Joyce Hanz stories, Page 35
Kiski Area drama students to stage ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’
A play promising plenty of laughs and mishaps is on tap at Kiski Area High School. The school’s drama students will present “The Play That Goes Wrong” Thursday through Saturday in the high school auditorium. The cast has nine thespians and 32 crew members. Junior Garrett Seymour described his role...
Fox Chapel Area High School grads awarded William C. and Susan A. DeLaney Scholarships
Two former student executive board members at Fox Chapel Area High School have earned 2022 William and Susan DeLaney Scholarships. Anthony Miles and Gabrielle Uku were each awarded $1,000. They each served on the Fox Chapel Area High School Black Student Union during their senior year. Both graduated in 2022....
Alle-Kiski students get an early start on Halloween festivities
Halloween kicked off early for many youngsters throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley. Preschoolers were on parade Monday morning during a Halloween trick-or-treat outing in Allegheny Township. More than 75 students from the PreK Counts program at Appleseed Learning Center lined up to show off their costumes and receive treats from various...
Homeowners brace for higher heating costs this winter
Miranda McDermott is dreading winter. With home heating costs forecast to reach their highest levels in more than 10 years, McDermott of Allegheny Township said her family can’t afford to pay monthly heating bills in full. “Our average heating bill is $800,” McDermott said. “We have wood chopped and ready...
Celebrity tribute artist channels his inner ElvisVideo
Don’t step on his blue suede shoes. He needs them. Professional Elvis tribute artist Kelly Hylton’s fancy footwork often wears out the heels of his shoes. “I go through dress shoes like crazy. I blow the soles off dancing too much,” Hylton said. Hylton, 51, lives in Rural Valley, Armstrong...
Gilpin woman transforms home — inside and out — into haunted Halloween hotel
Terri Smith of Gilpin embraces the Halloween scene at her home in rural Gilpin. Smith, 61, works as an X-ray technician, but Halloween is her favorite “job.” Each September she dons her favorite Halloween costume, a mad maid, and begins decorating, transforming home into the fictitious, but festive, “Smith’s Dead...
102-year-old former bank building on market in Verona
In the market for a building with serious pillar presence? A former bank in downtown Verona that towers above its neighboring buildings along Allegheny River Boulevard is listed for sale at $424,900. The property was previously a PNC bank and most recently the Verona Variety Store. It originally listed for...
Leechburg’s Pink Day festival sets attendance and fundraising record
Attendance at the 2022 Pink Day fundraiser for breast cancer research in Leechburg reached an all-time high. And so did the monetary donations. The annual daylong celebration and festival, held Sept. 17 on Market Street in downtown Leechburg, welcomed more than 10,000 attendees and raised more than $41,000, according to...
Student-run cafe reopens, expands at Leechburg Area School District
A new mobile food and beverage program is on a roll in the Leechburg Area School District. Students enrolled in the district’s learning support program introduced the Creation Cafe Coffee Cart in August, selling hot and cold beverages and snacks to teachers in the elementary school. The mobile cart is...
Kiski Area marching band set to return to national competition after PIMBA championship
The Kiski Area High School marching band once again has qualified to compete in a national band competition. The band earned its second consecutive Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band (PIMBA) crown Saturday during the 2022 PIMBA Championships at Norwin High School in Irwin. Kiski placed first in Class AAAA in the...
Chef-driven Local Provisions Market & Cafe opens in Fox Chapel PlazaVideo
Shoppers looking to mix socializing with shopping can check both boxes with a new specialty market and cafe in O’Hara. Local Provisions Market & Cafe opened last week in Fox Chapel Plaza along Freeport Road. The business combines casual dining with specialty groceries, seasonal produce, fresh to-go meals and a...
Vandergrift Lions Club member’s volunteer efforts help those in need of medical supplies
A West Leechburg man has gone above and beyond in his volunteer efforts to help people when their health circumstances make mobility difficult. Robb Yasczak, 46, has been a member of the Vandergrift Lions Club for almost 20 years. He is a co-organizer of the Lions’ gently used hospital supplies...
Indiana Township fourth grader motivated by math
A fourth grader at Hartwood Elementary School District channeled her inner “mathlete” to earn a near-perfect score in a nationwide math competition. Charlene “Cici” Xu recently scored in the top 1% of all 26,524 students who competed in the online national Sumdog math competition in September. Cici, 9, answered 978...
