Sidewalk upgrades coming to RIDC Park in O’Hara
O’Hara is one step closer to its goal of improving pedestrian safety in RIDC Park. The township on Thursday was awarded $200,000 to install sidewalks along Alpha and Gamma drives. The phased project is expected to improve opportunities for people who work in the park and neighbors who live nearby...
Multiple crews battle Fox Chapel house fire
Multiple rescue crews were called early Thursday to battle a fire at a $1.25 million Fox Chapel home that was recently sold to new owners. Emergency crews responded just before 5 a.m. to the 600 block of West Waldheim Road, which sits off Delafield Road above Aspinwall. No injuries were...
Fox Chapel councilman stepping down to become next mayor; vacancy pending
Fox Chapel Council soon will have a vacancy as one of its members is stepping down to become the borough’s next mayor. In the spirit of passing the torch, Mayor Alex Scott III passed a green hat with a fox on it to Councilman Jonathan Colton on Nov. 17. Colton,...
Pa. GOP names new national committeewoman
The Republican Party of Pennsylvania has appointed Lori Hardiman to serve as a Republican National Committeewoman. Hardiman, of Fox Chapel, replaces Indiana County’s Christine Toretti on the national committee. Toretti, who became a national GOP committeewoman in 1997, stepped down after being confirmed as ambassador to Sweden in September. Hardiman...
Fox Chapel officials hold the line on borough real estate taxes for 2026
Fox Chapel property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes in order to maintain borough services. Council voted 6-0 Dec. 15 to pass its 2026 budget and maintain the tax rate at 2.95 mills. Council President Andrew Bennett was absent. There are no cuts to borough...
Free shuttles across Alle-Kiski Valley among St. Margaret Foundation programs for underserved
A free service will continue to shuttle people to doctor’s appointments across the Alle-Kiski Valley as an initiative of the St. Margaret Foundation. The nonprofit announced a $957,000 grant Friday that will pay for a dozen programs, including free shuttles, flu shots, adaptive food utensils and health screenings. The money...
In brief: Blawnox getting dog catcher, Christmas bird count and more
Blawnox dog catcher Blawnox council recently approved a new two-year contract starting in January with dog catcher Hoffman Kennels. The contract maintains the current costs of $125 per month and $120 per emergency call out. The business has served Blawnox for at least 10 years. ‘A Christmas Carol’ reading Sharpsburg...
Aspinwall officials hold line on real estate taxes in 2026 budget
Aspinwall property owners will not have to pay more in borough real estate taxes next year. Council unanimously voted Dec. 10 to pass its 2026 spending plan and maintain the millage rate at 8.36 mills, including 0.5-mill for public safety. There were no changes to the budget from its proposed...
Aspinwall lights up for the holiday season
Aspinwall’s annual Light Up the Wall celebration took place Dec. 6. Commercial and Brilliant avenues were packed with people and activities. There were ice sculptures, face painting, cookie decorating, carolers, food trucks, balloon artists, a magic show, flame eaters from Sirkus Days and more. Santa and his helpers were inside...
Blawnox has new messaging system for alerts, announcements to residents
Blawnox officials have signed on to a new messaging system to send emergency alerts and other announcements to residents. The borough recently switched from Rave Mobile Safety to CivicPlus for mass communications. Administrators said they were looking for a new system that was more user-friendly and allowed for more targeted...
Fox Chapel Area School Board reorganizes
Fox Chapel Area School Board retained its president and vice president as well as welcomed incumbents to their new terms at a reorganization meeting on Dec. 2. Marybeth Dadd was re-elected president. Ronald P. Frank was re-elected vice president. Vanessa K. Lynch was re-elected assistant secretary. Both Dadd and Frank...
Police department social worker dedicated to helping residents in need in Sharpsburg
Mary Bauer isn’t a police officer, but you’ll find her office inside the Sharpsburg Police Department. The McCandless resident is a full-time police social worker at the ready to assist Sharpsburg police officers with any social-related needs for police interactions. “I grew up in a family of helpers and my...
Fox Chapel area real estate transactions for the week of Dec. 14, 2025
Etna Joseph Fette III sold property at 405 Butler St. to Farine Investments LLC for $375,000. Jeffrey Salomon sold property at 91 Dewey St. to Rivers Auto LLC for $8,000. Fox Chapel Gabriel Post Isaacson sold property at 9 Edgewood Road to 9 Edgewood Rd Revocable Trust for $1,687,150. Estate...
