Tanisha Thomas stories, Page 7
Deer Lakes student earns Eagle Scout rank with project installing trash cans in East Deer
East Deer resident Julian Hazlet was tossing around ideas for an Eagle Scout project when his mother helped him realize the perfect one. During walks with the dog, his mom would complain about having to walk back to the house with a bag of waste because there were no trash...
Leechburg Public Library, Community Association to hold comedy show to raise funds
Residents can get a good laugh on Saturday night while helping to support a local library and organization. The Leechburg Public Library and Leechburg Area Community Association are holding a comedy night on Saturday at the Marconi Club. The 90-minute show is for ages 21 and older. There will be...
Faces of the Valley: Tarentum woman works to educate, spread message about quilts’ role during slavery
From when she was born, Ethel Hayden remembers quilting being a big part of her life growing up. The Tarentum resident found herself sitting in front of a quilting frame with her fingers weaving the cloth fabric to create quilt blankets at home with her siblings after school. Her mother...
West Leechburg’s Kasanicky’s Country Traditions to close after 17 years
The owners of Kasanicky’s Country Traditions in West Leechburg have decided to retire and close the store after 17 years selling handcrafted furniture and home accessories. John and Margriet Kasanicky, the couple who own the store, posted a statement on Facebook Wednesday: “Due to the rising costs of lumber and...
Actor Trevor Donovan returns to Deer Lakes, jump-starts Upstanders program to promote kindness, anti-bullying
Actor Trevor Donovan wanted Deer Lakes Middle School students to leave with one thing in mind Thursday morning. “No one deserves to be bullied. All you deserve to be safe,” he said. “If you see someone being bullied, say something.” His words of advice were a part of an anti-bullying...
Springdale tops Riverview in Souper Bowl as schools continue friendly competition while giving back
The “Souper Bowl” trophy made its way back across the Allegheny River, as Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School came out on top over Riverview Jr.-Sr. in their annual food drive competition. The Souper Bowl, an homage to the NFL’s Super Bowl, kicked off in February. Springdale collected 1,600 items and Riverview...
Springdale tops Riverview in Souper Bowl as schools continue friendly giving back competition
The “Souper Bowl” trophy made it way back across the bridge as Springdale Junior-Senior High School came out on top over Riverview Junior-Senior in their annual food drive competition. The homage to the National Football League’s showcase event kicked off in February. Springdale collected 1,600 items, and Riverview came up...
Penn Hills School District to hold town-hall meeting regarding mascot change
Penn Hills School District will hold a town-hall meeting on April 13 to discuss potentially changing its mascot name. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. in the Penn Hills Elementary cafeteria. Superintendent Nancy Hines said there has been discussion in the past about a change, but there has been...
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship principal to become Clairton City superintendent
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship principal Tamara Allen-Thomas will be overseeing a new school as she takes over the position as the next superintendent at Clairton City School District. The Clairton City School Board unanimously voted 9-0 on Feb. 23 to Allen-Thomas the next superintendent. Effective July 1, Allen-Thomas...
Actor Trevor Donovan to return to Deer Lakes School District for special assembly, service night project
Actor Trevor Donovan will make an appearance at Deer Lakes Middle School on Thursday morning for a special assembly focused on anti-bullying. The appearance is a part of GAC Family’s “Giving and Caring” initiative. Deer Lakes School District partnered with the family cable network to conduct a schoolwide assembly focused...
Artifacts bring Vietnam War to light for Springdale High School History Club
History classes and movies don’t show a lot of things about the wars the United States has fought. For instance, Ethan Zahner, a senior at Springdale Junior-Senior High School, wasn’t aware of all of the dangers facing soldiers in the Vietnam War. “I did not know that they had to...
Leechburg Council appoints new mayor
Former Mayor and Councilman Tony Roppolo is Leechburg’s mayor again. Borough council appointed Roppolo Tuesday. He takes the seat following the death of Mayor Wayne Dobos earlier this month. Roppolo was sworn in by a judge Wednesday morning. Council President Tom Foster announced there were two letters of interest for...
