Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 23
Efforts underway to ensure bright holidays for troops overseas
St. Joseph High School teacher Megan Morrow leads her students not only in drawing and sculpting but in the art of community service. Teens at the Harrison school put their talents to use crafting Christmas cards to be shipped to troops deployed overseas. “I did a similar project when I...
Services for 700 families at Tarentum center in jeopardy under Allegheny County budget talks
Harrison’s Ashley Griffin said she will be devastated if the Highlands Family Center in Tarentum is forced to cut programs. The East Fourth Avenue facility is a one-stop shop for children and adults, providing services that include a diaper bank, food pantry, financial counseling, story times and employment assistance. The...
Second electronic billboard going up in Tarentum
More than a year after it was approved, Tarentum’s second megawatt billboard is finally expected to light up the borough’s western side. Weleski Transfer along West Fourth Avenue got the go-ahead from council to erect an electronic sign, 14 feet tall by 48 feet wide. “We’re excited it’s moving along,...
Then and Now: Beloved Boyd transformed into Lauri Ann West Community Center
The 1950s-era Boyd Elementary School was so beloved in the Fox Chapel Area that community members wouldn’t let it sit empty when it closed in 1983. Two residents spearheaded the opening of Boyd Community Center, which opened that same year in the brick building off Powers Run Road in O’Hara....
No tax increase planned in Fawn
Fawn residents haven’t incurred a property tax increase in 26 years, and they’re not likely to see one in 2025. Supervisors approved a tentative budget of nearly $1.8 million. The proposed tax rate would remain 3.04 mills. The owner of a home with the township’s median assessed value of $72,750...
Tarentum Lions Club charity event returns from pandemic hiatus; tickets selling fast
A longstanding Alle-Kiski Valley charity fundraiser is making an in-person return after being sidelined by the pandemic. The Tarentum Area Lions Club will host its Jack Marino Charity Dinner with the goal of raising money to help people in and out of the region. Proceeds benefit the Allegheny Valley Association...
Allegheny Shores moves forward with site prep, thanks to $1 million infusion from state
Sharpsburg Councilman Corey Ochai believes that the transformation of a 52-acre brownfield along the Allegheny River will grow the borough in the right direction for all. “I don’t think we’re outgrowing the town’s DNA but improving on it,” said Ochai, of the Allegheny Shores project that broke ground in 2022....
Frazer tax rate to hold steady but assessed values could go up, raising tax bills for some
Frazer officials don’t plan to raise property taxes next year, but some homeowners could pay more nonetheless. The township’s $1.3 million budget will maintain a tax rate of 3.5 mills, but Supervisor/Township Secretary Lori Ziencik said the board plans to reduce the Homestead Exclusion from $40,000 to $20,000. That means...
East Deer taxes to remain steady under proposed budget; garbage fees would increase more than 35%
East Deer property owners aren’t likely to see a tax increase next year under the township’s proposed $1.5 million general fund budget. But they would pay more for garbage pickup — more than 35% more. The township rebid its contract for the first time in eight years, resulting in the...
Ambulance authority inching forward to relieve Eureka, Citizens from financial burden
Local EMS funding issues could be on a path to health by early next year. A steering committee continues to inch forward with plans for an emergency medical services authority to serve East Deer, Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum. “All that has been approved at this point is the four communities...
Eccentric and comical, the Illustrious Order of Makesmiths opens in Blawnox
Part gallery, part toy shop is the best description for the Illustrious Order of Makesmiths, a quirky new addition to Blawnox. Opened by West Deer residents Chief and Steve O’Hearn, both artists, the storefront at 334 Freeport Road welcomes visitors to find joy in professional art as well as bizarre...
Then & Now: Pittsburgh Field Club is region’s oldest sporting facility
The Pittsburgh Field Club, known for its lush greens and opulent setting, dates to the late 1800s when it was known for a sport other than golf — cricket. Established as the Pittsburgh Cricket Club in April 1882 in the Brushton-Homewood section of the city, it was reincorporated as the...
‘Constellations’ offers a spellbinding journey of choice and destiny
Choices — and their infinite trajectories — are explored in Riverfront Theater Company’s fall production of “Constellations.” The two-person show takes the audience on a spellbinding, romantic journey that follows decisions of a physicist coming to terms with a cancer diagnosis and her beekeeper husband. Written by British playwright Nick...
