Joyce Hanz stories, Page 27
Allegheny Township partners with Kiski Area School District for summer festival
A community event idled for decades is returning bigger and better with a new venue in Allegheny Township. Allegheny Township Community Days is planned for Saturday, June 24, on the grounds of Kiski Area High School. Despite the “Days” in the name, it’s a one-day event. Township Supervisor James Morabito...
Man arrested after bringing gun to Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoint; 7th gun confiscated this year
A traveler from Arkansas was arrested Tuesday after TSA officers stopped him with a handgun at the security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport. The man was caught transporting a 9 mm unloaded firearm and two gun magazines packed with 16 bullets in them in carry-on baggage, according to TSA spokesperson...
Assault at Monroeville hotel over extramarital affair leaves victim with severe facial injuries
A New Jersey man remains jailed after police say he attacked his wife’s former paramour at a Monroeville hotel last week. Vincent Serzan, 46, is charged with felony aggravated assault and related charges after police say he attacked the man and knocked him unconscious — causing severe facial injuries —...
Morning Roundup: Allegheny County ranked among most polluted places to live
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, April 19, 2023: Pittsburgh ranked among worst in nation for air quality The Pittsburgh region and Allegheny County were again ranked among one of the worst in the nation for air quality by the American Lung Association. The...
O’Hara officials offer safety tips in wake of recent coyote sightings in township
Reports of recent coyote sightings in O’Hara Township have prompted the police department to issue online safety tips. O’Hara Township Manager Julie Jakubec confirmed Tuesday April 18 that officials, including the O’Hara Police Department, received about six calls from area residents reporting coyote sightings. She did not disclose where the...
Driver charged with DUI in wrong-way crash on I-279
A Canonsburg man has been charged with driving under the influence after a wrong way crash in March. According to a Pennsylvania State Police report, Jacob Alauzen, 27, was driving north in the southbound lanes near the Camp Horne Road Exit in Ohio Township around 2:30 a.m. March 24. According...
28-year-old man, a registered sex offender, had sex with teen he met on Snapchat, police say
A registered sex offender is behind bars after Allegheny County Police said he used a popular social media app to interact with a 13-year-old girl, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. A criminal complaint filed in the case said Jerrell Carson, 28, posed as a 15-year-old on Snapchat and began...
Valley High School Drama Club to present ‘The SpongeBob Musical’
Get ready to embrace the power of positivity and explore the underwater world of America’s favorite sea sponge, SpongeBob SquarePants, as the Valley High School Drama Club presents “The SpongeBob Musical” this week. More than 50 Valley students will hit the stage Thursday through Sunday at the high school auditorium...
Rolling closures set for New Kensington bridge
Motorists crossing the New Kensington Bridge this week can expect rolling closures in East Deer and New Kensington. PennDOT District 11 announced Monday there will be intermittent traffic stoppages of 10 minutes or less from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, weather permitting. The stoppages are necessary to...
PNC Park workers authorize strike
The Pittsburgh Pirates organization expressed disappointment Monday in response to park workers at PNC Park rejecting a proposed agreement Sunday. The stadium workers — part of the Pittsburgh Stadium Independent Employees Union — voted Sunday night to hit the picket lines and strike after rejecting the latest contract offering from...
Morning Roudup: Pitt student governments to host town hall on safety
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, April 17, 2023: Pitt student governments to host town hall on safety University of Pittsburgh’s student governments are hosting an in-person student town hall on campus safety from 6-8 p.m. Monday in the WPU Assembly Room. About 100...
Buffalo Township woman crowned queen of weight loss
Michele Malkowiak loves being called a loser. The Buffalo Township grandmother and homemaker shed more than 100 pounds over a two-year period during the pandemic. As a result, she is Pennsylvania’s reigning 2021-22 Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) queen. “I was blindsided,” said Malkowiak, 56. “I found out the day...
Incumbent Leechburg mayor to face primary challenge from councilwoman
A Leechburg councilwoman is running against the incumbent mayor in the Democratic Party primary May 16. Leechburg Mayor Tony Roppolo is seeking election to the position he was appointed to last March, while Councilwoman Doreen Smeal is trying again to become mayor. After the death of Mayor Wayne Dobos last...
