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TribLIVE.com •

Police continue to investigate caltrops found in Brackenridge

Tarentum police now have about a dozen reports of caltrops on First and Brackenridge avenues in Brackenridge.
They continue to investigate the origin of the small multispiked metal objects, said police Chief William Vakulick, whose department covers Brackenridge.
They haven’t had any reports since Tuesday evening.
Vakulick said the caltrops are very small — about 1.5 inches — and they would slowly drain the air from tires rather than causing major accidents.
Large truck tires wou...
TribLIVE.com •

Parents sue Hampton school district over athlete's injury on baseball field

The parents of a junior varsity baseball player are suing the Hampton Township School District for negligence, alleging that poor conditions on the baseball diamond led to a season-ending injury for their son.
Jason and Joy Midgley claim their son, Holden Midgley, was hurt while playing second base during a game on April 17 at the school’s varsity baseball field on McCully Road.
Holden, who is scheduled to graduate in 2026, stepped into a hole in the grass infield that had been “improper...
TribLIVE.com •

Allegheny County defense attorney caught in sex sting has law license suspended

An Allegheny County criminal defense attorney caught in a sex sting in 2023 had his license to practice law temporarily suspended on Wednesday.
Paul Luvara, 34 of South Fayette, is a registered sex offender who is currently in state prison.
Luvara voluntarily sought the suspension in a joint filing with the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Police said Luvara attempted to solicit sexual activity from a minor after exchanging sexually explicit messages with some...
TribLIVE.com •

Jury acquits man in North Side homicide as police charge witness in same slaying

Weeks before a Homestead man was acquitted Wednesday in a 2022 slaying on Pittsburgh’s North Side, prosecutors charged their main witness with the same homicide.
After deliberating for three days, a jury Wednesday found Jason Woodall, 31, not guilty of killing Meiko Devaughn in the Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood.
Now prosecutors will try to prove Rayco Saunders, 32, of Stowe was to blame.
Pittsburgh police charged Saunders on June 17 with homicide, criminal conspiracy and robbery. I...

Central Current

Central Current •

A Syracuse University DPS officer decertified after misconduct was hired again and again

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series called Shielded From Consequence, looking at the decertification of law enforcement officers in New York. The series is produced in partnership with the USA TODAY Network-New York and Syracuse University. You can read the first story in the series here.

In November of last year, Ryan Zarnowski’s public career as a peace officer appeared to have ended. 

Internal documents show mistakes and discipline marked his only year as a jail deputy at the Osw...
Central Current •

How Syracuse lawmakers say they're going to vote on 'good cause'

Syracuse lawmakers on Wednesday tabled an amended version of “good cause eviction” legislation that would beef up tenant protections. 

Ahead of a potential vote at the end of the month, the council appears divided on the bill.

Councilor Hanah Ehrenreich, one of the legislation’s five co-sponsors, said the “good cause” would be reintroduced at the Common Council’s Feb. 23 voting session. As proponents of the bills count potential votes, the deciding “yea” could be in the hands of newly elected...
Central Current •

Syracuse lawmakers disappeared ‘good cause’ from their agenda. After a year, it’s back.

Five Syracuse lawmakers will introduce Wednesday a version of “good cause eviction” after a year that saw councilors remain mostly silent on the local law. 

Councilors withdrew the measure from a Syracuse Common Council agenda last February and went mum on the prospect of passing the local law for 12 months. Now, supporters of the bill on the council believe they have the votes to pass it. 

Councilors Hanah Ehrenreich, Chol Majok, Marty Nave, Corey Williams, and Jimmy Monto will co-sponsor the...
Central Current •

Democratic challenger Chad Ryan flips Onondaga County Legislature's 8th District

Democrat Chad Ryan beat incumbent Republican Legislator Shawn Fiato in the race to represent the Onondaga County Legislature’s 8th District. 

Ryan, a former councilor in Syracuse, collected nearly 75% of the votes in the race against Fiato. 
Fiato was appointed to the legislature in January by County Executive Ryan McMahon after Democratic Minority Leader Chris Ryan was elected to represent the New York State Senate’s 50th district. Chad Ryan is Chris Ryan’s cousin.

