Regional category, Page 77
Point Park, Pitt 2024 grads relish triumphs over pandemic-era troubles
Marley Parker began her studies four years ago at Point Park University living out of a hotel room Downtown — a comfortable enough space just a few blocks off campus, although light years from a normal freshman experience. Housed there temporarily by her university to reduce dorm occupancy amid a...
Federal judge keeps accused Jan. 6 rioter from Burgettstown behind bars pending trial
Video evidence shows a man identified as Joshua Lee Atwood screaming obscenities at the law enforcement officers protecting the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But he also has two small children at home and another on the way. Atwood threw a bottle at police, investigators say, then used wooden...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: April 26
The following is a new feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz: 1. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, easily won her 12th congressional district primary Tuesday night, topping challenger Bhavini Patel. What high school did Lee, who grew up in North Braddock, go to? A/ Perry B/ Penn Hills C/...
Where is the last Ponderosa Steakhouse in Pennsylvania?
Employees of Pennsylvania’s last Ponderosa Steakhouse along Route 8 in Butler County are used to customers taking parking lot selfies and making a big fuss over the staying power of this Ponderosa. Server Denise Morin, 58, has worked at the Ponderosa in Center Township for 40 years. It opened in...
Western Pennsylvania restaurant workers dish on dining etiquette
Workers in the food service industry have their plates full navigating menus, taking orders, making drinks, cleaning tables and running food orders — all while keeping customers happy. The restaurant industry generates more than $28 billion in tips annually, according to a 2023 report from Gitnux, which specializes in consumer...
University of Pittsburgh, Steelworkers reach tentative agreement on 1st faculty labor contract
The union representing 3,400 University of Pittsburgh faculty has tentatively agreed with the school administration on their first labor contract — a pact running through June 30, 2026. The United Steelworkers union announced the deal late Thursday and said it included what it calls “historic language on wages and job...
Fayette County district attorney working with forensic anthropologist in death of 17-year-old
It will take some time before authorities can come to an official conclusion about what led to the death of 17-year-old Kaitlin Whoolery, according to Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele. Whoolery’s remains were found this month in North Union, months after she was last seen in November. Local authorities...
East Suburban Sports Medicine Center helped Olympic wrestler Spencer Lee, countless others over 4 decades
When Franklin Regional’s Spencer Lee was pursuing his fourth state wrestling title, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in his right knee, and his doctor said there simply wasn’t time to try and repair it before the state championships got underway. During the championships, Lee’s ACL popped again....
IUP students ready to crunch their competition in lettuce-eating contest
Student clubs on college campuses have their defining attributes, and the group that Ava Moriarity and her friends started at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is no exception. In fact, it even has a distinguishing sound: It’s the crunch of fresh iceberg lettuce being devoured at breakneck speed by undergraduates who...
UPMC is shedding 1,000 jobs
Pittsburgh-based health care giant UPMC said Wednesday it is cutting 1,000 jobs because of post-pandemic challenges. The reductions will impact just over 1% of UPMC’s more than 100,000-member workforce systemwide, according to Paul Wood, vice president and chief communications officer. “The entire health care industry continues to face the realities...
American Lung Association ranks Pittsburgh metro area among nation’s most polluted
The American Lung Association ranked the Pittsburgh metro area among the worst in the nation for pollution in a report released Tuesday. The annual ‘State of the Air’ report named the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton metro area one of the worst in the nation for year-round particle pollution. The Pittsburgh metro area...
Summer Lee beats Bhavini Patel in Democratic primary
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, cruised to a primary victory Tuesday night, vanquishing her Democratic challenger, Bhavini Patel. Lee, a progressive, took an early lead over the more moderate Edgewood councilwoman with a strong showing in mail-in ballots. Lee never looked back. With nearly 100% of precincts reporting, Lee won...
