Joyce Hanz stories, Page 61
New owners of Apollo’s Chambers Hotel look beyond pandemic to brighter future for historic business
The historic Chambers Hotel in Apollo is under new ownership. Jennifer and Walter Seniow purchased the hotel that dates to 1889 late last spring. They opened in November for about a month before facing covid-related shutdowns mandated by the state. “Some people say we’re crazy to buy a bar during...
New Kensington woman takes traditional pierogi further, offering 20 flavorsVideo
New Kensington’s Patti Mazza Bieranowski has been pinching up a pierogi storm since 1984. Her homemade pierogies are sold and gifted to friends and family. More than 20 flavors are offered. including shepherd’s pie, buffalo chicken, kielbie kraut, sweet kraut, loaded baked potato and cottage cheese with chives. Her passion...
1st Alle-Kiski Valley baby of 2021 is a Verona boy
The first baby from the Alle-Kiski Valley born in 2021 is a boy from Verona. Carter Magee made his debut at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital at 12:54 a.m. Friday, weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long. Baby Carter’s parents are Jennifer Celender and Patrick Magee of Verona. Mom...
Leechburg Area School Board seeks resident to fill vacancy as Monday deadline looms
The Leechburg Area School Board is searching for a new school director, and the deadline to apply is noon Monday. Board president Neill Brady confirmed the board accepted Lisa Gregory’s letter of resignation during the Dec. 9 reorganization meeting. Attempts to reach Gregory for comment were unsuccessful. Gregory was elected...
Former Kiski Area teacher, Leechburg restaurateur Ricky Albert remembered for dedication to community
Frederick Wayne “Ricky” Albert, co-owner of Cicero’s Bar & Grill in Leechburg, died from covid-19 complications on Christmas morning. He was 73. News of his death spread quickly over the weekend in Leechburg, Allegheny Township and surrounding communities, where he is being remembered as a dedicated coach, educator and restaurateur....
Santa side gig spreads joy to Leechburg residentsVideo
Steve Kovalchik has a festive side gig. Kovalchik, 65, is a volunteer Santa. He suited up on Christmas Day, complete in his custom embroidered red velvet suit, spreading holiday cheer to residents in Leechburg. Originally from Allegheny Township, Kovalchik resides in Maryland but visits Leechburg annually. “I feel joyous and...
Early to bed, early to make the bread rise for Leechburg baker
It’s a sweet job any way you slice it. Kelly Petrella, 36, of Vandergrift, heads the bakery team of five at Sprankle’s Market in Leechburg. The Alle-Kiski Valley native and Kiski Area High School alumnus is typically the first employee to arrive, beginning her shift at 5 a.m. “Customers comment...
Christmas display vandals make difficult year even worse for Harrison woman, neighborVideo
The holiday season is a little less bright for two neighbors in Harrison. “I was vandalized,” said Maryann Farr, 65, of Burtner Road. “They ruined everything that I worked so hard for.” Farr’s illuminated front lawn decorations were destroyed on Monday. Her backyard bird feeders and other items were damaged,...
Bed Bath & Beyond store at The Waterworks mall to close by early next year
The Waterworks mall near Aspinwall is losing a big-box tenant. The Bed Bath & Beyond store began liquidation sales this week and will close by the end of February, according to a store manager who declined to comment further. Messages left with the company’s corporate office were not returned. In...
Pandemic changed holiday happenings but can’t stop them in one Harrison neighborhoodVideo
Harrison was shining bright Friday night. More than 20 homes located in the 1st Ward in the township participated in the inaugural Holiday Light Contest Friday night. Winners announced in three categories: “Hallmark Movie,” “Clark Griswold” and “Car Stopper.” Harrison Township Commissioner Charles Dizard said the holiday decorating contest was...
Fox Chapel woman teams with winemaker whose sales benefit charitable groupsVideo
Giving back never tasted so good. OneHope is a winery in the Napa Valley that pairs charity with cheers, offering online wine sales and fundraisers nationwide with a mission of changing the world, one bottle at a time. What began in 2007 with eight friends selling wine from the back...
Leechburg Area moves to online learning next week as covid cases, parent interest in at-home learning rise
Leechburg Area School District will go to online learning next week in response to a continued increase in covid-19 cases and a recent increase in students requesting to be taught at home. In an email to district families on Monday, Superintendent Tiffany Nix outlined changes for all students in grades...
