Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 19
Fuel cleanup continues at Sycamore Run in O’Hara
Cleanup continues at an O’Hara stream after a fuel leak early Friday. Fire crews were called at 6:45 a.m. to Fox Chapel Road for the odor of gas near the BP station, just outside Fox Chapel Plaza. Blawnox and Pleasant Valley volunteer fire companies deployed booms into Sycamore Run, which...
Women’s Board helps fight child hunger in Fox Chapel Area
When the Women’s Board of Pittsburgh makes a commitment to help, it follows through. The Fox Chapel-based group’s annual fundraiser has brought in more than $1.6 million to support the welfare of children – but members make it a point to keep tabs on past beneficiaries, too. One special way...
Failed ATI contract blamed on wages, according to some United Steelworkers
A failed contract between United Steelworkers and ATI boils down to money and respect, according to some who voted against a six-year deal Monday. William “Scooter” Polczynski, a welder at Harrison’s Hot Strip Mill, said the contract wasn’t even worth looking at. “We’re working with molten steel every day and...
Dress for Success public warehouse sale in Sharpsburg benefits women entering work force
When Monica Nixon moved from Tulsa, Okla., to Pittsburgh post-covid, her resources were lacking. “My job shut down and I finally got a position that would elevate me after all of that craziness that most of us went through,” Nixon said. But she needed a helping hand to put her...
United Steelworkers vote down ATI contract
ATI and United Steelworkers are still without a contract. A tentative agreement was reached Feb. 28, just hours before the most recent contract was set to expire. But it failed to pass a union vote Monday. ATI spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie said company leadership is disappointed the union vote was unsuccessful....
Tarentum history museum hosts native author of ‘Gun Smuggling, Castro’s Cuba and the Pittsburgh Mafia’
Gun smuggling, Swiss bank accounts, Fidel Castro and the New Kensington mafia converge on the pages of Richard Gazarik’s newest book, a harrowing tale of local ties to the criminal underworld. In his seventh release, Greensburg resident Gazarik dives into declassified FBI files stemming from the mafia’s grip on New...
Fence project at Natrona Community Garden strives to keep deer at bay
Bill Godfrey knows that lettuce, peppers and fruit grown in the Natrona Community Garden are vital to feeding residents of the Harrison neighborhood. But that doesn’t include the deer. “There was a total destruction of our garden last year once a herd discovered it and had a gourmet salad buffet,”...
Fox Chapel event honors Women’s History Month with local author Eliza Smith Brown
Pittsburgh author Eliza Smith Brown will mark Women’s History Month in March with a personal tale of two females who transformed the local political landscape. Brown will lead a discussion of formidable sisters Lucy and Eliza Kennedy — her grandmother and great aunt, respectively — who came of age in...
Youth Empowerment Project in Sharpsburg buoys children to ‘reach full potential’
Their name couldn’t be more fitting. Youth Empowerment Project, an afterschool and summer program situated along Main Street in Sharpsburg, is a place where children can become their best selves. “There are so many positives here,” said Ashley Ireland, whose daughter and two sons attend. “The people who run it...
Ash Wednesday: Tradition meets convenience when it comes to buying ashes
Online shopping has become a way of life — even for the Catholic Church. In preparation for Ash Wednesday, a rising number of religious leaders are forgoing the tradition of burning palms and instead buying ashes on the web. “Actually, the manufactured ones stick better and are darker,” said Joan...
Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization teams with VFW for winter markets
Pancakes and crafts are on the menu select Sundays at the Sharpsburg VFW. Chas Smith, organizer of the Sharpsburg Flea Market, is inviting people to check out the indoor event that is an extension of the Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization’s popular outdoor summer series. “It’s a nice way to spend the...
Developer of upscale 55-plus housing to pitch Frazer plan
A developer seeking to build upscale 55-plus housing in Frazer is expected to present its plan Tuesday. Foxlane Homes is scheduled to have a conditional use hearing at the start of the township supervisors meeting, after which the board could vote on the project, Supervisor/Secretary Lori Ziencik said. The public...
