Joyce Hanz stories, Page 15
Leechburg business abruptly closes after reported burglary; owner offers reward for information
A specialty convenience market in Leechburg’s business district closed abruptly, after a reported burglary early Sunday that resulted in the theft of $200 from the register. Market on Second, open since 2022, was burglarized between 6:45 and 7:10 a.m., owner Jennifer Toney said. Toney, a well-established cook and caterer, owns...
Historic church bell tower restored in Leechburg, set to ring again on Easter Sunday
Church bells will ring out over Leechburg again this Easter. After more than a year and $30,000 in fundraising, the bells of First Evangelical Lutheran Church are fixed and set to ring again for the first time to welcome worshipers to Easter Sunday services. In addition, the church is planning...
Riverfront campground with 800-plus acres on the market for $3M in Gilpin
A huge piece of riverfront property with a popular campground is on the market in Gilpin. With a total of 830 acres, the rural parcel on Johnetta Road is listed for $3 million. It follows the Allegheny River in the Johnetta section of the township, north of Gilpin’s Schenley section....
Leechburg Area officials lobby Harrisburg for real estate tax relief, call for reassessment
Leechburg Area School District officials are taking the fight to Harrisburg over high tax rates in West Leechburg, calling for state action and reassessments locally. Acting Superintendent David Keibler, school board President Ashley Coudriet and board member Tom Maxin went to Harrisburg on Wednesday to meet with representatives of the...
Verona brewery expands to waterfront location along Allegheny River
Brews with a view is a new reality for patrons of Acclamation Brewing, as the business settles in to a new riverside location in Verona. At 314 Arch St. at the 10.7 Marina site, co-owner Jason Yahnke of Oakmont created a business with friends and family that allows him to...
Early-morning blaze sends Leechburg woman to hospital
A Leechburg woman remained hospitalized Wednesday after an early morning fire tore through her home. Leechburg fire Chief John Foster identified the woman as Mandy Yakovich, who lived alone at the home on Kiski Avenue. Although Foster said she remained hospitalized, he did not have an update on her condition....
Some Leechburg Area School District residents complain of unfair tax burden
Property owners in the Westmoreland County portion of Leechburg Area School District are demanding a new tax structure that doesn’t dip as deeply into their pockets as the current one does. “You’re picking the pockets of the 1,300 residents of West Leechburg,” Jake Heasley told Leechburg Area School Board members...
Some Leechburg Area School District residents complain of unfair tax burden
Property owners in the Westmoreland County portion of Leechburg Area School District are demanding a new tax structure that doesn’t dip as deeply into their pockets as the current one does. “You’re picking the pockets of the 1,300 residents of West Leechburg,” Jake Heasley told Leechburg Area School Board members...
Building permit sweep yields 11 violations in Gilpin; officials urge compliance
Gilpin zoning officer Sharon Long recently completed a weeklong sweep, checking for nonpermitted structures in the rural township. During the sweep, Long cited 11 residents for not obtaining the proper permits before building on their property. Most of Gilpin’s surrounding townships and municipalities have zoning laws on the books, but...
Book vending machine doles out reading excitement at Riverview’s Verner ElementaryVideo
A new addition to Verner Elementary School has young students turning the page on how they think about vending machines. For two weeks, the mystery surrounding what was inside a large, covered box in the school’s hallway had K-6 students guessing what the surprise might be. The young Riverview School...
It’s ‘lights on’ for Southern Armstrong police cars at night
Motorists traveling in Freeport, Gilpin and Ford City can’t say they didn’t notice the police car anymore. All seven police cruisers in the Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department’s fleet now travel at night with steady red and blue lights illuminated, a move that officials hope will make police more visible...
Another top administrator resigns from Leechburg Area School District, plans to return to teaching
The Leechburg Area School District is losing another administrator — but not the employee. Doug Rodgers is leaving his role as middle and high school principal to return to teaching in the district next fall. The board voted to accept Rodgers’ resignation Wednesday, although school officials referred to him only...
Morning Roundup: Overnight crash cuts power in 4 Pittsburgh neighborhoods
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, March 8: Crash shuts down West Liberty Avenue; power outages reported Multiple Pittsburgh neighborhoods were left without power Friday morning following a vehicle crash along West Liberty Avenue, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The station reports that...
