Haley Daugherty stories, Page 10
Riverview School Board passes budget with 2.23% tax increase
Riverview School District property taxpayers will see a 2.23% tax increase next school year. After months of debate between school board members, a $28.45 million budget was approved in a 5-3 vote. School Directors Anthony Paris, Stefani Garibay and Bridget Seery voted against the budget. Board member Roger Pogoda was...
Riverview Community Action Corporation facing leadership transition
Members of the Riverview Community Action Corporation are readying themselves for a change in leadership after Mary Margaret Fisher announced her retirement as RCAC’s executive director. Her last day will be July 31. “We are grateful for all of Mary Margaret’s efforts as well as the time she gave us...
Leechburg Area’s budget includes 1% tax hikes
Leechburg Area School District passed a final budget for next school year that includes differing tax increases for residents in its Westmoreland and Armstrong county communities. While the district will collect about the same amount of money as during the previous school year, there will be adjustments to millage rates...
Property’s future scrutinized as Pittsburgh Mills mall is up for sale
News that the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer could be for sale was met with reactions ranging from resignation to optimism, but all with a common question: What’s next for the Mills? The news comes in the midst of legal woes, including hundreds of township-issued citations, criminal charges and a...
PennDOT cancels planned Rodi Road weekend closure
The forecast for bad weather this weekend has prompted PennDOT to cancel closing Rodi Road this weekend. Rodi Road, also known as Route 791, was supposed to be closed between Maple Lane and Business Route 22 (William Penn Highway) starting Friday night through Monday morning. The closure also was supposed...
Housing for foreign high school students could be coming to Oakmont
The former site of the Oakmont Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation could become a student housing center for private school students from Europe and Asia. A petition to obtain a special exemption to use the property as dormitory-style housing for high school students was passed in a 2-0 vote by...
Riverview School District introduces robotics initiative for 2025-26
Cathy Favo wants her students to be equipped to explore any job they might want to pursue when they get older. In her sixth grade STEAM classes at Riverview School District, Favo teaches her students about topics such as coding, engineering and design. “(The class) is meant to give the...
Penn Hills officials announce cooling centers during heat wave
Penn Hills officials have released resources for residents during this week’s extreme heat warning in Allegheny County. “Extreme heat often results in the highest annual number of deaths among all weather-related disasters,” said a release from the township. The Penn Hills Library on Stotler Road is open Monday until 8...
West Leechburg Fireman’s Festival a go for 2025
Members of the West Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company are gearing up for the annual Fireman’s Festival. A revived tradition, the festival will be returning for its fourth year, said Morgan Swank, a member of the department’s fundraising committee. “It continues to grow every year, and everyone couldn’t be happier,” Swank...
Leechburg Area opens annual summer food program
Tess Diehl’s job is her passion. “We’re ready to feed the people,” she said. As Leechburg Area’s food service director, Diehl is in charge of feeding students during the week in the school year and through the summer. This summer is no exception. On June 9, the high school cafeteria...
Penn Hills woman recognized for decades of volunteerism to promote literacy
Kimberley Robinson grew up with reading being a fundamental skill in her household. Almost every day she and her brother were charged to learn new words, knowing the definitions, using them in sentences and comprehending their meanings. In her adult years, she has followed her mother’s lead of teaching the...
Money talks: Younger generations lag in retirement investing
Michael Weleski has been working since he was 12. Now 21, he used the money he has earned to make a variety of investments for his future. “I don’t want to have to work a hard labor job until I’m 70,” Weleski said. The Penn State New Kensington student from...
Oakmont wastewater treatment plant to enter construction phase
Progress is sweet, or as sweet as it can be when it comes to Oakmont’s wastewater treatment plant on Ann Street. Since 2021, borough officials have been overseeing a project to improve and modernize the plant for the first time since 2008. The project is being managed by consulting agency...
