Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 26
Glass City Heritage Festival spotlights Jeannette’s past
Organizers of the Glass City Heritage Festival said it was fitting to showcase Jeannette’s rich history during the street fair that aims to move the city forward. “We wanted to bring back what made the city important,” said Dawn Wallhausen, from You Are Here gallery. She helped spearhead a glass-blowing...
Deer Lakes primary school named among ‘America’s Healthiest’
It’s not uncommon to see students at Curtisville Primary School dancing and stretching during class. The youngest students in the Deer Lakes School District have movement breaks, when they are encouraged to shake off “the blahs” and reenergize themselves to learn. Elsewhere in the school on Saxonburg Boulevard, tower gardens...
Garden Club at Mary Queen of Apostles nourishes minds and bodies
Students at Mary Queen of Apostles are rolling up their sleeves to do their part for the environment — and their bellies. Garden Club members are in their second year tending to a monarch butterfly sanctuary near the school’s front entrance on Elmtree Road in New Kensington. Plants such as...
Highlands School Board considering repairs to former Fawn Elementary building
The Highlands School Board might spend money on a facelift for the former Fawn Elementary School, but the larger question of what to do with the building still looms. The board on Monday heard a proposal from Chris Reiser, director of buildings and grounds, who urged action on a leaky...
Ulta Beauty coming to The Waterworks
Shoppers who love trying the latest skin care or cosmetic lines likely will be delighted with the newest addition to The Waterworks along Freeport Road near Aspinwall. Ulta Beauty is set to open by late fall in the space that formerly housed a state liquor store, which moved this year...
Deer Lakes’ Meghan Bright earns award for teaching ‘overall wellness’
Curtisville Primary students learn more than soccer and dodge ball in Meghan Bright’s class. She teaches them from the earliest age how to care for their bodies with proper fuel, sleep and emotional balance. “Starting in kindergarten, my students learn about the functions of their body systems and how to...
Highlands, St. Joe’s cross country co-op a ‘win-win’
Highlands sophomore Lillie Ryan is excited to have friends to run with on the high school’s cross country team this fall. The lone runner for the district, Ryan would have to forgo the sport if it weren’t for a co-op with neighboring St. Joseph High School. “I’m happy about it,”...
West Deer No. 3’s fire hall renovations include indoor training, decontamination room
This time next year, West Deer Volunteer Fire Company No. 3 firefighters will be able to practice rappelling and rescue techniques without leaving the fire hall on Gibsonia Road. An indoor training space is among the highlights of ongoing renovations at the hall, which is a transformed commercial building that...
Women’s Board fundraiser among most successful in group’s history, raising over $98,000 to benefit area children
The Women’s Board of Pittsburgh hosted one of its most successful fundraisers in the group’s 30-year history, netting more than $98,000 for children’s charities. Hosted in the spring at Fox Chapel Golf Club, the annual event was dubbed “Sunset Safari, Fashion Their Future: Support Pittsburgh’s Children.” This year’s beneficiaries are...
Allegheny Valley Hospital unveils $12 million imaging upgrade to cut patient wait times
Several times each week, a box truck arrives at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison to potentially save lives. A new mobile imaging pad outside the hospital on Carlisle Street allows rotating MRI and PET CT capabilities, opening 40 more appointments a week. The truck travels throughout the region, pulling up...
Gov. Josh Shapiro: Increased funding for public education ‘a giant lift’ for districts like Highlands
Highlands High School senior Gus Narang moved to the district from India in 2017 with dreams of an American education. “I left my family and everything I knew,” said Narang, a member of the school’s National Honor Society and the marching band’s drum major. “I knew nothing about this way...
Allegheny Valley Hospital workers plan candlelight vigil ahead of potential strike
Allegheny Valley Hospital union workers will gather for a candlelight vigil Thursday outside the Harrison facility ahead of a potential strike. About 450 union members on Friday authorized a strike, as they call for increased recruitment and compensation to help meet growing patient care needs. “We are ready to stand...
Trash to treasure: Fox Chapel Area artists compete in global Junk Kouture competition
A castaway graduation gown and a pile of plastic spoons might look like they’re destined for the recycling bin. But for two Fox Chapel Area juniors, the scraps combined for a winning look that will sashay down a professional runway with a global audience. Ayla Ojanen and Lily McLaughlin, both...
