Fox Chapel Herald category, Page 172
O’Hara family’s Easter rooted in tradition
Sue and Jim Smerdell of O’Hara started planning their Easter work at Christmastime. Carrying on a tradition from Sue Smerdell’s Hungarian and Polish families, they gather to make horseradish for the spring season. Family and friends turned out at their Collinwood Drive home on March 30. They were drawn from...
Fox Chapel Area junior among 2 in world to earn perfect score on AP exam
A local student is one of only two across the globe to earn a perfect score on the Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics Exam. Fox Chapel Area High School junior Rajeev Godse received a top score of 5 — exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5 — and...
Photo Gallery: Blawnox Easter egg hunt
Blawnox Community Park was the scene of Easter-themed festivities on April 6. Borough churches hosted a holiday party for children and adults at the park on Center Avenue. The event was hosted by St. Pio Parish, Hoboken Presbyterian Church and I Heart Blawnox. It included games, face-painting, cookie-decorating and, of...
St. Margaret Foundation provides sleep chairs for patients’ families
Families who have to spend the night at UPMC St. Margaret can rest a little more comfortably, thanks to reclining sleep chairs that can be moved into patient rooms. St. Margaret Foundation paid for 16 new chairs, with President Mary Lee Gannon saying the move is meant to make hospital...
Video: the week’s top stories
Here are some of the news highlights from around the Lower Valley for the week of April 1: • Fox Chapel commits $1.3 million to road projects. • Fox Chapel Area School Board approves 2019-20 calendar. • Aspinwall, Blawnox seek volunteers for borough clean-ups • Alta Via in O’Hara among...
‘Fox Chapel’s Got Talent’ to showcase music, magic, poetry
Howie Mandel might want to catch this lineup. Fox Chapel Area High School students will sing, recite poetry and perform magic during “Fox Chapel’s Got Talent,” a competition following the format of its reality TV series counterpart. Students have the chance to walk away with a top prize of $300....
Aspinwall, Blawnox to host Earth Day cleanups
Lower Valley municipalities will mark Earth Day with a slew of cleanup opportunities. In Blawnox, volunteers can meet at 9 a.m. April 27 at the community park along Center Avenue. Secretary Kathy Ulanowicz said efforts will focus on sprucing up the park in time for milder temperatures. The park, she...
Free paper shredding event scheduled in O’Hara
Lower Valley residents can take advantage of a free Shred-it event on April 13. Hosted by Guardian Storage in O’Hara, the event is aimed at helping residents protect themselves from identity theft. It will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the facility at 1390 Old Freeport Road. People can...
Fox Chapel municipal trash bins closing for 4 months
Trash bins at the Fox Chapel municipal building will be unavailable for use for the next four months during site prep for the new public works facilities. The dumpsters are provided by the borough for residents to discard bulk items such as furniture and small appliances. Borough officials said residents...
O’Hara woman’s bereavement doulas group supports families experiencing loss
Nearly two decades after founding the Pittsburgh Doula Network, O’Hara resident Heather Bradley is fostering a similar network for families who need a different type of compassion. She launched Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas in 2018 as a group devoted to perinatal loss support for families who lose an infant at birth....
Fox Chapel commits $1.3 million to road projects
Nearly a dozen roads in Fox Chapel are scheduled to be resurfaced this summer. Fox Chapel council last week awarded more than $1.3 million in paving projects, including The Oaks and Hunt Road. The following roads are expected to have drainage and catch basins installed, followed by milling and paving:...
Fox Chapel Area student earns spot at international science fair
Fox Chapel Area’s Sanjay Seshan is among four students chosen to represent the region at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in Phoenix. Seshan competed for the honor with more than 1,000 other young scientists at the Carnegie Science Center’s 80th annual Covestro Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair....
Photo Gallery: Art Explorations at Cooper-Siegel Community Library
Young art students attended a three-part series, “Art Explorations,” at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel and learned a variety of styles with Alison Babusci, STEAM program coordinator and instructor. The courses involved 3D art, textile art and 2D art and taught students about color and patterns. The projects are...
Fox Chapel Area School Board approves 2019-20 calendar
Fox Chapel Area students will begin the 2019-20 school year on Aug. 22. School board members approved the new calendar, building 182 days into the school year. Students will have eight days off for winter break, from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2; an early dismissal on April 3 will lead...
Lower Valley egg hunts feature Easter Bunny, crafts, candy
Lower Valley residents can hop into Easter fun with three local egg hunts. • Blawnox Community Park along Center Avenue will transform its lawn into a festival on April 6. An Easter egg hunt will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., along with games, face painting and cookie...
O’Hara approves nearly $1.1 million in 2019 paving projects
O’Hara residents are expected to see nearly $1.1 million in road paving projects this summer. Council on March 11 approved a list of projects to be targeted in the road improvement campaign, including several in RIDC Park. Youngblood Paving was awarded the contract. The list of roads to be milled...
Blawnox firefighters gearing up for Good Friday fish fry
Blawnox Volunteer Fire Company will host its annual fish fry on Good Friday, April 19. A full menu of items includes fish dinners, sandwiches, coleslaw, french fries and mac and cheese. Fryers will be turning out hundreds of fillets from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Blawnox fire hall...
Video: Top stories for the week of March 25Video
Here are some of the news highlights from around the Lower Valley for the week of March 25: • Fox Chapel Area’s school year extended 2 days • Delay through fall on Cove Run Road in Indiana Township • Fox Chapel Area opens registration for competitive Spanish Immersion program •...
Royal tea will benefit addiction recovery programs at St. Juan Diego Parish
Aspiring princesses can attend a royal high tea, complete with Cinderella’s carriage and perhaps even glass slippers. Sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, the event will be from 12:30 to 3 p.m. May 4 at St. Pamphilus Church Hall in Beechview. Guests are encouraged to dress like a royal, whether...
Squaw Run Garden Club schedules sale May 4
Garden enthusiasts will likely want to circle May 4 on their calendars. It’s the date of Squaw Run Garden Club’s annual plant and flower sale, where members will present tables of colorful perennials, herbs and vegetables. The sale will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Squaw Valley Park in...
Traffic delays expected through fall on Indiana Township road
Motorists who travel through Indiana Township can expect delays beginning Monday. Bridge rehab work along Cove Run will cause single-lane alternating traffic through November, PennDOT announced. Work is expected to cost $1.8 million. It includes deck replacement, painting, substructure repair and approach work on the span that crosses Deer Creek...
Snow make-ups add 2 days to Fox Chapel Area school year
The school year just got a little longer for Fox Chapel Area School District students. School board members approved tacking on two days of classes for students in kindergarten through 11th grade. The last day of school will be Tuesday, June 11. Classes were to end on Friday, June 7,...
O’Hara residents are asked to follow rules for leaf collection
O’Hara’s spring leaf collection starts Monday. Residents can track pick-ups on the township website to see which streets are being targeted each day. The east and west sides of the township have been divided into zones and the public works crew will follow a set route which will be highlighted...
Indiana Township gym owner working to build wellness
Tribe 412 Fitness owner Rory Lazear is lending a hand to make sure the Spin Your Wheels fundraiser in Aspinwall has its namesake activity. She plans to transport 14 stationary spinning bikes from her Fox Chapel Road gym to Aspinwall’s riverside on April 6. Lazear has been on board with...
Sign-ups open April 1 for competitive Spanish Immersion pilot program
Fox Chapel Area will open registrations on April 1 for the district’s new Spanish Immersion pilot program where at least 80 percent of instruction will be delivered in the foreign language. It will be limited to one class of 25 students — 2019-20 first-graders — pulled from all four of...
