Kaitlyn Hughes stories

When the Whitehall Committee for Environmental Action was brainstorming ideas to cope with environmental issues, committee member Jack McCrea thought the borough could benefit from installing its own solar panels. An owner of solar panels himself, he created an analysis outlining the use of renewable energy systems within the borough,...

Twenty years ago, Dom Bianco sat in a classroom at Bethel Park High School carefully drawing the blueprints of a miniature museum for dinosaurs — a long-time dream. “I have loved dinosaurs since I was a little kid,” Bianco said. Now, his idea of creating an exhibit for the extinct...

Down a winding road with a turn down a steep hill, a hard right, a climb up an elevation, over a crosswalk and up 70 lengthy steps — totaling to about three-quarters of a mile. What might seem to be a course for a road race was Geoff Davis’ 6-year-old...

The annual AGAPE fundraiser brought Sudanese culture to Bethel Park with a day full of music, food and community. The event took place Aug. 17 under a pavilion on Hamilton Road, in hopes of creating awareness of the nonprofit’s mission. AGAPE Heart International Organization is a nongovernmental, nonpartisan humanitarian organization...

It is predicted that there will be 17 million electric bike sales annually by 2030, according to sustainability and green-living site TheRoundup. With the number of e-bikes on the rise, the Montour Trail Council has seen some issues with their use on the Bethel Park spur. “For the most part,...

Patty Giegerich and her friends used to go see Kenny Chesney in concert every year. The year after her husband Kenny Giegerich died, Chesney was not making an appearance in Pittsburgh. The group instead decided to pretend they were at the concert by tailgating in someone’s driveway while listening to...

As back-to-school shopping picks up, families return from their getaways and college students travel back to their dorms, kids try to soak up the last of their summer during August. Hampton Community Pool’s annual Member Appreciation Day took place on Aug. 14. The night of swimming offered music from DJ...

Despite inclement weather, Bethel Park Police Department’s National Night Out was a true community event as 50 attendees gathered under the protective roof of a pavilion in Miner’s Memorial Park. “I feel really bad because it’s such a nice event that they do for the community here every year,” Paula...

The sun was beaming, creating an 80-degree afternoon. A combined scent of gyros, tacos, barbecue and pastries wafted through the humid atmosphere. Children cheered in the splash park and music filled attendees’ ears. The American flag flew high in the air, displayed by an aerial fire truck. This scene made...

The scene of a demolished building that housed fitness centers is proposed as the site for a new store. Bethel Park Council approved the preliminary/final plan for Floor & Décor, to be located at 3000 Oxford Drive, where there previously was an LA Fitness and before that, Bally’s. “I have...

Despite concern among residents, Hampton likely will be seeing two new residential developments in the near future. During the regular council meeting on July 24, members approved both the Frey-Cain Preliminary Planned Residential Development and Four Seasons Final Subdivision/Land Development. The Frey-Cain development is planned for South Pioneer Road. It...

Imagine Bethel Park’s Park Avenue occupied by thousands of faces, the street lined with food trucks, an eclectic mix of music filling the air, and vendor tables and raffle baskets taking over the football field. On July 27, Bethel Park will make history by hosting its first Arts and Music...

Bethel Park resident Wayne Reno was on a casual walk through South Park when he first discovered pickleball. “Someone from the group said, ‘Do you play pickleball?’ I said no, and they just invited me to play,” he recalled. Now Reno and a group regularly show up at the new...

Going beyond the duties of fighting fires and attending to emergencies, Undercliff Volunteer Fire Company provides a weekend getaway for the community with its Friday night bingo, a safe space in times of need and a polling place on Election Day. Beginning as a bucket brigade in 1909, the department...

Some kids enjoy going to school during the summer. Camp Invention is a nationwide science-oriented summer camp created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame to engage students entering kindergarten through sixth grade with learning and social activities. “Hearing from parents that ‘my child doesn’t really like school, my child...

At first glance of Bethel Park’s Brookside Farms, one may assume it is an ordinary Pittsburgh suburban neighborhood. With a turn onto Comanche Road, the picturesque area becomes distorted when a deteriorating house filled with woodpecker holes and mold becomes visible through the overgrowth that devours the home. At a...

Following the June 25 Bethel Park School Board meeting, district taxpayers are faced with a 1.5222-mill real estate tax increase, bringing the new rate to 26.0748 mills. The increase comes with the board’s adoption of a $110.4 million final general fund operating budget for the 2024-25 school year. For a...

Dan Como, principal of Pleasant Hills Middle School, was skeptical the first time the idea of Allegheny Health Network’s Chill project was presented to him. The school had tested numerous models of mental health assistance, but none seemed to affect the students’ lives. Despite the doubt, the school was the...