Joyce Hanz stories, Page 48
Coffee With Cops planned in Fox Chapel
Newly appointed Fox Chapel Police Chief Michael Stevens is on a mission to promote unity in the borough. A “Coffee With Cops” meet-and-greet is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. on Dec. 10 at the Cooper-Siegel Community Library, 403 Fox Chapel Road. “The purpose of the coffee with cops is...
Unlocked vehicles targets of theft in Shaler and Aspinwall area
Police in several communities are imploring residents to lock up after a rash of thefts from unlocked vehicles. “We had 18 reports this week — that’s a high number,” said Shaler police chief Sean Frank. “I want to stress these were not vehicle break-ins, that means a car is locked....
Cyberattack forces closure of Butler County Community College on Monday and Tuesday
Butler County Community College will be closed Monday and Tuesday in response to a ransomware attack on its computer systems, the college announced Sunday night. The main campus in Butler Township and additional locations in Cranberry, Lawrence, Jefferson and Mercer Counties and remote and online classes will be closed as...
Vandergrift Holiday Festival and Parade returns
Vandergrift is rolling out a three-day holiday welcome mat. The 2021 Vandergrift Back When Holiday Extravaganza festival returns Dec. 3-5. Founder and organizer Denise Lewandowski-George launched the event last year — despite a pandemic. Many Vandergrift residents were disappointed when the annual holiday parade sponsored by the Vandergrift Improvement Program...
Nouveau PGH, an upscale consignment shop for women and kids, opens in Aspinwall
It’s out with the old and in with the new-to-you in Aspinwall. Nouveau PGH is a new designer consignment store offering upscale women’s and children’s clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories. It’s located at 21 Brilliant Ave. Owner Jessica Rehling Vukmir of O’Hara owns Dovecote, which is located right across the...
Small shops in Alle-Kiski Valley go big on Small Business Saturday
Debbi Young has never gone Black Friday shopping. Instead, the Leechburg resident prefers to shop locally on Small Business Saturday. “It’s our tradition — when the boys go hunting, the girls go shopping,” Young said. “I grew up shopping for my clothes and everything in downtown Leechburg and I think...
Feast of friendship served across Alle-Kiski Valley on Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving, Freeport native Jean Urik kept her kitchen clean. She and Don Hines of Butler enjoyed a free holiday turkey meal with all of the trimmings at St. Mary’s Parish on High Street in Freeport. “It’s hard to cook Thanksgiving for just two people without having a ton of...
Vandergrift councilwoman suing borough officials resigns her seat
Vandergrift councilwoman Karen McClarnon has resigned her position. McClarnon submitted a letter of resignation, effective immediately, to council President Kathy Chvala and borough secretary Steve Delledonne. Council approved McClarnon’s resignation during a special meeting Wednesday afternoon. Borough solicitor Larry Loperfito was absent. McClarnon did not attend the meeting and declined...
Police serve up lunch for Kiski Area elementary students
Three Washington Township cops were serving it up Wednesday at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School, but there were no warrants involved. “It’s lunch with the law,” joked police Chief Scott Slagle. Slagle, joined by Officer Kenneth Hollis and Sgt. Vince Surace, served lunch to almost 550 students. The annual event...
Friends of Washington Township man killed in wrong-way crash to hold fundraiser for family
A fundraiser for a 22-year old Washington Township man killed in a wrong-way crash is planned for this weekend in Oklahoma Borough. Zeth Charles Reber died on Nov. 14 when his car was hit by a minivan traveling the wrong direction on State Route 380 in Washington Township. The driver...
Vandergrift Market opens for holiday shopping every Saturday, supporting local businesses
A holiday market has returned to historic Vandergrift. Vandergrift Market offers many vendors Saturdays on the lower-level floor of the former J.C. Penney department store at 134 Grant Ave. Market hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday through Dec. 18. In its second season, volunteers with the Vandergrift...
With furry friends and kind words, Kiski Elementary students learn to cope with grief
While adults know that grief is part of life, elementary school kids might just be learning. Counselors in the Kiski Area School District are working to help students cope with their feelings. A daylong grief-themed program was presented Thursday at all four elementary schools as part of Children’s Grief Awareness...