Volunteers help save Penn Hills’ Clothes Line community closet
After donating clothes to Mt. Hope Community Presbyterian Church’s community closet for 10 years, Wendy Redington received bad news when she brought clothes to donate in late January. The Clothes Line was closing because it did not have enough volunteers. Devastated by the news, Redington decided to make a phone...
Springdale business big hit with furniture made out of used wine, whiskey barrels
Michael Monahan was looking for an opportunity that would allow him to quit his job as a mechanical engineer. In 2018, a project in the basement of his McCandless home helped Monahan find his true calling, which led to a business in Springdale with plans to expand in New Kensington....
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship holds annual ‘Shark Tank’ competition
Excitement was buzzing in the auditorium of the Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship on March 10 as the school held its fifth annual Shark Tank event. The event dubbed “Soaring Shark Tank” strives to give young entrepreneurs the experience of pitching their businesses to receive investments to help further...
Freeport resident lives dream by publishing books, working in theater
A creative writing class at Freeport Area Senior High School helped jump-start Britt Kolek’s interest in writing novels. At the time, she was interested in Marvel and DC comics. When her teacher tasked the class with writing a story, she decided to write hers about a superhero. She thought of...
Deer Lakes School District announces launch of Hope Squad
A West Deer mother’s goal to have a Hope Squad in the Deer Lakes School District soon will be a reality. The district announced Friday the suicide prevention program will launch later this month, teaching students how to lead their peers to mental health resources and help those who may...
Harrison family’s missing dog found after week-long search
When Harrison resident John Latour was involved in a traffic accident last month, he never thought it would lead to a week-long search for a family member. The story started Feb. 26, when Latour and his girlfriend, Hannah Kish, were driving on Freeport Road in Natrona Heights, Harrison, and got...
Sewickley Academy student group CARES speaks out about clash with administration
A group of Sewickley Academy students gathered Wednesday to express their distrust of administrators following several high-profile controversies at the private school. Members of student-led organization CARES (Collective Action for Representative Education at Sewickley) held a press conference to voice their concerns and present their demands of change to the...
Therapy dogs help New Kensington-Arnold students practice their reading skills
It’s not every day a student can experience petting a furry friend and receiving dog kisses during a reading lesson. But that’s just what happened Wednesday morning at New Kensington-Arnold School District’s H.D. Berkey Elementary. Therapy dogs paid a visit to the first and second graders to help provide emotional...
Penn Hills grad creates scholarship in effort to give back to community
A Penn Hills High School graduate wanted to find a way to give back to her community after seeing the financial burden college students go through upon graduating from Morgan State University in 2008. “I got bogged down with student loans. I wished someone had given me knowledge on finances...
Semper Gratus to hold 6th annual charity Shamrock Shuffle 5K
Semper Gratus is ready for its sixth annual charity Shamrock Shuffle 5K in West Leechburg on March 12, the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day. The annual event raises funds to support pediatric patients with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Last year, the organization raised $140,000 to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma...
Allegheny Valley 4th grade students make blankets for those in need
A short-term project for fourth graders at Acmetonia Elementary School has become a project to help those in need in the school community. Meredith Cooper’s fourth grade class helped spearhead the initiative in December. The project was a part of the school’s monthly theme for its social-emotional period. December’s theme...
Air Force sergeant from Apollo surprised with Penguins tickets from Burrell students
Ricky Libengood, who has served in the Air Force since 1999, was fortunate to return home to Apollo from Saudi Arabia in January. But the chance to enjoy family and friends wasn’t the only gift he received when he got home. Students from Burrell High School’s National Honor Society showed...
Pittsburgh group Black, Young & Educated grows to keep amplifying Black youth’s voices
Created three years ago by high school students, a Pittsburgh group to increase the visibility of Black youth’s voices continues to grow along with its founders. Black, Young & Educated (BYE) is, among other projects, planning to create a documentary called “We Got Power,” highlighting the Black experience in Pittsburgh....
