Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 62
Busy Harrison intersection eyed for safety upgrades
The Harrison commissioners are eyeing major safety upgrades for a busy Freeport Road intersection. Township Manager John Pallone will apply for $2 million in the coming weeks through the state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund to redo the five-way intersection of Freeport and Springhill roads and Broadview Boulevard near the Harrison Hi-Rise....
35th annual Sheldon Park Community Day on tap
Local officials will celebrate the progress of a public housing complex in Harrison while looking toward its future during a community festival Aug. 12. The 35th annual Sheldon Park Community Day will provide games and activities for children while speeches are delivered from Highlands Superintendent Monique Mawhinney, Harrison police Chief...
Blawnox to host Ice Cream With a Cop on Aug. 2
The Best of Blawnox is hosting “Ice Cream With a Cop” and a community dog walk for National Night Out. The event takes place at the Blawnox Community Park on Tuesday, Aug. 2 from 6-8 p.m. The dog walk begins at 6 p.m. at the corner of Lewis Avenue and...
Aspinwall’s first-ever Big Night Out to promote community
Big plans are in the works for Aspinwall’s inaugural Big Night Out. Scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 11, the event is pegged as a community celebration and a chance to meet and mingle with many local organizations. It is expected to draw more than 1,300 people to the...
Tarentum woman’s digital marketing studio marks 4th anniversary with $10K grant
Katie Urich moved from the North Hills to Tarentum last year to grow her digital marketing studio. The self-described “old house nerd” bought a large Victorian home in East Tarentum and has settled nicely into the community, which she said is supportive of small businesses. A graduate of North Hills...
‘We have to move forward’: Guardian Angels Parish eyes closing 5 churches, 17 ancillary buildings
As a child spending time at his grandparent’s house in Natrona, Paul Krofchik vividly recalls walking the few blocks from their home along Linden Street to Mass at St. Ladislaus Church, a domed building that takes up half the block on Spruce Street. “It was huge, and there were these...
Long-term lane shift coming to Route 28
A long-term lane shift along Route 28 near O’Hara is scheduled to begin Saturday to accommodate a paving project. PennDOT announced that work will begin at 5 a.m. on southbound Route 28 and impact the stretch that runs through Aspinwall, Sharpsburg and O’Hara. Motorists will be shifted from the current...
Funnel Cake Fridays prove a hit for Sharpsburg-Aspinwall Rotary
If it’s a Friday in July, you can find Bill Crooks flipping funnel cakes behind a sizzling hot fryer at Kennedy Park in Sharpsburg. A line of hungry people snakes around the concession stand, eager to sample the festive fare offered by the Sharpsburg-Aspinwall Rotary. “We do about 80 funnel...
Harrison man sought in Freeport Road burglary
Harrison police have issued an arrest warrant for a man accused of breaking into Freehling Service along Freeport Road and stealing a truck and other items. Mark Bauer, 61, of Harrison is charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and receiving stolen property stemming from an incident July 22. “He was...
Harvest Church purchases Calvary Baptist in Harrison, hopes to grow congregation
Church leaders looking to grow their audience in Harrison finally have a building to call home. Harvest Church, a nondenominational ministry, is scheduled to purchase the Calvary Baptist Church in the Natrona Heights section of the township. The church sits along Pacific Avenue, just off Freeport Road. “I’m stoked,” said...
Sheldon Park Community Garden thriving again
A community garden in Sheldon Park is thriving once again thanks to two women with green thumbs and big hearts. Whitney Washington, a resident of the public housing complex in Harrison, resurrected the decades-old plot three years ago after it fell into disrepair. Now, providing food for residents is among...
Joe Grushecky set to rock out at Allegheny RiverTrail Park
Legendary Pittsburgh rocker Joe Grushecky will hit the stage Friday in Aspinwall for an evening of blues and soul sure to get audiences movin’ in their seats. The concert is part of the Rock the River series, the park’s annual summer shows, aimed at bringing stellar musical performances to the...
Route 28 ramp closures scheduled near Harmar, Fox Chapel
Motorists who use Route 28 near Harmar and Fox Chapel should expect traffic tangles beginning Wednesday. In Harmar, the on-ramp from eastbound Route 910 that carries traffic north on Route 28 will close short-term, PennDOT announced. Weather permitting, work there is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. and will go...
