Community Corner
🌱 Swissvale Double Homicide + School Demolition + Beer Choir
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Pittsburgh.
Hello, hello. I'm back in your inbox this morning with everything you need to know about what's happening in town today. Today you'll find news about...
- Swissvale double homicide: Woman and child shot
- Portion of fire-damaged Pittsburgh-area high school to be demolished
- Pittsburgh Beer Choir raises glasses and voices at local breweries
Let's go!
But first, today's weather: Periods of rain and a t-storm. High: 61 Low: 35.
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Here are the top stories today in Pittsburgh:
1) A woman and child were found shot dead in a Swissvale apartment double homicide on Wednesday morning. Medics requested assistance from Swissvale police officers to gain entry into a barricaded apartment in the 7800 block of Sailor Place shortly before 10:15 a.m. "First responders found an adult female victim deceased from a gunshot wound and a female child deceased from a gunshot wound. Preliminary investigation shows this was a double homicide," county police said in the statement. Victims have not yet been identified.
2) The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is asking for the help of the local community to find a donor for a police officer in need of a kidney. Over the course of more than a year, Officer Jeffrey Crawford has rarely missed a day of work while being on dialysis and on the kidney transplant waitlist. Crawford is a first responder to 911 and 311 calls, and is active in the community via school visits, public safety council meetings, youth sporting event support and setting up different food and toy drives. "People who want to learn more about whether or not they are eligible to donate a kidney can attend a free virtual event called The First Steps to Transplant on Feb. 26 from 12-2 p.m." Anyone interested in attending can register online.
3) A portion of the fire-ravaged Elizabeth Forward High School reported on yesterday needs to be demolished. While there is no specific timeframe as to when students will be able to return to the building, Superintendent Keith Konyk said families should prepare for an extended period of remote learning. "The school has fire, water, smoke, and structural damage that must be dealt with in different stages," Konyk wrote. "We have been informed that parts of the auditorium will need to undergo a controlled demolition to access the utilities below." At this time, the cause of the initial fire, which broke on out Sunday, is not suspicious.
4) Pennsylvania is receiving funding in the amount of $75 million substances known as "forever chemicals" from local drinking water supply. The funding was announced in a joint statement from senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman on Tuesday. The funding will address concerns of Polyfluoralkyl substances, or PFAS, which are highly toxic fluorinated chemicals. These contaminants build up in people as they ingest them repeatedly through drinking, and do not break down in the environment. "For years I have I urged multiple presidents' administrations to get 'forever chemicals' like PFAS out of Pennsylvania drinking water and keep them out," Senator Casey said. "This major investment, made possible by the infrastructure law, is a strong start to clean up PFAS contamination in Pennsylvania's waters."
5) The Pittsburgh Beer Choir is raising both glasses and voices at local breweries, encouraging guests to join them in song. A now local couple discovered the idea for a 'Beer Choir' when they lived in the Chicago suburbs. When they moved to Pittsburgh, they emailed choir headquarters, asking to start a Pittsburgh chapter. It turns out, other Pittsburghers had been inquiring about the same thing. "If you show up the night of a Beer Choir event, you become part of the choir — no auditions or experience needed." Guests can expect to find a plastic-covered songbook at their brewery table to follow along with, as well as keyboard accompaniment. Coming up on March 19, the local chapter of the Beer Choir will be at Acclamation Brewing in Verona for a St. Patrick's Day weekend singalong.
Today in Pittsburgh:
- Storytime for 2s & 3s-In-Person — Mount Lebanon Public Library (9:30 AM)
- Music and Movement — Northland Public Library (10 AM)
- Family Storytime — C.C. Mellor Memorial Library (10:30 AM)
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Alrighty, you're all good for today! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with a new update.
— 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.
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