Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 2
Fox Chapel Area fencing team rises to physical, mental challenges of game
Fox Chapel Area senior Lil Thomas joined the fencing team as a freshman at the urging of her older brothers. “None of my family is very athletic, but they thought it was a good way to make friends,” she said, laughing. Turns out, it was a smart move. Thomas, 17,...
Pittsburgh artist John Pena has mini residency at Highlands High School
Artist John Pena — on the heels of having his work displayed at the new $31 million Arts Landing in the Pittsburgh Cultural District — was on hand Tuesday for a mini residency at Highlands High School. Students in teacher Teresa Emeloff’s mixed media class were treated to hands-on consultations...
Family Promise House in Brackenridge awarded $20K to help people avert need for shelter
Family Promise House in Brackenridge exists to help people who need temporary shelter. But Karen Snair, executive director, said her group also works to thwart that need wherever possible. Run by Allegheny Valley Association of Churches, the nonprofit was awarded $20,000 to help people avert the need to use the...
Public can share opinions on proposed 172-unit housing plan in Indiana Township
Indiana Township residents can weigh in on a proposed 172-unit housing plan during a public hearing May 13. The township supervisors will discuss an application by Mars-based Weaver Homes for a planned residential development (PRD) situated at the intersection of Cove Run Road and Field View Lane. Developers are seeking...
Tarentum OKs 2 chimney swift towers critical to supporting bird population
Chimney swifts — tiny birds that can eat up to 6,000 insects a day and whose population is in rapid decline — will have two new places to roost in Tarentum. The migratory birds are expected to arrive in Western Pennsylvania this week from their winter home in South America....
Clark Candies adds ice cream to list of sweet offerings in TarentumVideo
Tarentum has a new sweet spot. Clark Candies Ice Cream Café is scheduled to have a soft open on Friday, scooping up ice cream through the takeout window at the 89-year-old chocolate shop along First Avenue. Twelve decadent flavors will join specialties like hot fudge nachos and Paletas — Mexican...
Harrison church gets boost from Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Restoration at a nearly 100-year-old Harrison church kicked off this week with help from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church on Broadview Boulevard was among the foundation’s 2026 historic religious properties grant recipients, which totaled $125,000 in matching grant funds. The church will use its grant...
Personal care home to breathe life into vacant Tarentum building
A 63-bed personal care home is scheduled to open this summer in Tarentum in a four-story building that has been vacant since 2012. Tarentum Care, a brick building with a patio and outdoor garden at 416 E. Seventh Ave., is situated among single- family homes. It’s a good fit, administrator Lawrence...
Buddy’s Ace Hardware fills former Staples space at The Waterworks
A large storefront at The Waterworks, empty since mid-December, soon will house the area’s only hardware store. Buddy’s Ace Hardware is scheduled to open the second week of May in the former Staples location. “We felt this market really needed a good hardware store,” owner Vince Grlovich said. “We want...
‘Together for a Cure’ seeking donations for blood cancer awareness event in Harrison
A Harrison committee is seeking donations for a summer event that benefits people suffering from leukemia and lymphoma. The “Together For a Cure” fundraiser is scheduled June 11 as a free family-friendly event with games, entertainment and food. “We want to raise awareness and bring together the Upper Allegheny Valley...
Highlands Middle School students join effort toward inclusion, kindness
Highlands Middle School students are learning about kindness and diversity through a young girl they never met. The district joined an Allentown-based initiative, “Mikayla’s Voice,” to help create a culture of inclusion, Principal Becky Bragan said. “We want to educate the kids about diversity, not just through one-offs,” Bragan said....
Man injured after his e-bike collides with vehicle in Harrison
A man was taken to a hospital after his e-bike collided with a vehicle in Harrison on Sunday, authorities said. Emergency crews responded to a crash just before 5:30 p.m. near the intersection of 10th Avenue and Argonne Drive. The bicyclist was conscious and alert, police Chief Brian Turack said....
Highlands students selected to script animated film for mental health awareness
Highlands students were among a limited number of teens selected to help script and score an upcoming animated film that focuses on mental health issues and delivers a message of inclusion and resilience. “Finding Alice in Wonderland” is produced by educational animation company Wonder Media and supported by The Grable...
