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Community Corner

🌱 Missing Woman Found Alive + Home & Garden Show + Weather Prediction

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Pittsburgh.

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Hello again, neighbors. It's Friday in Pittsburgh and I'm back in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's happening in town. Today's briefing includes...

  • Ross Township woman missing for decades found alive
  • Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show returns with old favorites, new offerings
  • Will winter make a comeback in Pittsburgh? Here's what forecasters think

Let's go!

But first, today's weather: Becoming windier with rain. High: 46 Low: 37.

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Here are the top stories in Pittsburgh today:

1) A woman who was reported missing by her husband from Ross Township in 1992 has been found alive — in Puerto Rico. The whereabouts of Patricia Kopta came to Ross Police's attention after they were contacted by an Interpol agent and a social worker who believed Kopta was alive, living in an adult care facility in the U.S. territory. "Kopta was found to be in need of care on June 30, 1999." Reports from the care facility state that Kopta originally refused to share information about her personal life, but that she came to Puerto Rico on a cruise ship from Europe. However, over the years, she gave more information about her life, linking her to Ross Township. Relatives of Kopta provided DNA samples to confirm her identity.

(Pittsburgh Patch)

2) An investment into natural gas garbage trucks is being discussed by the city council — but Pittsburgh officials are divided on their opinions. "The city has 10 compressed natural gas refuse trucks and is getting 10 more this month, according to Maria Montaño, a spokeswoman for Mayor Ed Gainey." However, folks like Councilwoman Deb Gross, (D-Highland Park), aren't happy about adding more non-electric vehicles to the fleet. Potential pitfalls to all-electric trucks are concerns about charging taking too long and not lasting long enough for the distances the vehicles have to travel, according to Councilwoman Barb Warwick, (D-Greenfield).

(TribLIVE)

3) Pittsburgh's 41st annual Home & Garden Show is set to open on Friday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Downtown. "This is a show for the whole family," said Mark Moore, executive director of the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show. "People come year after year from around the region to see their favorite exhibitors or scope out the newest products. There's always something new." Guests can expect to see exhibits from vendors whose expertise spans from swimming pools and landscaping to stone arches and local plant growers.

(TribLIVE)

4) A new exhibit archiving the work of August Wilson opens at Pitt on Friday. A grand opening event for the August Wilson Archive will feature displays of archival material, such as drafts of dialogue from all of Wilson's plays as well as his original poetry and artwork. "It's an amazing collection that primarily documents Wilson's creative process of writing his 10 American Century Cycle plays, from multiple drafts of scripts to hundreds of notebooks filled with dialogue, character development, plot lines, to-do lists, etc.," said Galloway. Guests can attend the event from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hillman Library at 3960 Forbes Ave. in Oakland. Registration is required.

(NEXTpittsburgh)

5) After the last few days of sun and warm temperatures, Pittsburgh residents are wondering if winter is over, for real. According to both the National Weather Service and AccuWeather, it doesn't seem likely. They caution that colder temperatures are likely, and the possibility of snow exists in the coming weeks. While last month marked the fourth warmest February on record, things may change in March. "The weather service predicts colder weather gripping the country beginning late next week... and the potential for a damaging frost to occur in mid-April."

(Pittsburgh Patch)

Today in Pittsburgh:

  • August Wilson Archive Grand Opening — University of Pittsburgh (6 PM)
  • Book Sale — Preview/Shop Early Night (6 PM)
  • Dungeons & Dragons — on Discord! - Northland Public Library (7 PM)
  • Pittsburgh CLO Ambassadors' 26th Annual Wine Tasting & Silent Auction (7 PM)
  • Right TurnClyde back at Sneaky Pete's (8 PM)

From my notebook:

  • US National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA: "We are currently monitoring the threat for strong gusty winds along and just west of the ridges in Pennsylvania in West Virginia tomorrow. We have issued a High Wind Watch for Indiana, Westmoreland, and Fayette counties in Pennsylvania." (US National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA via Facebook)
  • PPG: "See how Kennywood is using our paints and coatings to help protect and beautify the Whip!, its oldest flat ride dating back to 1926, as the amusement park prepares for opening day of its 125th anniversary season. https://www.kennywood.com" (PPG via Facebook)
  • Grow Pittsburgh: "Join us for our upcoming Container Gardening workshop on April 18 from 5:30-7 p.m. We will discuss some pros and cons of container gardening, learn about good container varieties to grow, and there will be a hands-on component." (Grow Pittsburgh via Facebook)
  • Carnegie Museum of Natural History: "Exciting news — coming in April! Stay tuned for more details. https://fal.cn/3wh3z" (Carnegie Museum of Natural History via Facebook)
  • Buy Fresh Buy Local/Farm to Table Western PA: "#tbt Check out everything Farm to Table has to offer with this amazing video recap from the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show! And come visit all the fantastic vendors March 3-12, at the Pittsburgh Convention Center!" (Buy Fresh Buy Local/Farm to Table Western PA via Facebook)
  • The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: "Your chance to catch the 2023 Oscar Nominated Shorts at the Harris Theater is rapidly coming to a close! And don't forget, guess the winners correctly after visiting and you could win exclusive prize packages. 🏆 ONE WEEK LEFT ➡️." (The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust via Facebook)

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That's it for today! I'll see you soon.

— Rachel Tasker

About me: Rachel is a native Pennsylvanian with stops in Erie and State College before making Pittsburgh her home in 2020. She's got a background in a little bit of everything... from working in media newsrooms and public health to the 2016 Presidential election in Washington, D.C. and the 2019 Super Bowl where (surprise!) Tom Brady won... AGAIN. She loves good coffee, bad reality T.V., attending local events and trying new food in the 412. She resides in the South Hills.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Pittsburgh Patch newsletter? Contact me at pittsburgh@patch.com

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