Joyce Hanz stories, Page 39
Vandergrift police partner with Kiski Area East Primary to collect back-to-school supplies
The Vandergrift Police Department is hosting a back-to-school supply drive for students at Kiski Area East Primary School in the borough. The annual collection is in collaboration with the school’s Parent Teacher Organization. Donated items may be dropped off through Aug. 15 at the Vandergrift Police Station at 109 Grant...
Kiski Area plans 4-day camp to give incoming kindergartners a jump-start
The Kiski Area School District is rolling out a new, free program to help incoming kindergartners adjust to life on campus. Kinder-Camp will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 15 to 18 for any incoming kindergartner at the district’s three elementary schools: East, North and South Primary. The...
Coffeehouse to perk up downtown Vandergrift
A new enterprise is brewing in historic Vandergrift’s business district. Virginia Lindsay and Karen Heilman, co-owners of 1833 Coffee and Tea Co. in Freeport, announced this week on social media that they’re expanding their coffee business and opening a “sister shop” along Grant Avenue. The new coffee business will be...
Fox Chapel Area High School freshman embraces conservation
A Fox Chapel Area High School freshman with a commitment to conservation is raising monies to help pay it forward for the next generation of conservation leaders. Claire Conti, 14, has attended the Wildlife Leadership Academy the past two summers. The non-profit is dedicated to engaging and empowering high-school aged...
‘Backpack Bash’ returns to Kiski Area High School
A free back-to-school giveaway event for all students enrolled in the Kiski Area School District is scheduled for Aug. 10. The Back to School Backpack Bash returns this year after a successful inaugural 2021 launch. The district sought donations of backpacks, school supplies and hygiene items from the community over...
Scare tactics: Vandergrift man key figure in Kennywood’s Phantom Fall Fest
Nick Kardos of Vandergrift gets paid to be creepy. Kardos, 31, was inspired by horror classics including “Night of the Living Dead” and experienced a creative drive as a youngster growing up in Oklahoma Borough. He has worked seasonally for 13 years as a special effects supervisor and as a...
Nature-focused preschool relocates from Fox Chapel to 7-acre campus
The Discovery School is set to welcome students this fall to a new campus that features a nature playground, a discovery pond, trails, meadows and a creek. Previously located at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, The Discovery School has moved to the former Winchester Thurston North campus at 4225 Middle Road...
Want to buy a funeral home? Krynicki’s in Harrison up for grabs for $449,000
A former funeral home is on the market in Harrison. The Krynicki Funeral Home at 1007 Freeport Road is listed for $449,000 by Howard Hanna Realty. Mark Camp, 65, has lived next door to the funeral home since 1982. He said life next to a business that deals with death...
Faces of the Valley: Gilpin resident Betty Smail dedicated to lifelong volunteering
Betty Smail of Gilpin began giving back to her rural community at a young age. She hasn’t stopped. Smail was tasked with washing “bird dirt” off tombstones in St. Catherine’s Cemetery when she was a child. Now, at 70, she’s still volunteering throughout the Leechburg and Gilpin communities. “It meant...
Washington Township seeks new supervisor
A supervisor position is available in Washington Township. Supervisor Scott M. Held, who ran for the position unopposed and served in the post for six months, submitted his letter of resignation July 14 during the last supervisors’ meeting. In the letter, Held said he was moving out of the township....
South Buffalo family’s ice cream truck makes rounds in Alle-Kiski Valley
A South Buffalo family has a sweet new side hustle. Cup and Cone Ice Cream, which the family operates from a van, kicked off its inaugural route June 6 in Buffalo Township. Businessman Kent Snyder, 52, pitched the idea of an ice cream truck business to his wife, Mary, and...
Free science-based children’s program on tap at Vandergrift Public Library
A free biology-themed program hosted by an educator from the Carnegie Science Center is coming to the Vandergrift Public Library. “Science in the Summer” will be offered in two sessions; from 5 to 6 p.m. for grades 2-3 and from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. for grades 4-6, Aug. 9-10 at...
