Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 13
Harrison under mandatory water conservation order after damaging storm
Harrison residents are under a mandatory water conservation until further notice. The township water authority issued an alert Wednesday that calls for residents to curb water use. Laundry, gardening and dish washing are not essential, they said. The mandate comes after heavy storms rolled through the region Tuesday. Large trees...
Harrison funeral home tied to pet cremation scandal expected to be sold
The listing agent facilitating the sale of Vereb Funeral Home in Harrison said he was unaware the owner was entangled in alleged criminal activity. Patrick Vereb, 70, of Hazelwood was charged Monday by the state Attorney General’s Office with theft of almost $660,000 after taking money for pet cremations but...
Tarentum natives donate $3 million to Allegheny Health Network
Joe and Kathy Guyaux were without health insurance when their first child was born in 1972 at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. “I paid $15 a month with no interest. I’ll always remember that,” said Joe Guyaux, a Tarentum native who now lives in Fox Chapel. “We know what it...
Long-vacant Freeport Road property in Harrison could see new life
A prominent Freeport Road property in Harrison could see new life after sitting vacant for years. The former Grace United Methodist Church education building is at 1329 Freeport Road, across from Highlands Middle School. It was briefly on the market for $160,000 and is under contract through the Compass real...
Family Promise House in Brackenridge continues mission of preventing homelessness
A transitional housing facility in Brackenridge has helped more than 180 people down on their luck since opening last year. Now, Family Promise House’s parent organization, the nonprofit Allegheny Valley Association of Churches, will use newly awarded funding to try to keep people from needing to use the facility at...
Brackenridge eyes 3 roads for summer paving project
Brackenridge Council has narrowed a list of streets to be paved this summer. It’s short but covers a lot of ground. This year’s road improvement project will target portions of First Avenue, Union Avenue and Prospect Street. Borough officials said they expect to approve the project to go out for...
Free Chamber concert in Tarentum to provide ‘backyard arts’
A Tarentum church will offer a free chamber music concert Sunday to “build community” and provide arts in “our own backyard,” organizers said. Central Presbyterian Church will partner with the Academy String Quartet and special guest Linda Fisher on bassoon. The concert is at 2 p.m. “The minute you say...
Free garden containers aimed at providing access to fresh food in Sharpsburg
Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization wants residents to “bloom where they are planted.” Despite the borough being labeled as a food desert, officials believe healthy eating habits can form at home. Organizers will distribute free garden containers to the 40 people – first come, first served — in Sharpsburg, Etna and Millvale...
Chalk the Wall meant to promote creativity, community spirit
It’s not uncommon to find Christina Sharbaugh doodling with chalk on the sidewalk in front of her Aspinwall eatery, Treat Down the Street. The graduate of Georgia’s Savannah College of Art and Design hopes her passion spreads town-wide with her new initiative, the Chalk the Wall Sidewalk Arts Festival. Hosted...
Harrison officials investigate after partial building collapse
No injuries were reported after a 125-year-old building partially collapsed Monday in Harrison’s Natrona neighborbood. The abandoned apartment building at 91 Oak St. started to fall just after 7 p.m. Portions of the rear roof started to cave in, along with sections of the interior. “That building has been vacant...
4 vying for Highlands School Board in Region 2
Four people are competing for two positions to represent Highlands School Board Region 2. Incumbent Debra Lehew will go up against newcomers Shane Chesher, Jeff Thimons and Whitney Washington in the May 20 primary. Incumbent Nicole Kocon is stepping down. Region 2 includes Brackenridge and parts of Harrison. All of...
PPG Place parachuters may have obtained duplicate building key
Two men who parachuted from PPG Place may have gained access to the building with a copy of the key. Building officials believe a contractor may have made a duplicate key in March, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The locks have since been changed and the duplicate keys have...
Gov. Shapiro talks about arson attack in ‘Good Morning America’ interview
In an interview with “Good Morning America” on Friday, Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned the rise of politically motivated threats in the wake of the attempted homicide and arson attack April 13 at the Governor’s Residence. “It’s real,” Shapiro told co-host George Stephanopoulos. “I mean, this is sadly a real part...