West Deer VFDs say state grants help lighten financial burden
West Deer Fire Chief Luke Raynovich breathes a sigh of relief with every dollar donated to his department. “It takes some of the financial burden off,” said Raynovich, chief of West Deer No. 1. “With the fire department being volunteer, there is always stress with money and needing to update...
4 escape injury in Frazer rollover
Four occupants of an overturned pickup truck late Sunday in Frazer appear to have escaped injury, according to officials. No cause for the crash was available early Monday. Frazer police Chief Aaron Scott said the report was not yet complete. Frazer and East Deer volunteer fire departments were called at...
Tarentum man says Peace Corps still critical even after 64 years
Dennis Mialki enrolled in the Peace Corps in 1978 and found himself — at 22 — as the city engineer of Siguatepeque, Honduras, a farm town in the mountains of Central America. The Tarentum resident spent two years engineering roads, building kindergarten classrooms and establishing a building code. “I was...
Main Street gas line project bumped up for impending streetscape in Sharpsburg
A four-month gas line replacement is underway along busy Main Street in Sharpsburg. Contractors are on site, working between 19th and 23rd streets, at the entrance to town. Traffic is limited to one-lane in that area. The project is not being paid by borough tax dollars, manager Christine DeRunk said....
Barred owl makes for exciting guest at Aspinwall home
Terry Nelson Taylor’s newest neighbor along Eastern Avenue in Aspinwall is making quite a ruckus. “It has caused a great sensation in the neighborhood,” Taylor said of the barred owl, which has taken up residence in the tree next to her house. “He seems to hoot at all hours.” Barred...
Crocs in crosshairs nationwide as schools cite safety risks
The chunky rubber-looking shoes called Crocs have been on the market since 2002. In recent years, as they have become the obsession of children and teens, they have caught the eye of school administrators nationwide — but not as fashion favorites. Some districts across the country are stepping up to...
After 40 years of searching and praying, Cherrie Mahan’s mother asks for closure
Cherrie Mahan’s favorite color was purple. The 8-year-old loved Cabbage Patch dolls, the movie “E.T.” and tuna fish sandwiches. She sang at church on Sundays with her grandma. It’s the happy details that her mother, Janice McKinney, remembers most about Cherrie. The Winfield Elementary third grader went missing Feb. 22,...
Missing 11-year-old East Allegheny girl found safe
An 11-year-old girl who was reported missing to Pittsburgh police has been found safe, according to authorities. The girl was reported missing Saturday after being last seen the day before at her home in the city’s East Allegheny neighborhood....
Then and Now: 1875 O’Hara home is among oldest in township
One of the oldest existing homes in O’Hara stands along Freeport Road overlooking the Allegheny River. According to township historian Tom Powers, the home was among the first built in the Montrose Plan and is at least 150 years old. It sits in an area of the township not far...
Former Fawn Primary Center could go back on the market
The former Fawn Primary Center in the Highlands School District could be going back on the market. The school board last week voted to hire Integra Realty Resources to prepare a valuation on the building at 5591 Ridge Road. The cost for the appraisal is $2,500. The board did not...
Harrison juveniles face charges for vape shop burglary
Two Harrison juveniles are facing charges after, police say, they broke into a vape shop along Freeport Road and made off with more than $3,000 in merchandise. Harrison police Chief Brian Turack said the teens face charges of burglary, criminal trespass, theft and flight to avoid apprehension. He credited a...
Fox Chapel, Shady Side Academy students part of Junior Achievement’s 18 Under Eighteen
Robotics, medical careers and baking have something in common at Fox Chapel Area High School and Shady Side Academy — students who are using each of these paths to promote change in their community. Shady Side Academy students Kiran Tevar and Özge Ada Uzman, along with Fox Chapel Area’s Laila...
Still no charges 6 months after 11-year-old killed by vehicle in Natrona
Amber Bonnoni is still unable to think straight six months after her daughter, 11-year-old Roxanne, was hit and killed by a vehicle near their Natrona home. “I am lost in my head,” she said. “The (person) who stole her life away will go on to have another day and is...