Shop for florals that ‘Glitter & Glow’ at Fox Chapel Garden Club’s premier event
A cornucopia of florals, wreaths and plants will be table- and mantle-ready at this year’s Glitter & Glow, the premier holiday shopping bazaar by the Fox Chapel Garden Club. “We use greens from our own gardens, and we make arrangements that you can literally put on your table and enjoy...
Tarentum book and author fair to give boost to ‘borough renewal’
Author Annie Kayser of Springdale took more than two decades to pen her first novel, and now she can’t wait to celebrate it. “Out of the Ashes” is a 500-plus-page book that details a journey of self-fulfillment. Kayser’s first effort in writing, released in October, spanned 26 years as she...
Deer Lakes High School tutors go old-school with 1-to-1, ‘paper-and-pencil’ tutoring
The struggle is real for some elementary children. A fledgling tutoring program, organized by Deer Lakes School District students and open to people across the Alle-Kiski Valley, aims to help with classroom challenges. KFIVE is an initiative for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Services are free and offered from...
West Deer supervisors seek resident to fill vacancy in District 1
West Deer residents hoping to get involved with local government have their chance. Supervisor Vernon Frey resigned from District 1, creating a vacancy to be filled this month. Frey remains in the township but is building a home in another district. His resignation was effective Tuesday. Frey could not be...
Harmar maker of artificial lungs moves to O’Hara
A Harmar manufacturer of artificial lungs has found a new home just 5 miles from its startup space at the Pittsburgh Applied Research Center (U-PARC), sold by the University of Pittsburgh in September. Advanced Respiratory Technologies signed a five-year lease in O’Hara’s RIDC Park. The company will take a previously...
Fox Chapel Area Rotary smashes record with Charity Golf Classic
The St. Margaret Foundation and Blawnox Community Food Pantry came away big winners as the primary beneficiaries of this year’s Charity Golf Classic by the Fox Chapel Area Rotary. The record-breaking fundraiser brought in more than $65,000 during the event Sept. 16 at Hill Crest Country Club in Lower Burrell....
Democratic incumbent Mandy Steele captures 2nd term in state House
Fox Chapel Democrat Mandy Steele has won second term representing the 33rd state House District in Harrisburg. Steele, 47, collected 55.65% of the vote to Republican challenger Gary Lotz’s 44.18%, according to unofficial tallies that show 100% of precincts reported in the district. The 33rd District includes Harrison, Brackenridge, Fawn,...
West Deer eatery La Vite closed
A popular West Deer restaurant has closed without explanation. La Vite Ristorante shuttered its doors Oct. 30 according to social media posts. Joe Voloch, director of operations at No Offseason Sports, where the restaurant was located, confirmed the eatery had closed and said he doesn’t foresee it reopening. “It surprised...
Plum man’s 40th birthday marks milestone for preemie care at Allegheny Valley Hospital
It’s been 40 years since Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison cared for its first premature baby. Levi Price already knew that. His 40th birthday was last week. He was that baby. According to his mother, he looked like a baby bird at birth. “He looked like he fell right out...
Owner of Z!Eats in O’Hara wants to create community gathering spot
Longtime Martin Elementary secretary Kim Greco retired from the New Kensington-Arnold School District and decided downtime wasn’t her style. On a whim, albeit a researched one, Greco purchased the Zoup franchise in Fox Chapel Plaza, near The Waterworks. “I always wanted to own my own business. I thought maybe an...
Organizers of Tarentum’s 2nd chance Halloween: ‘Kids deserved trick-or-treat re-do’
Dawn Wyble doesn’t live in Tarentum, but that didn’t stop her from helping borough children cheated out of trick-or-treating Thursday after a chilling dog mauling. Three pit bulls got loose just before 6 p.m. on Halloween in the area of East Sixth and Seventh avenues at lower Ormond Street. The...
Tarentum dog-attack victim was pinned to her front door
Faith Valasek was setting up for trick-or-treaters on Thursday when she noticed two dogs walking toward her East Sixth Avenue house in Tarentum. “I went up on my front porch to get a chair and I turned around there they were, at my feet,” said Valasek, 69. “I love dogs....