Ryan’s win helped flip the...
Central Current •

Democrat Gregory Eriksen flips Onondaga County Legislature's 6th District seat

Editor’s Note: Gregory Eriksen is a partner at Bousquet Holstein PLLC. Larry Bousquet is a founding board member at Central Current and currently sits on its Board of Directors.
The race for Onondaga County Legislature’s 6th District seat was close, but Democrat Gregory Eriksen beat Republican candidate Julie Abbott by an almost 4% margin.

Eriksen flipped the seat, contributing to the Democrats flipping the Onondaga County Legislature from red to blue for the first time in decades. The 6th Dist...
Central Current •

Democrat Elaine Denton flips Onondaga County Legislature's 10th District seat

Democrat Elaine Denton beat Republican incumbent Mark Olson and won 55% of the votes in a contested race for the Onondaga County Legislature’s 10th District seat. 
Denton is a former councilor for the Manlius Town Board, and a freelance graphic designer. She received an endorsement from the Onondaga County Democratic Committee, Manlius Democrats, the New York Working Families Party, and issue-focused organizations like Everytown for Gun Safety, Eleanor’s Legacy and Run for Something.

Denton has...

Trib Total Media

TribLIVE.com •

Synagogue merger heralds new future; for Reform Judaism in Pittsburgh

The “Ner Tamid,” or “everlasting light,” has burned at Pittsburgh’s Temple Sinai synagogue since its founding in 1946, representing the eternal presence of God in both the temple and people’s lives.
On Sunday the light winked out as Temple Sinai’s congregation merged with Rodef Shalom’s to form a new Reform Jewish synagogue in Shadyside — Beit Kulanu, Hebrew for “a house for all of us.”
Drew Barkley, executive director of Beit Kulanu, said that while ceremoniously extinguishing the Ner T...
TribLIVE.com •

Police continue to investigate caltrops found in Brackenridge

Tarentum police now have about a dozen reports of caltrops on First and Brackenridge avenues in Brackenridge.
They continue to investigate the origin of the small multispiked metal objects, said police Chief William Vakulick, whose department covers Brackenridge.
They haven’t had any reports since Tuesday evening.
Vakulick said the caltrops are very small — about 1.5 inches — and they would slowly drain the air from tires rather than causing major accidents.
Large truck tires wou...
TribLIVE.com •

Duquesne University collabs with Helltown Brewing on new beer

Duquesne University Athletics has teamed up with Helltown Brewing to launch a beer that blends school pride with craft flavor.
The result, Bluff 78, is a lager wrapped in Duquesne’s signature red and blue, offering fans a crisp, refreshing way to toast their team.
“Bluff 78 is more than just a brew,” Arnie Burchianti, co-founder of Helltown Brewing, said in a press release. “It’s a tribute to Duquesne University, the people who have shaped it and the pride we carry beyond campus.”
Th...
TribLIVE.com •

Woodland Hills administration to move operations to high school building in Churchill

The Woodland Hills School District administration is moving its operations from North Braddock to the Woodland Hills High School on Greensburg Pike in Churchill.
The new administration is set to be in place at the start of the school year.
The move comes after the Woodland Hills School District approved a letter of intent for the Heritage Community Initiatives’ purchase of their current administration building at 531 Jones Avenue in North Braddock.
HCI is a nonprofit organization tha...
TribLIVE.com •

Rare freshwater jellyfish spotted near Presque Isle in Lake Erie

James Grazio, a Great Lakes biologist with the Department of Environmental Protection, never expected to encounter the animal he’d been hoping to see for the better part of his career.
On July 15, while out on Lake Erie near Presque Isle with DEP summer intern Ray Walter collecting water samples, Grazio finally spotted it — the only known species of freshwater jellyfish.
When Walter pointed out the jellyfish, Grazio was elated.
“It really made my day,” Grazio said. “I was super excit...
TribLIVE.com •

Pitt dining hall named best in nation. Do students agree?

