Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 73
NASA: Exploding meteor had same energy as 30 tons of TNT
NASA is weighing in on the New Year’s Day boom heard across the Pittsburgh region. Researchers confirmed an exploding meteor was the “likely culprit” and estimated the size of the object at about one-yard wide, with energy the equivalent of 30 tons of TNT, according to the NASA Meteor Watch...
Pittsburgh police seek man in connection with Downtown shooting
Pittsburgh police said they are seeking a man in connection with a Dec. 9 shooting in Downtown that left another man in critical condition, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Andre Douglas Davis, 34, of Pittsburgh, was charged Sunday with aggravated assault and gun charges in connection with the shooting...
Covid causes weeklong closure of St. Gregory Catholic School in Zelienople
Covid-related staffing shortages will close a school in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh this week. St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School in Zelienople will switch to remote learning after seven staffers tested positive for covid-19, Principal Erin Rice said. “Although we seemed to have conquered the odds and provided in-person learning...
Highlands kindergartner feels unstoppable with new prosthetic
Highlands kindergartner Annabel Grant received a rousing round of applause when she walked into school recently. Teachers and students lined the hallways of the district’s Early Childhood Center, hooting and hollering while the 5-year-old made her way to class. It was Annabel’s first day back in school with her new...
North Catholic, Holy Family Seville closed Monday
Two Catholic schools in the North Hills were closed Monday. North Catholic High School in Cranberry is closed because of a power outage, according to the school’s website. Holy Family Seville, along Bonvue Street in Pittsburgh, is also closed Monday but will make the transition to remote learning on Tuesday...
Some Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings go remote because of staffing shortages
Students in 12 Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings learned remotely Monday because of covid-related staffing shortages. An alert posted to the district’s website said students would have livestreamed lessons at the following schools:Allegheny PreK-5.Carrick High School.Crescent Early Childhood Center.Greenfield PreK-8.Liberty PreK-5.Lincoln PreK-5.Montessori PreK-5.Morrow PreK-8.Perry High School.Phillips PreK-5.Weil PreK-5.Whittier PreK-5. A covid-19...
Revitalization tops municipal leaders’ 2022 wish lists
Wish lists abound this time of year, but not all gifts come in neatly wrapped packages. Local community leaders know what they’d most like to see under their municipal trees — if cost and tax dollars were no object. From trails to safe sidewalks to green space, officials appear to...
Tarentum names top decorators in borough contest
Tom Tyborowski begins decorating his Tarentum house for Christmas at the same time the Halloween pumpkins go out — but the lights, reindeer and nutcrackers remain at least until February. “We enjoy it and sometimes after the rush of the holidays, when everything seems blah, we enjoy the lights just...
Faces of the Valley: Youngsters with illnesses transformed into Superheroes for calendar
Seven-year-old Giuliana Taylor isn’t famous — yet — but she’s already getting the star treatment thanks to a local nonprofit called Superheroes Believe in Miracles. The group rolled out the red carpet at Giuliana’s home in New Kensington to unveil her glammed-up photos that will appear in a 2022 calendar....
Harrison taxes expected to remain steady in 2022
Harrison residents likely won’t pay higher real estate taxes next year, pending a final vote by commissioners on the township’s 2022 budget. The board is considering a $5 million budget proposal that maintains the property tax rate at 5.1 mills. If approved, owners of a home assessed at $100,000 would...
Pitt Panthers players encourage Burrell students to end mental health stigma
Pitt wide receiver Tre Tipton suffered a collapsed lung in 2016 and laid in the intensive care unit at a Miami hospital for four days. It was the turning point in his young life, despite years of suffering from depression, experiencing gun violence firsthand and dealing with multiple family hardships,...
Indiana Township neuroscientist turns her passion to art
Paintings by an Indiana Township neuroscientist-turned-artist are on exhibit at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel. YeePing Lucia Wong Yip, born in China and raised in Hong Kong, worked as a cancer researcher for nearly four decades before reigniting her childhood passion for art. As an artist, she uses the...
Drive-up food distribution to remain at Pittsburgh Mills through March
A free drive-thru food distribution for Alle-Kiski Valley families will remain at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer through March. The giveaway is hosted by Harrison-based Allegheny Valley Association of Churches (AVAC) and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. It’s a shift away from plans to return to the empty Rite Aid...