Pet owners demand justice, new laws to deal with funeral director accused of theft
Don’t mess with the pets. That was the resounding message from protesters outside the Allegheny County Courthouse Wednesday, demanding justice for deceased pets they fear were mistreated by Patrick Vereb at funeral homes he operated in Pittsburgh and Harrison. About 20 people were scattered along the sidewalk of the courthouse’s...
Oakmont Council passes food truck ordinances
A pair of ordinances regulating food truck operations in Oakmont passed without a peep after no residents attended Tuesday’s public hearings. The need for the ordinances arose after multiple borough businesses that don’t serve food contacted borough officials about hiring food trucks for special events.. There were no regulations in...
Better than a tie: Dads celebrate Father’s Day at U.S. OpenVideo
Every Father’s Day, Larry Piko plays a round of golf. Each year Piko’s wife, Valerie, and his sons, Larry Jr., 8, and William, 4, meet him at the 18th hole with signs and take him to lunch. “At this point, I don’t think it’s a surprise anymore, but we make...
West Leechburg siblings navigate twists and turns of the balloon art business
Harper and Cameron Grantz are the “Twist Tastic” siblings. Harper, 10, and Cameron, 11, use their affinity for art and design to create everything from dogs and monkeys to swords and hats using colorful balloons. They began their own business, Twist Tastic Duo, and completed their first event in May....
Gilpin supervisors fill vacancy
Gilpin Township has welcomed one more supervisor. Gary Hall, 65, was unanimously appointed to a vacant seat Thursday night. He’ll fill a position left by Kris Kulick in May. “The biggest reason was to put faith back into the governance of Gilpin Township,” Hall said when asked why he decided...
U.S. Open honors Flag Day, Army’s 250th birthday
The opening ceremony of the 125th U.S. Open wasn’t just about golf. Notable figures in the USGA, local government and military gathered at the tournament’s Fan Central for an opening ceremony and flag raising. Special guests, including USGA president Fred Perpall; Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato; Director of U.S. Army...
Penn Hills School Board member censured, faces possible removal
A Penn Hills School Board member has been censured for a social media post and is facing possible removal from the board. The May voting meeting’s agenda featured a motion to censure board member Devon Goetze. Board member Robert Marra presented the censure and attributed it to a Facebook post...
Riverview graduates 83 in Class of 2025
Here’s a look at the Riverview High School graduating Class of 2025: Tyler C. Aftanas, Marco N. Aquino, Christopher S. Barnes, Elise I. Barnes, Lily A. Bauer, D’Andre Beatty, Jacob Alexzander Bennett, George Joseph Bernsdorff, John Paul Bertucci, Renton L. Biondich, Reilly N. Boda, Giovanni Bryce Bonifate, Antonio Boyer, David...
51st Oakmont Greek Food Festival to feature traditional food, music
Some extra food is being made in preparation for the 51st Oakmont Greek Food Festival presented by the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church at 12 Washington Ave. later this month. Event co-chair Andy Gavrilos said last year’s festival ended in disappointment for some attendees when a few of...
Oakmont residents find community, sweet memories selling parking spots
Mike Komaniak is one heck of a Tetris player. But his version of the game is a bit more immersive than the actual puzzle-building video game. Every five years since 2006, Komaniak and his wife, Suzanne, open their backyard to men’s and women’s U.S. Open spectators trying to find a...
Hulton Road among routes seeing jump in traffic, slower commute during U.S. Open week
Clare Sliben had to leave for her summer job as a lifeguard almost an hour early Monday morning. Like many other Oakmont residents, Sliben, 16, has been battling traffic, mainly on Hulton Road, during rush hour each day this week as the 2025 U.S. Open takes place at Oakmont Country...
Verona Council hires new police chief
Thomas Dessell wears multiple hats in the Verona community. A Verona native, Dessell has been a borough police officer and president of the Verona Chamber of Commerce. But council promoted him to police chief on Tuesday night. The hiring comes on the heels of previous chief Ron McLemore’s honorable discharge...