The University of Pittsburgh was recently recognized for having the best dining hall food in the country — but do students agree?
The National Association of College and University Food Services awarded The Eatery, Pitt’s largest dining facility, the Loyal E. Horton grand prize, naming it the best residential dining facility in the country.
The Eatery beat out dining facilities at the University of Alabama, The University of Miami, Carleton University and more. Pitt’s dining service is...
TribLIVE.com •

Enson Market reopens in Pittsburgh after health violations

A new supermarket in Pittsburgh’s East End has reopened after the Allegheny County Health Department ordered its closure earlier this month.
Enson Market, an Asian American grocery store in North Point Breeze, is one of 32 locations nationwide offering food products from over 28 countries.
Before failing to meet food safety standards on July 10, the market had a fresh seafood deli and a butcher shop.
Now, Enson Market is a Class 2 food facility authorized to provide prepackaged produ...
TribLIVE.com •

Allegheny County issues warning after 4 sickened by salmonella linked to raw milk

Allegheny County health officials are advising people to discard raw milk products from a Chambersburg farm after some residents became sickened with salmonella.
Since July 1, the Allegheny County Health Department identified four residents who got sick after consuming raw milk products from The Family Cow.
Raw milk is milk that hasn’t been pasteurized to eliminate harmful bacteria. Officials warn that consuming unpasteurized dairy products raises the risk of foodborne illness.
Produ...
TribLIVE.com •

Parents sue Hampton school district over athlete’s injury on baseball field

The parents of a junior varsity baseball player are suing the Hampton Township School District for negligence, alleging that poor conditions on the baseball diamond led to a season-ending injury for their son.
Jason and Joy Midgley claim their son, Holden Midgley, was hurt while playing second base during a game on April 17 at the school’s varsity baseball field on McCully Road.
Holden, who is scheduled to graduate in 2026, stepped into a hole in the grass infield that had been “improper...
TribLIVE.com •

Chocolate Boutique in Sewickley opens in a new location

Sewickley’s Chocolate Boutique held the grand opening of its new location on June 27, overlapping with the Sewickley Valley Chamber of Commerce’s popular Night Mart.
That evening, owner Tracy McCoy and five employees darted around the chocolate shop, passing out free samples and serving chocolates, ice cream and milkshakes.
As customers walked in, they received raffle tickets for prizes including gourmet apples, pecan turtles, custom Chocolate Boutique ball caps and t-shirts, hydro flask...
TribLIVE.com •

How to avoid fireworks injuries this July Fourth weekend

The Fourth of July weekend brings a surge of cookouts, fireworks and celebrations — and with it, a busy stretch for fire safety and health officials preparing for the holiday’s potential hazards.
Brad James, fire chief at Eureka Fire Rescue in Tarentum, said the holiday weekend tends to produce numerous fires.
“We’ve had several horror stories,” James said. “A lot of catastrophes happen around the holiday.”
Those incidents often include car accidents, house fires and property damage,...
TribLIVE.com •

Celebrities react swiftly to Diddy's trial verdict

The split verdict Wednesday against Sean “Diddy” Combs has sparked controversy — and the reactions on social media have been just as swift.
Some of the fastest responses came from celebrities who knew the music mogul personally.
Rapper 50 Cent, who has had an over 20-year feud with Diddy, took to Instagram with an AI-generated image of himself captioned: “Diddy beat the Rio, that boy a bad man.”
Aubrey O’Day, a former member of disbanded musical group Danity Kane, posted a short vide...
TribLIVE.com •

Bicycle sales hang on despite post-covid sales decline

At the height of the covid-19 pandemic, Chris MacTaggart and his friends had no problem following federal guidelines for outdoor recreation.

In May 2020, he and two other cyclists started riding around Pittsburgh to get coffee once or twice a week.