Aspinwall business blooming: Fox and the Fleur opens on Brilliant Avenue
Fox and the Fleur, a new artisan flower and gift shop, has opened at 105 Brilliant Avenue. Owner Anne Dickson is a custom florist specializing in weddings, special events, holiday decorating and more. She opened her business in 2016, working out of her Fox Chapel garage. In 2021, Dickson became...
New fall festival slated for Riverfront Park in Leechburg
A new outdoor festival is coming to Leechburg. The inaugural Leechburg Frightening Fall Festival is scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, in Riverfront Park. The event is sponsored by the Leechburg Area Community Association. Co-organizers are association volunteers Molly Hill and Doreen Smeal. Smeal said the association...
Woman found in Pittsburgh residence in August died of accidental drowning, medical examiner says
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner on Sunday released a cause and manner of death for a woman whose body was discovered in a Pittsburgh residence in August. Lori Bohn, 54, died of an accidental drowning, the medical examiner’s office said. Bohn had been found around 3:30 p.m. Aug. 15 in...
Snowflakes Tuesday morning could tie record for earliest snowfall in Pittsburgh region
Say it ain’t snow. The first snowfall of, well, fall could happen early Tuesday across the Pittsburgh region. According to the National Weather Service, snowflakes then would tie the record for the earliest snowfall of the season in Southwestern Pennsylvania. On Oct. 18, 1972, 1.8 inches of snow was recorded...
Freeport Halloween Carnival offers fun, food and fright
A Halloween-themed carnival offers a twist on the traditional carnival scene this weekend in Freeport. The giant skeleton that greets visitors at the third annual Freeport Halloween Carnival sets a spooky but family-friendly tone. Attendees are encouraged to dress in Halloween costumes. The event continues from 11 a.m. to 5...
South Buffalo Township fire department’s tractor pull raises money for siblingsVideo
Tractor drivers were pulling for a purpose Saturday during the fourth annual South Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department’s benefit tractor and truck pull. The annual fundraiser raises thousands of dollars for a different Alle-Kiski Valley recipient each year. It continues until 6 p.m. This year, the fire department’s pull benefit...
Washington County DA shuts down Finleyville bar, citing ‘drug nuisance activity’
A longstanding neighborhood tavern in Washington County has been shut down by authorities after being labeled a “nuisance” bar. Police taped a sign to the front door of Bob’s Tavern on Friday, alerting customers of a temporary injunction filed on behalf of Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh, according to...
Free pumpkin giveaway planned in Vandergrift
Vandergrift’s youngest residents can get their hands on a free pumpkin during the fourth annual Vandergrift Great Pumpkin Patch. The free community event, sponsored by the Vandergrift Parent Project, is scheduled from noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 29 at Franklin Park in Vandergrift. “Our goal since starting the VPP is...
First regional police force on patrol in Armstrong County, covering Freeport and Gilpin
Residents of Gilpin and Freeport officially have a new regional police department. The Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department held a pinning and inaugural first shift ceremony Wednesday morning at the Gilpin Municipal Building. The new police force combines the Freeport and Gilpin police departments, providing 24-hour police coverage for both...
Shady Side Academy junior honored for his volunteer work supporting area refugees
A middle-school assignment evolved into a meaningful mission for Shady Side Academy junior Deven Nahata. While in seventh grade at SSA, his teacher assigned individual student projects with a social-based focus. “I did some Google searches for Pittsburgh nonprofits because I was really interested in the refugee crisis and found...
Kiski Area School District spearheads collaborative cyber programVideo
Four of the region’s school districts have collaborated to develop a new virtual instruction program for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The Alle-Kiski Academy of Excellence offers students, from any district, the opportunity to learn in a synchronous manner from the comfort of their own homes. The four participating...
Faces of the Valley: Disabilities don’t deter Apollo man from volunteering
Terry Simmers likes to bring the fun to his volunteer job at St. Vincent de Paul in Apollo. Simmers, 48, began volunteering at the Catholic-based thrift store in 2016. “I enjoy doing what I do because helping others out gives me a great feeling, knowing that I’m important to the...