Indiana Township garage a family affair for 74 years
Three brothers are continuing the legacy of their family-owned automotive repair business in Indiana Township. Kepple’s Garage, co-owned by Wilbur, Howard and Chuck Kepple, celebrates 74 years of repairing vehicles and equipment this year. The garage, founded by their late parents, Edna and John Kepple, opened in 1948. “I learned...
Kiski Area hires new director of student support services
Kiski Area School District has created a new full-time position to help serve the district’s special education and gifted programs. Darren Kennedy was hired as the district’s new director of student support services at a salary of $115,000. He started in the position July 1 and will serve students on...
Armstrong Community Theater’s summer musical to showcase medieval mayhem at Casino Theatre
Armstrong Community Theater is wrapping up rehearsals for its annual summer musical “Once Upon a Mattress.” The actors will take to the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 22 and 23, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 24, at the Casino Theatre in Vandergrift. Director David Emanuelson said the...
East Vandergrift couple builds blessing box for community
Darla Cuppy of Vandergrift was driving along McKinley Avenue on Sunday when something new caught her eye. Cuppy noticed a large, handmade wooden blessing box filled with food and toiletry items, and decided to stop and grab a few items to take home. “This is one of the best ones...
Fox Chapel Area High School grad on a modeling mission in New York City
When Chase Osthoff of Fox Chapel told his friends he was going to pursue a modeling career after high school, they thought he was joking. His friends now know he was a man on a modeling mission. “They’ve all been very supportive,” Osthoff said. “I’m absolutely planning to do this...
More than 100 vendors and artists on tap for the daylong Artfest in Vandergrift
Organizers in Vandergrift are going down the rabbit hole for the 2022 Artfest celebration. Artfest chairperson and organizer Lisa Dormire said this year’s theme pays tribute to the classic film “Alice in Wonderland.” More than 100 vendors and artists will occupy a closed-off Grant Avenue for a festival that draws...
West Leechburg officials warn public of mail theft in the borough
West Leechburg officials issued a warning online Friday to residents about recent tampering with outbound mail and stolen checks. In a post made Friday around noon to the West Leechburg Borough Facebook page, officials asked residents to monitor their bank accounts for what they said is suspicious activity regarding multiple...
Vandergrift Police Department welcomes its first full-time female officer
The Vandergrift Police Department has made history. Ada Vega, 22, is the first full-time female police officer in the borough. Her hiring was approved by Vandergrift Council in April and, prior to her full-time status, Vega was hired at age 18 as a part-time officer in 2018, making her the...
In brief: news from Fox Chapel
Warning About Illegal Dumping Over the last few months, Fox Chapel Borough employees have been collecting illegally dumped brush found inside borough limits. Borough officials remind residents that placing sticks, yard debris and leaves on borough property is illegal and may result in fines from the Fox Chapel Police Department....
Fox Chapel seeks parks commission member, deputy emergency management coordinator
Fox Chapel is seeking to fill two positions — a deputy emergency management coordinator and also a vacancy on the borough’s parks commission. The deputy emergency management coordinator is a volunteer position. The position involves working closely with Fox Chapel Chief of Police Michael J. Stevens, who is currently the...
Notes for Hope festival benefiting breast cancer research returns to Hyde Park
A music and food festival benefiting breast cancer research returns this month to Hyde Park. The 2022 Pink Day Notes for Hope Music and Food Festival will host a lineup of seven bands and food trucks from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 16, at the Hyde Park Heritage Pavilion....
Northmoreland National Night Out gives first responders chance to interact with residents
Northmoreland National Night Out 2022 returns to Northmoreland Park this summer after a successful turnout last year, organizers said. The free event is open to the public and is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 3. The picnic aims to build relationships between the community and first responders and...
Graffiti vandals strike again in Vandergrift; artist offers to cover damage with mural
A homeowner dealing with ongoing vandalism issues in Vandergrift has an ally committed to combating negative art images in the borough with positivity. Deanna Whaley said it’s not the first time she has dealt with vandalism on her property, along the 200 block of Franklin Avenue, and she’s tired of...
