Joyce Hanz stories, Page 44
Vandergrift police return to full staffing with 2 new officers
Vandergrift Borough has two new full-time police officers. Council approved hiring Danny Anthony and Steven Zemba at a starting salary of $59,692 each. Their salaries would increase to $71,075 after three years, Vandergrift police Chief Joe Caporali said. They will begin patrolling this month. The borough normally maintains eight full-time...
Weird, wild collide at exotic animal rescue, pet shop in SharpsburgVideo
A businesswoman from O’Hara is on a mission to find new homes for abandoned and surrendered exotic animals. Sara Smith owns Sara’s Pets and Plants, in Sharpsburg at 908 Main St. She tends to more than 100 animals at her shop, all of them rescued or surrendered animals. But Smith...
Tom Hanks takes break from filming in Ambridge to wave hello to a mom and her boyVideo
Ashley Glass of Ambridge had a surprise celebrity encounter Thursday morning. Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks took a break from filming on Merchant Street to wave to Glass and her 2-year-old son, Charles. Glass, 35, a homemaker and mother of five, said the actor spotted them while filming scenes for...
Allegheny Township police to be issued firearms, ending practice of carrying personal weapons
Since the 1960s, Allegheny Township police have carried their personal guns on the job, like officers at many small municipal police forces. Starting this year, however, the township’s police will be supplied with township-issued guns. At the March 14 township supervisors meeting, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli presented Allegheny...
Pivot to pasta: Inflation turns Lenten fish fry at Bell Township VFD into spaghetti dinner
There’s a new menu for the Friday Lenten fundraiser meals starting March 25 at Bell Township Volunteer Fire Department: The traditional fish fry has been replaced by spaghetti dinners. “The price of everything this year is crazy,” said Bell Township VFD president and organizer Cody Auden. With fish in short...
Arnold girl helps raise money for orphans in parents’ homeland of Ukraine
Shady Side Academy freshman Avery Litwin found a new friend when she began tutoring English online to a 14-year-old Ukranian girl named Daria. Then Russia invaded Ukraine. Litwin was shocked by the reality of Daria’s new living conditions. Litwin said Daria had to hang black curtains over her windows, and...
New Community Concern Portal well received by Fox Chapel residents
Fox Chapel has launched a new online portal for residents to submit concerns or requests 24/7 directly to borough officials for service in the community. Borough manager Gary Koehler said the Community Concern Portal launched last month on the borough website was created to help residents communicate with borough officials....
Faces of the Valley: Allegheny Township man steadfast in mission of cleaning up roadwaysVideo
A dedicated senior citizen is doing his part to tidy up roads in Allegheny Township. Dahrl Talmage, 84, of Allegheny Township began volunteering 14 years ago, collecting litter discarded along Route 56 and School Road. “I like the roads to look nice and clean,” Talmage said. Talmage said he travels...
3 new festivals approved for downtown Vandergrift
Vandergrift officials and the Vandergrift Business Association have partnered to bring three new community festivals to Grant Avenue. VBA is sponsoring a monthly vendor-focused event called Gathering on Grant, a Fourth of July festival and an Oktoberfest event this fall. Vandergrift Council members voted unanimously Monday to approve all three...
ACMH nurses go on 5-day strikeVideo
Nurses at ACMH Hospital near Kittanning walked off the job Sunday after months of stalled negotiations over staffing and wage issues. More than 100 employees, community leaders and strike supporters began picketing at 7 a.m. Many held handmade signs asking for respect, better wages, safe staffing and nurse retention. Sign...
Local Provisions, a ‘chef-driven’ market and cafe, to open in Fox Chapel Plaza
A well-regarded Pittsburgh restaurateur is opening an artisan market and cafe in the Fox Chapel area. Brian Pekarcik, a chef best known for operating Spoon in East Liberty, and his wife, Jessica, are launching Local Provisions Market & Cafe in late summer. The 4,000-square-foot venue in Fox Chapel Plaza in...
Aspinwall to get custom florist Fox and the Fleur on Brilliant Avenue
A new artisan floral business is coming to Brilliant Avenue in Aspinwall, thanks to a Fox Chapel woman with a passion for artistic floral expression. Anne Dickson, 41, is the force behind Fox and the Fleur, a custom florist specializing in weddings, events and holiday decorating and more. Dickson secured...
