Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 36

Sharpsburg voters will choose between two newcomers on Nov. 7 for election to a two-year term on council. Democrat Corey Ochai and Republican Diana Oliver will compete for the position. Other races in the borough are uncontested. Here are the answers given by Ochai and Oliver to questions posed by...

Fox Chapel and O’Hara leaders are teaming up to address the effects of climate change, ease traffic congestion and boost active transportation opportunities as a way to improve the quality of life. A joint comprehensive plan has been underway for about two years. Officials recently got a boost, in the...

Two people are vying for three open seats on Tarentum Council — but there’s still a race at hand. Council President Scott Dadowski, a Democrat, is running unopposed for a four-year 2nd Ward seat. Republican newcomer Maggie Smith is seeking a four-year term in the 3rd Ward. They also are...

Members of two local churches are on a mission nearly 5,400 miles across the globe to deliver “seeds of friendship” in the form of eyeglasses, jump ropes and produce. A group of eight congregants from Abundant Joy Fellowship in Tarentum and Generations House of Worship in Brackenridge recently traveled to...

A sidewalk chalk contest, inflatable obstacle course and caricature artist will fill Tarentum’s Riverview Memorial Park for the annual Boo Festival. Sponsored by the borough’s recreation board, the event will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 28. “It’s a wonderful event,” said Carol McPherson, a longtime volunteer. “It’s so...

Highlands first grader Isabella Young didn’t seem fazed that the Eureka Fire-Rescue engine she was admiring at school this week cost more than $1 million. She only wanted to know what all the buttons were for. “Where do the firetrucks come from?” she asked. “How do you put out the...

Harrison police are sporting a new hue for October. Bright-pink uniform patches are intended to raise awareness for the battle against breast cancer, Chief Brian Turack said. “People are already talking about it, so it’s working,” he said. The department is participating in the Pink Patch Project, founded in 2013...

Tarentum has experienced eight water main breaks in the past two months. Ninety percent of the pipes at the water distribution plant are 100 years old. “Our system is failing,” Manager Dwight Boddorf said. “Anytime we go to replace something, there’s a high chance of collapse.” Officials are trying to...

Members of the Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services are hoping to shine a light on fire safety and prevention – and hopefully attract new members — during an upcoming open house. A scavenger hunt and an obstacle course will be part of the draw for all ages. “Our goal is...

Four candidates are vying for three open seats on Fox Chapel Council. Incumbent Betsy Monroe is on the Democratic ticket. Candidate Michael Pohl is running as a Republican. Incumbent Fred Leech and candidate Jonathan Colton earned enough votes in the spring primary to be placed on both the Democratic and...

A tradition more than four decades old is going strong to help the A-K Valley’s most needy. A Walk for Hunger, set for Sunday in Harrison, aims to raise money to buy boxed meals, peanut butter, pasta and other shelf-stable items for local food pantries. The walk is sponsored by...

A second mega-sized electronic billboard is expected to go up in Tarentum by the end of the year. Council on Tuesday approved a request by Weleski Transfer, a longtime business on West Fourth Avenue, for a billboard 14 feet tall by 48 feet wide — similar to the one that...

When Freeport resident Pat McCurdy’s daughter passed away from cancer in 2022, McCurdy couldn’t bear to part with her daughter’s belongings. “Becky had lots of clothes and lots of shoes, and I didn’t want to just throw everything away,” said McCurdy, a longtime member of Faith Lutheran Church in Harrison....

A Ziegfeld Follies girl, a descendant of a U.S. founding father and U.S. Congressman Henry Marie Brackenridge will come to life during the annual Ghost Tour at Prospect Cemetery. They are among 13 “spirits” who will tell their stories during the event, which runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday....

Emergency medical services across Western Pennsylvania have found themselves on life support, despite being in the business of saving lives. Minimal state and municipal funding, combined with sluggish private donations, has leaders scraping by and some services on the brink of folding. “It costs us $150 an hour to operate...

Fawn and Harrison residents who live near the intersection of Route 908 and Saxonburg Boulevard will have a new place to shop within the next week. The Dollar General under construction since early summer at 1250 Route 908 is expected to open its doors in the coming days, store officials...

For three years, nonprofit Paws Across Pittsburgh has been saving thousands of animals from high-kill shelters and other tragic situations, all with little fanfare in a nondescript Tarentum building. Enter Penn Hills artist Sean Coffey, who is helping to jazz up the facility’s exterior and draw some much-needed attention from...

Family fun or fright of your life — participants of Haunted Guyasuta can decide their fate. The seasonal event, now in its 14th year, will offer a spooky-good time for all ages. It will be 3 to 9 p.m. Oct. 21 at Camp Guyasuta, which is accessed off 23rd Street...

O’Hara residents will choose from among three candidates for two at-large positions on O’Hara Council. Shamus Petrucelli, of Frick Road and Rob Strohm Jr., of Dorseyville Road are the Republican candidates. Petrucelli also won enough write-in votes in the May primary to appear on the ballot as a Democrat, along...

Harrison police are investigating after a Ford Escape went over a hillside late Wednesday. No one was reported injured. Chief Brian Turack said officers were called about 9:20 p.m. to the 1700 block of Pleasantville Road for a vehicle over an embankment. The driver was a 56-year-old woman from Fawn....

Highlands parent Christina Faltot is kicking off her fourth annual Winter Ready Rams program, saying “no child should go cold, and no parent should have to choose between food and a coat.” Faltot of Harrison is seeking jackets and hoodies, either new or gently used, through Oct. 30. Items will...

Tarentum native Bob Sims turned 18 in 1948 and was crestfallen to learn he couldn’t join his two older brothers on the front lines as firefighters. The charter for Highland Hose Volunteer Fire Company was full, said Sims, who at 93 easily recalls his disappointment. “I had to wait three...

It wasn’t a hole in one, but for Foxwall EMS, it was something even better. The group landed a grant of at least $15,000 after the Rotary Club of Fox Chapel hit the links for its annual fundraiser in September. The event brought in more than $45,000 — a record...

Officials celebrated the grand opening of a mosaic trail off River Avenue in Natrona on Tuesday, saying it was the first step in a trifecta of upgrades that would transform the neighborhood. The small concrete trail, 10 feet wide and 100 feet long, provides a critical connection for walkers, bikers...

Members of Eureka Fire-Rescue in Tarentum are mourning the loss of a woman many referred to as the station “mom.” Shannon McKruit, EMS manager at the Third Avenue department, died Monday at 52. “I wonder if she ever realized the impact she had on thousands of people,” fire President David...