West Deer police organizing breast cancer 5K: Disease ‘is one we can try to prevent’
West Deer police Sgt. Rob Petosky wears his pink with pride. For 13 years, he has helped to organize the township’s 5K Run/Walk to raise funds to fight breast cancer, which is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women. “When people can’t afford to go and have a mammogram,...
‘Inclusion Revolution’: No Offseason Sports in West Deer scores Special Olympics North America Softball Championship
The lightning-fast turf fields at No Offseason Sports in West Deer don’t scare Special Olympian pitcher Rachel Miles. When the 25-year-old takes the mound this week during the Special Olympics North America Softball Championship, she’ll keep an unwavering eye on the prize. “I want to win it all,” said Miles,...
Deer Lakes welcomes back students with coffee shop, Legos-style learning and colorful parking spots
Sixty-three colorful parking spaces welcomed Deer Lakes High School students back to school, some with neon flowers and others with lines of a football grid. The creative initiative led by Student Council President Scarlett Hadlum fosters a sense of ownership and pride within the school community, high school Principal Ryan...
‘Outstanding selection’ promised at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church’s 3-story Harvest Fair
The Harvest Fair at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church — which brings in about $100,000 for charity each fall — wouldn’t open its doors without volunteers like Matt Scott. Scott and a slew of others have prepped, cleaned, sorted and baked for months in anticipation of the 69th Harvest Fair on...
Cheswick, Tarentum begin riverfront planning
Tarentum Council’s decision to eliminate boat docks caused a furor among residents last year, but, since then, many are excited about the prospect of new recreational opportunities, officials said. “The people that I spoke to are interested in new sidewalks for safer walking, a fishing pier and a community boat...
Masked burglars hit Lojaks in Fawn for $60K in motorcycles
Masked thieves made away with $60,000 in Yamaha motorcycles from a Fawn business early Sunday using a U-Haul box truck emblazoned with a camel graphic for their getaway. Owner Ryan Lojak said four suspects stole six bikes, broke a glass door and busted through a garage door. They were caught...
Frazer puts Pittsburgh Mills owner on notice: Fix potholes or face court
Fix the potholes or end up in court. That’s the message Frazer officials gave the owner of the Pittsburgh Mills mall, saying the condition of the parking lots and roads at the shopping center have become a public safety hazard. Potholes at the Mills have become an infamous sore spot...
Tarentum museum to launch exhibit on Allegheny Ludlum’s rare stainless steel cars
After 33 years as a hot ladle craneman at the former Allegheny Ludlum (now ATI), Todd Barbiaux couldn’t enjoy retirement until he salvaged a bit of the company’s history for future generations. The former union president of Local 1196, Barbiaux recovered a 17-foot side silhouette of a stainless-steel 1960 Thunderbird...
Faces of the Valley: Broadcast duo celebrates 25 years calling Highlands sporting events
Highlands sports broadcasters Mike Choma and Mike Pavlik still get chills when they enter the Golden Rams basketball court and see the 2020 WPIAL boys basketball championship banner hanging from the ceiling. “That’s one I’ll never forget,” said Pavlik, 60, of Lower Burrell. “When we got back from that game...
Citizens, Eureka EMS consider merger to combat financial burden
Financial struggles could force the merger of two of the longest-serving EMS companies in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Citizens EMS in Harrison and Eureka Community Ambulance Service in Tarentum are considering joining forces to become one provider — though discussions are in the early phases and details are scant. Harrison’s commissioners...
O’Hara, Blawnox eye police consolidation
O’Hara and Blawnox residents likely will be protected by one police department beginning in the new year. Councils from both municipalities have reached a tentative agreement to consolidate departments, saying they are “looking forward to the combination.” An announcement was posted Thursday to the O’Hara website. Township Manager Julie Jakubec...
Highlands proposes dress code, class time changes for some students
Changes in dress code, grading and class times could be coming to Highlands School District when students head back to class Aug. 27. Building principals have presented proposed 2024-25 handbooks that the school board will vote on during its next meeting at 7 p.m. Monday. The most significant changes include...