Longtime incumbent supervisor faces Republican challenger in Allegheny Township
A political newcomer is on the May 16 primary ballot and challenging longtime Republican incumbent Supervisor John Rennick “Ren” Steele in Allegheny Township. Republican challenger and Allegheny Township businessman Jeff Pollick said he decided to throw his hat into the political arena to support residents, promote proactive measures and strengthen...
Quilting club combines socializing and sewing for charity in Allegheny TownshipVideo
A vibrant yellow T-shirt emblazoned with “Yes, I really do need all these sewing machines” is seamstress Veronica Rempuszewski’s go-to outfit on sewing outings with fellow quilting club members in Allegheny Township. “Take a picture of my shirt,” Rempuszewski, 73, said Wednesday during a sewing session in the Allegheny Township...
Fox Chapel native and comic Eddie Ifft returns for homecoming show
Eddie Ifft was voted funniest student as an eighth grader at Dorseyville Middle School. “I don’t think my parents were very proud of that because it was my second time in the eighth grade,” Ifft said. “I had attended St. Scholastica School in Aspinwall and was told I wasn’t ready...
Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department receives Governors Award
Two participating municipalities of a newly formed regional police force have received the Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence. The Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department, chartered on Oct. 12, 2022, was honored with the award in the Intergovernmental Cooperation category. Freeport Borough and Gilpin Township were nominated for the award...
Allegheny Township police take delivery of new township-issued guns
Police officers in Allegheny Township soon will swap out their personal firearms for township-issued guns. Since the 1960s, township officers have carried their own guns on the job, as is the case with many small municipal forces. Allegheny Township police Chief Duane Fisher waited more than a year for the...
Public hearing set to discuss potential alcohol sales at convenience store near Kiski Area High School
Beer could be sold at a convenience store across the street from Kiski Area High School if a request for a liquor license transfer is approved by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Anna K. Holdings, the transfer applicant, is applying for the license to sell malt and/or brewed alcoholic beverages...
Building the Valley: Moonlight Inn restaurant in Vandergrift stands test of timeVideo
Jim Baker of Carrick doesn’t mind taking a road trip for a hearty meal. Baker recently drove 40 miles to meet with former classmates from his 1973 Kiski Area High School graduating class for an evening of food and fellowship at Moonlight Inn in Vandergrift. He ordered a Franco’s Ribeye...
PennDOT approves installation of more visible, lighted yield sign at ‘confusing’ Leechburg intersection
Mayor Tony Roppolo is taking steps to improve safety at a busy intersection in downtown Leechburg. Roppolo met with PennDOT officials last week at the island intersection along Route 66 and Market Street. On Monday, they notified Roppolo that the installation of a lighted yield sign was approved to replace...
Good Friday Community Cross Walk stops at 10 locations in Leechburg to pray, plant crosses
The faithful flocked together Friday for a walk with a monumental message in Leechburg. The Good Friday Community Cross Walk, hosted by the Leechburg Ministerial Association, began at 2 p.m. on Main Street. It proceeded down Third Street and circled back through the business district on Market Street. About 30...
Allegheny Township officials to host town hall meeting on recycling
Allegheny Township never had a recycling program, but that could change depending on the outcome of a town hall meeting set for April 13. Supervisor Mike Korns said the board approved the formation of a recycling committee in August 2021. Committee members are Tonia Clark, Denise Conforti, Maryanne Griffin, Patrick...
Deer Lakes High School students set to present their spring musical ‘The Secret Garden’
A plague, British accents and garden delights are set to combine onstage in the upcoming spring musical production of “The Secret Garden” at Deer Lakes High School. Deer Lakes musical director and choir teacher Matt Derby selected the musical based on the classic 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett because...
Fox Chapel Girl Scout takes Gold Award project global to stress importance of social media literacy
A Fox Chapel teen has been recognized for helping children safely navigate the cyber and social media world. Lakshanya Rajaganapathi, 17, a junior at Fox Chapel Area High School, has been named a Gold Award Girl Scout, the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn. Her Gold Award project, titled...

