Obituary: Chief Richard (Biff) Baer, Northern Regional Police Department's First Chief

Baer organized what would become the Northern Regional Police Department, the first combined police department in the state.

Chief Richard (Biff) Baer died May 22 at the age of 83. Baer organized the Pine Township Police Department which became Tri-Area  Police Department, the first combined police department in the State of Pennsylvania, and retired as Chief of Police of the now Northern Regional Police Department.  Baer was president of North Hills Police Association, The Allegheny County Chiefs of Police Association, The Western Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, The State of Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, and The FBI National Academy Associates.  He was a graduate of the Pennsylvania State Police Academy, and the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He was a life member of the Knights of Columbus, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 91, and …

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Visitation Services for Connie (McCall) Johnston to be Held Sunday

Services will be held in private.

Visitation services for Connie (McCall) Johnston will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Sperling Funeral Home in McCandless. Services will be held in private. Mrs. Johnston, 76, of Gibsonia, died Tuesday at her home on Gibsonia Road in Gibsonia. According to the Sperling Funeral Home website, Mrs. Johnston is the "faithful wife of Rev. David Johnston. Beloved mother of Ellen McHenry, Ruth Johnston and Rachel Conner. Sister of Mary McCall. Also survived by 10 grandchildren." In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to Lifeline Community Church, where her husband is the pastor and she was a loved and respected part of the community. The address is 700 Blazier Drive, Wexford, PA 15090. Click here to view the …

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UPDATE: Family of Mauling Victim Asks for Toy Construction Trucks for Charity

Trucks can be donated now at Slater Funeral Service in Scott Township OR at Maddox Derkosh's funeral Mass at St. Bernard Church in Mt. Lebanon on Friday.

UPDATES are in bold italics below. The Derkosh family of Whitehall Borough is asking that interested parties, in lieu of flowers, give toy construction trucks to be donated to a children's Christmas charity in the memory of 2-year old Maddox Derkosh, who died tragically at the Pittsburgh Zoo on Sunday. The trucks are being accepted now at William Slater II Funeral Service in Scott Township. They will also be accepted at Derkosh's funeral Mass at St. Bernard Church in Mt. Lebanon at 10 a.m. on Friday. Friends will be welcomed for a viewing of Maddox at Slater Funeral Service from 2 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, according to Maddox's obituary on the funeral service's website. Trucks can also be dropped off at the Whitehall Police Department lobby …

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Richland Community Leader James A. McKennan Dies at 86

He received a Lifetime of Service award from Richland Township for his dedication and service to the community.

James A. McKennan, a well-respected community leader in Richland Township, died Tuesday at the age of 86. He received a Lifetime of Service award from Richland Township in 2007 for his years of dedication and service to the community. McKennan served as vice chairman of the Richland Township Water Authority, also known as the Richland Township Municipal Authority of Allegheny County or RTMAAC.  "Jim was an amazing community leader in Richland Township and the Richland Township Municipal Authority Board will miss him dearly," said Brian O'Malley, former member of the Richland Board of Supervisors who served with McKennan on the RTMAAC. "Everyone who takes a drink of water in Richland has Jim McKennan to thank," Township Manager Dean …

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Visitation Set for Evans City Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

Services for Staff Sgt. Eric Holman will take place at Devlin Funeral Home in Cranberry.

Services for Staff Sgt. Eric Holman will be held this weekend at Devlin Funeral Home in Cranberry, An Army Explosive Ordnance Tech, Holman, of Evans City, was killed Aug. 15 in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device. He was 39. A 1990 grad of Avonworth High School and a Penn State University alumnus, Holman hailed from Ohio Township. He was married to Terri Holman and the father to a 7-year-old-son, Misha. According to his online obituary, Holman was a former member of the elite U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team and performed at various stadiums and air shows across the country. After leaving the Knights, he entered Explosive Ordnance Disposition training. In January, he was deployed to Afghanistan with …

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J. Evans Rose, Jr., Prominent Republican and Former Sewickley Heights Council President

Rose was involved in Republican politics in Pennsylvania, including serving as a close adviser to former Governor Richard Thornburgh and as state finance co-chairman in 2004 for Bush-Cheney.

J. Evans Rose, Jr. of Sewickley passed away Friday, July 20 at Villa St. Joseph, Baden. He was 80. Rose was a well-known fundraiser and strategist in local, state and national Republican circles as well as an attorney and former president of Sewickley Heights Council. He was a longtime adviser to Richard Thornburgh, the former governor of Pennsylvana and U.S. Attorney General.  “Although he never ran for or held statewide office, Evans Rose was a giant in Pennsylvania Republican politics during the last 50 years," said Thornburgh, of Rosslyn Farms. "He was well-connected in Pennsylvania legal, business, political and civic circles, with a wide range of friends and admirers across the state.” He is the beloved husband of Patricia Rose and …

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Jeffrey Zaslow, Author with CMU Ties, Dies in Auto Accident

The 53-year-old Wall Street Journal columnist and best-selling co-author of "The Last Lecture" is killed Friday in northern Michigan.

Best-selling author Jeffrey Zaslow, 53, who co-wrote The Last Lecture with Carnegie Mellon University's Randy Pausch, died Friday in an auto accident in northern Michigan. According to the Antrim County Sheriff's Office, a vehicle lost control on the M-32 road and skidded into the path of a truck Friday morning; the car's driver was killed, a dispatcher confirmed. Zaslow recently published a new novel, The Magic Room, and was a featured speaker last month at the West Bloomfield Optimist Club breakfast meeting and a frequent speaker at functions throughout West Bloomfield and Farmington. "He recently spoke at one of our meetings and our members were in awe of his commitment," said Optimist Club President Robert Brooks. "His whole community …

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Slack Family Recalls 'Precious' Memories

The family of the Bridgeville man whose body was found Monday in the Ohio River says he was smart, compassionate and, at times, silly.

The family of Jimmy Slack gathered Tuesday night in their Bridgeville home—a day after his body had been found—and told stories, wept, shared a few laughs and flipped through old photos of him. “It’s just hard to sort through everything,” said Maureen Shields while looking at the numerous photos of her brother. “We’re going through pictures to make a picture board. It’s just really hard to go through pictures of someone’s entire life and at 25, that’s his entire life.” Pittsburgh police found Slack’s body on Monday in the Ohio River, nearly two months after he disappeared while attending a concert in Pittsburgh. The family spent each of those 46 days he was missing hoping for a miracle that he would come home. Now they’re trying to share …

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Perry North 'Free Spirit' Known for Calm Temperament

Waples Comer "Moe" Mariner Jr. died Monday. He was 100.