Remains found in Fayette County identified as missing 17-year-old girl
Skeletal remains found last week in Fayette County have been identified as a 17-year-old girl who was reported missing in November, according to Coroner Bob Baker. The remains found in North Union were that of Kaitlin Whoolery, he said. Authorities were led April 16 to an area near Washington Avenue...
Police: Copper wire theft suspects left identifying documents, receipt for tools at crime scene
Three Fayette County men were arrested after police said they stole more than 400 feet of telephone line and left behind a court custody notice identifying one of them, along with a receipt for tools that may have been used to remove the lines. State police in Belle Vernon were...
Primary 2024: ‘No sense complaining if you’re not voting’
It’s Primary Day in Pennsylvania. Among voters’ options on this year’s ballot will be candidates for president, the U.S. Senate, and the state’s attorney general. Despite it being a presidential election year, local officials say they expect low voter turnout. That could be due to the fact that both of...
Communities embrace use of license plate readers
Communities across the region are considering or have installed license plate readers on local streets and highways. As TribLive reported in March, Springdale is one of the latest to adopt the Automated National Noninvasive Insurance Enforcement (ANNIE) program, designed for police departments to address uninsured and unregistered vehicles. Tarentum also...
Kenneth Mash re-elected leader of Pa. state university union
Kenneth Mash has been re-elected president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, the 5,000-plus member union for professors and coaches across the State System of Higher Education. The union on Monday announced result of voting by delegates across the state. Mash, a political science professor at...
Wild turkey season opens early for young hunters
Spring wild turkey season in Pennsylvania starts Saturday with an opportunity for young hunters in advance of the regular season opener on May 4. Junior hunters and mentored ones 16 and younger can hit the woods Saturday from 30 minutes before sunrise until noon, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission....
New Castle police investigating fatal shooting
New Castle police are investigating a fatal shooting that left one man dead Sunday. Police were dispatched to the area of East Moody Avenue and Carlisle Street for reports of gunshots Sunday, officials said. Officers found a parked Green Chevrolet Tahoe at the scene with a man dead in the...
‘It’s life-changing’: Collegiate, high school esports programs on the rise
Brayden Seech has been playing video games since he was in elementary school. He started with Nintendo’s Wii and DS devices, shifting into Xbox and PC games as he got older. Now, as a 17-year-old senior at Penn-Trafford High School, Seech has earned a college scholarship to continue his hobby...
Sensory accessibility: Theaters create a welcoming space for guests
When Amy Hart caught a glimpse of daughter Sophie jumping up and down in her seat in the theater, she began to tear up. Artists from the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” were dancing on stage in a sensory-friendly performance in 2021, and 14-year-old Sophie and her friend were smiling...
Guaranteed doe licenses in most hunting areas expected to thwart repeat of 2023 system shutdown
Luke Wasilowski isn’t looking forward to June — when state hunting licenses go on sale. At least, he isn’t looking forward to a repeat of last year, when the state’s computer system ground to a halt on the first day of sales, leaving hunters waiting in lines, sometimes for hours....
GOP reverses course, says mail-in ballots key to 2024 success
Local Republican leaders are pushing voters to get in the game when it comes to mail-in ballots, even if the most prominent voice in the party still is resistant. “It is important because we’re already starting each election with a deficit,” said Westmoreland GOP Committee Chairman Bill Bretz. “Many Democratic...
United Methodists will vote on the church’s future at upcoming General Conference
Hundreds of United Methodists will gather in Charlotte, N.C., in the next two weeks to make big decisions on the religious denomination’s policies, finances, inclusiveness and future. The international conference, referred to as the 2020 General Conference because the original event was postponed during the pandemic, comes after years of...
Coroner reports driver in Fayette crash that killed 5 had cocaine in his system
The driver involved in a three-vehicle crash in late March that killed himself and four others, including an infant, had cocaine in his system at the time of the collision, the Fayette County coroner reported Saturday. All five people killed in the March 26 crash on Route 40 were from...
