Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 131
Aspinwall Neighborhood Watch nets $1,700 for fire department through Disney raffle
Members of the Aspinwall Fire Department didn’t win a trip to Disney, but got the next best thing through a Mickey Mouse-themed raffle. Aspinwall Neighborhood Watch raised more than $1,700 for the fire department by raffling Walt Disney World park hopper tickets. It was the first of a series of...
Grant allows Fox Chapel to hold sewer fees steady
Fox Chapel officials were able to stave off an increase in the borough’s sanitary sewer fees this year, thanks to a grant awarded in late 2018. Rates will hold steady, with residents paying $4.66 per 1,000 gallons plus a fee of $60 a year. Finance Director Joy Hardt said residents...
Blawnox launches year-round hard-to-recycle collection
Blawnox residents now can dispose of hard-to-recycle items as part of the borough’s garbage hauling contract. A new program launched this month allows residents to get rid of TVs, computers, chemicals and other products typically prohibited from regular collections. Borough leaders said the “At Your Door” pickups are part of...
Volunteering at Aviary stokes passions for O’Hara resident
A retired teacher from O’Hara has found a way to continue her love of educating children. Sarah Jones, retired after 24 years from Pittsburgh’s Wilkinsburg School District, volunteers her time as a docent and conservation educator at the National Aviary on the North Side. “I had the most wonderful experiences...
Sharpsburg holds line on property taxes; eyes major Main Street upgrades
Sharpsburg council approved its 2019 budget, holding taxes steady and targeting projects to continue the town’s revitalization. Residents will pay a property tax rate of 7.15 mills, the same as last year. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000 will pay $715. The $2.7 million budget includes a variety...
Sharpsburg gym transforms for video shoot
Sharpsburg’s Linden Gym was transformed on New Years Eve for a music video featuring new band, Sad Girls Aquatics Club. Director Zack Eisenfeld is from Fox Chapel and said the gym was a perfect location for the filming. It was large enough to create a faux high school dance with...
O’Hara sewer rates increasing slightly
O’Hara residents will pay slightly more in sanitary sewer fees this year. Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday to amend the township sewer rates, establishing a new fee of $2.35 per 1,000 gallons, up from $2.25. The customer service charge will also increase slightly to $5.75 from $5.65. The...
Audubon Society installing bins to recycle fishing line
Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, headquartered in Fox Chapel, is launching a project to protect wildlife from tangling with littered fishing line. The group is placing recycling bins across the region, including local favorite fishing holes such as Millvale Riverfront Park, to tackle environmental issues stemming from discarded line. The...
Lawrenceville United aims to combat hate in Pittsburgh neighborhood
Hate has no home in Lawrenceville. That’s the message of an upcoming safety meeting hosted by community group Lawrenceville United and the FBI. Discussions will focus on a recent spate of hate activity popping up in the former industrial town whose resurgence in recent years has propelled development and property...
Crane Avenue in Beechview closing for most of today
Motorists who travel near Route 51 in Beechview should lookout for detours today. A portion of Crane Avenue will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The road will be shut down between Route 51 and Dagmar Avenue so the public works department can perform drainage work. Anyone who...
Fox Chapel Area launches pre-kindergarten program
Fox Chapel Area is accepting applications for the district’s new income-eligible pre-kindergarten program. The classes are expected to begin this fall at the new Kerr Elementary, now under construction along Kittanning Pike. The program is aimed at children who turn four by Sept. 1. To be eligible, a family’s income...
Power outage sends Clayton Academy students home
Clayton Academy in the Pittsburgh Public Schools is closed today due to a power outage. The district tweeted the announcement just before 9 a.m., saying students were being sent home. The school is at 341 South Bellefield Ave. in Oakland. All other schools in the district remain open. Tawnya Panizzi...
Aspinwall residents will pay more in property taxes; surplus dedicated to infrastructure
Aspinwall council voted to increase property taxes this year in hopes of investing in borough infrastructure, leaders said. Council approved the $2.6 million budget, raising the tax rate from 5.86 to 6.86 mills. The owner of home assessed at $100,000 will pay $686, an extra $100 over 2018. “It was...
Teen charged with homicide in 2018 North Braddock shooting
A 15-year-old boy will be charged with homicide stemming from a November 2018 shooting after a ruling this week by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. Taymar Smith was arrested Nov. 18 for the shooting death of another teen in North Braddock on Nov. 18. Smith admitted to police he...
Mobile sauna business heats up for O’Hara resident
Have sauna, will travel. O’Hara resident John Barbour has added the wow-factor to many parties with his portable sauna, but the business serves other purposes. Some people want to experience health benefits. Others might want to try the roving sauna before installing their own, permanent hot box. Barbour travels with...
Early morning McKeesport fire under investigation
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal is investigating an early morning fire in McKeesport. Crews responded just after 2 a.m. to an incident at a three-story apartment building along 5th Avenue, WPXI reported. No one was injured but some residents will be displaced by the damage. Flames were shooting from a...
Stage Right finds new home in Aspinwall
After alternating venues for the past few years, Stage Right Performing Arts & Education has a new home for the 2019 season. The former O’Hara-based acting company will perform all of its shows this year at Aspinwall Riverfront Park. “Stage Right is an evolving, volunteer-driven community effort,” said Jamie McDonald,...
Medications for blood pressure and heart failure recalled
A blood pressure medication is being recalled, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration report, but patients prescribed the drug are advised to continue taking it until they talk to their doctor. Aurobindo Pharma USA, Inc. is conducting a voluntary recall of 80 lots of Amlodipine Valsartan Tablets USP,...
No charges expected in White Oak standoff
A man shot through the ceiling of a house during a four-hour standoff Wednesday in White Oak, authorities said. Officers responded about 4 a.m. to a home on State Street where a 20-year-old man allegedly barricaded himself on the second floor with a gun, according to a statement from White...
West Mifflin police seek public’s help identifying man
West Mifflin police are looking for a person they said could be linked to an ongoing investigation. They did not release details other than a photo. They asked for the public’s help identifying a man shown walking in a hardware store. According to the police Facebook page, officers will release...
One winner in New Year’s Day Mega Millions drawing, $4M ticket sold in Pa.
One lucky winner in New York matched all the numbers in the Jan. 1 Mega Millions jackpot worth $425 million. According to CNN, the ticket was sold at Brookville Auto Service in Oyster Bay on Long Island. One ticket worth $4 million was sold in Pennsylvania and six others sold...
Missing Dormont man found dead in home
A man missing for nearly two weeks was found dead at a home in Dormont, according to Allegheny County police. Michael McDonald, 30, was discovered on Jan. 1 in a home along the 1300 block of Illinois Avenue, according to a medical examiner’s report. Police issued a lookout for McDonald...
