Harry Funk stories, Page 19
Student-run coffee shop proposed for Chartiers Valley High School
Business teacher Christopher Meyer has a vision for Chartiers Valley High School. “Imagine walking in,” he said. “There’s a fully functional coffee shop going on, where students of all ability levels are working hand in hand toward making a really good cup of coffee, while also learning real-world skills that...
Electrify Your Symphony returns to Bethel Park for rock-style concert
Addressing a stage full of young musicians, Greg Byers was all about encouragement. “You sound great,” he told students gathered in the Bethel Park High School auditorium. “We’ve got to look great, too. Bring the energy.” The ensemble of mostly stringed instruments was rehearsing the afternoon of Jan. 6 for...
Brighten day with quilt display at Monroeville Public Library
Winter weather can tend to be on the dreary side, but not necessarily for visitors to Monroeville Public Library. The Creative Quilters group has an exhibit through Jan. 25 in the library’s Gallery Space, featuring a variety of fascinating fabrics that are based on a assortment of themes. “We meet...
Hampton School Board plans vote on resolution limiting tax increase
Hampton Township School Board plans to vote Jan. 16 on a resolution not to exceed a 4.1% real estate tax increase for 2023-24. The percentage represents the base index established for the next fiscal year under the provisions of the state’s Special Session Act 1 of 2006, which basically puts...
Cyber classmates meet up after cross-state trek to Allison Park
Visiting his best friend is pretty much a straight shot for Shad Spencer and his family. Fellow fourth-grader Cooper Harrington lives close to the Hampton exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, with an Allison Park address in West Deer. The boys are in the same class and like to get together...
Former Steeler Smith-Schuster helps Hampton boy support friend in fight against leukemia
A surefire way to raise money in Western Pennsylvania is to auction off anything related to the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s what young Hampton resident Rylan Lennex had in mind when he attended a “Final Farewell to Pittsburgh” event in June for JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was leaving the Steelers for Kansas...
Monroeville considers ordinance to prohibit feeding wild animals
Monroeville Council plans to vote Jan. 10 on an ordinance that prohibits the feeding of wild animals and provides penalties for violations. “This was something that came about for a couple of reasons, but what was really the genesis of it was that we had a coyote attack a pet,...
Monroeville Public Library organizes early welcome to 2023
As the time neared 12 o’clock, the countdown started, wrapping up with a resounding: “Happy New Year!” And then the folks who attended the Dec. 31 celebration at Monroeville Mall headed out into the daylight. Monroeville Public Library’s annual Noon Ball Drop had a new venue this year, with plenty...
Electrify Your Symphony returns to Bethel Park High School
Considering that the Beatles disbanded more than half a century ago, today’s teenagers couldn’t be blamed for considering their music to be ancient history. Yet the George Harrison composition “Here Comes the Sun” is one of the songs in the repertoire for the upcoming Electrify Your Symphony performance at Bethel...
Luminary lighting in Bethel Park honors victims of Alzheimer’s disease
An estimated 6.5 million Americans ages 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease. “It’s awful. And in the next 25 years, that number will double,” Bethel Park resident Dayna Brown said. “So if you don’t know someone or haven’t personally experienced the effects of Alzheimer’s or another form of...
Plum telethon raises more than $57,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation
Everyone involved with Plum Borough School District’s 22nd annual Make-A-Wish Telethon figured the 2021 event would be a tough act to follow. After a year’s hiatus, the 2021 telethon returned to an enthusiastic response that took its cumulative fundraising total over the $1 million mark. Donors’ generosity continued in 2022,...
South Hills Lights festival celebrates Hanukkah
This year’s Hanukkah celebration has a special significance for Rabbi Mendel Rosenblum and, by extension, Jewish communities throughout the world. In leading the annual South Hills Lights festival on Dec. 19, Rosenblum told a story related to him by a fellow rabbi, Eliezer Chitrik of Nuremberg, Germany. In 1938, the...
