Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 95
Shaler Area extends online learning model through Jan. 4
Shaler Area students will continue virtual learning a bit longer than expected. Superintendent Sean Aiken alerted families on Friday that the district will extend its remote learning model at least through the beginning of January. Officials had planned to resume in-person instruction the week of Dec. 14 but because of...
Etna approves non-discrimination ordinance to protect from bias in housing, jobs
Just after being elected to Etna council in 2019, Jessica Semler introduced an anti-discrimination ordinance to support marginalized residents. “I ran for council as an openly queer woman because representation matters,” Semler said. The ordinance prohibits bias based on race, sexual orientation, family status, age and other identifiers. It follows...
Blawnox policeman receives ‘Top Gun’ award for DUI-related arrests
Blawnox police Officer Nickalas Hawk thwarted 28 people from driving drunk on borough roads in 2019. For his efforts, Hawk was honored with a “Top Gun” award from the Pennsylvania Driving Under the Influence Association. He is among 21 officers throughout the state to be lauded for their work to...
O’Hara to have special meeting to interview candidates for council vacancy; holiday food drive on tap
O’Hara council will have a special meeting Monday to interview candidates for the 3rd Ward vacancy. The township needs to appoint someone to serve the balance of Scott Frankowski’s term through 2021. Frankowski resigned from council in November after taking a job that prohibits him from serving in local politics....
Shaler Area, teacher’s union reach 1-year contract extension
Shaler Area teachers will see a 3.9% pay increase in the 2021-22 school year, according to a contract extension approved Dec. 2 by the school board. The teacher’s union and the board agreed to a one-year extension of their contract, which was set to expire on Aug. 15, 2021. Highlights...
Townhouse development proposed for former Bell Harbor Yacht Club site in O’Hara
Development at the former Bell Harbor Yacht Club site in O’Hara might move forward, more than 10 years after an original proposal to township council. Don Housley from River Road Development on Dec. 1 presented the Miramar Landing plan for 38 single-family townhouse units that would include parking, patios or...
Administrator of new Shaler Area parish urging members to ‘focus on the whole’
Recent parish mergers by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh can be likened to Jesus’ death and resurrection, according to the Rev. James Gretz, administrator of a new grouping in the Shaler area. “In this corner of the Kingdom, we travel that same path,” Gretz said. “There are things through which...
Shaler awarded $208,000 from ALCOSAN for sewer work along Saxonburg Boulevard
Shaler has been awarded nearly $208,000 from the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) for sewer work in the township. The money will help pay for the second phase of the township’s Saxonburg Boulevard sewer lining project, Engineer Matt Sebastian said. “It involves the lining of about 2,500 linear feet of...
Fox Chapel Area telethon includes virtual 5K to benefit Sharpsburg Community Library
A virtual 5K run/walk will step off this weekend to benefit the Sharpsburg Community Library. Hosted by the Fox Chapel Area community outreach club, the event is part of fundraising efforts for the annual high school telethon which, for the second year, will support the library along Main Street. Participants...
Friends recall Robert ‘Snakeguy’ Habegger as ally to environment, community
It was 2016 when Shaler resident Robert “Snakeguy” Habegger approached Sharpsburg Council seeking to adopt the James Sharp Landing by clearing used fishing line and hosting biannual cleanups. An ardent volunteer, Habegger was an environmental enthusiast who frequently enchanted youngsters at regional events with his 5-foot leucistic rat snake named...
Police: Men charged with child endangerment, possession of drug paraphernalia
Two men are in the Armstrong County Jail on Sunday after Kiski Township police charged them with child endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia, among other charges. Robert Wolfe, 39, of Arnold, and Kenneth George, 39, of Kiski Township, were arrested after police responded to a call for a reported...
Positive covid-19 case spurs remote learning for St. Louise de Marillac first-graders in Upper St. Clair
The first-grade classes at St. Louise de Marillac Catholic School in Upper St. Clair will move to a fully remote learning model after someone tested positive for covid-19, officials announced Saturday. The move affects the three classes that make up the first grade. Students will use a virtual instructional model...
