Pittsburg, PA
Brandon Aiyuk Declined Steelers Trade
PITTSBURGH — The hottest rumor regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers all offseason was their pursuit of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. They reportedly agreed on a deal during the 2024 NFL Draft, but nothing materialized. Months later, the Steelers continued trying. But after months of effort, the hunt for Aiyuk officially ended when he signed a four-year, $120 million contract to remain with the San Francisco 49ers.
But according to NFL insider Jay Glazer, the Steelers were moments away from acquiring the receiver in a trade. With the 49ers and Aiyuk in a contract stalemate, the team reportedly decided to trade their star pass-catcher to Pittsburgh. Speaking on Fox Sports: NFL, Glazer gave his inside scoop.
“The day it (the contract extension) got done, the 49ers were trading him to the Pittsburgh Steelers,” he said. “And then all of a sudden Brandon Aiyuk happened to show up early to the facility that day.”
According to Glazer, Aiyuk arrived at the team’s facilities to speak to his head coach Kyle Shanahan. After speaking with him, Shanahan tried to reach the team’s front office, who were in the middle of finalizing a deal that would send Aiyuk to the Steelers. The 49ers reportedly put the trade talks on hold once more and gave their receiver a final ultimatum.
“We’re either trading you to Pittsburgh today, or you can take the deal that’s on the table. It’s up to you but you have ’til the end of practice,” they told Aiyuk.
Ultimately, Aiyuk committed to San Francisco and remaining with the 49ers. He signed a huge deal, earning himself an annual salary of $30 million.
Aiyuk has steadily improved since arriving in the NFL and posted his best statistical season in 2023. He hauled in 75 receptions for an astounding 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns while becoming QB Brock Purdy’s favorite target. The year prior he had 78 receptions for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns. Over four seasons and 62 games played, he’s amassed 269 receptions for 3,931 yards
Aiyuk was originally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers 25th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. Coming out of Arizona State University, the book on him was straightforward: get him the ball and he would make something happen. At 26 years old, he’s made good on the scouting report, establishing himself as a top playmaking receiver in the league.
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Pittsburg, PA
About 5 pounds of bees removed from Acrisure Stadium scaffolding ahead of Morgan Wallen concerts
Acrisure Stadium is buzzing with excitement ahead of the back-to-back Morgan Wallen concerts. Except it’s not the fans generating all the excitement — it’s about 5 pounds of honeybees.
The Fine Family Apiary in Monongahela said it was contacted on Wednesday about a swarm of bees clustered on the stage scaffolding. The apiary put the swarm in a “nuc box” and took them home before moving the bees into full-size equipment.
Owner Al Fine estimates the swarm weighed about 4 to 5 pounds and consisted of 12,000 to 15,000 bees. All said, it took less than two hours to get the job done.
Why do bees swarm?
Swarming is how honeybees propagate, Fine explained. According to Penn State Extension, during swarming, the queen and about half the workers leave their home to establish a new nest. The bees will form a temporary cluster, hanging out while scouts search the surrounding area for a more permanent home in hollow spaces like tree cavities or, occasionally, the walls of a home.
Swarms can stick around for several hours or days until they’re ready to move, Penn State Extension says. Meanwhile, the colony left behind is temporarily without a leader until a new queen is established.
With the swarm at Acrisure Stadium removed, Morgan Wallen’s show is ready to go on. The country music megastar will bring his I’m The Problem Tour to Pittsburgh on June 5 and June 6, along with multiple acts like Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley.
On Sept. 17, multi-platinum country music star Luke Bryan will bring his Farm Tour to 1846 Farms near Latrobe.
Westmoreland County is no stranger to large outdoor concerts. Some may remember the Rolling Rock Town Fair in the early 2000s, while others may recall Luke Bryan’s stop at a farm in South Huntingdon Township just two years ago. Now the country music superstar is returning to the area.
The Unity Township farm’s general manager, Aleisha Stas, gave KDKA a tour of the family farm, which dates back to before the Civil War. She says Bryan’s team first reached out after finding the farm on social media, but she says at first, she and her family thought it was too good to be true.
“This was around April Fools, so we thought it was an April Fools prank,” Stas said. “My whole family, we were like, there’s no way this is about to happen. But this has been incredible.”
Stas says Bryan’s team is handling everything logistically from parking and bathrooms to deciding exactly where the concert will be staged.
“If we have it on this side of the property, we can hold 12,000 people,” Stas said. “And if we have it on (the other side) of the property, it can be up to 20,000. But we have not determined that yet.”
Many of those decisions will be made as September gets closer. In the meantime, however, the farm is holding off on planting in certain fields until the final concert location is selected.
And while hosting thousands of people may sound a little intimidating, Stas says her family is excited to welcome fans to the farm for what they hope will be a memorable night.
“Obviously, we’ve never had this many people here before, so it will be a new thing for all of us, but we are not worried,” said Stas. “Luke Bryan’s team are experts with this, and I think it will go great.”
Tickets for this concert are currently on sale, and they will run you about $77 per person, plus tax for general admission.
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