Harry Funk stories

Plenty of youngsters dream of donning helmets, flame-resistant suits and other necessities for battling blazes. Some adults apparently do, too. And Pleasant Hills Volunteer Fire Company is providing a hands-on opportunity for them to give the basics a try. “I am learning a lot,” Amber Kramer said. “I got to...

Independence Middle School was in the early stages of a major renovation project when Racquel Sutton came aboard as principal at the start of 2022. Even though she took over at Bethel Park High School as lead administrator this July, she figured prominently during Independence’s Sept. 10 rededication ceremony. “I’d...

No, that was not your imagination. Plenty of Parkway East motorists, even through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, were surprised to see a flatbed truck rolling by with someone playing a piano on top. “I probably won’t do that again, because I did not feel as safe as maybe I expected...

To encourage participation in the Baldwin High School Marching Band, director Zack George pitched highlights to a group of students age 13 or so. “I talked about the season and what we do, and I tried to hit all the main points of recruitment: Here are the trips that we...

During a time of year when roads routinely are closed for construction, a street in South Park is shutting down temporarily for a reason that looks to be much more enjoyable. The 14th annual Rev ’Em Up for Kids Mega Car Cruise Event, presented by Pasta Too Italian Restaurant in...

The ideal theme for a kickoff event would seem to be football. And so passing, receiving and celebrating in the end zone all were part of a community gridiron skills clinic to help launch the Michael Mackie Project, a nonprofit formed to provide inclusive and adaptive experiences for children who...

In Pleasant Hills, residents tend to circle the last Tuesday of July on their calendars. “People actually plan their vacations around this event,” Sean Greene, the borough’s deputy police chief, said. “I talked to some people today. They were just in Myrtle Beach, and their kids said, ‘We have to...

When students report to Bethel Park schools on Aug. 21 for the first day of classes, it will mark the end of an era as the final year for education at six of the district’s buildings. Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Memorial and William Penn elementary schools are scheduled...

When classes start Aug. 26, Thomas Jefferson High School students will have new iPads. Over the past few years, the West Jefferson Hills School District has distributed Apple-­branded tablet computers to its other academic buildings. Supplying ninth through 12th graders completes the transition from Google Chromebooks. Jennifer Kassimer, district director...

In 2016, a Bethel Park teacher offered to direct a program that attracted 74 students during their summer break. This summer marks Laura Huth’s 10th year of leading local programming for Camp Invention, and she welcomed nearly 300 children in two, week-long July sessions at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School. “When...

The Michael Mackie Project, a new nonprofit committed to creating inclusive and adaptive experiences for children with disabilities, announces its inaugural community event. MVP: Michael’s Victory Players an Adaptive Football Experience will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 19 at the Pine Athletic Complex, 100 Pine Park...

With the former Whitehall Country Club property now owned by the municipality, borough officials are looking to residents for guidance in what to do with the 4.26-acre site off Provost Road. “It really is an opportunity for the borough to develop a site for the public and with the public....

When Baldwin-Whitehall School District named a stadium for retired superintendent Rosemarie Cibik in the 1980s, then-teenager Michael Faust attended the ceremony with his family. “I remember my sister and I saying, ‘Dad, that’s going to be you someday,’” he said. “And today is that day, and that’s a very meaningful...

Some want to take their families on vacation. Others ask to have parties or go on shopping sprees. And meeting celebrities is high on the list of requests that the Make-A-Wish Foundation receives from critically ill children around the globe. In fact, Guinness World Records cites wrestler-turned-actor John Cena as...

A 1.2515-mill real estate tax increase is included in Bethel Park School District’s 2025-26 proposed final general fund operating budget, as presented at the school board’s May 13 committee meeting. Such an increase would mean that the owner of a property with an assessed value of $155,000, the municipality’s median,...

An incumbent member of Bethel Park Council lost his seat in Ward 1, according to unofficial Allegheny County primary election results. Diane Ford’s May 20 vote total for the Democratic nomination bested that of current office holder Joseph A. Consolmagno, 296 to 145. No Republican candidate ran in the primary...

Baldwin-Whitehall School District’s proposed final budget for 2025-26 calls for no increase in the real estate tax rate. The school board unanimously approved the proposed spending plan May 7. A vote on adoption of the final budget, which maintains the rate at 25 mills, is scheduled for June 11. According...

West Jefferson Hills School District’s 2025-26 preliminary budget, as presented at the school board’s May 13 work session, reflects a real estate tax increase of 1.255 mills. A vote on the $70.327 million spending plan is scheduled for the evening of May 21. With the higher tax rate, the owner...

A full house at a school board meeting often doesn’t bode well for the folks up front. But to the relief of Baldwin-Whitehall board member Pete Giglione and his colleagues, the residents who packed the place in December 2023 came bearing positives. “When I reviewed the phone-book-sized packet of letters...

With regard to fulfilling its mission, Cali Cats Rescue is off to a good start at the nonprofit’s new Bethel Park location. A friendly feline named Lollipop made such a good impression on Benjamin Franklin Elementary School student Mason Stratthaus and his mom, Krystal, that they decided to pursue adoption....

Editor’s note: Bethel Park Journal is only profiling candidates in contested municipal and school board primary elections. Bethel Park School Board Seven hopefuls are in the race for Bethel Park School Board and all are cross-filed on the ballot: incumbents Buffie Faes, Christina Headley, Sharon Janosik are challenged by the...

Baldwin Borough’s municipal pool will be closed again for 2025. Improvements to the half-century-old aquatic facility were planned for last year. But on two occasions in 2024, bids for the project came in at roughly double the amount budgeted, according to information provided by borough manager Robert Firek. Construction was...

For the wheels on the bus to go ’round and ’round, someone needs to start the engine and steer. To the misfortune of school districts across the country, people willing to step up to the task are becoming fewer and further between, causing superintendents — including Baldwin-Whitehall’s Randal Lutz —...

Once it was, to quote Whitehall’s Neighborhood Parks Master Plan, the “worst-looking park” in the borough. Following a facelift that saw Overlook Park closed for most of 2024, Borough Manager Courtney Wertz can provide this description: “It turned out beautifully.” With new playground equipment stationed atop the safety of a...