Post-Gazette photos of the year 2005

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Post-Gazette photographers were in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, they were alongside mourners in St. Peter's Square as Pope John Paul II was led to the Basilica to lie in state, and they were in and around our readers' neighborhoods, capturing the images that tell the story of 2005. From a Nigerian polio victim to prom-day pomp in Moon to Steelers' fans saluting Myron Cope, a little bit of the year that was is preserved with every click of a camera.

Many of these photos will be displayed beginning Jan. 20 in an exhibition titled "The Stories That Touch Our Lives: Images From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2005" at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center.

PITTSBURGH / NEWS
PITTSBURGH / PEOPLE AND PLACES
NATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL
SPORTS

PITTSBURGH / NEWS

RESCUE (OCT. 26) by Andy Starnes


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Pittsburgh police grabbed a potential bridge jumper and got him safely over the railing of the Ninth Street Bridge when it appeared he could not be talked into giving up his plan.

The ordeal began during evening rush hour. The bridge over the Allegheny River was closed for an hour before the Brighton Heights man was rescued and taken to Mercy Hospital for evaluation.

Police said the man left his girlfriend a suicide note.

More photos by Andy Starnes.

ROOFTOP SCARE (OCT. 18) by Darrell Sapp


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Firefighters cried out when one of their own fell through the roof as they were battling a blaze in a vacant Uptown building on Dinwiddie Street.

Fortunately the firefighter from Truck Company 14 in Oakland received only minor injuries.

Arson investigators said the fire apparently started in a makeshift drug kitchen, then quickly spread.

More photos by Darrell Sapp.

WELCOME BACK (JAN. 31) by Alyssa Cwanger


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Val Jimerson, center, was overjoyed as the bus carrying her son, Justin Pape, along with other soldiers from Service Battery, 1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery, pulled up to the Hunt Armory.

Pape, returning home after a year in Iraq, also was greeted by his girlfriend, Alexis Borowski, front left, and his sister Kaylee, 6, top center.

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More photos by Alyssa Cwanger.

REMEMBERED (JUNE 29) by Bill Wade


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Stricken with grief, Howard "Donnie" McKinney pauses while recalling the hit-and-run accident that killed his wife, Cheryl McKinney. She was trying to retrieve the body of their basset hound, Rocky. The dog was killed when it wandered onto I-79 from their car, which was parked off the freeway near a truck weigh station in Cranberry.

Melissa Cralton, 23, of Morgantown, W.Va., was charged with the crime in August.

The McKinneys were living out of their car when Cheryl died, and her name was recently added to plaques along an underpass on Grant Street that commemorate people who have lost the battle with the perils of homelessness.

More photos by Bill Wade.

RIVER TRAGEDY (JAN. 9) by Bob Donaldson


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The Elizabeth M towboat lost control of six fully loaded coal barges as it exited the upriver end of the Montgomery Locks in an accident that killed four crew members -- the worst river accident in the Pittsburgh area in four decades.

With the Ohio River running full and fast, the towboat crew was attempting to corral several barges. The vessel was swept over the dam near Industry, Beaver County, where it lodged on an icebreaker and sank.

For almost two months the pilothouse of the sunken towboat jutted like a tilted headstone from the churning waters below the Montgomery Dam. It wasn't until March 4 that relatives of Rick Conklin, a towboat pilot in training who had been missing since the Jan. 9 accident, learned that the boat was his watery grave.

More photos by Bob Donaldson.

TOURS OF DUTY (AUG. 4) by John Beale


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Tech. Sgt. Tracey McArdle of Edinboro embraced her son, Tyler, 7, minutes before being deployed with the 911th Air Wing of the Air Force Reserve, which was flying injured soldiers out of Iraq, among other duties.

Sgt. McArdle also has a 4-year-old daughter, Samantha.

She has made four trips to the Persian Gulf in support of troops fighting in Iraq.

Sgt. McArdle has been back home since Dec. 1.

More photos by John Beale.

PITTSBURGH / PEOPLE AND PLACES

PEACHY (JULY 21) by Annie O'Neill


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Abby Kaelin, 2, held on to dad Curt Kaelin's hand while getting her portrait taken at the family peach farm on Brandt School Road in Franklin Park.

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More photos by Annie O'Neill.

PROM TRADITION (APRIL 29) by Tony Tye


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Sara Wolf, right, hugs Lisa Meyers as she arrives for the annual junior prom promenade at Moon Area High School.

Ms. Wolf was headed to the prom. Ms. Meyers is a 2002 graduate of the school, whose brother also was attending the prom.

Promenades have caught on throughout the region. At Northgate High School principal John Wilkinson said he likes the tradition because "it allows every kid to get attention from the entire school."

More photos by Tony Tye.

WINTER SCENE (JAN. 2) by Robert J. Pavuchak


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In expectation of a harsh winter, covered bales of hay were made ready to feed the cattle in a farm field near Dunningsville, Washington County.

Temperatures were 16 degrees with a wind chill factor of 4 degrees below zero when the photo was taken.

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More photos by Robert J. Pavuchak.

ONE GIANT LEAP (JUNE 7) by Pam Panchak


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Amber Hawkins of Windham, Ohio, traverses a break in the rocks at Nelson Kennedy Ledges State Park in Nelson, Ohio, while on an outing with her friends, Nicole and Phillip David, also of Windham.

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More photos by Pam Panchak.

