Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 99
10-year-old Shaler student stops spotted lanternfly in its tracks
Ten-year-old Ludi Aguera didn’t realize the significance of the bug she squashed at the Shaler Area Elementary School track – she just thought it was a cool-looking moth. “I had no idea what it was,” said Ludi, who stumbled across a spotted lanternfly — an invasive insect with the potential...
Shady Side Academy students to livestream a production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Take a ride down the rabbit hole with Shady Side Academy students as they present “Alice In Wonderland – A Radio Play,” streamed live to accommodate covid-19 restrictions. “I have loved this story since I was a child and am grateful for an opportunity to perform,” said junior Ava Kronman,...
Polling places: Where to vote in the Fox Chapel area
Here’s a list of where you can vote Nov. 3 in each of the six municipalities in the Fox Chapel Area School District: • Aspinwall: Municipal building, 217 Commercial Ave.; Aspinwall Fire Hall, 2201 12th St.; and St. Scholastica Church, 300 Maple Ave. • Blawnox: Blawnox Fire Hall, 376 Freeport...
Shaler Area alum awarded STEM scholarship for junior, senior years at Saint Vincent College
Shaler Area graduate Grace Tavitas is blazing a trail for young female academics with a passion for science. The Saint Vincent College junior was named a Clare Boothe Luce scholar, earning full-ride tuition, room and board for her final two years of undergraduate studies. The Shaler resident is an engineering...
Sharpsburg street fair features costumes, crafts and community art
A Halloween-themed vendor fair in Sharpsburg brought out ghouls and witches but also offered visitors some candy-themed science experiments, fall crafts and the chance to participate in borough art installations. Shop Sharpsburg Street Fair on Oct. 24 was a way to show off the business corridor and engage the community....
Free covid-19 testing in Millvale, Penn Hills, Squirrel Hill
Free covid-19 tests will be offered in Millvale today through a mobile unit of the Squirrel Hill Health Center. Tests will be available from 9 a.m. to noon in the municipal building parking lot between Butler and Black streets. No doctor’s referral is necessary. Anyone that has symptoms is encouraged...
Fox Chapel will host private meeting with some residents to hear input on ‘Squaw’
Residents of Squaw Run Road and Squaw Run Road East in Fox Chapel will get a final chance to provide input on their road names — and whether the word Squaw is removed — during a private meeting Nov. 9. Council will host a closed meeting with residents to hear...
Sharpsburg’s $3.5 million Ravine Street sewer project on hold
A stormwater project expected to help alleviate flooding near Ravine Street in Sharpsburg is on hold. Work was scheduled to begin in November but PennDOT Spokesman Steve Cowan said bids for the proposed $3.5 million project came in higher than expected. “We are looking at what options are available to...
News briefs: Trunk-or-treat, cooking class for kids on tap
Salem United Methodist Church invites you to trunk-or-treat from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 31. Come in costume to get a head start on your Halloween fun in the safety of the church’s parking lot, 350 Manor Road, Wexford. For more information, email CommunityLife@Salem-umc.org. Hillman Performing Arts Series lineup...
News briefs: Boo Bash, Hillman Performing Arts Series on tap
Fox Chapel Area High School students are sponsoring a Boo Bash Drive-Thru on Oct. 29. It is free to children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and is sponsored by the high school student government, National Honor Society, the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and the community outreach committee. High...
O’Hara manufacturer named Small Business Administration Exporter of the Year
A third-generation O’Hara manufacturer was named the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Western Pennsylvania Exporter of the Year. Sauereisen, Inc., along Gamma Drive in RIDC Park, is a locally owned coating company that, since 1899, has produced corrosion-resistant materials commonly used in household appliances. “We’re not a commodity material provider but...
Fox Chapel’s Hardie Valley Park open to the public
Fox Chapel officials hosted a private opening ceremony Oct. 17 to usher in its newest amenity, Hardie Valley Park. The 17-acre parcel off Old Mill Road is now open to the public, largely for passive recreation such as walking or bird watching. The park opening included members of the land’s...
Aspinwall seeking volunteers for Green Streets cleanup
Aspinwall’s yearly street cleanup is moving forward, though participants will have to register for a specific area to handle this year. “Green Streets” will be Oct. 23-25. A borough tradition, the cleanup typically sees crowds of people canvassing roads, walkways and green spaces to collect litter. In past years, there...