Port Authority reacts to high number of call-offs
A significant number of Port Authority employees called off from work Saturday, in what Port Authority officials called an apparent protest of the authority’s vaccine mandate. Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph declined to give an exact number of how many employees didn’t show up for work Saturday, adding a number...
Coroner: East Huntingdon man using snow blower killed by passing pickup
A man operating a snow blower was struck and killed by a pickup Saturday morning, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. County Coroner Timothy Carson identified the victim as Brian P. Hyde, of East Huntingdon. Hyde, 49, was struck around 10 a.m. by a Dodge Ram pickup traveling at...
Lower Burrell holds St. Patrick’s Day parade for local folks in spite of bitter cold
Ellie Ogurchock of Upper Burrell was the first youngster to arrive along the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade route Saturday along Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell. “I’m here for the good candy,” said Ogurchock, 5, who attended with her mother. Dozens of parade-goers braved overnight snowfall, temperatures in the low...
Leechburg’s fire company doesn’t let pandemic-related supply chain issues stop Lenten fish fries
While many fire department and volunteer groups have canceled their Lenten fish fries this year thanks to skyrocketing costs, the fish fry tradition continues at the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company. Customers filed inside the firehall at a steady pace Friday evening as more than 10 volunteers kept busy cooking, preparing...
Former state representative from Apollo stumps for lieutenant governor
Old friends reunited at a meet-and-greet for Republican lieutenant governor candidate Jeff Coleman on Tuesday at Ryan’s Creek House near Ford City. A former state representative and Apollo councilman, Coleman is campaigning across the state with a focus on bipartisanship and civility at a time when politics are facing division...
Taco Bell in Allegheny Township on schedule to open this month
Construction continues on a Taco Bell in Allegheny Township, expected to open this month at intersection of Hyde Park Road at Route 56. Kevin Kupniewsk, senior director of operations for Charter Foods/Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silvers and Pizza Hut, confirmed this week that the project is on schedule. An...
Vandergrift resident pours creativity into new candle and craft business
Stuck at home for long stretches during the pandemic, Shannon Gourley picked up the craft of making candles. “It gave me something to focus on,” said Gourley, a Vandergrift resident and the mother of four. Now, she has turned that creative accomplishment into a business, selling candles and promoting other...
Leechburg student creates website ‘How to Support Ukraine’ with roster of charities
A Leechburg Area High School honors student with Ukrainian heritage has created a website to showcase charities benefiting Ukrainians and encourage people to contribute. Jasa Oliver, a junior from Gilpin, grew up hearing stories about her great-grandfather Dimetro Buriak’s journey from Ukraine to America. When the invasion by Russian forces...
Gilpin family’s farm home to multitude of animals
The farm life is alive and strong at the Karpinski Farm in Gilpin. Myriad farm animals reside on the 11-acre farm, owned by the Karpinskis, a family of six who are dedicated to creating a self-sustaining farm. The family farm has numerous chickens, cattle, turkey, sheep, goats, pigs, horses and...
Expert gardening tips and more on tap at Seed Swap in Vandergrift
A new garden-themed event is sprouting up in Vandergrift. Gardeners are invited to gather for a free Community Seed Swap from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Vandergrift Public Library. Seed swaps are events in which participants can bring veggie or flower seeds to exchange and learn gardening tips...
A little luxury at Lent: Lobster roll returns to Del Vecchio’s in Vandergrift — for a price
At Del Vecchio’s Market in Vandergrift, a seafood special is back on the menu for the Lenten season that begins Wednesday, but it’s not typical Southwestern Pennsylvania fare. Lobster roll — a mainstay of New England popular cuisine — is returning to Del Vecchio’s, alongside the classic fried and baked...
Alle-Kiski Valley art students encouraged to submit work to VFW Auxiliary contest
A national contest with a patriotic theme is seeking original art submissions from high school students. The 2022 VFW Auxiliary’s Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest is accepting entries until March 31. The annual contest recognizes budding artists and encourages patriotism among youth. Vandergrift VFW Post 566 Commander Carl Trusiak...
Apollo-Ridge students set to perform ‘Hello, Dolly’
Apollo-Ridge musical director Bethany Greenlee and orchestra director Andrew Jones have fond memories of performing “Hello, Dolly” together when they were in high school. That’s one of the reasons Apollo-Ridge High School drama students have been gearing up to present the musical, set in New York City at the turn...