Homestead fire chief voted out over fight incident
The volunteer fire chief in Homestead has been removed from his position as the result of a disorderly conduct arrest in February. Timothy Eads was relieved of his duties with the Homestead Volunteer Fire Department, according to Homestead Solicitor Samuel Delfonso, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Court documents show...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh police seek charges on Downtown ‘porch pirate’
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, April 18: Police make arrest in Downtown Pittsburgh thefts Pittsburgh police said they will charge a “porch pirate” they believe is responsible for several thefts Downtown and along the North Shore. Public Safety officials said a warrant is...
Then and Now: Aspinwall Catholic grade school celebrates 100 years in the borough
A lot has changed since St. Scholastica elementary school was established along the tree-lined streets of Aspinwall in 1925 – most notably, the name. But the school, now called Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy, remains true to its mission of providing a solid Catholic foundation for area youth. “Our...
LEAP preschool at Sharpsburg’s Watson Institute the only one of its kind in Allegheny County
Teacher Christine Kunkel kicks off each day with a morning meeting that finds her shaking her arms, patting her stomach and pretending to swim. The meeting participants — 3- and 4-year-olds at the Watson Institute’s LEAP preschool in Sharpsburg — follow suit, singing and dancing on a colorful mat near...
Massive steel transport expected to slow traffic on Western Pa. roads
A truck carrying a massive load of 153 tons of steel will wind its way through Western Pennsylvania on Thursday, slowing traffic on major arteries from Allegheny County to Columbiana County, Ohio. The superload will cause rolling traffic stoppages as it needs two lanes to move through, PennDOT officials said....
Morning Roundup: 3 injured in Ross crash; guns stolen from Cranberry home
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, April 17: 3 injured in Ross crash Three people were injured late Wednesday following a crash along McKnight Road in Ross near the area of a major road project. Emergency crews were called to the 4600 block of...
Officials look at possible connection between 2 found dead in Butler and Beaver counties
Two people were found dead in separate incidents Wednesday — one in Butler County, the other in Beaver County, the Pennsylvania State Police report. First, a 47-year-old woman was found shot inside an apartment complex at about 1 p.m. in Jackson Township, Butler County. She was discovered at her Creekside...
Harrison’s 1st Garden Tour aims to connect residents
From metal fish to mosaic tiles to a Victorian doorknob, every bauble in Bill Godfrey’s garden was either a roadside find or dropped at his door by friends and strangers. “It’s an artist’s garden,” said Godfrey, who has lived three decades at his Walnut Street home in the Natrona neighborhood...
Pittsburgh man dies after crashing into Florida lake
A 71-year-old Pittsburgh man died Tuesday after he crashed into a lake near Orlando, Florida. Police have not yet released the man’s identity, according to the Osceola News Gazette. The Florida Highway Patrol said emergency crews were called just about 3:40 p.m. to the community of Celebration. They say the...
Morning roundup: Carjacking in Point Breeze; 2 robberies — 15 minutes apart — near Pitt’s Oakland campus
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, April 16: Carjacking in Point Breeze Pittsburgh police are investigating a carjacking that happened Tuesday in Point Breeze. Officers were called at about 9:50 a.m. to South Braddock Avenue and Waverly Street for a report of an armed...
Buffalo teacher placed on leave after mistakingly giving students THC gummies
A New York teacher has been placed on administrative leave after giving her students edible THC gummies that she mistook for Sour Patch kids. The incident happened at William J. Grabiarz School of Excellence in Buffalo, N.Y., according to WKBW. The edibles were packaged to look like regular candy, police...
Aspinwall’s Green Streets doubles impact with high school partnership
Leaders of an annual Aspinwall cleanup are expecting to toss even more trash from town roads and green spaces after solidifying a partnership with the Fox Chapel Area environmental club. Andy Collins, vice president of the nonprofit host Aspinwall Neighbors, said the event is growing at a rapid pace heading...
