Fox Chapel Herald category
A-K Valley PIAA basketball playoff preview capsules for March 7, 2026
PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class A First round 7-6 St. Joseph (14-11) at 9-1 Clarion Limestone (19-7) 1 p.m. Saturday Winner plays: Winner of 7-2 Geibel Catholic (23-3)/6-3 St. Joseph Catholic Academy (24-3) Wednesday in second round (site/time TBD) Players to watch: Bella Barolovic, St. Joseph; Hannah Beggs, Clarion Limestone...
Fox Chapel girls excited to return to state playoffs after 6-years absence
Marty Matvey came to the Fox Chapel girls basketball team in 2019, just a few months after the Foxes’ last trip to the PIAA playoffs. He had just helped guide South Park to a WPIAL Class 4A semifinal appearance and a trip to the state tournament. While the Foxes have...
Chilling for charity: Fox Chapel Area students take the Polar Plunge
A group of Fox Chapel Area students for the fourth consecutive year took the plunge to help raise money for Special Olympics. High schoolers, along with students from Dorseyville Middle School, participated in the 2026 Cool Schools Polar Plunge at Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. The event held Feb....
Skilled handyman from Fox Chapel stands out for work ethic, reliability
Todd Perschke has built a successful handyman business serving the Fox Chapel area after a long career in the automotive industry. “I show up for work,” said Perschke of his commitment to providing home improvement and fix-it solutions to both commercial and residential folks in the Fox Chapel Area School...
Phone-free policy at Shady Side Academy Senior School making a difference, administrators and students say
Shady Side Academy Senior School senior John Ludden has one less thing to occupy his time during the school day. His cellphone. Ludden and his 400 fellow senior school students were met with a new cellphone policy implemented in August, exclusive to the Senior School, prohibiting students from using their...
A thrilling ride: O’Hara plans for bike skills course
Plans for a bike skills course in O’Hara are cruising along. The project is planned for Raymond A. Schafer Jr. Memorial Park in the township’s Montrose Hill section. The topography of Schafer Park at the top of the hill, combined with the township’s acquired land at the bottom of Powers...
Retired dentist shares life-changing benefits of somatics in free class at Fox Chapel library
Retired dentist Tom Capriotti discovered pain relief through somatic movements more than 20 years ago. Capriotti, 75, of Oakmont is a certified personal trainer and instructs a one-hour class for adults, Simple Movement Through Somatics, fon Mondays at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel. Somatics are movements that teach the...
Girl Scouts meet with Sharpsburg mayor, learn about local government
Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania Troop 10328 recently met with Sharpsburg Mayor Kayla Portis and got a look at how local government works. The Scouts took turns banging the gavel, asking Portis various questions and took t a tour of borough council chambers Feb. 25. The visit was part of...
Dozens of works by student artists on display at The Block Northway in Ross
A spotlight is shining on dozens of young artists at The Block Northway in Ross. The free art exhibit, located on the upper level of the mall, will be on display through March 22. It features works by students from several schools in the North Hills, including Blessed Trinity Academy...
In brief: Happenings throughout the Fox Chapel area
To have your news or event listed in our briefs section, email editor Marje Horvath at mhorvath@triblive.com. Bar Bingo to raise money for baseball teams The Fox Chapel Baseball Boosters will host its fourth annual Bar Bingo at 6 p.m. March 14 at Nox’s on 8, 3008 William Flinn Highway,...
Fox Chapel grad finds success as freshman on Washington & Jefferson mats
Sonnie Blanco likes to watch Jack Viti employ his unorthodox wrestling style. What the Washington & Jefferson coach would like to see Viti do more of is lead the dance. When Viti is in situations he feels comfortable, he employs a funky style that befuddles his opponents. Viti, a 2025...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Shady Side Academy boys headed to state tournament
The Shady Side Academy boys basketball team didn’t quite finish its Cinderella run through the WPIAL Class 3A boys playoffs. But the Bulldogs springing two upsets and reaching the semifinals means Shady Side Academy will be returning to the PIAA playoffs. No. 13 Shady Side Academy pushed defending champion South...
Fox Chapel wrestler fights through adversity to earn 100th win
Reaching 100 wins meant that Fox Chapel senior wrestler Joey Geller had to find a way to get through the North section qualifier to reach the WPIAL Class 3A championships. But nothing would be easy for Geller during the 215-pound bracket at Butler High School. He battled strep throat all...
