Oct 3, 2025 3 min read

Hit: After a two-year hiatus of the marker program, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) will erect a new historical plaque to commemorate the 1786 Whiskey Riot. While the location is not yet known, the recognition highlights a significant chapter in Washington County history. Five years before farmers revolted against the federal government and its demands for a whiskey tax, there was a so-called “whiskey riot” in Washington County, driven by farmers angry that Pennsylvania’s state government wanted to tax distilled spirits, endangering the revenue they received from the surplus grain they would convert into whiskey. The Legislature quickly repealed the tax, but the event set the stage for the Whiskey Rebellion. A second historical marker will be placed in honor of Washington County-born Olive Thomas, a star of the silent screen who is best-known for her role in the 1920 movie, “The Flapper.” That marker will likely be placed in McKees Rocks, where she lived before moving to New York. The two markers are among 45 that will be erected across the state.

Hit: To remember the lives lost by suicide, a Garden of Reflection and Remembrance has been created at Washington Park. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the end of last weekend’s annual Out of the Darkness Walk at the park, which drew 270 participants who turned out to honor friends and loved ones lost to suicide and provide support to survivors and those struggling with their mental health. The event raised more than $15,000 for the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, nearly doubling last year’s total. Last Saturday’s Out of the Darkness walk was one of hundreds of community walks that the AFST held around the country. The new garden at the park is intended to “serve as a physical area for contemplation, remembrance and healing,” said Rebecca Salsbury of the Washington County Suicide Prevention Task Force. According to data from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, there were 49,316 suicides in the U.S. in 2023, or an average of 135 suicide deaths per day. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, crisis services are available around the clock. Call Washington County Department of Human Services at 877-225-3567, or call or text 988 to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Hit: We “quacked up” at the report of a bit of lighthearted news earlier this week, when someone surreptitiously ducked into Canonsburg’s downtown, apparently in the cloak of darkness, and sprinkled hundreds of tiny rubber ducks along Pike Street from the borough’s offices up to Jefferson Avenue. No one seems to know the quirky culprit’s motive, but it certainly brought a smile to a lot of faces – and a lot of positive attention to the community. Even the statue of Perry Como appeared to be amused by the flock gathered at its feet, seemingly crooning along with the town’s native son.