It was typical of covid-era social distancing in many places. Indoor recreation spots were mostly off-limits due to government-imposed closures, so people started seeking outdoor activities they could enjoy while keeping a distance from othe...
TribLIVE.com •

Pittsburgh Zoo receives $10 million donation

The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium received a $10 million donation Wednesday that will pay for new zoo facilities and programs.
The donors have decided to remain anonymous, according to a statement from the zoo.
“This tremendous gift really serves as a catalyst for other gifts and growth at the Zoo,” President and CEO Jeremy Goodman said in the prepared statement.
The money will go toward building a new giraffe barn with space to start a breeding program, Goodman said. It also will fund p...
TribLIVE.com •

The Peach Truck returns to Pittsburgh

The Peach Truck is rolling back into town this summer, delivering fresh produce just in time for Pittsburgh’s peak farm-to-table season.
The Nashville-based Peach Truck will stop at 11 locations this summer throughout the Pittsburgh region.
Stephen Rose, owner of the Peach Truck, got the idea for the company after moving from Fort Valley, Ga., to Nashville with his wife.
There, Rose noticed what he called “a severe lack of peaches” in the area. Rose and his wife went back to Georgia...
TribLIVE.com •

Mary Lou Retton apologizes after DUI arrest in West Virginia

Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton apologized for her recent DUI arrest in West Virginia and was ordered to pay a $100 fine.
Retton appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded no contest in connection with her May 17 arrest in Fairmont, W. Va.
Her attorney Edmund J. Rollo said in a statement that the fine was consistent with sentencing guidelines for first-time, similar offenses.
“What happened was completely unacceptable. I make no excuses,” Retton said in a statement. “To my family, f...
TribLIVE.com •

Pa. state police exhume body of unidentified woman killed in Fayette County

Pennsylvania State Police this week exhumed the body of a woman killed in a Fayette County motor vehicle crash nearly 40 years ago, hoping to finally identify her through DNA.
The woman was killed May 2, 1986, in a tractor-trailer rollover in Springhill Township, about 15 miles south of Uniontown. She has never been identified despite media campaigns and tips from the public over the years.
Reports from the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System say the woman, a passenger in th...
TribLIVE.com •

Vendors, visitors embrace change as Three Rivers Arts Festival begins

The Dollar Bank Pittsburgh Three Rivers Arts Festival may have shifted its point of view, but that doesn’t mean it’s lost its color or long-time contributors and attendees.

Set up along the riverfront lots at the 15th Street Plaza in the Strip District, the annual celebration of art and music looks a little different without its usual backdrop of Point State Park. Vendors and visitors alike are embracing this year’s theme: change.

Many artists putting their work up this year don’t just...
TribLIVE.com •

Mary Lou Retton charged with DUI in West Virginia

Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton was recently arrested and charged with DUI after an incident about 100 miles south of Pittsburgh.

Online court records say Retton, 57, was arrested on May 17 in Fairmont, W. Va. She was charged with one count of driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs.

Fairmont police stopped Retton following a report about a person in a Porsche driving erratically. Retton smelled of alcohol and was slurring her words, according to a cr...
TribLIVE.com •

Kennedy says covid vaccine no longer needed for healthy kids, pregnant women

The covid-19 vaccine will no longer be recommended for pregnant women and healthy children, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday.
Kennedy announced the update in a video posted to the social media platform X, alongside Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.
“As of today, the covid vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recom...
TribLIVE.com •

AI technologies are giving some doctors more time for patients, improving health care AI

Emily Schneider uses artificial intelligence at work for six hours a day, twice a week.
As a physician assistant at West Penn Hospital, it’s her job to man Vectra, a 3D imaging system intended to capture signs of skin disease.
That algorithm the machine uses is an example of artificial intelligence. It uses a vast database of information and applies it to each photograph, identifying potential problems far faster than any human could. It’s one of the many ways AI is being used in medicine to imp...
TribLIVE.com •

Fire damages planes, hangar at Rostraver Airport

A fire that damaged a privately owned hangar and at least two airplanes Wednesday at Rostraver Airport was quickly extinguished, said Gabe Monzo, Westmoreland County Airport Authority executive director.
With other buildings and hangars just feet away from the fire, as well as the potential dangers inside them, the fast response was key to preventing additional damage, he said.
“It’s always dangerous because of the type of fuel that the aircraft have on them, but they got a quick stop to...
TribLIVE.com •