Inflatable snowmen welcomed in Beaver County’s Chippewa as gifts from secret SantasVideo
Some Beaver County residents are receiving uninvited guests at their homes this holiday season — and they’re loving it. More than 40 giant inflatable snowmen have popped up on the front lawns of unsuspecting residents in the Highland Meadows subdivision in Chippewa. “Everyone is loving it because it brings a...
Meet Boone the disabled beagle: Therapy dog, fundraiser, class project, fashion plate, media starVideo
He’s a little beagle on a big mission. Meet Boone, a 3-year-old dog that was maimed and is now turning tragedy into triumph. Boone’s hind legs were intentionally cut off by his former owner when he was 6 weeks old. Tanya and Charlie Diable of Butler Township adopted Boone from...
Allegheny Township teen finds Alle-Kiski Valley towns, the outdoors compelling photographic subjects
Tyler McCandless is a teen shutterbug. Photography is his go-to hobby, trekking solo locally and regionally — hiking and photographing small historic towns and natural landscapes. McCandless, 18, lives in the Markle section of Allegheny Township and is a freshman studying environmental engineering at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He was...
Leechburg man turns yard — and neighbors’ — into synchronized holiday light-and-music showVideo
Leechburg is shining bright thanks to the generosity of a Main Street resident. Clyde Lindsey is the creator of Leechburg Lights, the annual synchronized holiday light-and-music show now open for the 2020-21 season. It’s in its 13th year. Lindsey is a nationally recognized professional lighting programmer. What began as a...
Brick oven pizza, bourbon featured at newly opened Brick & Barrel Cross Keys in Indiana Township
A historic eatery in Indiana Township is welcoming diners again. Co-owned by Jeff Brungo and Chris Hildebrandt, Brick & Barrel Cross Keys opened in November, offering a casual full-service dining experience. The menu is based on locally sourced burgers and specialty brick oven pizza, and the bar features an extensive...
Gilpin considers 71% property tax increase
Gilpin supervisors are proposing a budget for next year that would increase property taxes by 71%. The proposed increase would raise the tax rate by 5 mills, to 12 mills. At that rate, someone who owns a property assessed at $20,000 would owe $240 in real estate taxes, or $100...
First Commonwealth Bank in Leechburg to shut its doors Dec. 11, the victim of increased online traffic
The First Commonwealth Bank and its detached drive-thru on Market Street in Leechburg are scheduled to close by the end of business Friday. Other Western Pennsylvania branches scheduled to close in December include locations in Tarentum, Buffalo Township, Pine, McKeesport, Lawrenceville and Squirrel Hill. The closures are the result of...
Gilpin tree farm offers personal touch to help make Christmas a little brighterVideo
A rural family-owned and operated Christmas tree farm in Gilpin has served the Alle-Kiski Valley for more than 80 years. Habe’s Nursery co-owners and husband-and-wife team John and Janie Sterosky work overtime during December, making hundreds of homemade pine custom wreaths, grave blankets and kissing balls. “We make our own...
Leechburg Area to resume in-person instruction next week
Leechburg Area School District plans to return to in-person instruction on Monday despite the state deeming there to be a “substantial” risk of covid-19 transmission in Westmoreland and Armstrong counties. The school board approved the move in a 7-1 vote Wednesday following a lengthy discussion. All students in grades pre-k...
Kiski Township man loves his train display so much, he custom-built his house to fit itVideo
Russ Fry built a house around his beloved hobby. Fry, 86, of Kiski Township, is a second-generation train display enthusiast. He designed and constructed a new home on his rural property in Armstrong County about 10 years ago. Key to the design was including a large, custom basement and storage...
Sprankle’s adds sushi, brewpub to market in Saxonburg
The sole rural supermarket in Saxonburg has introduced urban shopping amenities to its customers. Sprankle’s Market recently added two cafes — Conny Creek Brew Cafe and Ace Sushi — both offering take-out or dine-in options, inside the store. Owner Doug Sprankle said customers want more variety with their shopping choices....
Another student tests positive for covid-19 at Leechburg Area
Another student in the Leechburg Area School district in grades 7-12 has tested positive for covid-19, Leechburg Superintendent Tiffany Nix said Friday in an email to district parents. The student was last on campus Nov. 19. The district did not identify the infected student. Current total cases in the district...
Thanksgiving is a day like any other for officer on the beat
Like most other places, Market Street in Leechburg was calm early Thanksgiving Day morning. People appeared to be staying in amid covid-19 travel advisories. And newly hired, part-time borough police Officer Kyle Lewis was hoping it would stay calm. “I don’t want to jinx it by saying it will be...