Gala supports nonprofit that serves students in Baldwin-Whitehall, Bethel Park, South Park
For nearly two decades, Melting Pot Ministries has had an overriding goal for the youngsters served by the nonprofit: “To try to help them become the best that they can be,” executive director Diane Ford, a lifelong Bethel Park resident, said. “And I’m very serious when we talk about being...
Bethel Park honors service members with Wreaths Across America ceremony
The weather may have been wintry, including a light dusting of snow, but that hardly deterred a healthy gathering at Bethel Park’s Wreaths Across America ceremony. “This is the second year for this event, and I am very overwhelmed with the response,” organizer Lisa Jenkins said as she greeted guests...
South Arts honors Bethel Park residents as ‘202 Years of Artists’
After taking a break for the winter, Jean Benson plans to resume teaching classes in tole painting. In the meantime, John Del Monte probably isn’t planning to take much of a break from sketching. At ages 104 and 98, respectively, the Bethel Park residents continue to impress fellow South Arts...
Donations in Plum help Toys for Tots celebrate 75th anniversary
Toys for Tots is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and thanks to a lot of caring people in Plum, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve-led nonprofit is benefiting substantially. Plum Senior High School’s eighth annual Toys for Tots Toy Drive took place the evening of Dec. 7, with donations from...
Gateway educator named Junior Achievement Teacher of Year
The announcement of Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania’s Teacher of the Year came as a surprise, as intended, for the winner. “I’m shaking,” Emily Levine said as she greeted a multipurpose room full of cheering students in Monroeville. “This is just unbelievable. I never imagined something like this would happen.”...
Monroeville couple continue toy-collecting tradition
This Santa Claus is about as real as it gets. Pete Colangelo might not have a flying sleigh or workshop full of elves. And instead of the North Pole, he lives in Monroeville. But each year, and he and his wife, Carol, make deliveries that put plenty of smiles on...
No tax increase proposed for Oakmont
Oakmont’s proposed 2023 budget shows the real estate tax remaining at 3.73 mills. Borough council plans to vote Dec. 19 on adopting the final version of the spending plan. In its proposed form, as council authorized for advertisement on Nov. 21, the general fund budget calls for operating expenditures of...
Ethical Hope: Plum resident helps world’s artisans sell products
Extreme poverty can lead to extreme measures for many of the world’s mothers. “It’s easier to sell your child for money than it is to raise your child. That’s a heartbreaking reality,” Meredith Hedeen said. “And that happens in the U.S., too.” From her home in Plum, Hedeen seeks to...
Former Steeler’s foundation conducts 10th annual Holiday Giving Program
Youngsters often take what is given to them for granted. Will Allen was an exception. While growing up in Dayton, Ohio, the future Pittsburgh Steeler would go to his elementary school in the summer for breakfast and lunch, and he’d take part in enrichment programs to supplement his basic education....
Collier DJ parlays love of music into global audience
Some people find music to be little more than a pleasant auditory diversion. Others take a more active interest. And then there are those for whom music pretty much constitutes a way of life. For Collier resident Robert Paparella, his fascination stretches back about 60 years, to when he was...
‘It was a shell’: Two-century-old Bethel Park homestead brought back to life
A photograph mounted prominently on Luke Erny’s living room wall shows his Bethel Park home at some point in the distant past, with accompanying text relating its history: “Lytle Road was named after the early Lytle family settlers. The Lytle homestead still stands near the corner of Lytle Road and...
Meals On Wheels rings in season with Bridgeville fundraiser
’Twas the month before Christmas, and Santa had a good beard going. Dressed in his red-and-white suit and matching cap in mid-November, Al Welle said that he usually just sports a white goatee. But when he was asked to portray St. Nick, he promptly started to grow the rest of...
‘Twelve Swipes of Christmas’: Bethel Park writer works through adversity to publish first novel
Anyone who’s composing an email, authoring a book or anything in between can take a cue from Elizabeth Meitzler. “If you’re sitting there falling asleep reading your own writing, everybody else is going to do the same thing,” the Bethel Park resident said. “I wouldn’t want to read that!” So...
