Penn-Trafford Star category, Page 5
Theatre Factory prepares to stage ‘Beetlejuice Jr.’
Tyler Shaffer doesn’t know how many times he watched the 1988 Tim Burton gothic comedy, “Beetlejuice.” But it was a lot. “Watching it has been a Halloween tradition for my family forever,” said Shaffer, 16, of Jeannette, who will play the titular villain in the Theatre Factory’s production of “Beetlejuice...
Penn-Trafford inducts 8 alumni into Hall of Fame
Penn-Trafford inducted eight more people into its Alumni Hall of Fame Oct. 4 — including Penn Township’s former police chief, the CEO of the Westmoreland Cultural Trust and a district principal. The Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 2020, growing to 45 members this year. It seeks to...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Warriors rally to keep the Victory Bell
In the annual “Battle for the Bell’ against rival Gateway, Penn-Trafford rallied in the second half to win the game and retain the Victory Bell. The Warriors outscored the Gators, 26-0, in the second half for a 33-23 victory. The Gators led 13-0 and 23-7 in the first half. Ben...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Oct. 12, 2025
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Chalfant Michael Haberle sold property at 301 Chalfont St. to Lyle and Victoria Cope for $167,000. Churchill Estate of Thomas McManus sold property at 6 Garden Terrace to Olivia Myers for $225,000. Edgewood Royalty Properties Group LLC sold property at 114 Ivy St. to Joshua Aaron Hammerstein for...
Grabowski’s big runs help Penn-Trafford race past rival Franklin Regional
For Penn-Trafford junior running back Ben Grabowski, it was a near-perfect game. The junior saw plenty of green in front of him and was barely touched Friday night as he carried the ball four times for 172 yards (a 43-yards-per-carry average) and scored on three of those carries. That helped...
Penn Township dental office plans free care day for veterans, service members
A Penn Township dental office is joining ranks with similar practices in multiple states this week to provide free care to military veterans and service members. It’s the first year for the Pearl Dentistry office to participate in Freedom Day USA, a program founded in 2013 by a West Virginia...
Norwin clinches 1st outright section title in 6 years with win over Penn-Trafford
Fifth-ranked Norwin secured its first outright section championship since 2019 and ran its winning streak to 11 with a 1-0 victory over Penn-Trafford on Monday night in a Section 1-4A girls soccer game teeming with playoff atmosphere at Norwin Knights Stadium. The longtime Westmoreland County rivals staged another one of...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Nick Turowski sparks WVU to win at Nemacolin
Penn-Trafford grad and West Virginia sophomore Nick Turowski helped the Mountaineer golf team to a tournament victory. Turowski finished third overall, shooting an 8-under par 208, as the Mountaineers won the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational at Mystic Rock Golf Course in Farmington on Sept. 27-29. The Harrison City native had rounds...
Penn-Trafford blanks Norwin, looks to challenge for PIHL Class 2A title
Even though the Penn-Trafford hockey team graduated nine seniors and its leading scorer decided not to play, coach Brian Zagorac is not worried. The return of numerous starters combined with a talented group of underclassmen has Zagorac expecting another strong season. Penn-Trafford finished third (14-4-1-1, 45 points) behind Cathedral Prep...
Late Trafford Elementary teacher prioritized connection with students
Shannon Dornauer recalls how Trafford Elementary School teacher Mike Martinelli knew how to make all of his students feel welcome in his classroom. “I just remember him being very friendly and outgoing. He always made everybody feel very included and comfortable,” said Dornauer, 37, of Latrobe. “Back in elementary school,...
Penn Township hosts annual fall festival
Penn Township held its annual fall festival Sept. 19 to 21 at Municipal Park. Attendees enjoyed live music performances, carnival rides and games, food and crafts. A parade marched down Route 130 in the morning on Sept. 20 and fireworks lit up the sky above Municipal Park later that evening....
Penn Township Police chief retires, reflects on 30-year career in department
John Otto’s interest in policing began as an elementary student. “One day walking to school, there was a police car parked outside of Harrison Park Elementary School, and that caught my attention,” the Penn-Trafford graduate said. “I remember looking inside the car from the sidewalk … and I was mesmerized...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Warriors doubles team wins section title
The doubles team of senior Annabelle Aquino and sophomore Elle LeJeune captured the Section 1-3A title Sept. 25. The pair defeated Latrobe’s Carlin Bukovac and Allison Massaro 6-7 (9), 6-4 and 6-4 in the semifinals. They rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the second set. They then breezed past the...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Sept. 28, 2025
Monroeville Michael Strauss sold property at 2684 Third St. to Luan Castro and Violet Tonelli for $299,900. Lynden Group LLC sold property at 829 Cottonwood Drive to Stephen and Heidi Zupanc for $206,500. Estate of Frank Sabino Jr. sold property at 1341 Foxboro Drive to Ranjan and Naba Godwami for...