Water main break results in remote learning day at Highlands Middle School; 2-hour delay for district due to power outage
Power outages and water woes disrupted school operations Thursday in the Highlands School District in Harrison. Highlands Middle School students and staff are learning remotely Thursday because of a water main break Wednesday night at the middle school. Students in grades 5-8 are affected. The remote day applies to only...
Morning Roundup: Man stabbed in East Liberty; 80+ bricks of heroin seized in Pittsburgh; 2 teens missing in separate incidents
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, March 7. Stabbing incident in East Liberty Police are investigating a stabbing incident Wednesday night inside a residence in the 700 block of Collins Street in East Liberty. According to Pittsburgh Police, responders arrived to the scene around...
Firsthand experience takes the boredom out of Western Pa. civics classes
It isn’t ego that makes Hal Biehl think his civics class at Riverview High School is so valuable for students. “I tell the kids on the first day of class, ‘This is the most important class you’ll have in high school no matter what field you go into because government...
Morning Roundup: Station Square fatal shooting victim ID’d; Monroeville police officer struck by vehicle in Penn Hills
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, March 6. Victim identified in fatal shooting Friday in Station Square The Allegheny County Medical Examiner has identified the 25-year-old man fatally shot Friday night in Station Square. According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, police responded to reports of...
Morning Roundup: 1 injured in South Park crash; motorcyclist hospitalized in hit-and-run in Duquesne
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, March 5: 1 injured in crash in South Park One person was taken to the hospital Monday night after a crash involving a motorcycle and a vehicle in South Park Township, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The...
Long-awaited Oakmont parking lot project scheduled to begin in June
Stephanie Grimes is tired of looking at the vacant lot along Oakmont’s Allegheny Avenue, where an Exxon station once stood. It’s been five years since plans were announced to convert the lot into much-needed public parking and Grimes, a borough resident, is frustrated because, she says, she can’t get answers...
Daycation Destination: Fly high with a helicopter tour above Pittsburgh
Burrell High School junior Billy Kowalkowski had a sky-high experience for his 17th birthday. He took a private helicopter tour of Pittsburgh last month with veteran pilot Ron Spiker of Zelienople and his mom, Danielle Kowalkowski. Danielle Kowalkowski booked a mother-son sunset tour in February with Spiker Helicopters, which has...
Almost 1,000 Lenten fish sandwiches sold Fridays at St. Irenaeus in Oakmont
Volunteer fry guy Eric Johnson knows his way around a fish fry. “I’ve been frying for 15 years,” Johnson said Friday at lunchtime while handling fish orders for a packed church hall at Holy Family Parish’s St. Irenaeus in Oakmont. Each week during Lent, dozens of parish volunteers man multiple...
Neo, the rescued Kiski River alligator, among more than 70 animals to die in South Park fire
Neo didn’t make it. The wayward alligator, only recently recovered in Kiski Township after escaping and apparently living along the Kiski River since last summer, was one of the more than 70 animals confirmed to have died in a fire that swept through Nate’s Reptile Rescue in South Park on...
Ukrainian church in Arnold on the market for $200K
The closing of a Ukrainian church serving the Arnold community for almost 100 years has left many former parishioners and residents in a state of disbelief. Holy Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox Church held its last Divine Liturgy on Aug. 27 and is listed for sale for $199,999. “I’m not doing that...
Faces of the Valley: Kiski Area fourth grader takes center stage in ninja skills competitions
A Washington Township 10-year-old is climbing to new heights in the competitive ninja sports world. Caelin Kaminski won the championship in the mature kids (9- and 10-year-old) division at the 2023 World Ninja League Premier Series Championships in November in Forox Ninja Park in Brooklyn. “It was really awesome,” Caelin...
The Saxonburg Winter Festival draws hundreds of people to enjoy pleasant winter day
Historic downtown Saxonburg was closed to traffic on Main Street on Saturday, but it was flooded with hundreds of people for the 3rd Annual Saxonburg Winter Festival. The daylong festival is sponsored by The Little Shops of Saxonburg in collaboration with the Saxonburg Area Business Association. Crafters, food trucks and...
