Braddock Carnegie Library has a new look — and a new name

Thursday’s grand reopening of the Braddock Carnegie Library was the most notable celebration of the old building since 1914, when an aging and white-haired Andrew Carnegie stood on a stage with a bunch of other formally dressed men and, on the library’s 25th anniversary, declared it a “center of light.” Carnegie died five years later,…

The playoffs!

Softball semifinal rundown: Blackhawk shocks Elizabeth Forward, Hampton blanks Beaver in Class 4A; Penn-Trafford, Shaler post shutouts in Class 5A

For all the athletic success Blackhawk has enjoyed across several different sports over the years, it’s a bit hard to believe the Cougars had never played for a WPIAL softball championship before — until now. Taking on defending WPIAL champion and No. 1 seed Elizabeth Forward (15-4) in a WPIAL Class 4A semifinal on Tuesday at…

Baseball postseason rundown: On a night of nail-biters, No. 1 seed North Allegheny falls, No. 1’s Pine-Richland, Indiana survive

As usual, Indiana’s pitching staff was terrific in Monday’s WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals, limiting opposing Ambridge to just one hit and three baserunners in nine innings of play. But in a game in which Indiana was getting little offense itself, the Indians found themselves in an extra-innings tie and their season in the balance. That’s…

Softball postseason rundown: No. 11 Riverside turns tables, avenges pair of lopsided losses against No. 3 Laurel with stunning upset victory in Class 2A quarterfinals

During the sixth inning of Riverside’s remarkable upset victory against Laurel in the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals, Panthers coach Geri Lynn Cummings gazed over at the scoreboard, then turned to one of her players, Ayla Sterner, and asked Sterner to pinch her. “Ayla goes, ‘What?’” Cummings recalled. “And I said, ‘Just pinch me right now.…

Seeing red: Crews begin painting exclusive bus lanes in Downtown Pittsburgh

More red paint will begin showing up on Downtown Pittsburgh streets beginning Monday to designate exclusive bus lanes for Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s University Line. Formally marking the lanes for use by buses only is one of the last steps before buses start using the special corridor through the Golden Triangle on June 22. Crews also…

‘I don’t know where we’d be without him’ — After waiting his turn, Shaler senior catcher Joe Rispoli emerges as one of the WPIAL’s best hitters

Joe Rispoli patiently waited for his opportunity his first couple of seasons playing on the Shaler baseball team, and he did so in an honorable way. “He didn’t get a lot of playing time his sophomore and junior years, but he never did any pouting, never any complaining,” Shaler coach Brian Junker said. “He never…

Double trouble: Beaver product Payton List standing out as one of NCAA Division I’s top two-way players after sensational season in batter’s box, pitcher’s circle at James Madison

Loren LaPorte and her coaching staff put in the work. And, accordingly, the ninth-year James Madison softball coach had strong feelings about the way her first swing at recruiting former Beaver standout Payton List initially played out. When LaPorte said she watched List dominate WPIAL competition she envisioned a career path much like that of…

Esplanade development on Pittsburgh’s North Side will fund studies to upgrade Allegheny Station, extend light rail system

Piatt Companies’ $750 million Esplanade project that’s ready to move forward along the Ohio River is known for the housing, entertainment and 50-meter Ferris wheel it will bring to Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood. But the 15-acre transitional project also has a key transportation element involved because of the way it is funded. The project is being…

In other news …

DTCare expands aid to Ukrainian veterans with prosthetics degree and new outreach for women

DTCare’s work in Ukraine has focused on empowerment and uplifting its citizens since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Now it’s expanding its efforts in two areas as that war continues: a scholarship program to help 14 veterans earn master’s degrees in prosthetics and supporting women veterans, too, through its Hero’s Compass program.  The Moon-based…

WPIAL Class 2A girls track and field championships: Laurel’s Tori Atkins claims four gold medals, cements legacy as one of greatest sprinters in WPIAL history

Every so often, a transcendent athlete comes through and raises the bar to previously unattainable heights — and we’re not talking about the pole vault. Already solidified as one of the greatest track stars in WPIAL history, Laurel senior sprinter Tori Atkins polished off her decorated career with a historic afternoon on Wednesday at the WPIAL…