Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 49

In just a few months from now, people might be able to prop a lawn chair along the shores of the Allegheny River and watch ballet dancers glide across an outdoor stage. A mobile performance area is expected to facilitate riverfront shows on a strip of property between Aspinwall and...

When the Rev. Robert Walker needed to clear his mind and prepare for a Sunday sermon, he hit the trails at Harrison Hills. “He loved to walk and everyone knew him for that,” said his son, Jason. “He would also walk around the neighborhood and he talked to everyone.” Rev....

A short bridge near the Fox Chapel Plaza will be prioritized for repairs by Allegheny County after receiving a poor rating, officials said. Squaw Run Bridge No. 1, which is part of Old Freeport Road in O’Hara, will be targeted for repair work intended to prevent further decay, county Public...

Several long-abandoned and tax-delinquent properties in Harrison will be demolished sooner thanks to help from the state. Township representatives learned in late January that the municipality will get $100,000 from the Gaming Economic Development Tourism Fund (GEDTF) in its latest round of grants. Money will be used for a recovery...

Believe it or not, a Blawnox café owner is giddy at the idea of giving away three months of meals. That feeling, Clean Eatz owner Darryl Duncan said, is surpassed only by the possibility of also doling out $25,000. Duncan will launch the “We Change Livez Challenge” in March through...

The conversion of a former Highlands elementary school into affordable housing for senior citizens is scheduled to be completed by spring. Riverview Senior Living — a nod to the district’s Riverview Elementary, which operated through most of the 1900s — will provide 31 one- and two-bedroom apartments for people 62...

A vacation to Kathmandu, Nepal, planted the seed of adventure in Valley High School graduate Skylar Houck. “I went there to study Buddhism, but I developed this itch to travel,” said Houck, 23. “I really enjoyed the culture shock and experiencing things that are completely different from what I’m used...

Organizers of a community garden in Tarentum are working hard to see the site prosper in 2022, despite being targeted late last year by vandalism. “While the snow is on the ground, the leadership of the garden is already marking plans,” said the Rev. Phil Beck, pastor of First United...

Once a gathering place for prayer and worship, The Clement in Tarentum is a community hot spot where the multitudes come together. “Every single room was destroyed when I bought it,” said Phillip Rhodes, 54, a Highland Park software engineer. “Now, every room is filled.” From guitar lessons and yoga...

A newly elected Sharpsburg councilwoman is hitting the ground running with an idea that she said will benefit residents and their four-legged friends. Carrie Tongarm is working to bring an off-leash dog park to the borough. It’s a project that’s been gathering steam since 2018 when she first moved to...

It’s been 32 years since Highlands High School alum Michelle Peters sprayed her hair into a black beehive and strutted across stage as the misunderstood bad-girl Rizzo in the high school production of “Grease.” She’ll be back in the same auditorium on Saturday, belting out a ballad from the show...

Portions of Squaw Run in Fox Chapel are off limits for recreation after the Department of Environmental Protection found the water quality to be impaired, according to a new report released by the agency. At least one of the stream’s unnamed tributaries also was identified in the report. “Squaw Run...

Ruth Conklin spends her Saturday mornings straightening shirts and jackets hung from racks in the basement of Central Presbyterian Church in Tarentum. A volunteer for five years, Conklin said the Clothing Closet is a hidden gem. “You can find brand-new winter coats, with tags, and a lot of very nice...

Legal but not acceptable — that’s how many Etna residents are describing a swastika flag hanging from a porch along Greeley Avenue. “We have been working to positively respond with love and inclusion,” said Robert Tunon, chairman of the Etna Community Organization (ECO). It was late 2021 when neighbors first...

Tarentum residents in two separate areas of the borough were without water Tuesday. Manager Michael Nestico said crews worked to repair waterline breaks in the area of West Ninth Avenue and Center Street and at East Seventh Avenue and Ormand Street. “Each break has interrupted water service for roughly one...

Dreary winter weather has some people dreaming of springtime gardens, it appears. Nearly 50 people have registered for a program Tuesday at the Harrison library called Spring Wild Edible Plants – and there’s room for more, Adult Program Specialist John Kristine said. “We thought it would be a program our...

Growing up, Fox Chapel Area junior Lawrence Liu had only one CD to listen to – Michael Jackson’s “Essentials.” That one album spanned the best of Jackson’s hits from “ABC” to “Beat It” and was the launching point for Liu’s musical achievements. The teen recently captured top awards in several...

Fawn Township Secretary Pam Ponsart was pleasantly surprised to learn last week that the township had earned a state grant for road work. “I had no idea,” Ponsart said. “That’s great.” The township will receive $50,000 from the Gaming Economic Development Tourism Fund, which announced the awards Wednesday. Fawn is...

Highlands School District police officer Joe Naviglia has the right people cheering for him in his fight against cancer. Naviglia, in his fourth year at Highlands, was among four local residents who were presented $1,000 by the district’s cheer team Dec. 17. “I was surprised but so thankful and honored,”...

Despite dwindling staff and fundraising obstacles, Eureka Fire-Rescue-EMS in Tarentum has added a $260,000 paramedic rescue ambulance to its fleet, enabling volunteers to continue to serve a wide swath of the Alle-Kiski Valley, as they have since the 1800s. The newest addition is more than an ambulance. The vehicle stands...

On Super Bowl Sunday, football won’t be center stage for everyone. Volunteers at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church are scheduled to host the 8th annual Fill the Truck fundraiser through which several hundred food and nonperishable items are collected for hungry neighbors. “It is a great event for the community,” Deacon...

A clash over wages and staffing has led to a potential strike by the nursing staff at ACMH Hospital near Kittanning. ACMH Nurses United, which represents 213 staffers at the hospital along Nolte Drive, voted Wednesday to authorize a strike after being what they called “pushed to the brink by...

With plans underway for the second annual Craft Beer Festival in Tarentum, organizers are looking to adjust the timing to account for the weather. “Everything was great, but it was boiling hot,” event coordinator Brian Snyder said of last year’s festival, held in August at Dreshar Stadium. Snyder, a member...

When Dorseyville Middle School teacher Scott Vensel traveled to Poland to study the Holocaust in 2002, an Auschwitz survivor made a lasting impression with a single comment. “He said to our group, ‘The seed of hate is the same, no matter where it is sown.” Since then, Vensel has made...