Harry Funk stories, Page 14

When his students learn that Sean Desguin actually plays an instrument, they often are surprised. As Hampton Township School District’s elementary band director — he serves in several other music-related capacities, too — Desguin normally is instructing and leading, rather than performing. But he has that latter opportunity through his...

Today’s Bethel Park first-graders won’t be eligible to vote for another dozen years or so. But thanks to a guest hosted by Washington Elementary School librarian Becky Minella, a class full of youngsters knows what the word “ballot” means. “You’re going to circle your favorite one, and then you’re going...

The image practically was ubiquitous during the summer of 1969. An eagle, the national bird of the United States, carries an olive branch symbolizing peace as it touches down on the cratered surface of the moon, with three-quarters of the earth across the blackness of space in the background. Members...

The big names were on the table at Bethel Park Community Center: Vera Bradley, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Patricia Nash. And of course, Coach. The game was Designer Bag Bingo, and a sold-out house of players tried their luck on April 16 in the first fundraising event for the rejuvenated...

Picture yourself in a placid forest, surrounded by the sounds of songbirds, a breeze and babbling brook. Students at Chartiers Valley High School had the opportunity to relax amid a grove of trees without having to board a bus for a field trip or, in fact, exit the school’s parking...

Santa Claus arrived either eight months early or four months late, depending on your point of view. Actually, representatives of Allegheny Valley Marine Corps League Detachment 827 and the American Red Cross played the role of St. Nick in delivering toys on April 10. The gifts were for young victims...

Year 2 of the Verona Community Garden has begun. With the weather fully cooperating, a group of youngsters gathered on April 11 to help launch planting season in the former vacant lot at West Railroad and Allegheny avenues. Students of ARCH, Academics and Recreation for Christian Homeschoolers, assisted by tilling...

Monroeville has functioned under the same zoning ordinance since 1984. Although it has been amended substantially since, officials are pursuing a consolidated update that contains an abundance of details and addresses various situations that have cropped up during the past 39 years. “Our current ordinance is under a hundred pages....

A new generation is learning all about the importance of environmental stewardship. And according to Bethel Park fourth-grader Abby Burke, plenty of people her age are planning to continue to do all they can on behalf of the earth. She is a member of George Washington Elementary School’s Green Team,...

While the draft form of a revised and updated zoning ordinance in Monroeville contains more than 400 pages, parts of the document addressing a particular topic are drawing practically all the public’s attention. Residents and property owners in Monroeville and nearby communities oppose provisions that would allow for extraction of...

An evening of fun and games started with an afternoon of celebration. Prior to Hampton High School’s Talbot Thon benefit event on March 31, students, staff members and people from the community gathered in the auditorium in a continuing effort to demonstrate their support for Aiden Hanna. Following several months...

Thanks to folks like Betty Dixon, “Jeopardy” has been a mainstay of television since Ford made its first Mustang. “For years and years and years, I watched Alex Trebek,” she said about the show’s late longtime host. “There was a rule: Do not call between 7 and 7:30 unless it...

Residents of Verona are invited to learn more and share their opinions about a proposed budget for spending money the borough has received through the pandemic-related American Rescue Plan Act. A public hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. April 11, half an hour before the start of borough council’s monthly...

Fear of public speaking may be prevalent, but not among a group of Blessed Trinity Academy students. The Indiana Township school’s forensics team impressed judges with their oratorical skills, racking up numerous awards during its post-pandemic return to competition for 2022-23. As part of a forensics league for Diocese of...

When it comes to culinary delights, plenty of people share Dale Himmler’s perspective. “I love pizza,” the Bethel Park resident said. “It really is my favorite food.” It ranks right up there for his son, too. Clayton Himmler was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that can cause mucus...

Welcome the return of the mullet. Three decades after hockey legend Jaromir Jagr helped propel the hair style’s popularity in Pittsburgh, Cadillac Jack is bringing it back. Jack, the alter ego of WDSY-FM morning show host Tom Kapasis, launched a “Mullet on the Move” campaign in advance of Morgan Wallen’s...

Who says girls don’t like science? “At a very young age, before I could even walk, I was obsessed with technology: computers, anything,” Gateway High School freshman Bailey Blanton recalled. “That’s all I wanted to do. I would not play with Barbie dolls, nothing. It was all electronics.” So naturally,...

Longtime residents of Bethel Park are well aware of, or even may remember, a time when King Coal ruled local industry. At various points in the 20th century, seven different mining operations worked to extract combustible carbon from far below what used to be Bethel Township, leaving only a small...

Meet Ankle Biter, the industrial-sized robot built by a group of Chartiers Valley High School students. Its name comes from the mechanical grips installed near its base, which may be good for grabbing lower parts of legs but are solely are for the purpose of picking up objects and releasing...

A teenager who heads to Florida in March isn’t necessarily going on spring break. In fact, the accomplishments racked up so far by Prerna Chakkingal would seem to indicate that she rarely takes a break of any type. The latest feather in the South Fayette High School junior’s cap is...

Recycling bottles, jars and the like hasn’t been the easiest of pursuits since most waste haulers stopped picking up such items a few years ago. In Oakmont, the process has become more convenient thanks to the presence of a spacious new bin in the Second Avenue parking lot at Riverside...

For the 100th anniversary of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, Hampton High School made an impressive showing. Eleven students were honored during the March 13 school board meeting for earning awards in the Pittsburgh region of the presenting organization, the New York City-based Alliance for Young Artists and Writers....

The rabbi of a Monroeville congregation has taken the initiative to bridge an integral part of the Bible with life in the 21st century. “Prophetic Voices: Renewing and Reimagining Haftarah,” an anthology featuring 179 contributors edited by Rabbi Barbara Symons of Temple David, aims to bring relevance to a longstanding,...

A first-year Chartiers Valley High School activity is providing a way for senior Marko Orbovich to honor an uncle who died of cancer. “He used to play bocce a lot, so I decided to play for him,” Marko said. Uncle B.J. no doubt would be enjoying the results. Marko and...

One has roots in Bethel Park going back several generations. The other moved to the municipality 11 years ago. But no matter when the family of each arrived, Lisa Jenkins and Pamela Tiano share the goal, with plenty on their résumés to prove it, of making their community a better...