Joyce Hanz stories, Page 56
Police: Leechburg man accused of assaulting woman on a sidewalk
A Leechburg man is charged with assaulting a woman on a sidewalk and inside a residence in Leechburg, according to a criminal complaint. Brad Lee Reidy, 21, was arraigned Wednesday and faces a felony strangulation charge and misdemeanor charges of simple assault and unlawful restraint from an incident Tuesday night....
Political newcomer challenges 2 incumbents in Kiski Area School Board race
A Vandergrift business owner is looking to unseat one of two incumbent Kiski Area School District board members in Region I. Candidates on the May 18 primary ballot are Todd Sterlitz, Kathleen Snyder and Mark Flemm Jr. Two Region I seats are up for reelection. Board members are elected to...
Verona kicks off 150th borough birthday bash
Verona residents gathered to celebrate the borough’s sesquicentennial kickoff Saturday in Railroad Park. Hosted by the Verona Community Group, about 50 attendees gathered under rainy and then sunny skies to hear a historical timeline presented by local historians and Verona natives Frank Santucci and Gary Rogers. “This borough once had...
Pandemic worries cancel Vandergrift’s Festa Italiana for 2nd straight year
Hold the sauce. Festa Italiana di Vandergrift, or, just Festa, the popular Italian-themed summer festival in Vandergrift, has been canceled for a second straight season. The pandemic led to organizers canceling Festa again this year. It’s always held in August. Organizers were hopeful that they would welcome back the celebratory...
Kiski Township storage company selling previously owned items from abandoned unitsVideo
Previously owned contents from abandoned storage units are lining the shelves of a new store in Kiski Township. OPS — Other People’s Stuff — opened May 1 at 2216 River Road. The new store’s inventory is composed exclusively of left-behind items from rented storage units at Nellie-Joe’s Self-Storing Units, which...
Signature Dishes: Quiches galore at Lucy’s Riverside Cafe in FreeportVideo
This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally-owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s new online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com. Hearty homemade quiche awaits diners at a New England-influenced cafe in downtown Freeport. Pat Mersky, chef and co-owner of Lucy’s Riverside...
Vandergrift gives no update on police conduct investigation
Vandergrift residents didn’t get an answer on whether a borough police officer accused of unprofessional conduct will remain on the force, nor did they get any update on the borough’s investigation Monday. Instead, borough officials adjourned to an executive session to speak about the matter privately, saying later only that...
Empowerment program helps Kiski intermediate school girls navigate pre-teen yearsVideo
A new female empowerment program at Kiski Area Intermediate School aims to help girls navigate middle school. Ruling Our Experiences — ROX — debuted in January at the intermediate school. It is led by certified ROX facilitator and intermediate school guidance counselor Michele Claypool. Program participant Mia Martin said she...
Vandergrift’s Mary Naccarato is a renowned cook, ‘Queen’ to 4 generations of her familyVideo
It’s good to be queen. Mary Christine Naccarato celebrated her 103rd birthday on Monday, April 26 surrounded by family, friends and one very large cake. “I got a lotta flowers, a lotta money and I was so happy with who all came,” Naccarato said of the festivities at her daughter’s...
Kunkle Park in Washington Township accepting picnic pavilion reservations
Pavilion rental season is open at Kunkle Park in Washington Township. Township Supervisor Joe Olszewski said the pandemic resulted in fewer picnic pavilion bookings in 2020 for the 40-plus acre park. He estimated the township’s only park lost about $3,000 in revenue last year. Other area parks with gazebos and...
Vandergrift man accused of shooting up 3 borough homes
A Vandergrift man was arraigned Friday on charges accusing him of firing more than a dozen shots into three occupied homes last month. Javon Michael Thorn Lambert, 22, faces 11 felony counts, including discharging a firearm in an occupied structure, aggravated assault and illegal gun possession, in connection with the...
Casino Theatre group hopes for revival after pandemic devastated revenues
The historic Casino Theatre in Vandergrift remains closed because of the pandemic and has lost significant revenue as a result. Janice Oberdorf, treasurer of Casino Theatre Restoration and Management, said the theater is down about $70,000 in bookings and shows since the shutdown in 2020. “We couldn’t get any federal...