SWINGIN' (AUG. 17) by Douglass Oster


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Christy Taylor and her nephews, Michael and Clint McElroy, all of Troy Hill, enjoyed a summer pastime of swinging on a rope and jumping into the Allegheny River, just off the Three Rivers Heritage Trail near Herrs Island.

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More photos by Douglass Oster.

EAST MEETS WEST (AUG. 25) by Steve Mellon


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Yanlai Wu of Mt. Lebanon was getting ready to open a Chinese classical dance school in the Diamond Building on Liberty Avenue, Downtown, when she was photographed at Point State Park.

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More photos by Steve Mellon.

SLIPPERY SLOPE (JAN. 19) by J. Monroe Butler II


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Pittsburgh's South Side Slopes feature spectacular views of Downtown -- and an adventure in stopping when snow falls and the pavement begins to freeze.

Robin Ziegler was luckier than her car when her commute came to a sudden end on a January morning. She emerged unscathed to take a front row seat as a tow truck driver prepared to upright the auto.

Ms. Ziegler said she was driving down Mission Street when the auto began to slide, came to rest aginst a hillside and slowly flipped over.

More photos by J. Monroe Butler II.

RETIREMENT FOR A BISHOP (MAY 22) by V.W.H. Campbell Jr.


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Anthony G. Bosco, bishop emeritus of the Greensburg diocese, relaxes at the piano with his constant companion at his side -- Joshua, his 10-year-old West Highland terrier.

The Rev. Bosco turned over his miter in 2004 to the Rev. Lawrence Brandt, a priest from Erie Diocese chosen to take over the Greensburg post. He says it's doing a lot more of what he's always loved -- teaching -- and a lot less of the paperwork, personnel, and airport hassle he learned to loathe over his 50-year career. He is still a public figure, and so he has to maintain a churchman's decorum. The job may be history, but the ordination is lifelong.

More photos by V.W.H. Campbell Jr..

NATIONAL

NO REST FOR THE WEARY (SEPT. 3) by Martha Rial


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A Hurricane Katrina evacuee sleeps in front of an abandoned motel along Route 90 in Pascagoula, Miss.

Post-Gazette photographers Martha Rial and Lake Fong accompanied staff writer Tim McNulty and the Toledo Blade's George J. Tanber to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region in late August.

Special Gallery: Martha Rial documents the struggle back from Katrina

More photos by Martha Rial.

TOUGH GUYS (SEPT. 7) by Lake Fong


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Pennsylvania National Guard units waited out delays before helping with food and water distribution to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

During their down time in Louisiana, Alpha Company held a promotion ceremony in which it followed an Army tradition: Spc. Scott Boyer stood at attention as the pins attached to his collar indicating his new rank were driven into his flesh.

More pictures from Alpha Company's mission to the Gulf Coast

Lake Fong's coverage of the comeback from Hurricane Katrina

More photos by Lake Fong.

INTERNATIONAL

POLIO IN THE 21ST CENTURY (MARCH 2) by Martha Rial


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Firdausi Adamu, 9, offered a smile after being measured for a new brace for her right leg at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Dala in Kano, Nigeria.

In October, staff writer Virginia Linn, continuing her coverage of polio's presence 50 years after the discovery of the Salk vaccine, reported that world health officials expect to eradicate polio in all countries except Nigeria within six months, using a more effective vaccine and new immunization strategies. Stopping the spread in northern Nigeria, which posed the greatest risk to a polio-free world, could take another year, officials said.

Special Gallery: Polio's Final Chapter

More photos by Martha Rial.

TEARFUL FAREWELL (APRIL 4) by Matt Freed


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Mourners lined the path as the body of Pope John Paul II was carried through St. Peter's Square on the way to lie in state at St. Peter's Basilica. The Polish-born Karol Wojtyla was known for his charismatic leadership. His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, was elected on April 19.

Matt Freed traveled to Rome with Post-Gazeete religion writer Ann Rodgers to cover the funeral and transition to a new papacy.

Specials Gallery: In Memoriam -- Pope John Paul II

More photos by Matt Freed.

SPORTS

TAKEN ABACK (SEPT. 21) by Peter Diana


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When the fanfare of being picked No. 1 in the NHL draft died down, Sidney Crosby faced a big-league opponent for the first time in a preseason game against the Boston Bruins at Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre.

He was welcomed with a punch by Bruins defenseman Hal Gill. Despite the rough start, Cosby notched his first NHL point with an assist in the Penguins' 7-2 victory.

Special Gallery: Sidney Crosby

More photos by Peter Diana.

YOI (OCT. 31) by John Heller


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It was Halloween, but Steelers fans dressed as they always dress on a game day, this time, though, with special significance. They paid tribute to retiring commentator Myron Cope during a "Monday Night Football" game.

A national television audience saw Brian Cassidy of West Mifflin and the rest of the Heinz Field crowd swing their Terrible Towels for a 20-19 Steelers victory and for Cope, inventor of the Towel and the Hall of Fame voice of their team for 35 years.

Special Gallery: More pictures from the Cope tribute in the Steelers Photo Journal

More photos by John Heller.

CUPS RUNNETH OVER (SEPT. 25) by Robin Rombach


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Tia Grimsley, a Great Race volunteer, rakes up cups discarded by runners along the Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown.

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More photos by Robin Rombach.

CHAMPIONSHIP EFFORT (MARCH 12) By John Heller


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Although he was in a tough spot when this picture was made, Donnie Ament of Mount Pleasant, right, battled back to win the 145-pound Class AA wrestling championship, beating Addison Nuding of Schuylkill Valley, 2-1, in Hershey, Pa.

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More photos by John Heller.