Penn-Trafford Star category, Page 24
Penn Township holiday project enters 8th year supporting Western Pa. homeless shelters
The best part of Kellie Haldie’s Christmas is delivering gifts, clothes and personal care items to people living in local homeless shelters. About 35 volunteers join Haldie in the annual giving project, Blessing Our Sheltered Hearts, which started in 2016. This year, volunteers supported three shelters and about 150 families...
Penn-Trafford girls ready to face injury challenge head on
Penn-Trafford girls basketball coach John Giannikas is somewhere near the corner of thrilled and concerned. His team is 7-1 and takes a six-game winning streak into the new year. But the Warriors will march ahead without one of their top players. Sophomore guard Torrie DeStefano, who has emerged as a...
About 500 Penn Township residents will have new voting ward in 2024
New boundaries for Penn Township’s five voting wards are set to go into effect Jan. 1. Judge Harry Smail on Thursday approved an order authorizing the Westmoreland County Elections Bureau to revise and alter the voting districts after a months long process to redraw the boundaries. His ruling came at...
Quartet of WPIAL players selected to all-state field hockey teams
The Pennsylvania High School Field Hockey Coaches Association recently released its 2023 all-state teams, and while a majority of the players recognized are from the eastern side of the state, four from the WPIAL were honored with spots on the lists for both Class 2A and Class 3A. Penn-Trafford senior...
‘It’s not just a class thing’: Penn-Trafford adds hour to annual telethon, aims for $55,000 total
When Penn-Trafford High School’s video production class hosted its first telethon benefiting Make-A-Wish in 2017, the live production was 3 1⁄2 hours long. With about five hours of content planned for Thursday’s broadcast, the students and their teacher, Steve Vinton, have to piece together each minute. “We’re getting to the...
East suburban real estate transactions, week of Dec. 21, 2023
Chalfant AYT Assets LLC sold property at 236 Highland Ave. to Lucia Alexandra Giamanco for $95,000. Edgewood Richard Bereznak sold property at 109 Harlow St. to Leah Valtin Erwin and Forrest James Jackson for $308,000. Forest Hills Kathleen Kyle sold property at 135 Avenue L to Angie Jolicoeur for $160,500....
Penn, Trafford middle school swimmers see success in 2nd season
The Penn-Trafford Middle school girls swim team capped off an undefeated season with a first place victory at the county championship meet. Girls and boys from Penn and Trafford middle schools formed a swim team last fall through fundraising by the Penn-Trafford Aqua Club, a competitive swim team organized by...
Veteran GOP lawmaker from Penn Township says he won’t run again for state House
George Dunbar’s upcoming 14th year representing residents of Westmoreland County’s 56th District in the state House will be his last. A Penn Township resident who has served as the Republican caucus chair since 2021, Dunbar announced Monday he doesn’t intend to seek an eighth two-year term in the House. “It’s...
East suburban real estate, week of Dec. 10. 2023
Churchill Estate of John Patterson sold property at 2525 Greensburg Pike Unit 102 to Antonette Fairbanks and Miroya Monsour for $190,000. Tarek Abulleil sold property at 3306 Scathelocke Road to Gerald Daniel and Janet Bednarz for $329,000. Lori Jean Putnam trustee sold property at 1625 Williamsburg Pl to Natural Home...
Penn Township artist decorates yard with concrete sculptures
Drivers on Sleepy Hollow Road in Penn Township often slow to a stop when they see the concrete sculptures in Mark Milliron’s front yard. Milliron, who has lived on the road for nearly 40 years, has come to expect questions and curiosity about the human-like figures, especially when he is...
Trafford man charged in fight, stabbing in front of his home
A man was hospitalized for treatment of a stab wound Thursday night after a fight on South Seventh Street in Trafford, according to police. Anthony Michael Salvadore, 48, of Trafford, was denied bond on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and related offenses in connection with the stabbing. Borough police...
Penn-Trafford girls roll over Hempfield
Baseline to baseline, Penn-Trafford found a winning mix. Hassling team defense created mistakes and sound movement on the offensive end produced assists as the girls basketball team rolled past Hempfield, 66-41, in their nonsection home opener Thursday night. “A lot of people were creating for us tonight,” said Penn-Trafford sophomore...
