Natalie Beneviat stories, Page 16

Hidden beneath brush and dirt was the gravestone of Capt. Moses M. Warrick, 1884 to 1932, a fire marshal of Engine 38 in the City of Pittsburgh who was also a veteran of WWI and lived with his family in the Hill District. Another grave was that of a baby,...

With 12 schools, plus athletic facilities and other district buildings, there’s a lot to keep safe in the North Allegheny School District, said Dan Stack, NA’s manager of school safety. “I really kind of looked at the district on where we were with things and how we could improve,” said...

Peebles District Volunteer Fire Company Station 188 Chief Matthew Williams invited his volunteer crew to the station on May 10 for what they thought was just a night to recognize their achievements. What a surprise they got. The crew learned that Peebles was named the 2023 Rescue Service of the...

In an emergency, a North Allegheny student’s best friend may be ALICE. The North Allegheny School Board voted unanimously May 10 to beef up security procedures and safety training by using the ALICE Training program. School board Vice President Marcie Crow is a middle school teacher in the Gateway School...

Retired North Allegheny Senior High School Principal Dr. Lawrence Butterini has been named substitute NA superintendent to replace Dr. Melissa Friez, who announced suddenly this month she was going to the Mt. Lebanon School District as superintendent. In her May 1 announcement, Friez said she gave the NA board a...

The McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority EMS will hold an open house on May 21 from 1-3 p.m. at its main station on 9925 Grubbs Road. Visitors can see the what their local EMS is all about, said ambulance authority Chief Chris Dell. “The goal of the event is to educate...

In the North Allegheny School District, it is rocket science. Sixth graders throughout the district do model rocketry as part of the annual science curriculum, said Science Department Chair Christopher Omasits. “The rocketry project helps students see topics like chemical reactions, energy, and Newton’s Laws all in action in a...

The proposed final draft of the North Allegheny’s 2023-24 budget is available for public viewing and feedback, as required by the state. Total revenue is estimated at $194 million and expenses at $193 million, with no increase in property taxes which are currently set at 19.74 mills. The preliminary budget...

With little discussion, the North Allegheny School Board on May 3 unanimously approved the resignation of school Superintendent Dr. Melissa Friez, who announced the day before that she had accepted a position as superintendent of the Mt. Lebanon School District. The hunt for North Allegheny’s new school superintendent comes as...

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct that Friez’s resignation announcement was made May 1. The North Allegheny school superintendent announced May 1 that she is resigning to become school superintendent for the Mt. Lebanon School District. Dr. Melissa Friez announced in a districtwide email sent to North...

Hybrid humans, outer space travel and a deadly virus are some of the elements in “The Existence,” a book authored by Nia Sharath, a seventh-grader at Ingomar Middle School at North Allegheny. Set in the 2200s, the tale incorporates science fiction, fantasy, friendship, family and a fight between good and...

The pending retirement of Magisterial District Judge William K. Wagner has created a wide-open vacancy in Magisterial District 05-02-12, which covers Bradford Woods, Marshall, McCandless, and Pine, and two McCandless attorneys are seeking nominations to fill the post. Matthew J. Brungo and Eric Fischer are each seeking the Republican and...

Where do astronauts sleep? NASA astronaut and North Allegheny grad Dr. Warren “Woody” Hoburg has the answer, and told NA students that astronauts get their rest while floating in a sleeping bag attached to a wall inside their spacecraft. Hoburg, who is part of the space station’s Expedition 69 crew,...

Editor’s note: The North Allegheny Journal is publishing election previews with candidate interviews for contested municipal and school board races only. Ten candidates are competing for Democratic and Republican nominations for five seats on the North Allegheny School Board, with the primary election scheduled for May 16. The 10 candidates,...

Editor’s note: The North Allegheny Journal is publishing election previews with candidate interviews for contested municipal and school board races only. The preview for the contested North Allegheny School Board race and two town council races in McCandless are running in the April 27 edition. Stories about contested races for...

Funding for public education, gun violence and healthcare were some of the topics discussed April 17 during a town hall meeting conducted by State Rep. Dr. Arvind Venkat at the A.W. Beattie Career Center in McCandless. More than 50 people attended, with Venkat answering their questions and sharing news and...

The only contested council races in McCandless in the upcoming May 16 primary are for the Republican nominations for seats in Ward 1 and Ward 5. Each race features one incumbent and one challenger. There are no declared Democratic candidates seeking party nominations for Ward 1 and Ward 5 seats,...

Kevin Cavlovich, the late head custodian at Hosack Elementary School, passed away from viral encephalitis, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office announced Thursday, April 13. Viral encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain caused by a virus. The medical examiner ruled that the death was natural. Cavlovich died Jan. 5...

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the inflatable screen will be coming from the McCandless Community Association. The McCandless/Northern Allegheny Heritage and Cultural Center is going movie retro. The center’s first-ever showing of a drive-in movie will be June 17 in the center parking lot at...

Community field trips are real-life learning tools for middle and high school students in the autistic support and life skills support classes at North Allegheny. The trips enable students to take what they’ve learned in the classroom out into the community. They learn about stores, restaurants or other businesses in...

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to add the NASA downlink. This party will be out of this world. A NASA Education Downlink Party, featuring astronaut and North Allegheny grad Dr. Warren “Woody” Hoburg, will take place at Marshall Middle School on April 27 at 1:30 p.m. For those...

Raymond Thomas built Thomas Service Center at 821 West Ingomar Road in 1947 as a way to give his dad, Charlie Thomas, something to do after The Great Depression. More than 75 years later, and lots of love and labor, Raymond’s son Don and his wife Lori are ready to...

Slimy toads and newts will be part of the Earth Day Celebration April 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, at the Bradford Woods Reserve. The free event is hosted by the Bradford Woods Conservancy, which holds an annual Earth Day event there every year featuring a variety of nature-related...

North Allegheny placed first and second in debate, third in speech and won second place overall in the Pennsylvania High School Speech League State Championships March 17-18 in Bloomsburg. Thirty-five members of the North Allegheny Speech and Debate team from grades nine through 12 qualified to attend the two-day championships....

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect a change in the meeting location for the April 15 cleanup. A record-breaking 2,000 bags of trash is the unofficial goal for spring roadside cleanup events in McCandless, a volunteer opportunity happening April 15 and 22. When the town started the...