Crowd gathers to remember New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw, killed on duty 4 years ago
More than 100 people gathered Wednesday evening outside New Kensington City Hall to honor the life of fallen New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw. New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo led a memorial service near the Brian Shaw Memorial outside City Hall on the fourth anniversary of Shaw’s death. Shaw was...
Peeps at Shady Side Academy rule the roost
Meet the new chicks of Shady Side Academy. Momo, Dawn, Cricket and Pippy are four peeps hatched from an incubator Oct. 11 in Bonnie Maxwell’s biology class at the middle school campus in Fox Chapel. “Momo is ruling the roost,” said sixth-grader Amalia Guttridge. “Chickens are so cool, and they...
Kiski Area sticks with mandatory masking, declines mask-optional policy
Mask-wearing will remain mandatory the remainder of the year for students and staff in the Kiski Area School District. The board voted 7-1 Monday to keep the mandated mask policy requiring all students and staff to wear a face covering on campus and district school buses. Michelle Schmidt was the...
Kiski Area math teachers’ love of numbers and each other sums up marriage
A love of numbers is adding up as the right answer to one couple’s professional pursuit. Jason and Monica Dunkel, married for 20 years, both teach elementary math at the same school, in the same department, in the Kiski Area School District. And they also share a number: 1976, their...
Kiski Area grad died in wrong-way collision in Washington Township
A Kiski Area High School graduate studying to become a welder died Sunday in a wrong-way crash in Washington Township. Zeth Reber, 22, of Washington Township died when his 2014 Honda Civic was hit head-on by a 2012 Dodge Caravan traveling the wrong direction on Route 380 in Washington Township....
Boone, the little therapy dog from Butler, wins big award
A little dog with a big heart won a nationwide canine competition. Boone, a two-legged special needs hound-mix from Butler Township, was named the 2021 American Humane Hero Dog on Friday in an awards ceremony Friday in Palm Beach, Fla. He appeared as a finalist in the 2021 American Humane...
‘Santa Around Town’ brings the jolly one to the streets of Vandergrift
Vandergrift is prepping for a visit from the big guy himself. Santa will cruise around the borough in a firetruck from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving. Called “Santa Around Town,” the event is sponsored by the Vandergrift Improvement Program (VIP) with the borough’s two...
Turning grief to action, O’Hara family creates ‘Positive Painting Project’ to spread messages of hope
Local projects to promote mental health awareness and support the arts are spreading hope, one canvas at a time. The Positive Painting Project and The Katie Whysong Scholarship for the Arts were created this year by Alisa and Todd Whysong of O’Hara, in honor of their daughter, Katie. Katie died...
Friends continue direct delivery of Thanksgiving meals to those alone, in need
Two friends are teaming up again to help folks living alone enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Last year, as the pandemic highlighted social isolation during the holidays, Molly O’Brien of Fox Chapel and Bethanie Stein of Aspinwall started their own, small-scale effort to provide meals directly to people in need....
New assistant principal joins O’Hara Elementary
An elementary school in the Fox Chapel Area School District has a new assistant principal. Benjamin Canan, 34, joined O’Hara Elementary School this month as program principal, the official name for the role. He said he seeks to bring a personalized approach to helping lead the school and promises to...
Police memorial flag causes a flap in Aspinwall
A flag honoring fallen police officers is causing a flap in Aspinwall. Council members fielded comments during last week’s meeting from about 15 residents either supporting or opposing the flag that has flown outside the borough building for 12 years. Aspinwall resident Karen Hart took to social media to express...
Clean Eatz, a healthy food chain, opening 1st regional location in Blawnox
A national chain focused on healthy eating is opening Wednesday in Blawnox, the first location in the Pittsburgh area. Clean Eatz is opening at 175 Freeport Road, in a new retail plaza at the corner of Center Avenue. Owner Darryl Duncan, 58, hails from the corporate health care field and...
What’s That? Hyde Park foot bridge boasts interesting history and is still functional
Kayla Johnston had a “What’s that?” moment when she moved to Hyde Park in 2004. What caught her eye and interest? The Hyde Park foot bridge. The pale yellow metal pedestrian bridge spans the Kiski River and connects Leechburg and Hyde Park and their two counties — Westmoreland and Armstrong....