Tarentum taxes remain steady; water and garbage rates increase
Tarentum residents will pay the same in taxes next year but costs for water use and garbage collection will increase. Council approved the borough’s $11 million budget with a vote of 5-0. Members Lou Ann Homa and Adam Blythe were absent. The property tax rate will remain at 5.48 mills,...
Faces of the Valley: AVH president named among Top 100 Women Leaders in Medicine
The head of Allegheny Valley Hospital has been named to the Top 100 Women Leaders in Medicine by online group Women We Admire. Dr. Vicenta Gaspar-Yoo, president of the Harrison facility, was noted for her acute direction of health care delivery and for spearheading changes that impact patient outcomes. “I...
Aspinwall resident earns recognition for tireless commitment to community
An Aspinwall pharmacist has been honored for lengthy public service that includes flood relief efforts, mission trips to Honduras and volunteering with the Boy Scouts. She has walked for diabetes awareness and educated teens on safe dating practices. For her tireless commitment to a healthy community, Trish Klatt, a borough...
Indiana Township neuroscientist turns her passion to art
YeePing Lucia Wong Yip, born in China and raised in Hong Kong, worked as a cancer researcher for nearly four decades before reigniting her childhood passion for art. Paintings by the Indiana Township neuroscientist-turned-artist are on exhibit at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel. As an artist, Yip uses the...
St. Vladimir leaders vow to rebuild after fire: ‘The church is not the building.’Video
Inside the mangled ruins of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Arnold stands a bronze crucifix with Jesus’ face shrouded by a piece of fallen wallpaper. “That message is clear,” said the Rev. Yaroslav Koval, pastor of the church along Kenneth Avenue that was destroyed by fire on Dec. 4....
West Deer boy featured in ‘Superheroes’ calendar
Seven-year-old Marco Mangieri of West Deer was treated like a star during a red carpet reveal of his photo included in a 2022 calendar by local nonprofit Superheroes Believe in Miracles. Dressed as Spiderman, Marco is one of 12 children featured in the group’s calendar. The youngster was diagnosed as...
Rain postpones Lantern Walk in Fox Chapel’s Salamander Park
A celebration of light in Fox Chapel will have to wait. Heavy rain predicted for Saturday has postponed the park conservancy’s Winter Solstice Lantern Walk until Saturday, Jan. 8. “For the safety of our guests, we have to push it back,” said Mandy Steele, councilwoman and conservancy co-founder. The lantern...
Tarentum Council schedules special meeting for budget vote, no tax increase expected
Tarentum Council spent the past several weeks tweaking its proposed $11 million budget for next year, but one thing has remained the same: Residents should not see a real estate tax increase. The property tax rate is expected to remain at 5.48 mills, the same as it has been for...
Fox Chapel Winter Lantern Walk aims to connect people with nature
Salamander Park in Fox Chapel will transform into an illuminated wonderland for a winter walk on the longest night of the year. The Winter Solstice Lantern Walk, hosted by the Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy, will wrap up a year’s worth of fundraisers aimed at protecting the borough’s green spaces. “Well...
Holiday event at Allegheny RiverTrail Park includes music, vendors, ‘joy’
Allegheny RiverTrail Park will be filled with joy this holiday season. A pair of 7.5-foot signs that spell “joy” were manufactured by students from the Fox Chapel Area School District and will be unveiled during the park’s Shiver on the River event from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 17. “In...
Brackenridge Council votes to hold steady on 2022 property taxes
Brackenridge residents will pay the same amount in property taxes next year after council approved the borough’s $1.1 million budget. Council voted Dec. 2 to maintain the real estate tax rate of 6.2 mills — the same as it has been since 2018. “It’s a tight budget,” Borough Secretary Denise...
Christ the Divine students share holiday joy with patients at UPMC St. Margaret
The mammoth tree at UPMC St. Margaret Hospital is dazzling with hand-made décor, thanks to students from Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy in Aspinwall. Third grade students from teacher Mira Fontana’s class and fourth graders from teacher Clare Yaksich’s class walked the few blocks from their school along Brilliant...