Tarentum Recreation Board shakes it up with Food Truck Festival
Tacos, shrimp po’boys and ice slushies will be on the menu at Tarentum Recreation Board’s inaugural Food Truck Festival. Scheduled for Aug. 11, the event is expected to fill Riverview Memorial Park. “We thought this would be a fresh idea for Tarentum,” said Carrie Fox, board president. “We wanted to...
Investigation underway at Harrison house slated for demolition
A fire at a Harrison home that was targeted for blight remediation is under investigation by the Allegheny County Fire Marshall. Emergency crews were dispatched at about 6:40 a.m. Monday for a two-alarm fire at 52 North Canal Street in the Natrona section of the township. “There is water damage...
Harrison police investigating trio of burglaries along Freeport Road
Harrison police are investigating the burglaries of three businesses late last week along Freeport Road. A truck was stolen early Friday from Freehling Service at 2901 Freeport Road. Burglars also hit Della’s Frozen Custard at 5001 Freeport Road and Harbison’s Nursery at 4024 Freeport Road. All three incidents happened overnight...
Harrison secures $118,000 to raze blighted buildings
Several blighted homes in Harrison will be demolished next year thanks to a $118,000 grant awarded to the township in June. Manager John Pallone said a majority of the money will be spent in the Natrona section of the township but noted there are other areas that will be addressed....
Free food distribution set at Pittsburgh Mills
A free mass food distribution for Alle-Kiski Valley families will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 9 at Pittsburgh Mills. The drive-thru-only event is hosted by the Harrison-based Allegheny Valley Association of Churches (AVAC) and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Since the pandemic hit, the food distribution...
Tarentum receives nearly $100,000 for sewer work along East Seventh Avenue
A sewer project along East Seventh Avenue in Tarentum will be largely paid for by a federal Community Development Block Grant. The borough was notified June 23 that it will receive nearly $100,000 through the program, which is distributed through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “We were...
Faces of the Valley: Volunteer Janet Purdie helps grow BridgePoint Church in Tarentum
When the pandemic forced Janet Purdie’s layoff from her full-time job at Leeds in New Kensington, it was a sure bet she wasn’t going to sit around the house. A seven-year parishioner at BridgePoint Church in Tarentum, Purdie ramped up her volunteer efforts at the site along East Ninth Avenue...
Harrison commissioners to vote on police chief’s retirement and rehiring
The question of whether Harrison police Chief Michael Klein can retire later this year and be rehired on a part-time basis will be a topic for discussion by the township commissioners Monday. The board last month held off on voting whether to allow Klein to retire Oct. 28 and return...
Harrison library reveals ‘Secrets of the Allegheny River,’ including long-popular Jack’s Island
Growing up in 1940s Natrona, Mary Ann Debor didn’t have to look far for a perfect riverfront getaway. Her family was among a dozen who built wooden cabins on Jack’s Island, an idyllic retreat plopped in the middle of the Allegheny River between Harrison and Lower Burrell. “We had a...
Dog park construction underway at Harrison Hills Park
Ground has been broken for the off-leash dog park planned at Harrison Hills. The 1.3-acre site will sit along Woodchuck Drive, across from Laurel Shelter in the upper portion of the park. Allegheny County landscape architect Joel Perkovich said the open field is a perfect spot to let dogs of...
Corbet Street market to be demolished by fall to make way for parking, green space
Corbet Street in Tarentum is expected to have a new look by fall with the demolition of a two-story building that was home for many years to a corner market. Borough officials on June 23 closed on the purchase of 215 Corbet, the two-story red brick building that is noticeable...
Fanciful ‘Xanadu’ rolls into Aspinwall’s Allegheny RiverTrail Park
A musical fantasy with rad costumes — on wheels — will transform the stage at Allegheny RiverTrail Park for an out-of-this-world rendition of “Xanadu.” Riverfront Theater Company’s Young Artists will transport audiences to the disco-loving days of 1980 for the roller skating adventure. It will be presented at 7 p.m....