40 Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese parishes to merge into 14
Forty parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh will merge into 14 new groupings in January, Bishop David Zubik announced Saturday. Changes will take place Jan. 4 and affect churches across the region, from Mt. Washington and Moon to South Hills and Shadyside. Zubik said it is a pivotal time...
Student news from Fox Chapel Area and Shady Side Academy
Free meals are available to all children ages 18 and younger during Fox Chapel Area School District’s fully online instructional period. Children are eligible for five free breakfasts and five free lunches per week, and meals will be distributed once a week. Meals can be collected at the back of...
The top stories from across the Lower Valley for the week of Nov. 22Video
Here are some of the top stories from across the Lower Valley for the week of Nov. 22: • O’Hara approves tentative budget with no tax increase O’Hara council will vote on a 2021 budget during its meeting on Dec. 8. The $13.9 million plan does not include a tax...
Food bags for Fox Chapel Area students available at municipal buildings
Organizers of Fox Chapel Area’s Backpack for Hunger are placing bags of food at municipal buildings across the Lower Valley because they are worried about children going hungry during the district’s online instructional period. “We are very concerned about children not having food when they are not in school,” said...
Shaler Assistant Superintendent named leader of state education group
Shaler Area Assistant Supertintendent Bryan O’Black has added a new title. He was named president-elect of the Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (PASCD), a professional organization committed to the improvement of instruction. “It truly is a honor to be elected,” O’Black said. “Our mission and purpose has never...
Forgery, DUI among cases handled in Sharpsburg court
Sharpsburg District Court Judge Robert Dzvonick handled these cases recently: • Isaac Mah, 19, of Fox Chapel waived to court charges of simple assault and harassment. Charges were filed Oct. 2 by Fox Chapel police. • Liam Reilly, 27, of Indiana Township waived to court charges of drunken driving. Charges...
O’Hara residents not likely to see property tax increase in 2021
O’Hara residents aren’t likely to see any property tax increase next year after council approved its tentative 2021 budget. The plan totals $13.9 million and maintains a tax rate of 2.1 mills. If approved, the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 will again pay $210. Council is expected to...
Forest Hills pre-kindergartner earns Shady Side Academy scholarship
A Forest Hills pre-kindergartner was awarded full tuition for his entire Shady Side Academy education, through his senior year. It is worth more than $300,000. Abram Amos-Abanyie was named the school’s newest EQT Scholar, providing a full-ride education at the school which was recently named the Best Private School in...
News briefs: Wreath sales, catered drive-thru dinner on tap
The Glenshaw Century Club will host a drive-thru catered dinner Dec. 4. Catered by Heavenly Cuisine, the event will be from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Glenshaw Valley Presbyterian Church, 1520 Butler Plank Road. The cost is $15 per meal. The menu includes glazed ham, macaroni and cheese, green...
News briefs: Drive-thru dinner fundraiser, business networking sessions on tap
The Glenshaw Century Club will host a drive-thru catered dinner Dec. 4. Catered by Heavenly Cuisine, the event will be 3 to 7 p.m. at the Glenshaw Valley Presbyterian Church, 1520 Butler Plank Road. The cost is $15 per meal. The menu includes glazed ham, macaroni and cheese, green beans,...
The top stories from The Herald area for the week of Nov. 15Video
Here are some of the top stories from across the Lower Valley from the week of Nov. 15: • Fox Chapel to remove squaw from borough place names Fox Chapel council voted to eliminate the word squaw from two borough roads and a trail, and also said it would reach...
Fox Chapel Area switching to virtual learning Nov. 23-Dec. 4
Fox Chapel Area students will switch to a remote learning model from Nov. 23 to Dec. 4 because of surging covid-19 cases in Allegheny County. Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac called it a difficult but necessary decision. “We want our children to remain in school, and the layered mitigation strategies in...
Gateway School District to go remote from Nov. 23-Dec. 4
Gateway School District students at all buildings will move to a remote learning model from Nov. 23 through Dec. 4 because of the region’s spike in covid-19 cases, officials announced this week. Superintendent William Short called the increase in confirmed illnesses “significant and alarming.” Specific information on virtual schedules will...