State officials visit Strengthening Families program in Monessen

The simple act of untangling a human chain can teach a lot about trust and teamwork.
On Tuesday, participants in the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission’s Strengthening Families program mashed together, crossed their arms and grabbed hands. Next, they worked together to undo the knot they had formed.
Jessica Anderson, program coordinator of Strengthening Families, homed in on one teen familiar with the exercise, who was showing several members of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug...
TribLIVE.com •

Greensburg Night Market builds on humble beginning for its 6th season

Jessica Hickey had just completed her first season as manager of the Greensburg Night Market in 2019 when she was struck by devastating news.
Her mother had suffered a brain aneurysm that would lead to her death in September of that year. In 2020, less than a year later, her father died from colon cancer.
Hickey said the sudden life changes and the grief that she was processing threw her into a depression. She had no energy for a new season of the night market, yet had no plans to pursue...
TribLIVE.com •

Tropical Bungalow celebrates 2 years of connecting kids, customers

When visitors at Tropical Bungalow pick up their burgers, fries and ice cream, the employees who serve them are getting more than just a paycheck. At least, that’s owner Sydney Papinchak’s goal.

The restaurant along Route 30 in Hempfield has been home to 12 employees. For most of them, working at Tropical Bungalow was their first job.

Cameron Konopka, 16, started working September 2022, two months after the drive-in’s reopening. She heard about the job from a friend, and said she’s mad...
TribLIVE.com •

Electric vehicle owners will have to pay $200 in annual taxes starting in 2025

Twenty years ago, John Belak was watching David Letterman, listening to Tom Hanks gush about his electric-powered vehicle.

“He was telling him about how he got an electric car, and he was going to save the world,” the Murrysville man said.

At the time, Belak was paying about $40 a week for gas.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a bill into law last week that will require electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle owners to pay an annual tax that will be directed toward road maintenan...
TribLIVE.com •

$2.3M winning lottery ticket sold at Giant Eagle in Penn Township

A $2.3 million lottery ticket was sold Tuesday at the Giant Eagle grocery store on Penny Lane Drive in Penn Township.
The winner purchased a Pennsylvania Lottery Match 6 Lotto ticket. The winner correctly matched all six winning numbers, 14-30-41-44-46-48. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
More than 61,800 other Match 6 Lotto tickets also won prizes in the drawing. The Pennsylvania Lottery reminds players to check every ticket, every time.
A winni...
TribLIVE.com •

World FSHD Day resolution introduced on Capitol Hill

After years of advocating for a cure for the rare disease that has limited his mobility, Mark Christman has made his way to Capitol Hill.

Christman, a retired attorney and board member of Trib Total Media, was diagnosed with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, or FSHD, in 1977 at age 16.

One in 8,000 individuals have this condition.

The disease gradually weakens the skeletal muscles and is named after the typical pattern that the condition follows at the onset — face muscles b...
TribLIVE.com •

Greensburg YMCA raises $16K for a new front entrance

The Greensburg YMCA’s annual Neighbors Helping Neighbors fundraising event raised $16,000 toward a project to update the building’s main entrance.
Christine Marquis, senior operations director, said the doors that currently welcome patrons are heavy and can be difficult to open without using the handicap access mechanism. Marquis said the front doors can be slow to open once the button is pressed, and the second set of doors at the entrance may not open at all.
To replace the doors, the...
TribLIVE.com •

Heat wave forces shift in spending priorities as household costs jump

Summer utility bills are expected to swell as temperatures jump into the 90s over the next week in Western Pennsylvania.
But while some energy experts believe the cost for electricity will rise by as much as 8% in the northeastern U.S., local energy providers suggest year-over-year utility costs actually may drop.
The National Energy Assistance Directors Association predicted cooling costs will be the highest they’ve been in 10 years, with the national average cost of cooling a home from...
TribLIVE.com •

