Leslie Savisky stories

The Gateway school board voted to approve a new environment club at the high school in Monroeville. No school funding is required for the club, which will focus on gardening, recycling and community cleanup. The board also voted 8-0, with director Jack Bova being absent, to approve a video project...

For Monroeville resident Steve Rennekamp, the fight against Type 1 diabetes is personal. The founder of Energy Swing Windows lost his first wife, Susan, at age 33, and his son, Stephen, at age 41, both to complications from the disease. This devastating experience became the driving force behind his dedication...

Identical twin sisters Trudy and Judy Milligan of Monroeville became artists at a very young age. They have fond memories of watching their older brother, David, sketch animals at the kitchen table. Though they were only tall enough to rest their chins on the tabletop, the sisters would stand for...

Most Americans can remember exactly where they were on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Although the weeks and months following the terrorist attacks in the U.S. were filled with fear and deep sadness, it was also a time when the country came together as one, setting aside differences. To...

Divine Mercy Academy students in Monroeville saw some big changes when classes at the Catholic school started last month. Kindergarteners will no longer receive report cards. Part of a Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese-wide change, kindergarten and preschool teachers will now use badge books to track milestones and skills such as early...

Monroeville Public Library’s seventh annual Fun Fest on Aug. 23. featured food booths, games, music and activities. A petting zoo, balloon artists, inflatable rides and bounce houses, hair tinsel, a D.J. and a magician, painting, and the Gateway High School Robotics Club were just some of the returning favorites. Vendor...

Paul Humenik, a longtime Monroeville resident and self-taught photographer, is ready to share his work with the community. The Friends of the Monroeville Public Library are hosting his exhibit – “Mother Nature’s Affects” — from Aug. 29 to Sept. 23 at the library’s gallery space. An open reception will be...

Like other school districts across Pennsylvania, the Gateway School District is feeling the financial pinch from a lack of state funding. Pennsylvania legislators are nearly two months overdue in passing the state budget, which has delayed the influx of cash to public school districts. “Well, I’ve been tracking it,” business...

Students at Forbes Road Career Technology Center were quite busy making get-well cards for patients at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh this spring. The idea came from multimedia design instructor Philip Greene, who teaches grades 10-12 at the Monroeville vo-tech school. “I wanted to make multimedia design relevant for the...

Community Park West in Monroeville is home to a new book walk, a storytelling experience designed for families to read a story as they walk along a path. The community was invited to a ribbon cutting Aug. 11 to check out the permanent book stands installed by Monroeville Public Works....

The first day of classes for Gateway School District students in Monroeville is Thursday, and safety was top of mind at this week’s school board meeting. Superintendent Guy Rossi discussed standard response protocol, which he described as a new language that the district is using to distinguish crisis situations, detail...

Dan Casey describes the food he prepares at PitCare’s Meals on Wheels program as “homestyle, with a restaurant quality.” And it’s no wonder, since Casey has worked in the food industry since graduating high school — he was a chef at the Wooden Nickel and Houlihan’s in Monroeville, and many...

For the third annual summer theater camp collaboration between Gateway Musical and Monroeville Recreation and Parks, campers put on a production of “Annie Kids” at the high school’s Robert A. Read Performing Arts Center. The collaboration has become something of a family affair. Gateway senior Ethan Settlemire acted as stage...

The biannual Cozy Up to the Library fundraiser began in 2014 with handmade, donated blankets and quilts in celebration of the library’s 50th anniversary – although back then it was known as “Blanket the Library.” “That year, all of the items were donated to local charities,” Friends of the Monroeville...

After a fall caused an angioma in his spine to rupture, Jake Hoff of Monroeville became paralyzed from the waist down. He eventually regained use of one leg and began volunteering at the local Reclamation Community Center. That’s where Hoff met Calvin Clark and started working at Coffee That Helps,...

They are Monroeville’s mischief makers, but not in the traditional sense. A group of 12 working and retired individuals — the oldest member, Marie Bair, is 94 — the Mischief Makers enjoy socializing and celebrating creativity. Their latest creations — a round robin exercise involving fabric — will be showcased...

They are Monroeville’s mischief makers, but not in the traditional sense. A group of 12 working and retired individuals — the oldest member, Marie Bair, is 94 — the Mischief Makers enjoy socializing and celebrating creativity. Their latest creations — a round robin exercise involving fabric — will be showcased...

Monroeville Rotary’s Taste of Spring fundraiser netted $8,200 to fight hunger in the community. Approximately 125 people gathered at Events on Ten in the Jonnett Building to make the event the largest Rotary fundraiser in recent years. Fourteen vendors and multiple sponsors assisted. “We are thrilled to say that the...

Gateway school board is holding off on a decision regarding a new food service vehicle and electronic scoreboard. The district is down one food service vehicle and discussed the purchase a cargo van for food delivery within the district. Directors Robin Mungo and Jack Bova questioned the need for a...

Thirty-three students attended Divine Mercy Academy’s fourth annual Saber Summer Cheer Camp in June, with the theme of “Neon Lights and Saber Nights.” The Monroeville parochial school’s cheer camp was available to all area children entering kindergarten through 8th grade in the fall. Campers did not have to be Divine...

Gateway School District may be in the market for a new food service vehicle. During a board discussion meeting earlier this month, business manager Mike Zourelias told the Monroeville district’s school directors that bulk food deliveries are sometimes brought to one of the buildings and must be moved to the...

More than 100 people attended Spectrum Charter School’s graduation ceremony in Monroeville on May 23, when six seniors received their high school diplomas. Spectrum students, families, board of trustees, faculty and staff gathered for the ceremony and luncheon to recognize graduates J. Balf, Jackson Carney, Aiden Ferguson, Mira Shank-Koster, Jupiter...

Friends of the Monroeville Public Library will host award-winning fine artist and graphic designer Joe Winkler June 27 - July 29 at the library’s Gallery Space. The exhibit,“Oil Paintings and Other Delights,” will feature Winkler’s original works, most of which are his take on still life subjects. Winkler often acquires...

The Monroeville Lions Club and Monroeville Rotary probably have more in common than some might think. On June 5, Monroeville Rotary invited Lions member David Zimmer to their monthly town hall meeting at the library to discuss potential collaboration opportunities, such as Adopt-A-Highway. “We’re looking for partners and other organizations...

Here’s hoping Roald Dahl would have been proud, as Monroeville Public Library held its fourth annual tea fundraiser on June 1 at the Lourdes Center on Divine Mercy Academy’s campus. This year’s theme was “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and participants came decked out in their favorite Willy Wonka gear....