Fox Chapel Herald category
Plum’s Owen Campbell, Montour’s Rook Smith to clash in semis at Allegheny County wrestling tournament
Plum senior Owen Campbell was an Allegheny County High School wrestling champion as a freshman. The past two seasons he has placed second. He does not want to be a three-time runner-up. He would prefer a second gold medal. So would Montour senior Rook Smith, who is one of three...
Fox Chapel runners set 3 records in fast start to indoor track season
Fox Chapel indoor track coach Tom Moul didn’t expect anything spectacular during the first meet of the season at Edinboro University. The Foxes ended up turning in three school-record performances. “It was unusual,” Moul said. “Our expectations were to get some work in and get some experience. I was happy,...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Shady Side Academy girls heat back up
An overtime loss to Pine-Richland during the Peter Sauer Memorial Tournament had the Shady Side Academy girls basketball team on the war path. The Bulldogs bounced back from their second defeat of the season with three consecutive victories where they produced 60 or more points. In Shady Side Academy’s most...
Fox Chapel boys show signs of finding footing at important time of season
Fox Chapel boys basketball coach Zach Skrinjar recognized time is getting shorter. After the Foxes lost to New Castle at home, Skrinjar was happy because he felt maybe they had figured things out. After losing to undefeated New Castle in a bizarrely paced contest due to breaks for a television...
Fox Chapel area real estate transactions
Blawnox John Heranic sold property at 275 Walnut St. to Nocaed LLC for $300,000. Fox Chapel Joseph Goodman sold property at 461 Fairview Road to Barry Stern and Deborah Shapira for $655,000. Gregg Scott sold property at 107 Poplar Drive to Frank O’Leary and Kelly Hardon for $495,000. Billie DeWalt...
Friends pay tribute to Jack Lovey, longtime Aspinwall councilman, firefighter
Aspinwall has lost a legend. Jack Lovey, former council president and longtime resident, died Jan. 14 at 97. He is best known for his service to the borough, where he lived for seven decades and with his wife, JoAnn, raised their family. “Jack was one of the proudest members of...
Fox Chapel-area communities reorganize their local governments to start the year
Fox Chapel-area communities reorganized their local borough and township governments Jan. 5. Aspinwall Scott Zimmerman was sworn in as mayor. He then administered the oath of office to council members Jeff Harris, Andrew Corey-O’Conner, Patti McCaffrey and Lara Voytko. Harris and Heth Turnquist were reappointed as council president and vice...
Fox Chapel traffic signal upgrade replaces obsolete equipment
Traffic is expected to be flowing more safely near a major Fox Chapel traffic intersection. A $300,000 project to modernize the traffic signals at Fox Chapel and Field Club roads wrapped up in December, following several months of work. The equipment replaces original signals that were obsolete, borough Manager Julie...
Portion of walking trail closed at O’Hara Community Park
Walkers who use the trail at O’Hara Township Community Park will be forced to detour for a couple of months. A portion of the trail is closed through at least early March. It is necessary for work to be done on a Sycamore Run retaining wall, which supports the upper...
Blawnox man sentenced for child sexual assault
A Blawnox man was sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with the sexual exploitation of a minor. James W. Muir, 60, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Pennsylvania. Judge...
Plum girls grab section lead with win against Fox Chapel
The Plum girls basketball team is alone in first place in Section 1-5A as the first half of section play concluded Monday evening. Senior Riley Stephans scored a team-best 26 points, and junior Tamia West added 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Mustangs topped Fox Chapel, 65-49, at Plum...
Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church launches 12th annual Fill the Truck to help local food pantries
The 12th annual Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church Fill the Truck event is underway and accepting nonperishable food donations. Deacons Katie Walker and co-moderator Kim Power are hopeful that donations will pile up because food banks are in need. “We work as a team, and this year, more than ever, food...
New educational era unfolds as Rockwell Middle School opens at Shady Side Academy in Fox Chapel
There’s new excitement on a historic campus in Fox Chapel. Shady Side Academy Rockwell Middle School has officially opened on the Senior School campus along Fox Chapel Road. The $26 million project brings grades 6-12 together on the same campus. The private boarding and day school has been educating students...