Independence Health hosts farmers markets in hospital parking lots

At Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, surgeon Dr. Hiroyuki Tsukui often sees patients with heart failure.
“We know that the risk factor for heart attacks is hypertension, the other one is dyslipidemia, which means high cholesterol,” Tsukui said.
Tsukui has had patients with exceptionally poor diets who have required emergency bypass surgeries or heart stents due to clogged arteries. He recalled one patient who drank 3 liters of Mt. Dew a day.
Poor diet and lack of access to healthy...
TribLIVE.com •

What to know about this summer pest: the fall cankerworm

The first major outbreak of the fall cankerworm in Southwestern Pennsylvania since 1977 is underway.
The native pest eats the budding leaves off trees in the early spring and is expected to be in the region until mid-late June.
The cankerworm infested the trees in Somerset County last summer, eating the leaves of large trees and leaving many of their top branches bare.
Mandy Smith, Master Gardener coordinator at the Penn State Extension office in Greensburg, said despite the unusuall...
TribLIVE.com •

Cemetery operator laments lack of volunteers to place flags at Mon Valley Memorial Park

Operators of the Mon Valley Memorial Park Cemetery were unable to find enough volunteers to place flags Thursday at the gravesites of 2,000 veterans.
The cemetery in Donora, Washington County, is one of 26 cemeteries in five states owned by Life Remembered.
The director of administrative support at Life Remembered, Tina Wilhelm, says Mon Valley Memorial Park operators have had trouble finding volunteers to place flags for the past four years.
“Out of all of our cemeteries, I never ha...
TribLIVE.com •

Building the Valley: Fourth generation keeps family business running at Pitt Penn Recycling

When Brad Stanzione’s great-grandfather launched a recycling business in the 1920s, he had no way of knowing he was creating a family legacy.
Since then, each of his sons, grandsons and great-grandsons has followed suit.
For Brad, the real journey started about two years ago when he and his brother, John, opened Pitt Penn Recycling in the Creighton section of East Deer.
Pitt Penn Recycling accepts all mediums of recyclable material, including cardboard, newspapers, scrap metal and wo...
TribLIVE.com •

Personalities of Pittsburgh

Dr. Stephen Bailey adjusts the light above him and carefully makes his first incision.
An hour of preparation has come to this. Bailey, chair of Allegheny Health Network Cardiovascular Institute, is performing open-heart, triple-bypass surgery.
Open heart surgery is performed once or twice a day at Allegheny General Hospital in the North Side. Bailey, who has worked as a surgeon for 20 years, performs about three such operations a week. He is the health system’s preeminent heart surgeon.
“I thin...
TribLIVE.com •

Historic pieces of Salina Bridge to be donated to Bell Township Historical Society

Pieces of the historic Salina Bridge in Kiski and Bell townships will remain in the community even after the existing bridge is torn down, according to community members and PennDOT officials.
The Salina Bridge project has been a topic of state and community discussion since 2018, when PennDOT announced the Salina Bridge Rehabilitation project.
Since then, PennDOT’s goal has shifted from rehabilitation to replacement, which means the existing bridge will be torn down and a new one will g...
TribLIVE.com •

Tips and tricks for keeping garden critters at bay

As she browsed the outdoor aisles of 380 Auction in Murrysville, Plum resident Marilyn Covert lamented the loss of her homegrown tomatoes to a deer.

“They’re terrible,” she said of the deer, as she pushed her cart stacked with gardening supplies. “There’s nothing like a homegrown tomato.”

Covert uses deer repellent to keep her garden safe, but she and other gardeners still are plagued by garden pests attacking during the summer months.

