Harry Funk stories, Page 11
Bethel Park JFK expert: ‘Warren Commission, I think, got most of it right’
Six decades after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a frequent lecturer on the subject agrees with the original official version of what transpired: “Even all these years later, I generally have come out and said, ‘The Warren Commission, I think, got most of it right.’ ” Bethel Park resident...
Hampton welcomes back barnstorming basketballers
Deciding not to mess with success, the Hampton Boys Basketball Boosters Club is bringing back what turned out to be a fan favorite. The trick-shooting, slam-dunking showmanship of the Harlem Wizards returns to the township after an initial visit for a 2022 fundraiser. “We didn’t know what to expect the...
Advent of Tess: Monroeville resident offers origami challenge
Perhaps you’ve marveled at someone taking a piece of paper and folding it to produce the shape of a bird or flower. That general practice served as Madonna Yoder’s introduction to origami. “It started with making my own toys during church services,” the Monroeville resident said. “I would sit there...
Remembering Wright’s: Heidelberg restaurant once drew customers ‘all the way down the block’
Editor’s note: This story will conclude in the December issue of the Signal Item. For fans of fine dining, Wright’s Seafood Inn was something of a paradise. Fans of singer Joni Mitchell will know the rest of the story. Yes, a parking lot now stretches across the spot that the...
Brewing Success: Student-run coffee shop in business at Chartiers Valley High School
Pay a morning visit to a coffee shop and watch the baristas be bombarded by beverage orders That would be right up Kendal Astor’s alley. “I love the stress and the pressure, like when there’s a whole line of things,” the Chartiers Valley High School senior said. “I work really...
Chartiers Valley High School honors veterans
Today’s second-grader is tomorrow’s grandparent telling a possibly incredulous child: “I once met a World War II veteran.” Fast-forward, let’s say, half a century, and an 8-year-old may be the one who’s hearing the story. Do the math, and you’re looking at the youngster being born a full 120 years...
‘Thank you for acknowledging my service’: Bethel Park resident offers perspective of woman veteran
The 1980s were a relatively quiet time for the American military, between the end of the Vietnam War and Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. As a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Bethel Park resident Haya Eason — community members may know her as working at the municipal building — once tended to...
Visit winter markets at Bethel Park Community Center
A change in careers can be sweet. “I moved here after college to take a full-time job doing tax accounting,” Bethel Park resident Becca Battista said. “And then during the pandemic, I kind of had a change of heart and needed something a little bit more creative, rather than doing...
Saxophonist brings 6 decades of musical dedication to Monroeville concert
The sounds emerging from his father’s bedroom prompted young Calvin Stemley to knock on the door one day. How was it, the boy wondered, that Zackery Stemley Jr. could produce dazzling melodies just by using the three buttons on his trumpet? “Instead of him answering the question, he said, ‘Have...
Aquinas Academy presents Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ in Hampton
Four-plus centuries of Shakespeare fans can’t be wrong. Count a group of today’s teenagers among them. When Michael Flynn announced the Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh’s 2023 high school play would be “The Tempest,” his students weren’t exactly thrilled about performing in something so antiquated. “They always want to do a...
Plum artist takes us ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ in Etna show
From the 19th-century writings of Lewis Carroll to the 20th-century lyrics of Grace Slick, rabbits white and otherwise have come to symbolize departures from the ordinary. Plum resident Bob Freyer continues the tradition with his latest art exhibit. “It’s really just taking me away from all the stress and aggravation...
Bethel Park’s Coverdale neighborhood receives historic designation
For most young men, Friday nights often mean heading out for a night on the town instead of staying home to chat with an elderly neighbor. Robert McCormick remembers telling a friend that he was choosing the latter option. “He looked at me like I was dead crazy,” the Bethel...
Heroics, vintage violins teach Hampton students about Holocaust
While many young men tend to view their fathers as heroes, the Rev. Christopher Edmonds had no idea about the degree to which his own dad lived up to the standard. As Hampton Middle School students learned when the Tennessee pastor visited Oct. 23, U.S. Army Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds...
