Fox Chapel Herald category, Page 14
New Shady Side Academy coach favors grit over glamour
Spending time on campus during the first few weeks of football camp has given Shady Side Academy football coach Andrew Geisler the feeling he is where he needs to be. The former Bulldogs captain was hired in January to take over the program after a tumultuous season last year. Shady...
Indiana Township appoints new police chief, announces new 4-year police contract
This month marks the end of an era in Indiana Township law enforcement and the start of a new one. Police Chief Steven Colucci is retiring after 29 years in the township force. Supervisors on Aug. 13 unanimously passed a resolution honoring Colucci for his service. Colucci is also expected...
Fox Chapel Area School District officials and staff prepare for 2025-26 school year
Fox Chapel Area School District officials and staff are eager to welcome students for the 2025-26 school year. The first day of school is Aug. 21. Officials said there are about 355 teachers ready to educate about 4,330 students, an increase of 52 students from last school year’s 4,278 enrollment....
Aspinwall’s Big Night Out not a small feat
What appeared to be little light blue clouds covering part of Aspinwall’s recreation site along Field Avenue were just bundles of a sweet treat. Cotton candy was cranked out nonstop for several hours as about 1,000 people took to the ball fields for Aspinwall’s Big Night out celebration on Aug....
In brief: Aspinwall History Walking Tour, Summer Sizzler and more
Aspinwall History Walking Tour Learn about the historic architecture, founding families and history of how Aspinwall developed — including two secret gardens — on Aug. 17 and 24 and Sept. 7 and 14 during the Aspinwall History Walking Tour. Meet at Aspinwall’s Beans ’n’ Cream at 16 Brilliant Ave. at...
O’Hara resident has opened her home to 9 international students, seeks families to do the same
Carol Huff feels like she has seen far-flung parts of the world without ever leaving her O’Hara home. An AFS-USA volunteer, Huff has hosted international students for the past 25 years, including those from Germany, Iceland, Italy, Kuwait and Pakistan. “I’ve learned so much as a person from my students,”...
Great Heinz Caper returns for 3rd year with ‘Ghostbusters’-themed fundraiser
Who you gonna call? A ghost is haunting the streets of Sharpsburg, just in time for the third annual Great Heinz Caper. The live-action community scavenger hunt invites people to canvas the borough, from the James Sharp Landing to the property where the iconic Heinz condiment company was born in...
Defense holds key to improved results for Fox Chapel
Fox Chapel coach Dave Leasure is clear about what it will take for the Foxes to continue their progression as a program. If Fox Chapel wants to challenge for a WPIAL Class 5A playoff spot out of the Northeast Conference, they will have to be better defensively. “Fox Chapel has...
Summer vehicle break-ins have police urging caution
A wave of summer car break-ins has police across the region urging caution — and locked vehicles. At least seven communities have reported multiple car break-ins since May, most involving unlocked cars or trucks. “It’s sporadic and its random. Throughout the years, we have upticks, then it goes away, then...
Sharpsburg Community Garden invites public to enjoy harvest at annual party
The harvest is happening at the Sharpsburg Community Garden and members want to share it. An annual garden party, free to the community, will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 16 with revelers mingling among the crops and the adjacent Sharpsburg Community Library along Main Street. “Gardeners...
Indiana Township resident is self-professed ‘doer’
Heather Starr Fiedler knows how to make things happen. The Indiana Township resident created The Happy Hour Book Club, Play It Forward Pittsburgh Toy Drive and the Hartwood Elementary Running Club. “I’m a starter and I say ‘no complaints without proposals,’ and if it doesn’t exist and I want it...
Fox Chapel area real estate transactions for the week of Aug. 10, 2025
Aspinwall Jeffrey Witte sold property at 112 Ninth St. to Eric Lewis and Allison Haley for $525,000. Etna Autumn Sun Develop Co. Inc. sold property at 345-347 Butler St. to David Viszlay trustee for $134,138. Nathan Mirizio sold property at 9 Geneva St. to Amy Beth Sutch for $260,000. Donald...