Allegheny Township family offers reward for safe return of pet Clydesdale
An Allegheny Township family is offering a $2,000 reward for their pet horse that went missing Sunday. Jessie, a 10-year-old Clydesdale mare, was last seen on video surveillance about midnight Saturday in the pasture on the family farm and business on Lardintown Road in Clinton Township. Owner JeNeen Fleishner said...
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro condemns Vandergrift police officer’s conduct
Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement official condemned Vandergrift police Officer William Moore’s conduct during a police call this month, saying the officer “should not be trusted” to carry out the duties of his job. Footage of the April 17 incident that started inside G&G Restaurant was taken by a Black patron...
Incumbent Allegheny Township supervisor has a challenger in the Republican primary
Republicans James Morabito and Kathy Starr are vying for one open seat on Allegheny Township’s board of supervisors. Township supervisors serve six-year terms. Starr is the incumbent supervisors chairwoman since 2003. A lifelong township resident, Starr, 78, owns a catering business in the township. A newcomer to the political scene,...
Kiski Area hires firm to conduct search for new superintendent
Editor’s note: The original version of this story attributed board member Ron Coleman to a different person. A Kiski Area School Board member who opposed hiring a search agency to help the district find a new superintendent said he thinks the district’s top administrative job should go to an internal...
Former Vandergrift resident Tim Geary vows to return to Appalachian TrailVideo
An unexpected injury while hiking has temporarily derailed a former longtime Vandergrift resident from walking the Appalachian Trail. Tim Geary, 77, formerly of Vandergrift and now of Aspinwall, returned home this week from his solo hike on the 2,200-mile trail that he began March 17. He said his 30-pound backpack...
Kiski Area makes online student registration permanent, kindergarten open house sign-up scrapped
Kiski Area School District is offering an easier option for registering new students. Online student registration was added last month to the district website in response to covid-19 restrictions. That allows a parent or guardian the option of registering a student digitally instead of requiring a traditional in-person campus visit....
Vandergrift’s AJ’s Restaurant and Lounge on the market
A Vandergrift eatery in a historic building is on the market. AJ’s Restaurant and Lounge at 123 Washington Ave. is listed for $495,900 with Berkshire Hathaway. The asking price includes a Pennsylvania state liquor license. Proprietors Andrew and JoAnn Batiz, both 66, made the decision to buy a restaurant on...
Kiski Area Upper Elementary students have a new club, with one requirement: Be kindVideo
There’s a new club for students at Kiski Area Upper Elementary on a mission to rule the school with kindness. The Kiski Kindness Club hosted its inaugural Kindness Day on campus Tuesday. Singing their newly penned song, The Kiski Kindness Club, in the hallway, about 20 giggling girls decked out...
Shady Side Academy to host appointment-only vaccine clinic
Shady Side Academy is partnering with Rite Aid to offer a free, appointment-only coronavirus vaccine clinic Saturday on its Fox Chapel campus. The clinic is open to the public. Anyone 16 years or older may register online here. The deadline to register is noon Thursday. “We’re just trying to do...
Tredway Trail extension open to hikers, bicyclists in Allegheny Township
Preliminary work on an expansion of the Tredway Trail in Allegheny Township will lead to an additional three miles of trail to hikers and bicyclists. Officially named the Wynn and Clara Tredway River Trail, the new and final section of the walking-biking recreational trail is partially completed. Allegheny Township manager...
Vandergrift cop removed from schedule pending investigation into restaurant incident
A Vandergrift police officer was removed from the work schedule Monday while the borough investigates his conduct during a police call over the weekend, Mayor Barb Turiak said. Officer William Moore, who has worked for the department for more than 20 years, is being paid while off the schedule. Once...
Next phase of Route 356 upgrade in Allegheny Township starts Monday, on White Cloud Road
Construction tied to Route 356 in Allegheny Township will close a key side road beginning Monday. White Cloud Road will close Monday, April 19 and remain closed for about a month. The construction area is part of the $15.9 million Route 356 overhaul that started last year and won’t be...
Profane anti-Biden sign in Allegheny Township is ‘over the line,’ supervisor says
Allegheny Township Supervisor Mike Korns said he avoids driving along a section of the township’s Markle Road when his grandchildren are with him because a resident there has placed vulgar flags in his front yard. One of the anti-President Biden flags contains obscenities. “I strongly support free speech, but that’s...