The Sharpsburg Community Garden recently lost...
TribLIVE.com •

Veterans Memorial Stadium cleared for use by Springdale football team in fall

The Allegheny Valley School District will have a home field after all for the upcoming football season.
Concerns about using Veterans Memorial Stadium in Springdale arose after a damaged portion of the field’s exterior wall was assessed in May.
The wall, which was built in 1938, leans toward the stadium from the Lincoln Avenue side of the facility.
At the school board meeting Tuesday, Superintendent Pat Graczyk shared a statement from Senate Engineering clearing the stadium for use i...
TribLIVE.com •

Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization and CMU spinoff create digital borough currency

A Sharpsburg organization has partnered with Carnegie Mellon University spinoff company to create a digital borough currency.
Sharpsburg Bucks was launched a little more than a month ago to encourage people to shop and keep their money local.
The alternative currency is a pilot project of the Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization and ZUZlab, a spinoff company from CMU.
Brittany Reno, mayor and SNO executive director, said the “bucks” idea has been in the works since June 2022.
How...
TribLIVE.com •

Tarentum’s Dry Bones skate and tie-dye shop to celebrate 5 years in business

Dry Bones skateboard shop owner Brian Snyder and his family have a big celebration planned to commemorate the five-year anniversary of the Tarentum business.
Dry Bones, at 317 E. Sixth Ave., offers customers a wide range of merchandise, including skateboards, organic soaps, oils, incense, tie-dye clothing, licensed rock ’n’ roll shirts and more.
The anniversary event will begin at 7 p.m. Friday and feature The Philbombs, a local Grateful Dead tribute band led by Snyder’s longtime friends...
TribLIVE.com •

Sharpsburg work halted pending more information about human bones found by utility crews

Peoples Natural Gas Co. said it has halted construction of a gas pipeline in Sharpsburg after remains unearthed at the work site were judged to be human.
“It’s certainly an unexpected discovery,” said Nick Paradise, a People’s Gas spokesman.
Peoples crews were digging on private property along Short Canal Street as part of a larger, long-term project to replace thousands of miles of outdated pipelines in southwestern Pennsylvania with new, state-of-the-art lines.
Paradise said that t...
TribLIVE.com •

Groundhog wreaks havoc on Sheldon Park Community Garden in Harrison

The Sheldon Park Community Garden lost almost 100 crops Tuesday after a groundhog made its way into the garden and ravaged the planter boxes.
Drew Jonczak, the primary gardener at the Sheldon Park Community Center in Harrison, where the garden is located, said the groundhog managed to get through the garden’s perimeter fence and, in the span of two days, damage many of the vegetables growing in the unprotected planter boxes.
Jonczak had been preparing to harvest the vegetables soon....
TribLIVE.com •

Indiana Township boy is youngest recipient of Boy Scouts of America’s prestigious Meritorious Action Award

An Indiana Township boy received a rare honor when the Boy Scouts of America’s Laurel Highlands Council convened for its annual meeting June 13.
Cameron Aziz, 8, a member of Cub Scouts Pack 381, received the organization’s national Meritorious Action Award for saving his 9-month-old brother, Cyrus, from choking in 2021 when he was a 5-year-old Lion Scout.
BSA Advancement Chair Sylvester “Sy” Beozzo said Cameron is the youngest person to receive the award.
According to the BSA, the Me...
TribLIVE.com •

Know how to shop at a farmers market

Shoppers come into markets hoping to gather fresh ingredients for their families and to support small businesses in the area.

But shoppers shouldn’t walk into a farmers market thinking only of finding the freshest ingredients and nothing else.

Just like any shopping trip, it’s important to go into a farmers market with the right plan — and the right supplies.

Forklift & Palate, a restaurant in Manheim dedicated to maintaining an eco-friendly eating atmosphere through the incorpora...
TribLIVE.com •

Farm fresh? Yes, but farmers markets offerings are months in the making

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the days, times and location for the Central Westmoreland Farmer’s Market near Greensburg.
Kira Karpinski’s farmers market offerings in June take root six months earlier in a sun-drenched room in her house.
Not a greenhouse — her actual house.
“I start my seeds in late January,” said Karpinski of Gilpin. “I start a lot of them in my house when it’s real cold. I keep them in a room that gets lots of sunlight, then I transfer them t...
TribLIVE.com •

What is Juneteenth? A breakdown on what the holiday commemorates

Juneteenth is a federal holiday recognizing the emancipation of the last enslaved people in the United States.
The word comes from a combination of “June” and “nineteenth” and pays homage to the first unofficial Juneteenth celebration, which took place June 19, 1866.
It became a national holiday in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress that recognized June 19 as Juneteenth.
The historical significance of Juneteenth is that it marks the final abolition of sla...
TribLIVE.com •