Indiana Township property taxes hold steady
Indiana Township will hold the line on taxes in 2026. Supervisors on Wednesday approved an $8.7 million budget that keeps the property tax rate at 3.47 mills: 2.99 mills for the township and 0.48 mills for the fire departments. The owner of a home assessed at the township’s median value...
Deer Lakes, Springdale students up for Prime Stage Theatre Drama Awards
Nominees for Prime Stage Theatre’s 6th Annual High School Drama Awards were announced Wednesday, with students from Deer Lakes, Springdale, Fox Chapel Area and Shady Side Academy in the running for top honors. Leading the pack are Fox Chapel Area and Shady Side Academy with eight nominations each, followed by...
Retired contractor completes years-long build of high-tech home in O’Hara
Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was a state-of-the-art custom home on the market in O’Hara. Retired homeowner, civil engineer and general contractor Lou Marsico originally kicked off construction on the more than 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom residence in 2022. At that time, the house was intended for Marsico’s adult...
Blawnox officials hold line on real estate taxes, garbage fees; water/sewage bills will increase
Blawnox property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes next year. However, sewer and water rates are going up in 2026. Council voted 6-0 Dec. 10 to pass the budget and maintain the tax rate at 10.85 mills. Councilman Mark Lombardi was absent. Council last raised...
Splurge Boutique delivers warm welcome, unique finds in O’Hara
The welcome is always warm for shoppers visiting Splurge in Fox Chapel Plaza. Owner Kym Pelcher of Fox Chapel greets every customer with the same upbeat energy. “I always try to be real positive and I have a sign that says ‘No Drama Please’ and we greet every customer. I...
Sharpsburg/Aspinwall firefighters to get new tools to combat cancer-causing toxins
Soot-covered fire gear is no longer a badge of honor for emergency responders. Research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health shows firefighters stand a higher chance of developing cancer even after minimal contact with smoke particles and fire toxins. Locally, emergency service personnel are taking steps to...
Aspinwall’s Presents from Police toy drive recipient of hefty donation from Blue Knights
Aspinwall police leadership is thrilled with the recent news of a $1,000 donation to their annual Presents from Police holiday charity outreach. Aspinwall Police Chief David Nemec and Deputy Chief Michael Vith received a donation check on Wednesday from representatives of the Blue Knights Pa VII Pittsburgh chapter to benefit...
Gordo’s Café and Cantina coming to RIDC Park in O’Hara
A scratch bakery and cantina in O’Hara will feature tavern-style pizza, fresh-roasted meats and gourmet cronuts in a prime location perched along Route 28. Gordo’s Café and Cantina is scheduled to open in the coming weeks in RIDC Park, in the home of the former Periwinkle’s Bakery & Café. “The...
Fox Chapel sparkles during annual Light Up event
Santa ditched the flying reindeer and sleigh for a cool, vintage VW bug emblazoned with a Fox Chapel Police logo to mark his arrival at Fox Chapel’s third annual Light Up event held Dec. 3 at the borough building. Fox Chapel Mayor Alex Scott III kicked off the Light Up...
In brief: Annual telethon, Christmas concerts and more in Fox Chapel area
FCASD annual telethon Fox Chapel Area School District students will broadcast their 36th annual telethon at 1 p.m. Dec. 23. The telethon will raise money for the local organization Fox Families Care and involve students from all six schools in the Fox Chapel Area School District (Fairview, Hartwood, Kerr, and...
Sharpsburg officials hold the line on taxes with 2026 budget
Sharpsburg property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes to balance the borough’s budget next year. Council unanimously voted to pass its 2026 spending plan on Nov. 20. It maintains the tax rate at 9.75 mills, including the 0.5-mill emergency services tax. General fund proposed revenues...
Fox Chapel area student achievements for the week of Dec. 9, 2025
On Nov. 14, Fox Chapel High School students Blake Krushinski and Brady Matthews signed national letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level. Matthews signed with Seton Hill University to play Division II Lacrosse. He is a two-sport varsity athlete at Fox Chapel High...