Building the Valley: Autism support group, Powered by Love, promotes acceptance
Heather Vaughan is often asked why she started her nonprofit, Powered by Love. “The answer is simple,” the South Buffalo resident said. “It’s for my son, RJ.” Vaughan said she dreamed of becoming a mom, but things didn’t turn out exactly the way she imagined. When her son was diagnosed...
Tarentum aligns license plate reader technology with Allegheny County’s
Tarentum will be getting new license plate reader technology to assist police with surveillance. Council voted to pay about $2,700 a year to VIPR LLC, a company that specializes in plate recognition technology for law enforcement. The move replaces the existing PlateSmart system and aligns the borough with the Allegheny...
Tarentum Business Crawl aims to highlight specialty stores, services
Joyce McElwain said the first-ever Tarentum Business Crawl last year filled her store with new customers. “It got my name out there to so many people who didn’t even know I was here,” said McElwain, from her Yesterday’s Kidz storefront on East Sixth Avenue. The borough recreation board is bringing...
Tarentum awarded for improved water, electric system monitoring
Tarentum is being lauded for its efforts to improve efficiency across borough electric and water monitoring systems. It was among recipients of the Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence, announced Wednesday. The recognition is for information technology, specifically, the borough’s integrated smart utility and infrastructure monitoring system. Highlights of the...
Cause of fatal West Deer fire remains undeterminedVideo
Three months after a West Deer fire that resulted in the death of a man and his dog, the cause of the blaze remains unknown, officials said. “That fire is currently classified as undetermined,” said Kasey Reigner, public information officer for the Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services. The victim...
Tarentum sewer line project expected to ease runoff near Ormond Street
A long-awaited sanitary sewer project is finally underway in Tarentum. Work at Seventh Avenue and Ormond Street includes new lines as part of a Department of Environmental Protection mandate to separate storm sewers to ease runoff. It also will divert water from a nearby spring. Managed by the Allegheny Valley...
Gasoline smell leads to discovery of damaged underground tanks in Harrison
The smell of gasoline at the top of Spring Hill Road in Harrison led to a potentially dangerous discovery by state officials. Ten underground fuel storage tanks, nearly 100 years old, were revealed by ground-penetrating radar beneath the parking lot at the Stop’n Shop convenience store at Spring Hill and...
Tarentum Night Market returns to East Sixth Avenue for 2026 season
Merchant Dianna Roney is ecstatic the Tarentum Night Market will return to East Sixth Avenue this year. The owner of Diamond Antiques and Gifts said having people mill around the business district, popping in and out of stores, is the exact purpose of the community event. “That’s where it belongs,...
Volunteers sought for prep day at Greg Blythe Friendship Garden in Tarentum
Anyone interested in getting their hands dirty can volunteer Saturday at the Greg Blythe Friendship Garden in Tarentum. Crews will gather from 10 a.m. to noon to pull weeds and plant spring crops. There’s also flowers to plant and mulch to spread. The site along First Avenue, next to Dreshar...
Proposed legislation would redefine emergency dispatchers as first responders
Sharpsburg resident Jon Jaso called his job as an Allegheny County emergency dispatcher rewarding but laden with emotional baggage. “Listening to tragedies every day doesn’t get any easier,” said Jaso, who started in 1990 at McCandless municipal dispatch before operations were folded into regional centers in 1998 and then into...
Brackenridge awarded $13.2M from state for water plant upgradesVideo
Brackenridge got a major boost from the state this week to upgrade its water filtration plant and rectify previous concerns from the Department of Environmental Protection about aging mechanisms. The borough landed more than $13 million — a $5.7 million grant and a $7.4 million loan — through the Pennsylvania...
Earth Day cleanup aims to make ‘Sharpsburg shine’
Sharpsburg residents are encouraged to get their hands dirty Saturday, April 18, for a good cause. Sponsored by the borough and the Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization, an Earth Day cleanup will be from 9 to 11 a.m. “Sharpsburg is a community that takes pride in working together,” Mayor Kayla Portis said....