Building the Valley: Family-owned Massart’s Restaurant celebrates 100 years in Tarentum

In its third generation of family leadership, Massart’s Restaurant in Tarentum remains a community-based eatery that is passionate about making its customers feel at home.
Massart’s is celebrating 100 years of serving guests from Tarentum and beyond.
Established in 1923 by Jake Massart, the restaurant began as a hub for local business owners in Tarentum to enjoy a meal with their families.
Now, 100 years later, Jake’s grandson and current owner, Kirk Massart, is at the helm.
The...
TribLIVE.com •

Juneteenth in Pittsburgh and beyond: What you need to know

On Monday, Americans will celebrate Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
Organizations around Pittsburgh are throwing parties to celebrate the occasion and the continuous battle for equality.
“Juneteenth is America’s second Independence Day,” said William B. Marshall, organizer for the Western Pennsylvania Juneteenth Celebration. “It represents our freedom in North America.”
Juneteenth has been 157 years in the making.
The Emancipation Proclamation f...

Jerk Magazine

Jerk Magazine •

A Guide: How to Stay Sane at Syracuse — Jerk Magazine

As a college freshman, sometimes it’s hard to imagine how one can live, laugh, love while in these heinous college conditions. You wake up, contemplate going to the dining hall or spending what little money you have on food delivery, haul ass to classes, and fill your nights with homework or (more likely) procrastination. It can take a toll on anyone, and when adding homesickness into the equation, you’ve got all the traits of the average college freshman. Classes are hard, but finding time for...
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Kanye West: A Public Disruptor — Jerk Magazine

Kanye West has a complicated and robust resume. As a pop culture icon, fashion designer, and ex-presidential candidate, West is no stranger to controversy and spotlight. But even after a multitude of scandals and incidents that would have ended literally any other celebrity’s career, his music remains to be well loved.If you ask Kanye fans what they think of him, some might say that while they can’t defend his behavior, they can continue to listen to the absolute “bangers” that he releases. We w...
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show — Jerk Magazine

Sex, scooters, sluts, oh my! The Rocky Horror Picture Show came back to Syracuse this past Halloweekend, and if you were one of the incredibly dressed individuals who went to see it, then you know that the experience was an absolute slay and a half. If you think you’ve ever experienced a Rocky Horror Picture Show, think again babe, because this show was a treat unlike any other. The annual showing took place on South Campus inside of a sexified Skybarn, and was put together by Syracuse Universit...
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An Interview with our Editor in Chief, Zoe Glasser — Jerk Magazine

Everyone loves a good girl boss moment, and the ultimate girl boss - Zoe Glasser, Senior at Syracuse University and Executive in Chief of our own lovely Jerk Magazine - is sharing all of her hard work with Syracuse University through her wonderful, amazing, brilliant capstone project! The Capstone Project is centered around the LGBTQ+ community, and what do we at Jerk love more than a girl boss? You guessed it: all things gay and all things slay.In one outstanding fell swoop, Zoe has combined tw...
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Feeding Yourself: A South Campus Survival Guide — Jerk Magazine

If you’re living on South Campus next year, those days of easy access and mediocre food are over. You’re probably thinking: “Oh shit, I have to feed myself?” Suddenly, the dining hall food is looking delectable. Like, it definitely isn’t the tastiest cuisine, but at least it’s accessible and easy. You don’t have to worry about what’s on the menu every night, and you know that no matter where you are on campus a bite to eat is always nearby.Sorry babe, but meal plans are about to be a thing of th...
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We Need to Talk about Kit Connor — Jerk Magazine

On October 31st, 2022, actor Kit Connor took to Twitter: “back for a minute. i’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye.” *Sharp inhale*Okay, so it happened again: yet another celebrity has been accused of queer baiting. We’ve seen it before with celebs like Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, and even Cardi B who, quote, “ate bitches out before you was born,” end quote. Unlike Cardi, Kit was a bit less willing to share his sexual i...