Natalie Beneviat stories, Page 12

Students at Ingomar Elementary School added some sparkle to the Ashton Commons Senior Living Center in McCandless by making cardboard gingerbread houses during art class to be displayed at the senior community’s Light Up Night on Dec. 8....

Eighteen-year-old Sawyer Wright has penned a book about four fourth-graders moving up to fifth grade and their experiences. She wrote “The Four Take on the Fifth” as part of her project to win a Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of USA. “My goal with...

The North Allegheny School Board hired a task force officer with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to serve as the school district’s first chief of school police, safety and security and as school safety coordinator. Eric Harpster — who has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience, according to...

Work off those inevitable Christmas cookie calories by racing in the Christmas Eve 5K Run/Walk in North Park. The event, sponsored by Wolf Creek Race Management, starts at 10 a.m. Dec. 24 near the lake at the North Park Swimming Pool on South Ridge Drive in Allison Park. Volunteers from...

Hundreds of people came out for McCandless Township’s third annual Winterfest celebration on Dec. 2. Food, games, light displays and fireworks were part of the fun. The event was held at the public works garage adjacent to the township building on Grubbs Road. Winterfest is one of the township’s best-attended...

The North Allegheny School Board will be led by two Democrats. School board members elected Democrat Elizabeth Warner as president during a board reorganization meeting Dec. 6 by a vote of 7-0 with two abstentions. Democrat Paige Hardy was elected vice president on a 5-4 vote. Warner, who was re-elected...

Wrap up December with holiday fun in the North Allegheny area, including adding some unique decor to the Christmas tree. Franklin Park Borough is selling a commemorative tree ornament to celebrate its bicentennial this year. The silver ornament showcases the borough’s new logo on a stocking with the words “Franklin...

This updated version corrects the addresses of the Walmart and Kuhn’s stores where bell ringers can sign up for a shift. Back in the 1800s, when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was a sailor back in Liverpool, England, there was a big iron kettle called “The Simpson’s Pot” where passersby...

The North Allegheny School District continues to use proceeds of a 2019 bond to finance capital projects, but that money may be exhausted after the year 2025-2026. The bond fund contained almost $8 million as of Oct. 31, said Kermit Houser, NA director of finance and treasurer, during a Nov....

The North Allegheny School Board is planning its next steps for a possible high school renovation, and there seems to be interest in creating one campus for both the senior and intermediate high schools, said board Director Richard McClure, the board representative to the building and grounds committee. Currently, the...

The North Allegheny School Board approved a slew of top personnel changes at a special meeting Nov. 29 amid calls by some community members that the board should delay the vote until next month. “No one should be voting on this tonight. No one should be voting at this meeting,”...

Stop the Judgement Project distributed nearly 100 kits containing the drug Narcan, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, during a Nov. 25 event at Generoasta Coffee and Cafe in Marshall Township. Those attending were also trained free of charge to spot the signs of an overdose and...

Santa will be visiting the McCandless/Northern Allegheny Heritage and Cultural Center on Aufman Lane in McCandless on Dec. 9 from 1 to 4 p.m. The event will also feature a story time and train display, according to Executive Director Joe Wall. He said Santa also will be bringing gifts and...

Santa and the sisters of “Frozen” fame — Princess Anna and her sister Queen Elsa — will be honored guests at the third annual Winterfest in McCandless on Dec. 2 from 4 to 7 p.m. “Winterfest comes at a time when families are looking to celebrate the holiday seasons and...

There’s been a steady growth of homeschooling in the North Allegheny School District, according to a report presented to the school board. “Homeschooling did increase significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and remaining at its highest level we’ve seen while other enrollment levels have re-balanced,” said Yuko Wong, data manager at...

More than 150 people attended a celebration of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, at an open house Nov. 13 hosted by Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-McCandless, at his McCandless office. Venkat was born in India and is Pennsylvania’s first state representative of Indian American background. He immigrated to the United...

No doubt about it. It’s tough to be a turkey this Thanksgiving. The farm-bred birds end up in the supermarket. And in parts of Allegheny County and Southwest Pennsylvania, there’s a Thanksgiving wild turkey hunting season from Nov. 22 to 24, said Travis Lau, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Game Commission....

The proposed 2024 budget for McCandless contains the township’s first-ever cash contribution to the McCandless Franklin Park Ambulance Authority, according to Assistant Town Manager and Finance Director Trisha Greathouse. The authority had requested $161,680 from McCandless, whose population is the largest of the five communities the authority serves. The town...

For the 19th straight year, McCandless has held the line on property taxes. “There is no planned increase in the real estate tax millage” in the town’s proposed $28 million budget for 2024, said Assistant Town Manager and Finance Director Trisha Greathouse. The real estate millage rate will remain at...

The slow, but steady growth in the North Allegheny School District is coming at a good pace, according to William Kirk, assistant director of project management and infrastructure at North Allegheny. “What we’re seeing is a stable housing market, not an explosive one. We like what we’re seeing here,” Kirk...

Two Republicans and one Democrat won seats Nov. 7 on McCandless Council in races for three contested ward seats, according to unofficial results from the Allegheny County Board of Elections. Republican Doug Arlow defeated Democrat Claire Buonocore, 729 to 700, in Ward 1; Democrat Nicholas Giorgetti took the Ward 3...

One of the last tasks awaiting Franklin Park Council President John Parks before he leaves council is the borough’s budget for 2024. Parks, a nine-year council veteran, “at the tender age of 83” decided not to seek re-election. He’ll be succeeded on the board in representing Ward 2 by newcomer...

Democrats will take control of the North Allegheny School Board with the re-election of Democratic incumbent Elizabeth Warner and the election of Democratic challengers Bob Gibbs and Dr. Anisha Shah in the Nov. 7 General Election. Nearly 95,000 votes were cast, according to unofficial election results from the Allegheny County...

The North Allegheny School Board has hired a new director of transportation following a bumpy start to the school year that left the district unable to provide bus transportation to some students. The board on Oct. 25 voted to hire Scott Mergen at an annual salary of $115,000. Neither the...

An undersea world comes alive as North Allegheny’s middle schools present Disney/Pixar’s “Finding Nemo Jr.” on Nov. 16 and Nov. 18-19 in the North Allegheny High School Auditorium. “ “Finding Nemo Jr.” is filled with so much energy hard work and talent. These kids have a gift not many others...