Verona to host its likely last pro wrestling fundraising event
Verona officials are hoping to pack Cribbs Field with hundreds of people for what may be the final pro wrestling event in “the spot that’s more than a dot.” Battle in the Borough 7 on Saturday, Aug. 16, is the next event on the farewell tour of Keystone State Wrestling...
Shady Side Academy girls basketball star Karis Thomas makes Division I college choice
Karis Thomas wanted to play college basketball somewhere she could be comfortable. When looking at schools, the Shady Side Academy girls basketball senior guard was searching for a place where they took care of each other. Thomas found what she was looking for when she recently committed to Division I...
Fox Chapel grads opening for Smash Mouth at Hartwood AcresVideo
Cal Tucker and Michael Monahan of IMY2 (an abbreviation for “I miss you, too”) won’t have to miss their hometown when they return for an Aug. 17 Hartwood Acres show. The trio of musicians — third member Annalise Mahanes is from Richmond, Va. — will open for Smash Mouth at...
Oh, snap! Youngster reels in a turtle on latest fishing excursion to O’Hara park
Samuel Crosby, 11, of Sharpsburg loves to fish in O’Hara Township Community Park. “I fish for anything,” the Dorseyville Middle School student said as he reeled in a not-too-happy-to-be-caught snapping turtle during a fishing excursion with his grandmother on Aug. 4. Samuel used bread as bait and released the snapping...
Preserving historic brick streets ongoing endeavor for Aspinwall borough employees
The historic borough of Aspinwall has what most Pittsburgh-area towns do not: original brick streets and alleys dating back to the late 1800s. They’re just one of the many charming elements of Aspinwall, founded in 1892, but keeping brick roads originally designed for horse and buggy wagons updated to accommodate...
O’Hara police investigating ‘illegal vehicle entries’
O’Hara police are asking for the public’s help as they investigate a “series of illegal vehicle entries” into unlocked vehicles in the township. O’Hara Police Superintendent Jay Davis said that at least 10 vehicles were entered on the west side of the township. The vehicles were targeted between Monday and...
In brief: Aspinwall Big Night Out, road closure and more
Big Night Out The return of Aspinwall’s Big Night Out is Aug. 7 from 6-9 p.m. at the Aspinwall Recreational Fields on Field Avenue. This free, family-friendly event is the borough’s largest annual community celebration and promises an evening filled with fun, food, and community spirit for all ages. Whether...
Fox Chapel ready to move into next tier in Class 5A
Dave Leasure knows starting sophomores typically means grim things for a football program. But the Fox Chapel coach didn’t have many options when it came to playing young players last season. The Foxes had 15 players go out in three weeks with injuries. Fox Chapel had to improvise, which meant...
Fox Chapel Area student achievements for the week of Aug. 5, 2025
Fox Chapel Area High School rising junior Victoria Pfendler has been honored by the United Nations Association of the USA and InnerView Technologies as part of the 2024-2025 National Community Service Awards. The program is open to students across the nation and is designed to connect student community service activities,...
Sharpsburg volunteer dedicated to helping other seniors
Debbie Bobeck was a 35-year-old physical education teacher busy planning her wedding when a brain tumor diagnosis turned her life upside down in 1985. She had suffered from headaches and sought medical attention. “I had seen doctors, but they told me to get new glasses or it was stress from...
O’Hara area real estate transactions for the week of Aug. 3, 2025
Etna Double Action Investments LLC sold property at 106 Grant Ave. to Hunter Ray Rogers and Austin Marie Swallow for $150,000. Aranel Diaz Perez sold property at 141 Grant Ave. to 80 Summit LLC for $37,500. Matthew Parish St. sold property at Wilson St. to Etna Borough for $45,000. Fox...
Fox Chapel’s Elias George sharpens skills with Swedish 18U baseball team
Elias George enjoyed making an annual summer trip with his family to visit his mom, Eva’s native Sweden. But when he turned 10, Elias started to ask a few practical questions. The now-Fox Chapel junior wanted to make sure his baseball skills stayed sharp. He wasn’t sure Sweden had baseball...
Deluzio demands answers on VA town hall cancellations
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio is investigating whether the Trump administration axed a regional town hall tour for veterans to obscure the impact of staff cuts on their health care. In a letter sent Thursday to Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, Deluzio demanded answers as to who called off the events...