Penn-Trafford Hockey Club disbands junior varsity team, cites low participation
Three weeks into the season, Penn-Trafford’s junior varsity hockey team disbanded because of low participation. Following tryouts in April, about 10 players were placed on the junior varsity roster, according to parent Michael Broker of Penn Township. “Having that few of kids, it’s really not ideal, because there’s injury, people...
Penn-Trafford boys soccer team topples 1st-place Belle Vernon
Penn-Trafford is getting big goals after halftime and has an early handle on the back half of section play. The Warriors are starting to look like a second-half soccer team, and that is just fine with senior midfielder Cooper Geyer. He, well, seconds that notion. “We can be a second-half...
PT’s Pizza Palace marks more than 3 decades in Level Green
Jon Ledwich spent his high school years working at PT’s Pizza Palace along Murrysville Road in Penn Township — walking the quarter mile from his childhood home on Shady Drive to deliver pizzas and hand out fliers. The restaurant, one of a handful of small businesses in its Level Green...
Latrobe girls soccer forges tie for 2nd by beating Penn-Trafford
Latrobe needed one shining moment. Somehow, Emerson Shine delivered it. The junior midfielder made something out of nothing with 3 minutes, 54 seconds to play in overtime, taking on three defenders and rocketing a shot past Penn-Trafford goalkeeper Alannah Hall to give the Wildcats a 1-0 victory Wednesday night at...
Penn-Trafford strikes for upset over No. 5 Franklin Regional
Penn-Trafford has taken on a sneaky personality competing in boys soccer Section 3-3A. The Warriors play a physical style and rely on sound, exacting defense to create opportunities. Despite their slightly above .500 record and a high number of unlucky bounces that have stunted them some offensively, they can creep...
Penn-Trafford grad Chloe Bonson making a formidable Carnegie Mellon women’s cross country team even stronger
When she entered Carnegie Mellon’s master’s degree program after graduating from Allegheny in three years, Chloe Bonson knew she would get a top-notch academic experience. Turns out the athletic experience should be pretty bountiful, too. Bonson, a Penn-Trafford graduate, helped the Allegheny women win the Presidents’ Athletic Conference cross country...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Nick Turowski sparks West Virginia golf team
West Virginia University sophomore and Penn-Trafford grad Nick Turowski shot 3-under-par to finish in fifth place and lead the Mountaineers to a third-place finish at the Gopher Invitational at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence, Minn., on Sept. 15. Turowski recorded rounds of 74-66-70—210 to post his second top five...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Sept. 21, 2025
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Churchill Pasadena Partners LLC sold property at 261 Churchill Road to Tyler and Sabrina Sofia McCoy for $532,400. Tarek Alsaied sold property at 3336 Longbow Drive to Ali Sinan Saglam and Kelly Lenhart for $400,000. Edgewood David Ryan Lyle Flores sold property at 257 Maple Ave. to Thomas...
Teamwork saved girl’s life in Penn Township blaze, fire chief says
Teamwork helped avert a tragedy last month at a Penn Township house fire. Firefighters and paramedics worked together to get a young girl out of the burning building to safety, the Harrison City fire chief said Friday. “It was teamwork. There were so many people who played an integral role,”...
Penn-Trafford rebounds with dominant performance vs. Kiski Area
Coming off a tough loss to Woodland Hills last week, the expectation was for Penn-Trafford to rebound at home against a struggling Kiski Area team. The Warriors (4-1, 1-1) wasted no time putting up 35 points in the first half en route to a 42-0 drubbing of the Cavaliers (1-4,...
CNX pursues new permits for 2 Penn Township gas wells, Protect PT prepares for response
Environmental nonprofit Protect PT may have to start over in its decade-long effort to shut down a Marcellus shale gas well development along First Street in Penn Township. The state Environmental Hearing Board ruled in June against Protect PT, which two years ago appealed permit renewals for unconventional natural gas...