After late-season surge, Fox Chapel boys ready to tackle future challenges
The Fox Chapel boys basketball team typically sits on the line between Class 5A and 6A. The Foxes know that next season, they will have to navigate the WPIAL’s largest classification. When Fox Chapel coach Zach Skrinjar had his end-of-season meetings with his players, the message was a simple one....
Confident Kunkle wins gold in the girls WPIAL Class 3A 100 breaststroke; Fox Chapel girls finish strong
Leah Kunkle was confident. The Kiski Area junior knew her ability to swim well in the 100-yard breaststroke at Friday’s WPIAL Class 3A championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. But she also understood how talented the others in her heat were and what she needed to do to win gold. All...
In championship rematch, Shady Side Academy drops Greensburg Central Catholic for Class 3A title
Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke called Karis Thomas, her senior point guard, “the epitome of calm” after the Bulldogs became WPIAL girls basketball champions for a second time. “I mean, nothing gets to her,” Burke said. “She never ceases to amaze me.” Once a wide-eyed 9-year-old who appeared on...
Fox Chapel freshmen make big splash at WPIAL swim meet
Ellie Lange and Delaney O’Toole didn’t let the pressure of their first WPIAL swimming championship overtake them. In fact, the Fox Chapel freshmen thrived. Lange and O’Toole won Class 3A titles in their individual swims Thursday and also helped the 200-yard medley relay team capture gold. Lange outdistanced the field...
Fox Chapel Rotary member Tom Benic remembered for charisma and compassion
Friends are recalling longtime Fox Chapel Rotary member Tom Benic as a kind and consummate professional. But by all accounts, the history buff and avid photographer was — above all else — a pure fun-loving guy. “Intelligence, wit and charm are rare commodities,” said friend Richard Wolf. “Tom had all...
Aspinwall Presbyterian Church members, friends say farewell to retired pastor
Members of Aspinwall Presbyterian Church celebrated the end of an era with the retirement of the Rev. Scott Hill. Hill, 65, has led the flock at the Center Avenue church for about 10 years; he was in his 36th year of ministry. His final service was Feb. 15. Hill plans...
Sharpsburg-Aspinwall Rotary: ‘Service Above Self’ club marks a century of aid
Members of the Sharpsburg-Aspinwall Rotary Club have worked for a century — mostly behind the scenes — to make the Lower Valley a better place. From donations of playground equipment, Free Little Libraries, dictionaries for elementary students and medical supplies, Rotary members are quiet philanthropists who seek to benefit the...
New indoor golf simulator lounge eyes March opening in Indiana Township
It’s always perfect weather to hit the links at a soon-to-open indoor golf simulator in Indiana Township. Swing 412 is scheduled to launch in March with 500-plus virtual high-tech golf games for all ages. The venue is for those interested in improving their game, learning golf play or just looking...
Family, creative career, cooking, skiing, hot yoga nourish soul of O’Hara resident
Chatting about life in Pittsburgh is one of Christopher R. Evans’ favorite topics. “I’ve lived here my whole life,” said Evans of O’Hara. Evans, 51, grew up in what he describes as “storybook” Churchill and previously resided in Shadyside and Fox Chapel. He moved to O’Hara three years ago and...
Defending champion South Allegheny gets ‘hot at the right time,’ rallies past Shady Side AcademyVideo
When South Allegheny and Shady Side Academy met for the second time this season, a 20-point win for the Gladiators, few would’ve expected the teams to meet again in the postseason. But No. 8 South Allegheny and No. 13 Shady Side Academy both defied the odds with two playoff wins...
Town hall about proposed Pennsylvania cellphone ban in schools draws crowd
Momentum is growing for a push to ban cellphones in the state’s public schools. State Reps. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, and Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, are among those spearheading House Bill 1814 to restrict cellphones in classrooms. It’s a proposed bell-to-bell ban, meaning students would secure their cellphones in a lockbox...
Aspinwall pharmacy owner pushes for fair shake for independent drugstores
Hours before the president’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, Aspinwall pharmacy owner Jonathan Akanowicz sat alongside U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio to advocate for reforms they say would rein in national monopolies and protect independent pharmacists from being squeezed out of the market. “We’re looking for a level playing...
