Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 35

Falling into a coma didn’t quell Brooke Damore’s craving for heroin. Neither did sitting in jail. “I was doing 10 bags a day at one point,” said Damore, 30, a Leechburg native who attended Kiski Area High School. “I had to learn to walk and talk again after I was...

A crumpled, peeling or otherwise unreadable license plate can earn drivers a $100 fine, but people can get a free replacement through a local program in April. Under state law, PennDOT will replace a license plate for free if it is verified as illegible by police or mechanics during the...

Oh, the places they’ll go on stage at Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School! A student-driven production of the wildly colorful and comic “Seussical” will leave audiences marveling at the kooky costumes and toe-tapping tunes adapted from the stories of legendary children’s author Dr. Seuss. “I love making people laugh, and I...

Safer crosswalks, energy-saving solar panels and improved sewer lines are planned for several Alle-Kiski Valley municipalities that will share in more than $2 million in state grants. From Harrison to Blawnox, communities along the Allegheny River will benefit from the funding announced last week by state Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Fox...

Now that a blighted building has been demolished along Corbet Street in Tarentum, ideas are popping up about how to spruce up the business corridor. A raised deck, a gazebo and a grandstand are among plans being considered by council. “If there is built-in electricity, the borough can use it...

When Harrison capped off more than $80,000 in repairs to the World War II Honor Roll at Freeport and Springhill roads in February, it was only the start to upgrades at the busy intersection. The township commissioners are eyeing a $2 million project to redo the five-way intersection, which, at...

When Connor Green returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and was discharged from the Army in 2014, all he wanted was to live unnoticed. The transition to civilian life, coupled with a diagnosis of a seizure disorder, was more difficult than being deployed. Green couldn’t fathom his life...

A purse bash Saturday at the Harrison Veterans of Foreign Wars will send lucky participants out the door with a new bag, but the larger purpose will be sending veterans home with a service dog to help transform their lives. The fundraiser will benefit a Washington County group that helps...

At Camp Guyasuta in O’Hara, visitors will have six new mountain bikes to hit the trails this summer along with a bevy of other supplies that include life jackets, helmets for the ropes course and eight new campfire rings. Camp Ranger Mike Daniher said there will be three new special...

The Easter Bunny will hop into town March 26 during an event by Guyasuta Youth Football and Cheer. Children can have lunch with the Easter Bunny from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Comfort Inn at RIDC Park in O’Hara. The lunch is scheduled during a craft show that...

Home decor shoppers will likely be in their glory with the news that HomeGoods is coming to The Waterworks shopping center. The design and accessory retailer is expected to open later this year at shopping plaza along Freeport Road near Aspinwall. The store will fill the empty Bed Bath &...

Attorney Thomas Babinsack has announced his bid for district justice in the office that serves Harrison, Tarentum, Brackenridge, Fawn and East Deer. A lifelong resident of Harrison, Babinsack has a private law practice. He also serves as part-time business manager for the Guardian Angels Parish, which is part of the...

St. Joseph senior Elizabeth Skrinjar is sharing her talent on stage for the first time in her high school years and said it’s one of the best decisions she has ever made. “I thought the musical would be something fun,” she said. “Now I think of it as an escape...

What started as a way for a Cookie Brigade in Harrison to thank local emergency responders has turned into an all-day event where the public is invited to celebrate police, fire and ambulance personnel. Lori Miller coordinated the Hometown Hero Thank You as a way to extend appreciation to local...

A Casino Night in Sharpsburg will benefit the Fox Chapel Foxes & Foxettes youth football and cheer teams. The event will be 6 to 9 p.m. March 18. Tickets cost $40 and include $40 in playing money and dinner. Games will include blackjack, roulette and craps. There will be a...

It shouldn’t be much longer before Chipotle fans can get their favorite Mexican food at the Village at Pittsburgh Mills. Frazer supervisors last month approved a land development plan by Cardinal Realty, which is eyeing property in the Lowe’s parking lot to build a free-standing restaurant. Chipotle Mexican Grill is...

When a police manhunt unfolded Jan. 2 in Harrison, Tarentum and Brackenridge, residents were thirsty for information about what was happening. But there was no way of broadcasting real-time details, Tarentum Manager Dwight Boddorf said. That is going to change soon. The three municipalities are planning to launch a platform...

Kathy Bollinger was a sophomore at Tarentum High School in the 1960s when she started her part-time job at Community Library of Alle­gheny Valley. Little did she know that her stint as a page would transform into a six-decade career helping the library grow into a community hub that serves...

When PPG founder John Baptiste Ford built the YMCA in Tarentum and insisted that it have a reading room, he couldn’t have imagined that a few stacks of books would eventually result in a multimillion-dollar facility in Harrison visited by more than 40,000 people each year. That was 100 years...

Harrison resident Mary Lou Beck spends a lot of time in retirement brainstorming ways to work. A member of the Friends of the Community Library of Allegheny Valley, Beck keeps busy year-round raising money and awareness of the facility that serves 20,000 people in six municipalities. “We do fundraisers, and...

Last month’s vote for a labor union to represent Braeburn Alloy Steel workers in Lower Burrell during contract negotiations has been upheld by the National Labor Relations Board. The vote Feb. 23 was held by secret ballot. Negotiations have not yet been scheduled. It was an unusual hoop for employees...

Nearly a dozen roads in Harrison are on tap to be repaved this year. Commissioners voted to spend about $311,000 for paving projects that include Broadview Boulevard, the busy street that runs parallel with Freeport Road. The contract was awarded to Shields Asphalt Paving of Richland. Work hasn’t been scheduled...

It would’ve been hard for motorists along Freeport Road in Springdale Township to miss Heidi Bair on Thursday. Dressed as a bright red strawberry, the owner of John & Gerry’s Quality Fruit Market danced along the roadside to alert people that the store is open for the season. The store...

A dark comedy about the complexities of family relationships will open the season for the Riverfront Theater Company. “True West” is the tale of two alienated brothers – one a well-educated screenwriter and the other a drifter – who might have more in common than they’d like to admit. “It’s...

In the midst of rebuilding his fire-ravaged church in Arnold, the Rev. Yaroslav Koval of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church also is trying to help revive parts of his native war-torn country. He’s raising money to benefit the Emmanuel Youth Group of the Blessed Martyr Josaphat Kotsylovsky in Stryi, Ukraine....