Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 119

Gardenfest, the popular showcase of fresh blooms and quality seedlings, returns to O’Hara on May 11. The event will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lauri Ann West Community Center, 1220 Powers Run Road. “There’s no better way to celebrate spring,” Jamie Rhoades, director of development, said. Gardenfest is...

Sharpsburg voters will see four Democratic candidates vying for their party’s nomination in the May 21 primary election. There are no Republicans on the ballot. Four residents are competing for three, four-year seats on council, according to the Allegheny County Elections Bureau. Barring a strong write-in campaign, the winners of...

Dorseyville Middle School musicians came away from a weekend festival in Ohio with some top honors. Seventh-grader Mia Costello won the Outstanding Instrumental Soloist Award at the Music in the Parks Festival held April 26-27 at King’s Island, near Cincinnati. The teen violinist was selected from among the eight middle...

The fitness center at Lauri Ann West Community Center in O’Hara will close tonight for equipment upgrades. The closure, which is expected to last three days, also effects the indoor track. The fitness center is a paid gym inside the community center at 1220 Powers Run Road. It is expected...

Fox Chapel Area High School students will compete in a statewide environmental competition after claiming first place at the local level. District students won first and third places at an April 26 Allegheny County event, Envirothon, hosted at Boyce Park. The winning team includes junior Sina Shaik and seniors Megan...

Fox Chapel Area High School students Luis Fernandez and Grace Stasolla took home a victory by performing “Story of My Life” during the district’s annual talent show. They were up against peers who sang, recited poetry and performed magic during “Fox Chapel’s Got Talent” on April 25. Fernandez and Stasolla...

Fox Chapel Area Lead Principal Michael Hower described senior Justin Breen as charismatic and hard-working. It doesn’t seem to have been a stretch. Breen, 18, earned a full-ride scholarship to attend Texas A&M University in the fall. “I’m very thankful to have earned this great honor that will change my...

A California-based real estate company focused on the cannabis industry has acquired property in O’Hara’s RIDC Park to help launch a licensed medical-use marijuana growing and processing facility. Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (IIP) paid $6.3 million for the industrial space at 575 Epsilon Drive. The company has an agreement with...

About $2.4 million worth of once-weathered art will be installed at Hartwood Acres to create a new sculpture garden, Allegheny County officials announced this week. The outdoor exhibition space will include 12 pieces of art acquired by county parks nearly 40 years ago, and will also feature one new piece....

Shady Side Academy boys’ lacrosse captain Ronan O’Connor lost his older brother to suicide in 2013 and is working to prevent others from feeling his family’s pain. He’s spearheaded an all-day fundraiser on May 4 called The Face-Off Against Suicide. It will bring a full-day of Shady Side Academy boys’...

Kerr Elementary teacher Carrie Ferguson hopes to use her induction in the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame as platform to motivate her students. The basketball standout said the achievement should serve to motivate youngsters to maintain a balance between athletics and academics. “It brings great pride as it serves as...

Blawnox voters won’t see a contested race for council in the May primary, according to the Allegheny County Elections Bureau. There are three candidates, all Democrats, vying for three open seats. Each term runs four years. The primary election is May 21. Candidates for council include: • John Simmons, of...

Herb enthusiasts, or “herbies,” should mark their calendars for the annual plant sale at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve. The event is a week earlier than usual this year. Hosted by the Western PA Unit of the Herb Society of America, it will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 11...

Shady Side Academy senior Koji Shimada is feeling opening-night jitters prior to the Senior School’s Original Works Theatre Festival, despite having performed countless times on stage. The festival will be Shimada’s premiere as a writer, director and actor in his own musical, and the teen is feeling the pressure, he...

A community garden is coming to Blawnox, at long last. The initiative by I Heart Blawnox has been in the works at least four years, with volunteers from the religious outreach searching for a proper venue. They’ve joined with borough council to bring a garden to the Blawnox Community Park...

A $5.2 million donation to Shady Side Academy will create a scholarship fund that annually pays for seven students to attend the Fox Chapel-based Middle School and Senior School campuses. It is the second-largest gift in the Academy’s 136-year history, officials announced Wednesday. The donation was made in honor of...

More than 30 volunteers turned out to Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel for an Earth Day cleanup on April 20. Volunteers of all ages helped to remove invasive species from the 5 miles of trails at the 134-acre sanctuary. They also planted native varieties, spread aster and wildflower...

A new walking tour of Sharpsburg gives a nod to the borough’s past while showcasing its steps toward future growth. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the University of Pittsburgh, “WalkWorks” takes people past Heinz Memorial Plaza and the Chief Guyasuta statue, St. Mary Church and the James...

Shady Side Academy seniors Emmie Lau and Nick Lauer, along with Fox Chapel Area senior Marissa Hardiman, are among the top scholar-athletes of 2019, according to the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL). They each won a WPIAL James Collins Scholar-Athlete Award which goes to the top 10 male and...

The 2019 Charity Golf Classic sponsored by the Rotary Club of Fox Chapel Area will benefit ongoing flood clean-up at Camp Guyasuta in O’Hara, members announced. The May 20 outing at River Forest Country Club in Freeport continues the Rotary’s tradition of supporting community organizations, member Bill Boag said. Tee-off...

Jonay Gurley of Penn Hills was out and about at Fox Chapel Plaza in O’Hara on April 25 when someone happily surprised her with a tiny gift. Staffers from Cooper-Siegel Library hit the plaza sidewalk to celebrate “Poem in your Pocket Day” and distributed 1,000 mini verses rolled up in...

Beechwood Farms in Fox Chapel is seeking volunteers to roll up their sleeves and help with a clean-up on Saturday. Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, headquartered at Beechwood, is hosting a Day of Service to celebrate Earth Day. The clean-up will be 9 a.m. to noon at the site, 614...

Two Fox Chapel Area sophomores rallied their peers from across the region for a workshop aimed at promoting social justice. Students Abigail Rickin-Marks and Suparna Agrawal hosted a half-day workshop April 14 titled “Be the Change: Fight Discrimination in School.” The free program was held at the Jewish Community Center...