Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 42

It’s hard to miss the massive stained-glass windows at Central Presbyterian Church. “When people come in, they’re in awe,” said Gail Taglieri, secretary at the church along Allegheny Street in Tarentum. “It’s such beauty and art. The reverence I feel is a reminder that there’s something greater than ourselves out...

A series of events at Allegheny RiverTrail Park will mark Juneteenth with music, dance and art. The celebration begins June 17 with a dance class by Afro Love, a Sharpsburg-based group whose mission is to build bridges by sharing African culture. Events culminate June 19 with a free concert by...

An off-leash dog space at Harrison Hills Park is on track to open this fall. Joel Perkovich, Allegheny County landscape architect, is eyeing a summer start for construction of the 1.3-acre site along Woodchuck Drive, across from the Laurel Shelter. “It’s a big open field right now,” Perkovich said. “It’s...

The slide at Brackenridge Memorial Park will have a softer landing if the state approves a grant to redo the playground surface. Council is seeking nearly $100,000 through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Borough Engineer Gordon Taylor said that money would pay for a soft rubber pad...

It’s fair to say that customers were clamoring for the opening of the Tarentum Farm Market on Wednesday. A small crowd gathered mid-morning, browsing fresh-picked strawberries, pepperoni rolls and specialty cupcakes. The parking lot of First United Presbyterian Church of Tarentum was transformed with colorful flower baskets, bright-red tomatoes and...

O’Hara leaders are working to reduce emissions and combat climate change in the township. The community is among 12 participants across the state to complete a program to mitigate risks and strengthen sustainability. “Council has long been committed to helping improve the environment for our residents and beyond,” township Manager...

Riverview Memorial Park in Tarentum will transform once a week into a beachfront paradise for an outdoor summer reading program sponsored by the Community Library of Allegheny Valley. The program, “Oceans of Possibilities,” will offer a bevy of literacy activities at the Harrison library on Broadview Boulevard and for the...

Brackenridge resident Denise Sloan vividly recalls childhood walks with her father through the booming Tarentum business district. “He worked at DiGirolomo’s and we would walk to Berkey’s, where he would chat with everyone,” she said. “The last stop was always Harrison’s on Corbet Street.” Sloan, a Highlands High School grad,...

Bird populations are expected to soar near the south pond at Harrison Hills Park after a rigorous project to restore habitat at the Allegheny County site. Japanese barberry, honeysuckle and other bushy invasives were plucked from the pond embankment — nearly an acre’s worth — and replaced with native species...

The bright lights of Hollywood will transform some rural Fawn landscapes in July when a Highlands grad comes home to shoot a feature film. Nikki Serafini Neurohr, 26, will return to her Steel City roots for her directorial debut of a dark comedy called “Baggage Claim.” “It’s basically a homage...

School’s out for the summer, but there still are lessons to learn and fun to be had at St. Joseph High School in Harrison. Summer camps will be offered in a variety of subjects, from science and art to basketball and music, at the school on Montana Avenue. “The camps...

Local pools are prepped and ready for a sizzling summer swim season. Alle-Kiski Valley residents have several options to cool off, including sites in Harrison, Allegheny Township, Leechburg and Kittanning. “Last weekend was so ridiculously hot, it was definitely a good start to the season,” said Gianna Kraus, a Kiski...

A Tarentum man faces at least 10 years in prison for his part in a cocaine distribution ring, officials announced. John William Montgomery, 33, pleaded guilty in federal court before U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy to charges of conspiracy to distribute at least 5 kilograms of cocaine. Montgomery admitted...

Lots of cheers — and plenty of tears, too — marked a series of events Wednesday for Highlands seniors who are set to graduate Friday and embark on their next journey. Pre-commencement celebrations began with a 9 a.m. walk-through at each of the three former buildings that most students attended...

“Be who you are” – that’s the message of the second annual FC Pride in the Park, a family-friendly event scheduled to fill the grounds at Allegheny RiverTrail Park in Aspinwall. An inclusive festival featuring crafts, carnival games, button making, canvas painting and food will be 5 to 8 p.m....

Nearly 50 health, wellness and employment experts will fill Riverview Memorial Park in Tarentum on Saturday during a community fair. Hosted by state Rep. Carrie DelRosso, the event will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the park along First Avenue. Among the offerings will be: • Health screenings;...

The goal has been met. Sewickley-based Allegheny Land Trust announced on May 26 that it successfully met a $1 million campaign to purchase and preserve a 75-acre property in Sewickley Hills. The nonprofit is expected to close his month on the Buerkle Woodlands, which sit at the northwest corner of...

Outgoing Tarentum Borough Manager Michael Nestico is eager to rebuild ties with Westmoreland County when he assumes the position of top administrator in Murrysville next month. A resident of Jeannette, Nestico worked as an attorney and municipal manager there before taking the reins in Tarentum five years ago. “I’m looking...

A Pentecostal preacher and a Brackenridge church are teaming up to put love into the community with a food giveaway Wednesday where everyone is invited. “That’s it. That’s the whole mission — just to let people know they are loved and there is a place for them,” said Chris Cugini,...

Signs that advertise lost cats and yard sales no longer will be permitted on utility poles in Tarentum. Neither will signs touting events for charities and nonprofits. Council is expected to vote at its next meeting at 6 p.m. on June 14 to modify an ordinance regarding boroughwide posting. Manager...

Harrison mother-to-be Caitlin Fox knew her baby was coming fast. “It was about 7 a.m., and things started getting real,” Fox said, of the morning of May 9. “I started understanding that this was happening now, and I needed to get my butt to the hospital.” In a Citizens Hose...

Fox Chapel Area High School teacher Lisa Gibson never fails to be inspired by her students’ creativity. The gifted support facilitator said the teens’ solutions to modern-day dilemmas are innovative and capable. Most recently, a team of her students was named runner-up in the ninth annual state Department of Education...

When Highlands fourth grader Kendall Walter runs laps around the playground after school, she hums tunes from the hit Broadway show “Hamilton.” “That Lin-Manuel Miranda really keeps me going,” said Kendall, a second-year participant in the elementary school’s Girls on the Run (GOTR) program. Hosted in part by the University...

It’s prom season across the Alle-Kiski Valley and residents at Platinum Ridge in Brackenridge celebrated recently with a special night of their own. Residents dressed to the nines for the big event, hosted May 12 on the grounds of the nursing home and rehab center along Broadview Boulevard. “They always...

The members of Cub Scout Pack 186 from Harrison have a large chore looming this week but the people they’re serving had an even bigger one, the youngsters said. Pack members will traverse the 13-acre Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge to place 745 American flags on grave sites of veterans buried...