Bigger, stronger Norwin girls outmuscle Penn-Trafford for nonsection win
Norwin’s girls looked taller and stronger when they took the court against rival Penn-Trafford. A coach joked that someone stretched the players out in the offseason. No, it’s just a reflection of intense conditioning and the returning WPIAL and PIAA semifinalists getting into game shape. Norwin, the No. 2-ranked team...
Jim Schall steps down as girls volleyball coach at Penn-Trafford
There will be a new person coaching the Penn-Trafford girls volleyball team next year. Longtime coach Jim Schall said he felt it was time to step away. It will allow him to spend more time with his family (wife Nancy and children Patrick and Kate) and focus more on the...
East suburban real estate transactions, week of Dec. 7, 2023
Edgewood Joshua Sayre sold property at 420 W Swissvale Ave. to Donald Page for $355,000. Forest Hills Megan Oravec sold property at 623 Cascade Road to Rachel Ally Beck for $270,525. Ranjeet Kalsi sold property at 101 Fall Run Road to Claire Berkley for $256,000. Estate of Cheryl Forcucci sold...
Jim Schall steps down as girls volleyball coach at Penn-Trafford
There will be a new person coaching the Penn-Trafford girls volleyball team next year. Longtime coach Jim Schall said he felt it was time to step away. It will allow him to spend more time with his family (wife Nancy and children Patrick and Kate) and focus more on the...
Greensburg Central Catholic boys outlast Penn-Trafford in 2OT for win in opener
While he was far from overweight, Franco Alvarez worked on slimming down in the offseason so he could be faster on the basketball court. Looking fit and trim, the 6-foot-5 senior forward from Greensburg Central Catholic helped his team melt off a fourth-quarter deficit and get past Penn-Trafford, 72-63, in...
Westmoreland Blue Knights chapter collects toys for foster children, families
On Dec. 17, tables along the walls of the Youngwood Fire Hall will be filled with toys that will be gifts for foster children. Law enforcement officers from Westmoreland and Fayette counties are gearing up for their fifth annual toy drive for foster families. The amount of support the initiative...
East suburban real estate transactions, week of Nov. 26, 2023
Edgewood Mary Przybysz sold property at 1029 Savannah Ave. to Peter and Laurine Weisskopf for $601,000. Forest Hills Richard Kotler sold property at 10 Bevington Road to Anna Marie Lawn for $300,000. Monroeville Bryan Shirtliff sold property at 136 Armour Drive to Terry and Junnie Mendelowski for $425,000. Pamela Ann...
Grizzly bear mother, cubs is highlight of Penn Township man’s trek out West
(Editor’s Note: Penn Township resident Robert Szypulski and his son, Scott Szypulski, of Oakland, share their latest trips to the western United States. They are regular visitors to our nation’s national parks.) Autumn is a perfect time to hike or drive through western mountains and national parks. Cooler temps and...
Penn-Trafford girls hungry for more playoff success
The Penn-Trafford girls basketball team made a run in the 2023 WPIAL and PIAA postseason. That run has veteran coach John Giannikas looking forward to the season. The Warriors placed seventh in the WPIAL and advanced to the PIAA quarterfinals following an exciting first-round win at PIAA District 3 champion...
Penn-Trafford boys look to build off late-season success
A late-season surge, which included close wins against McKeesport and Latrobe, has Penn-Trafford boys basketball coach Doug Kelly excited about the upcoming season. The Warriors won four of their five Section 3-5A games to end last season and were able to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs. Penn-Trafford played well in...
Penn Township approves preliminary land development plan for independent living facility
Penn Township commissioners voted last week to approve the preliminary land development plan for an independent living facility proposed for Harrison City-Export Road. The 119-unit facility was proposed by contractor Concordia of Monroeville for 21 acres of land behind the Westmoreland Country Club. Commissioners tabled the vote Oct. 18, primarily...
Penn Township voting ward changes proposed
A petition to adjust the boundaries of Penn Township’s five voting wards will be filed in Westmoreland County court. If OK’d by a judge, the new boundaries would take effect Jan. 1, according to the petition. The changes would affect about 500 residents who would have a new voting ward,...
Penn-Trafford media literacy students to host holiday vendor market
Four Penn-Trafford students flexed their communication and organization skills to arrange a holiday vendor market at the high school, slated for early December. The holiday market, hosted by students in the high school’s media literacy class, was first held last year. The event drew about 200 people, senior Zarra Krek...
