for an electric vehicle. He loves his gas-powered Nissan Murano convertible. But his two daughters kept insisting, and he finally bought one. “They should sell electric vehicles,” he said of his daughters. “It was constant. And they had a point for my every objection. But it...
Here’s what used to occupy some large Pittsburgh construction sites
It’s tradition for Pittsburghers to give directions to landmarks that no longer exist. “Turn right where Schenley High School used to be.” It is a quirk that showcases the region’s love for nostalgia and respect for its history. Dozens of construction projects are happening in the city. Buildings that housed...