Shaler Area students digging in to high school’s new sustainability class
Through tree-planting, trash pickup and much more, students in Shaler Area’s fledgling sustainability class are putting their newly learned skills to good use in their own neighborhood. Classes are supporting the preservation of Girty’s Woods, a 155-acre parcel in Reserve, Millvale and Shaler that is slated for permanent green space...
Portion of Kittanning Street in Etna to close for a month
A stormwater project off Kittanning Street in Etna will close a portion of the road for about a month. Work is expected to begin Oct. 26 and will target the section between Sharps Hill Road and Route 8, where recent paving was diverting stormwater and causing the road to deteriorate....
Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church hosting expanded Harvest Fair by appointment
Organizers of the Harvest Fair at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church have reinvented the fundraiser to fit covid-19 restrictions and still help meet what they call an overwhelming need in the community. “We have been limited about what we could do but we felt very strongly that there were huge needs...
At Oakmont Bakery, the presidential ‘cookie poll’ tradition continues (just for fun)
In what might be the most appetizing part of the 2020 presidential election, Oakmont Bakery is producing patriotic cookies emblazoned with portraits of candidates Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. A dozen runs $24. The sugar cookies are iced with an image of either Biden surrounded by blue stars or...
Sharpsburg-Aspinwall Rotary donates food, freezer to YEP of Sharpsburg
A donation from the Sharpsburg-Aspinwall Rotary will help sustain a local group that has served more than 11,000 meals to children since the covid-19 pandemic began in spring. Members spent $800 to buy a freezer, several slow cookers and loads of shelf-stable food for the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) of...
News briefs: Drive-thru dinner fundraiser, holiday craft fair, library activities on tap
Shaler Garden Club will host a drive-thru dinner fundraiser from 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23. Catered by Heavenly Cuisine, the menu includes marinated grilled chicken breast, double-baked potato casserole, stewed green beans, tossed green salad, assorted rolls and dessert. The cost is $15. Order by calling 412-720-4255 or emailing...
Top stories from around the Lower Valley for the week of Oct. 12Video
Here are some of the top stories from around the Lower Valley this week: • Fox Chapel Area elementary students will return to class on Nov. 5 Fox Chapel Area School Board approved a move to send elementary students back to five-day, in-person instruction, beginning Nov. 5. Middle school and...
Women’s Board of Pittsburgh reveals 2 beneficiaries of annual fundraiser
The Women’s Board of Pittsburgh will remotely host its largest annual fundraiser while upping the ante and announcing two beneficiaries of the January event. “While our fundraising efforts will depart from brick-and-mortar events of the past, we are discovering creative and exciting ways to involve guests in this year’s special...
Fox Chapel Area students bring ‘Lost in Yonkers’ to outdoor stage
They’ve rehearsed by Zoom and won’t be performing on a traditional stage, but Fox Chapel Area theater students are eager to bring the high school’s fall production to life. “It’s very uplifting to see how, despite everything that has happened (with covid-19), we can still have some normalcy during a...
Restaurant, bakery expected to open in O’Hara’s RIDC Park in early 2021
A new restaurant and bakery is expected to open in the former Max & Erma’s in RIDC Park in early 2021. Periwinkle’s, an American-style eatery with burgers, soups and salads, will open at 900 Gamma Drive, O’Hara, just off the Allegheny Valley Expressway. The building and its 2.8-acre parcel were...
Fox Chapel Baseball Softball Association lands $200,000 state grant for field upgrades
Summer 2021 will bring renewed enthusiasm to the phrase ‘Play Ball’ for Fox Chapel Area School District youth who compete at Emmerling Park in Indiana Township. Fox Chapel Area Baseball Softball Association (FCBSA) was awarded $200,000 from a state gaming grant to upgrade two fields at the park off Route...
Aspinwall will see 26 trees planted, many along Center and Western avenues
Aspinwall will be home to more than two dozen new trees this fall, thanks to a grant from the nonprofit TreeVitalize. Alicia Wehrle, community forestry project coordinator, said 26 trees will be planted. Half will go into the ground Oct. 22 along Western Avenue and First Street. The balance will...
