Hampton Journal category, Page 33
Hampton’s Vitaliy Pikalo ascends to No. 1 singles spot
In tennis, “love” is another word for zero. But for Hampton’s No. 1 singles player, adoration for his newfound sport has added up to a lot. Junior Vitaliy Pikalo, a lifelong swimmer who started playing tennis only two years ago, has used his devotion to the courts to claim the...
Hampton softball off to powerful start
The Hampton softball team opened the 2023 season with a bizarre at-bat the Talbots won’t soon forget. Junior leadoff hitter Charlotte Lomb smashed a deep first-inning drive at Fox Chapel on March 20 that was called a ground-rule double. But umpires eventually ruled the ball cleared the fence, giving Lomb...
‘It’s A Wonderful World!’ at Hampton library storytime
The theme of Hampton Community Library’s “It’s A Wonderful World!” storytime applies to more than just the children. Parents and other caregivers — grandparents, too! — can bring the little ones on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and stay for as long as what fits well into their schedules. The program...
Talbot tradition: Hampton’s Thon has $40,000 fundraising goal for Children’s Hospital foundation
In addition to raising money to fight pediatric cancer, students and community members can enjoy a dodgeball tournament, pie-eating contest, face painting and more at the Talbot Thon fundraiser on March 31 at Hampton High School. The school’s student council is partnering with Pitt Dance Marathon to raise money for...
‘Mullet on the Move’: Radio host brings hair style to Hampton, emulating country music star Morgan Wallen
Welcome the return of the mullet. Three decades after hockey legend Jaromir Jagr helped propel the hair style’s popularity in Pittsburgh, Cadillac Jack is bringing it back. Jack, the alter ego of WDSY-FM morning show host Tom Kapasis, launched a “Mullet on the Move” campaign in advance of Morgan Wallen’s...
Hampton area happenings, week of March 20, 2023
‘Egg My Yard’ The second annual “Egg My Yard” fundraiser for Hampton boys lacrosse is scheduled for April. Team members will hide candy-filled eggs in front yards, along with letters from the Easter Bunny to be posted on front doors for Eastern morning. Order by April 3 for delivery (Hampton...
North Hills area real estate transactions, week of March 19, 2023
Bellevue Denise Estep sold property at 33 Greenough Ave. to Isolution Space LLC for $65,000. Adam Charles Blind sold property at 49-51 S Balph Ave. to Roman Empire Holdings LLC for $335,000. Bradford Woods Tulika Ranjan sold property at 100 Burry Road to Claye and Nichol Greene for $1,170,000. Franklin...
‘Special group’ propels Hampton to memorable season
The motto for the Hampton boys basketball team this season was “to live in the moment.” The Talbots did just that, and it turned out the moments were many. “It was a great year,” coach Joe Lafko said. “We accomplished a lot. … I’m just so proud of the way...
Ace lefty Ryan Apaliski leads young pitching staff for Hampton baseball
The Hampton baseball team is hoping one ace and a bunch of wild cards can turn into a winning hand. The Talbots return senior Ryan Apaliski, a James Madison recruit, but are left with question marks on the mound behind their star southpaw. “We don’t have any of the experience...
Annual trout stocking along Pine Creek a sure sign spring is in sight
With temperatures dipping into the 20s and wind gusts sending snow swirling in the air, it’s a little hard to imagine a lazy day along the banks of a bubbling stream waiting for the fish to bite. But on March 14, more than a dozen volunteers joined members of the...
Improvements to facilities planned by Hampton Township School District
Before his scheduled April 3 retirement, Rick Farino addressed Hampton School Board for a final time as the district’s supervisor of buildings and grounds. “My 263rd board meeting,” he said on March 13, prior to giving a presentation about the five-year facilities improvement budget for the district. The budget covers...
Despite defensive shadow, Rodney Gallagher leads Laurel Highlands into PIAA quarterfinals
Laurel Highlands coach Rick Hauger’s practices can include some junk defenses, maybe a diamond-and-one or triangle-and-two, but the Mustangs don’t use them in games. Instead, he wants his offense to solve them. Rodney Gallagher faced one of those combination schemes Tuesday night and still scored a game-high 28 points as...
