Joyce Hanz stories, Page 57
Casino Theatre group hopes for revival after pandemic devastated revenues
The historic Casino Theatre in Vandergrift remains closed because of the pandemic and has lost significant revenue as a result. Janice Oberdorf, treasurer of Casino Theatre Restoration and Management, said the theater is down about $70,000 in bookings and shows since the shutdown in 2020. “We couldn’t get any federal...
Allegheny Township family offers reward for safe return of pet Clydesdale
An Allegheny Township family is offering a $2,000 reward for their pet horse that went missing Sunday. Jessie, a 10-year-old Clydesdale mare, was last seen on video surveillance about midnight Saturday in the pasture on the family farm and business on Lardintown Road in Clinton Township. Owner JeNeen Fleishner said...
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro condemns Vandergrift police officer’s conduct
Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement official condemned Vandergrift police Officer William Moore’s conduct during a police call this month, saying the officer “should not be trusted” to carry out the duties of his job. Footage of the April 17 incident that started inside G&G Restaurant was taken by a Black patron...
Incumbent Allegheny Township supervisor has a challenger in the Republican primary
Republicans James Morabito and Kathy Starr are vying for one open seat on Allegheny Township’s board of supervisors. Township supervisors serve six-year terms. Starr is the incumbent supervisors chairwoman since 2003. A lifelong township resident, Starr, 78, owns a catering business in the township. A newcomer to the political scene,...
Kiski Area hires firm to conduct search for new superintendent
Editor’s note: The original version of this story attributed board member Ron Coleman to a different person. A Kiski Area School Board member who opposed hiring a search agency to help the district find a new superintendent said he thinks the district’s top administrative job should go to an internal...
Former Vandergrift resident Tim Geary vows to return to Appalachian TrailVideo
An unexpected injury while hiking has temporarily derailed a former longtime Vandergrift resident from walking the Appalachian Trail. Tim Geary, 77, formerly of Vandergrift and now of Aspinwall, returned home this week from his solo hike on the 2,200-mile trail that he began March 17. He said his 30-pound backpack...
Kiski Area makes online student registration permanent, kindergarten open house sign-up scrapped
Kiski Area School District is offering an easier option for registering new students. Online student registration was added last month to the district website in response to covid-19 restrictions. That allows a parent or guardian the option of registering a student digitally instead of requiring a traditional in-person campus visit....
Vandergrift’s AJ’s Restaurant and Lounge on the market
A Vandergrift eatery in a historic building is on the market. AJ’s Restaurant and Lounge at 123 Washington Ave. is listed for $495,900 with Berkshire Hathaway. The asking price includes a Pennsylvania state liquor license. Proprietors Andrew and JoAnn Batiz, both 66, made the decision to buy a restaurant on...
Kiski Area Upper Elementary students have a new club, with one requirement: Be kindVideo
There’s a new club for students at Kiski Area Upper Elementary on a mission to rule the school with kindness. The Kiski Kindness Club hosted its inaugural Kindness Day on campus Tuesday. Singing their newly penned song, The Kiski Kindness Club, in the hallway, about 20 giggling girls decked out...
Shady Side Academy to host appointment-only vaccine clinic
Shady Side Academy is partnering with Rite Aid to offer a free, appointment-only coronavirus vaccine clinic Saturday on its Fox Chapel campus. The clinic is open to the public. Anyone 16 years or older may register online here. The deadline to register is noon Thursday. “We’re just trying to do...
Tredway Trail extension open to hikers, bicyclists in Allegheny Township
Preliminary work on an expansion of the Tredway Trail in Allegheny Township will lead to an additional three miles of trail to hikers and bicyclists. Officially named the Wynn and Clara Tredway River Trail, the new and final section of the walking-biking recreational trail is partially completed. Allegheny Township manager...
Vandergrift cop removed from schedule pending investigation into restaurant incident
A Vandergrift police officer was removed from the work schedule Monday while the borough investigates his conduct during a police call over the weekend, Mayor Barb Turiak said. Officer William Moore, who has worked for the department for more than 20 years, is being paid while off the schedule. Once...
