Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s reduced-fare system struggles for riders

Last year, Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services had little trouble finding about 14,000 Pittsburgh Regional Transit riders to take part in a pilot program testing a proposed reduced or free fare program for low-income riders. For the pilot, the riders were divided into three groups — full fare, half fare and free rides. The…

College football!

District college football: No. 7 Grove City survives defensive battle to knock off No. 10 Carnegie Mellon; McKeesport product Bobby Boyd Jr. leads Cal to last-second victory

History may just be repeating itself in Grove City. A season ago, the Grove City football team catapulted itself into the NCAA Division III national spotlight, earning its first national ranking and NCAA postseason berth and victory, in addition to its only undefeated 10-win regular season in school history. What was the catalyst for all…

High school football!

Best in Show: PUP high school football rankings (Oct. 13)

Each week the Pittsburgh Union Progress issues its high school football rankings throughout this season, with all rankings voted on by the PUP sports staff. Class 6A 1. Central Catholic (6-2) 2. North Allegheny (7-1) 3. Seneca Valley (3-4) 4. Hempfield (3-5) 5. Canon-McMillan (2-6) The skinny: The top two spots remain unchanged, as Central Catholic…

PUP football notebook: Greensburg Salem honors late coach Rich Bowen with big win, hopes to further make him proud by earning playoff berth

Greensburg Salem hit the road Friday and kept its postseason hopes alive by defeating a Derry team that had squeaked past the Golden Lions a season ago. The win, which snapped a three-game losing streak, was an emotional one for Greensburg Salem, which earlier in the week learned of the passing of assistant coach Rich…

PUP Friday Night Rewind (Week 7): McKeesport outmuscles Mars for first place in conference; Fort Cherry wins another thriller over Bishop Canevin

After giving Aliquippa all it could handle in the 2023 WPIAL Class 4A championship, expectations were through the roof for McKeesport going into 2024. But at the midway point of the season, the Tigers found themselves in unfamiliar territory heading into conference play with an overall record of 1-4. Turns out, records can be deceiving.…

Running back, safety Drahcir Jones leads undefeated Clairton to dominating conference victory over Leechburg

Drahcir Jones took his first hand-off from Clairton quarterback Jeff Thompson Friday night and was promptly tackled by a host of Leechburg defenders. “I think it was a negative-yard rush,” the Bears senior running back said. “After that, I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s not happening again.’” Jones was a man of his word. The 5-foot-11,…

Landslide closes part of East Busway until early next week

The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway will remain closed between Pittsburgh’s Strip District and Oakland while the officials monitor the remaining part of a hillside that fell onto the busway early Friday. Pittsburgh Regional Transit said crews removed tons of mud and trees from the busway by Friday afternoon after a water main break…

Two local nonprofits offer free diapers Sunday at McKeesport Area High School

In support of local families experiencing financial hardship, humanitarian aid organization Global Links and Western PA Diaper Bank, with support from McKeesport Hospital Foundation, will host a drive-up diaper distribution event on Sunday from noon-2 p.m. at McKeesport Area Senior High School. Families and caregivers of young children are invited to line up by car to receive approximately a…

In other news …

Downtown Pittsburgh will get 35 new traffic signals as part of Bus Rapid Transit system starting this week

The main goal of Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s University Line between Oakland and Downtown Pittsburgh is to provide an easier flow of public transit between two of the three largest economic centers in the state. But there will be some residual benefits for pedestrians and other motorists, too. This week, the agency will begin installing and…

Safety Suite: Pittsburgh begins series of road improvements in Lawrenceville

The numbers don’t lie: From 2018 to 2022, there were 54 crashes with two fatalities and 21 injuries at four intersections in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. As a result, the city has started a series of safety improvements known as the Lawrenceville Safety Suite to slow traffic and improve conditions for motorists and pedestrians. The improvements,…

Millvale society and church will unveil and celebrate more cleaned and preserved Maxo Vanka murals this month

The four-story scaffolding has been removed from inside St. Nicholas Church in Millvale, and the conservators and technicians who have worked for months to clean “Transcendent Vision,” a Maxo Vanka mural that stretches across the ceiling and connects with two side murals, have packed up their collection of tools and solvents. Now it’s time for…