Hampton students honored for outstanding artwork
For the 100th anniversary of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, Hampton High School made an impressive showing. Eleven students were honored during the March 13 school board meeting for earning awards in the Pittsburgh region of the presenting organization, the New York City-based Alliance for Young Artists and Writers....
Hampton area happenings, week of March 13, 2023
Wildwood Road closed until November PennDOT has closed Wildwood Road between West Hardies and Hardt roads in Hampton for a project to replace the Wildwood Road Bridge superstructure. The closure is expected to take approximately 247 days, with the bridge projected to reopen early November. The designated detour is Hardt...
North Hills area real estate transactions, week of March 12, 2023
Bellevue US Bank Trust NA trustee sold property at 466 Dawson Ave. to Cameron Guy Konieczny for $94,501. Daniel Turkovich sold property at 503 Highland Pl to Brett Wagner and Angela Semple for $197,400. Roy Peterson Jr. sold property at 20 Rheams Ave. to Jacob Dubois for $132,916. Lori Johnston...
Aquinas Academy in Hampton wins arts education award
Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh received the Rob Zellers Award for Excellence in Arts Education from the Pittsburgh Public Theater during its Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Competition’s Showcase of Finalists in February. Mike Flynn, Aquinas Academy’s theater director and a teacher at the school in Hampton, gave the acceptance speech noting...
Hampton junior Meghan Murray eclipses milestone but Talbots fall short of PIAA playoffs
Bored, restless and stuck at home during the lockdown three years ago, then-Hampton eighth grader Meghan Murray grabbed a notebook and jotted down five goals for high school basketball. “One of them was ‘Get 1,000 points by junior year,’ ” she said. Check. Murray reached her goal on a free...
Hampton freshman Gabriella Elk thriving at diving
When Hampton freshman Gabriella Elk made the transition from gymnastics to diving, one part of the switch proved to be tricky. “I was never used to landing on my head,” she said. “That took some getting used to.” Elk has landed among the best young divers in Hampton history. Despite...
Community Clean-Up Day coming to Hampton
Spring training may not generate a lot of excitement around Pittsburgh anymore, given the sorry state of baseball’s Pirates. As an alternative, consider channeling that enthusiasm into spring cleaning. Seriously, inconsiderate types seem to thrive on spending their winters dumping everything from sandwich wrappers to cigarette butts in places that...
Bids for Hampton trail project exceed estimate
As seems to happen frequently in most aspects of life these days, Hampton officials experienced sticker shock when they opened bids for the second and final phase of a trail project. The lowest of four bids for completing construction at Hampton Community Park came in at $655,000, well above the...
An enchanted evening fundraiser at Northland Public Library scheduled for April 22
Tickets are on sale for the Northland Public Library’s 2023 Garden Gala: An Enchanted Evening, to be held April 22, from 7:30-10 p.m. at the library on 300 Cumberland Road in McCandless. This year’s gala will embrace a new Enchanted Evening theme, said Alexis McKinley, director of the Northland Public...
Hampton freshman makes name for himself in WPIAL wrestling postseason
Hampton freshman Dustin Kerr proved a wrist fracture and a sore elbow couldn’t prevent him from climbing a podium. The 15-year-old 127-pounder, who missed a total of six weeks this season with lingering injuries, placed second at sectionals in mid-February and fifth at the WPIAL Class 2A wrestling championships Feb....
Hampton’s Benny Haselrig fulfills Division I dream with decision to walk on at Pitt
Hampton senior Benny Haselrig agonized a bit during the recruiting process. Should he walk on at a big-time Division I football program or take a full ride to a smaller Division II school? In the end, Benny bet on himself. The three-time all-Greater Allegheny Conference first-team wide receiver committed to...
North Hills area real estate transactions, week of March 5, 2023
Bellevue Joseph Stanley DeWitt sold property at 528 Division Ave. to Keith and Melissa Mihelcic for $210,000. Joseph Winghart sold property at 118 N Jackson Ave. to Kiran Markenday and Tarun Sonkhya for $155,000. Estate of John Czajkowski sold property at 119 S Harrison Ave. to Rosemary Rojas for $188,000....
Penn-Trafford girls edge Hampton, earn spot in state tournament
Penn-Trafford has a year-end girls basketball banquet coming up, but coaches, players and their families won’t be talking about what might have been. No, a new topic has suddenly entered the chat with this team: state playoffs. The Warriors were not ready to surrender their season yet as they held...