Next phase of Route 356 upgrade in Allegheny Township starts Monday, on White Cloud Road
Construction tied to Route 356 in Allegheny Township will close a key side road beginning Monday. White Cloud Road will close Monday, April 19 and remain closed for about a month. The construction area is part of the $15.9 million Route 356 overhaul that started last year and won’t be...
Profane anti-Biden sign in Allegheny Township is ‘over the line,’ supervisor says
Allegheny Township Supervisor Mike Korns said he avoids driving along a section of the township’s Markle Road when his grandchildren are with him because a resident there has placed vulgar flags in his front yard. One of the anti-President Biden flags contains obscenities. “I strongly support free speech, but that’s...
Vandergrift to install cameras at Kennedy Park in attempt to stop vandalism, littering
Vandergrift officials plan to install surveillance cameras in the borough’s Kennedy Park in attempt to stop ongoing vandalism there. Council recently approved installing video cameras in the park. The $1,200 cost will be covered through a donation by Vandergrift resident and longtime parks volunteer Anthony Guerrera. “My goal is to...
Vandergrift considering its options in getting a borough website up and running again
Vandergrift officials are hopeful they will fix ongoing website woes. The borough hasn’t offered a functioning website for the public since February. Visitors to the site encounter an oversized message stating the site is no longer being updated or maintained. “We’re hoping we can move forward on getting this website...
Kiski Area trivia buff to compete in national quiz tournament
A lifelong love of trivia is paying off for Eddie Fuhrer of Allegheny Township. The Kiski Area High School senior began watching “Jeopardy!” when he was 5. “I’ve always been a trivia person,” he said. Fuhrer joined the Quiz Bowl Team three years ago and is team captain. Now, on...
Vandergrift residents frustrated over portions of online council meetings being muted
Vandergrift’s online council meeting went silent for several minutes Monday night after discussion involving some council members grew heated, drawing criticism from some residents. The audio function on the Zoom broadcast was muted for several minutes after the council discussion became heated around 8:30 p.m. A few residents attending the...
Former Vandergrift lawyer hiking Appalachian Trail for charity, in memory of his wife
Aspinwall resident Tim Geary is on one heck of a trek for charity. Geary, formerly of Vandergrift, began a solo hike March 17 on the Appalachian Trail. He’s hoping to raise more than $5,000 for research of melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, in honor of his late wife,...
With eyes on revitalization, business owners band together in VandergriftVideo
Steve Jurovic said he had grown tired of hearing local people complain that the Vandergrift area was economically depressed. “There’s too much defeatism and pessimism in this area. You can’t just sit there and sulk,” said Jurovic, 83, who owns Apollo Replacement Windows on Vandergrift’s Grant Avenue. Jurovic said he...
Coming in July: Vandergrift’s Artfest; artisans, volunteers wanted
Vandergrift’s annual Artfest is back, and organizers are seeking artisans and volunteers. In-person activities resume this year for the popular summer daylong festival scheduled for Sunday, July 25. Last year’s event was held virtually because of the pandemic. This year’s theme is “Art, Heart and Soul.” Art, Heart, and Soul:...
‘B’man’ continues to enjoy his honking ‘Beeple,’ but now also volunteers, raises money for charityVideo
After receiving countless beeps and honks from the motoring public, B’man is giving back. Sixteen-year-old Bill Carney, also known as B’man, is a fixture most evenings at what his family dubs his “corner office,” located at the corner of Freeport and Fox Chapel roads in the Fox Chapel Plaza parking...
Vandergrift community garden expands, adds ‘sensory garden’
A community garden in Vandergrift is expanding. It’s the third season for the public garden in Franklin Park along Franklin Avenue. Sponsored by the Vandergrift Parent Project, about five adult volunteers and numerous children from the community help with prepping, planting, weeding, watering and harvesting the bounty. “It was created...
Signature Dishes: The ‘Yak Mak’ burger at Yak Diner in North ApolloVideo
This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s new online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com. An old-school diner in North Apollo serves up its own version of a popular chain burger. Yak Diner sells a...
Apollo couple accused of repeatedly abusing child, sometimes with Taser shocks
A couple is accused by Apollo police of abusing a young teen with a Taser. On Monday, Apollo police charged suspects Dawn Marie Callender, 33, of Chicora, and Joshua Michael Hetrick, 41, of Bethel Township, with felony charges including aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and use of...