Monroeville Public Library hosts calligraphy exhibit
People with a penchant for penmanship may think that taking a couple of classes will make them calligraphers. “Then once they try it, they realize, wow. This is going to take a bit more work,” Calligraphy Guild Pittsburgh member Debbie Seman said. She is co-chairing the guild’s exhibit in the...
Youngsters from Monroeville school contribute to greenway reforestation
A group of Moss Side Middle School students learned firsthand that Johnny Appleseed may have faced a tough time back in the day. “I was talking with one girl and she told me, ‘I never planted a tree before. It’s more complicated than I thought it would be,’” Lindsay Dill...
Proposed Monroeville budget holds tax line
Despite an anticipated 2.4% increase in expenditures, Monroeville’s proposed 2024 general fund budget maintains a real estate tax rate of 4 mills. If council adopts the final budget as proposed, the owner of a property valued at $110,600 — the municipal median, according to Allegheny County — will continue to...
Bethel Park students earn National Merit Scholarship honors
Four Bethel Park High School seniors have been recognized for academic excellence by one of the country’s best-known and longest-running scholarship programs. The National Merit Scholarship Corp. has designated Bryce Clancy, Henry Gaston, Lucas Hertzel and Lupe McElvenny as 2024 NMS commended students. Clancy and Gaston have also been named...
‘Absolute worst in monster-movie mayhem’: Award-winning show nears 5-year mark on Bethel Park TV
Dressed in perhaps the campiest pirate costume imaginable and uttering nonsense like “avast, ye scurvy dogs,” a character called Capt. Calico Drake scowls at a video camera to address his audience. “Welcome once again aboard the Swashbuckler’s Haunt, the most disreputable ship of the Three Rivers and the Seven Seas,”...
Bethel Park paraprofessional receives award launched this year in honor of Fred Rogers
For more than half a century, youngsters have watched the filmed-in-Pittsburgh TV series “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” hearing a friendly, gentle voice guide them toward safe, fulfilling lives. Although Fred Rogers (1928-2003) ended the show’s production two years before his death, episodes still run in syndication and on streaming services, giving...
Return of the Colts: Improved stadium hosts Chartiers Valley contests once more
On a sunny late-September morning, a group of Chartiers Valley High School students ventured outside for phys ed class. Some participated in a softball game on their stadium’s field. Others walked the track along its perimeter. They were among the first to enjoy the results of the first phase of...
Bethel Park yard screams Halloween
Welcome to Kings School Cemetery, at least for the Halloween season. That’s what the sign says in the suitably decorated yard of Bethel Park resident Joe Villella.” “Every year, we have a different theme,” he said. “Last year, I had a carnival theme.” Whatever he and his family members choose...
‘So many things that you can do’: From upcycling to alterations, Heidelberg seamstress shows variety of talents
Your dresser drawer has a limited amount of space. So maybe it’s time to say goodbye to that Pink Floyd or Pitt Panther shirt you haven’t worn in years. If so, say hello to Kait. Heidelberg resident Kaitlyn Alyce thrives on converting discarded fabrics into new creations, taking recycling a...
Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh students earn AP Scholar Awards
Seventeen current students and 2023 graduates of Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh in Hampton earned AP Scholar Awards for their achievements on AP Exams during their high school years. The awardees achieved one of three levels: AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Honor and AP Scholar with Distinction. The AP Scholar award...
Voters asked to amend Monroeville home-rule charter
Half a century ago, the Monroeville Government Study Commission drafted a home-rule charter with a requirement that the municipal manager be a local resident. Today’s municipal officials seek to remove the stipulation through a ballot question in the Nov. 7 general election, asking voters to amend the charter accordingly. “It’s...
Heritage Day celebrates ‘Monroeville’s Rural Past’
Imagine a Monroeville with farms, farms and more farms, as opposed to the trappings of a bustling suburban near-metropolis. A visit to the Monroeville Historical Society’s annual Heritage Day Festival provided guests with a pretty good idea of what life was like a century or two ago. Dubbed “A Tribute...
