Harry Funk stories, Page 5

You may think of a haircut as not such a big a deal. Carnegie resident Sandahl Taylor begs to differ. “It can really change somebody’s life,” she said. “You can see somebody be able to get a job. It can provide them with hope. And it can simply tell them...

Today’s toast of Pittsburgh sports is about to be immortalized in art. Paul Skenes, the rookie who is the first Pirates pitcher in 49 years to start a Major League Baseball All-Star Game, will be the subject of a live acrylic painting by Baldwin Township artist Kait Schoeb at a...

By reputation, Pittsburgh seems to be a meat-and-potatoes kind of town. These days, though, plenty of people are sticking with the potatoes and forgoing the meat. And milk and cheese, for that matter. Amy Cottrill, who originated the Pittsburgh Vegan Festival back before very many folks knew what “vegan” meant,...

As an artist with a passion for painting Pittsburgh landmarks, Linda Barnicott had the idea for a 2024 project depicting an iconic restaurant chain. She remembers discussing the possibility with a young man who visited her vendor booth at a holiday market. It turned out that his grandfather had owned...

California has produced a pair of presidents. If the question pops up on Trivia Night, the answer probably is Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. As it applies to Rotary International, two leaders of the worldwide service organization once belonged to the club in Washington County’s California Borough, which had about...

They say you don’t have to be an athlete to sprint, jog or stroll for 3.1 miles. But it helps. Given his prowess on the football field and baseball diamond, Killian Cavanaugh would have had no trouble completing a course of that distance in an event scheduled for July 27...

Women generally are well aware that once they reach a certain age, mammograms are in their best interest. Sometimes they need a gentle push in that direction, and UPMC Health Plan offers a distinctive one for its members. “We call them on the phone to invite them, or we send...

Maybe you grew up washing with the golden hue of Dial, the emerald green of Irish Spring or the snowy white of Ivory. Whatever the color of the brand at hand, a soap bar was a soap bar. Richland resident Laura Bogacz effectively takes the opposite approach with her business,...

With high school in the rear-view mirror, this year’s graduates embark on paths that they hope will lead to prosperity, accomplishment and happiness. In preparing her farewell address for the North Hills Class of 2024, Avery Gallagher provided some perspective in that regard. “I thought a lot about what I...

The portrait shows a youthful, handsome Marine in his dress blues, a slight smile surrounded by his square jaw and bright eyes conveying pride and determination. That’s the way his parents wanted to remember him when they commissioned Washington County artist Nat Youngblood to paint the image of 2nd Lt....

Journalists aren’t supposed to refer anything as “first annual,” but if all goes as planned, that’s the case for the June 9 Pride celebration in Ross. “We already have the date for next year,” Amy Bialek said, and it again will be on the second Sunday of June. She serves...

Looking into a crowd of children wearing bathing suits in anticipation of being first-ever guests at the new Bethel Park Splash Park, state Rep. Natalie Mihalek decided to keep her comments brief. “I don’t want to be the one standing in the way of kids going to the splash pad,...

A revitalization project for West View’s main thoroughfare received a major financial boost when U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, announced a $1 million federal investment in the borough. “West View came to me with a great project that supports streetscaping, that supports infrastructure improvements to make kids, families, folks with...

Literacy lives on at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, thanks to incentives for students to trade less-product pursuits for learning what’s inside books. “The Accelerated Reader program has been a tradition here at Bethel Park School District, and I’d say that Lincoln always really took it to another level,” school librarian...

To offset costs to the township, Hampton is charging groups for use of the community park during special events, including 5K races organized by nonprofits as fundraisers. New this year is a fee primarily aimed at covering the presence of police officers to ensure safety, according to parks and recreation...

Move over, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. You have company. “We are privileged to have close to 100 superstars ready to dazzle you with their talents and abilities,” Katie Harrill announced from the Mary Pappert School of Music stage at Duquesne University. “Some are stepping into the spotlight for the...

Hampton Township School Board voted June 10 to adopt the district’s final 2024-25 general fund budget and along with it, a real estate tax increase. The tax rate rises by 1.15 mills, from 21.85 to 23, a 5.3% increase that represents the highest Hampton is allowed under the index assigned...

Along with celebrating the Pine-Richland High School Class of 2024, the June 7 commencement honored two retiring staff members. Brian Scott served more than 27 years as high school band director and music teacher, and Michael Gasparetto founded the Junior Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps at Pine-Richland and...

As hundreds of soon-to-be graduates sat patiently, anticipating the awarding of diplomas and tossing of caps, their valedictorian posed a question from the podium: “Are you ready for the next chapter of your life? Truthfully, no. None of us are,” Avyutka Nagrath said. “At the end of the day, we...

When she was in elementary school, Avery Gallagher saw a video featuring a mass lip-synching effort by North Hills High School students of the time. “It just blew me away,” she said. “It was kind of something that I had always seen and found myself going back to watch as...

Inspiration for commencement speeches can come from just about anywhere. For Hampton High School seniors who gave addresses on behalf of the Class of 2024, sources included the title of a English-Albanian singer’s latest album and a bird that decided to settle in a family garage. Shane Noone, Tiffany Habib...

If you’re traveling north on Saxonburg Boulevard and need to stop for the traffic signal at Route 910 in Indiana Township, take a look to your right. Beautifying the intersection is one of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s 130 community gardens across the region, sponsored by Eichenlaub Landscape Inc., headquartered about...

As is abundant among Western Pennsylvania beer drinkers, Paul Copelin tended toward a certain locally produced brand of low-calorie lager. “He is a Pittsburgh dad to the fullest, and he’ll never really try a lot of craft beer,” Pine resident Angela Bogacz explained about her father. “So I said, ‘Dad,...