In brief: Happenings from throughout the Fox Chapel area
Junior council member collecting nonperishable items for pantry Anna Grace, a junior council member for Fox Chapel, is organizing a food drive through Jan. 31 to benefit the Sharpsburg Food Pantry. The pantry, located in the basement of St. Mary Church at 210 Garnier St. in Sharpsburg, assists residents of...
‘Pierogi Paradise’ awaits at old-school Starlite Lounge in Blawnox
An authentic taste of a yinzer staple awaits at Starlite Lounge in Blawnox, dubbed “Pittsburgh’s Pierogi Paradise” by owner Ronny “Moondog” Esser. Pinching pierogi dough has evolved into a way of life for Esser and the staff members who make his family’s Slovak-inspired pierogi. Starlite is casual, no fuss and...
Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week for Jan. 11, 2026
Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week – Karis Thomas School – Shady Side Academy Class – Senior Height – 5-foot-7 Position – Guard #Earned – Karis Thomas is winding down a successful high school career that has included a WPIAL championship along with a WPIAL and PIAA runner-up...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Goalie stands tall in Fox Chapel loss
The Fox Chapel hockey team returned from the three-week break over the holidays with a difficult PIHL Class 3A battle with Peters Township. The Foxes weren’t able to find enough offense to support a strong performance from goaltender Charlie Hill. Hill made 33 saves, but Fox Chapel lost 1-0. The...
Fox Chapel girls taking charge of defensive strategy
Fox Chapel girls basketball coach Marty Matvey has seen a higher number of his players spill onto the ground while they are playing defense. That has been the design of this iteration of the Foxes who have wanted to compensate for their lack of size with increased toughness. “We’ve taken...
Unbeaten New Castle boys use late charge to fend off Fox Chapel
Damian Harrison absorbed contact from a defender and somehow launched a 3-point attempt toward the glass that went crashing off the boards and through the net. The 6-foot-4 New Castle senior forward put some of the Red Hurricanes’ offensive frustration to rest when he made the ensuing free throw to...
Round 1 of heavyweight clash between Shady Side Academy and Greensburg Central Catholic girls goes to SSA
Greensburg Central Catholic was making its final push. Down 11 with seven minutes play, the second-ranked Centurions shaved the margin to three against No. 1 Shady Side Academy. But senior point guard Karis Thomas settled the offense, slowed the team’s heartbeat and tempered her Shady Side Academy teammates. Round 1...
Fox Chapel Area telethon tops $101,000 to benefit local nonprofit
A nonprofit that helps Fox Chapel Area children and families has found itself on the receiving end of community outreach. Fox Families Care was awarded $101,000 over the holiday season as the beneficiary of the Fox Chapel Area School District telethon. The 36th annual fundraiser on Dec. 23 involved students...
Blawnox woman recounts parents’ harrowing Holocaust ordeal
The daughter of two Holocaust survivors will share her parents’ poignant account during a program Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Deborah Leuchter Stueber of Blawnox will be the guest speaker at the Holocaust Remembrance event, hosted by the Fox Chapel Area affiliate of the American Association of University Women. The daughter...
Blawnox councilwoman crafts mini Moondog’s to celebrate business owner, music charity
Blawnox native Katie Specht-Coban sees her borough as a small world filled with big-hearted people. The daughter of the late Charles Specht, former president of the Pittsburgh Miniature Society, has carried on her father’s passion of crafting tiny locations and keepsakes. In December 2024, the councilwoman presented miniature scenes for...
Sharpsburg manager recognized for distinguished service
Sharpsburg officials know they have something special in borough Manager Christine DeRunk. Other entities are starting to take notice. She was given the 2025’s Distinguished Public Service Award from the Keystone State Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration. It was bestowed to the borough’s top administrator by Keystone...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Plum’s Riley Stephans, Fox Chapel’s Grant Fenton
Riley Stephans School: Plum Class: Senior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Stephans scored 57 total points across two games at the Peter Sauer Memorial Tournament at Shady Side Academy. She went off for 33 points in a loss against Class 6A Pine-Richland on Monday. She then followed that with her...
