Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 41
Concrete floor crumbling under weight of newest engine at Harrison Hills VFC
The Harrison Hills Volunteer Fire Company should see improved response times, if only slightly, thanks to a new floor at its garage on Freeport Road. Installation of a concrete floor began last week because the old one was crumbling under the weight of the engines, Chief Jim Bartolovich said. “Our...
Code orange air quality alert issued for Monday
A statewide code orange air quality alert has been issued for Monday. That means young children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems should limit outdoor activities for risk of exposure to elevated air pollution. According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, smoke from Canadian wildfires is expected to...
Police seek help finding Bethel Park teen
Bethel Park police are seeking the public’s help to find a 15-year-old girl last seen Saturday. Armor Wilson is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall and 150 pounds. She has short faded red hair. When she left home Saturday morning, Wilson was wearing pajama pants and a black hoodie...
Part-time officer to be new chief of Parks Township police department
Part-time Parks Township police Officer Kyle Lewis will be announced as chief of the department on Monday. Supervisor Chairman Greg Artman said Lewis will take over for recently departed John Arce, who left June 30 for the Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department. “Kyle’s a good kid,” Artman said. “I think...
2 Pittsburgh facilities up for ‘America’s Most Beautiful Hospitals’
Two Pittsburgh medical facilities are in the running for “America’s Most Beautiful Hospitals” contest. The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, both situated along Penn Avenue, are among 50 hospitals nominated nationwide. Sponsored by healthcare staffing firm Soliant, the contest runs through July 27. Soliant plans...
Teen girl charged with shooting death of 16-year-old boy in Uniontown
A 16-year-old boy was shot to death Saturday in Uniontown and police are charging a teenage girl with the crime, according to Tribune-Review news partner WTAE-TV. Police responded to the incident at about 3:15 p.m. on Wilson Avenue. The name of the victim has not yet been released. Uniontown Lt....
Playground surface, tree removal on tap at Brackenridge Memorial Park
The wait was worth it for Brackenridge officials. Council last month dismissed a bid of more than $200,000 for safety improvements at Memorial Park and were able to green-light the work for half the price. The project includes removing trees and installing a new rubber surface at the fenced-in park,...
Pigsburgh Squealers Rescue provides a chance to ‘Swine and Unwind’
Everyone at a Saturday yoga fundraiser in Frazer agreed their favorite position was downward-facing hog. The exercise event, hosted by the nonprofit Pigsburgh Squealers Rescue at its 25-acre farm, featured sweet-natured sows and well-behaved boars that ambled among the participants. Dubbed “Swine and Unwind,” proceeds help feed the 11 resident...
Harrison police advise residents to stay alert to phone scams
Harrison police are issuing an alert to residents to be on the lookout for phone scammers. Chief Brian Turack said his officers are investigating a high-dollar fraud in which a resident was duped out of thousands. He said he could not release specific information because the case is active. “We...
University Women honor several for work in promoting equity
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Debra Todd was honored at a Fox Chapel luncheon for her work in promoting equity for women and girls. The Fox Chapel Area branch of the American Association of University Women honored Todd with its Gateway to Equity Award at a May ceremony at Fox Chapel...
Audubon’s Succop Nature Park will be energy self-sufficient by year’s end
Succop Nature Park, a prime trail-walking and bird-watching spot spread over 50 acres near Butler, will become even more eco-friendly as it transitions away from fossil fuels this year. The Audubon Society-owned property along West Airport Road in Penn Township, Butler County, will use solar panels to produce 100% of...
Special meetings scheduled for vote on Tarentum-Brackenridge police consolidation
The idea to consolidate police forces in Brackenridge and Tarentum continues to inch forward. More than 7,500 residents in the two boroughs could be served by a combined department by the end of the month if the move is approved during specially scheduled meetings July 28. Both councils will meet,...
Mysterious gunshots at Harrison Hi-Rise ‘scary’ for residents
A group of residents outside the Harrison Hi-Rise on Monday afternoon believe gunmen were sending a message when at least seven bullets whizzed into the building just before 5 a.m. the previous day. “If it’s kids shooting, I don’t think they’d use sniper bullets that go through concrete,” said one...
‘Laundromutt,’ the first of its kind in area, to open in Brackenridge
The newest business in Brackenridge targets dirty clothes and muddy paws all in one spot. Horizon Wash Spa, the area’s first “laundromutt,” is set to open this summer at 1132 Brackenridge Ave. The self-serve facility offers laundry service for humans and dog-washing for four-legged friends. It will open by August...
Allegheny County hosts Dog Days of Summer parties at off-leash parks; Harrison Hills event scheduled July 18
The dog days of summer are looking good for area pooches. They will be the guests of honor at Allegheny County-sponsored events in Harrison, Indiana Township and Monroeville. The county’s Special Events Department is hosting a free, roving party for four-legged friends at Harrison Hills, Hartwood Acres and Boyce Park....
While temperatures climb, Tarentum Spray Park remains closed for repairs
Talk about a bad break. While temperatures soar, the Tarentum Spray Park remains closed for repairs. The coolest spot in Riverview Memorial Park has been off-limits for 11 days. The borough posted on June 26 that emergency repairs were being made after a waterline break. The following day, officials said...
Fox Chapel-based Women’s Board grants $83,000 to 4 children’s charities
“Springtime in Paris,” the 2023 fundraiser of the Women’s Board of Pittsburgh, will benefit four children’s charities this year — the most ever in one year for the Fox Chapel-based group. The April event brought in more than $83,000, according to the nonprofit. Grant recipients include Earthen Vessels Outreach, Foster...
Burtner House in Harrison will host its first Honey Bee Festival
Organizers of a new festival at the historic Burtner House in Harrison are hoping it creates a buzz. The Honey Bee Festival is scheduled for July 29 at the homestead, just off Route 28 at Exit 15. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. “There’s a lot of interest...
Vibrant Tarentum mural nod to past, hope for future
A former junk store standing vacant on a prime Tarentum corner will soon show signs of life. The old Grant Building, at Corbet Street and Fourth Avenue, will be the canvas for a giant mural depicting life in the borough. The painting will be about 10 feet tall and up...
Fox Chapel Rotary honors 10 Shady Side grads for service, academics
Ten Shady Side Academy students were honored by the Rotary Club of Fox Chapel Area for embodying ideals of good citizenship and service to others, as well as for academics. Rotary members honored the graduating seniors during an end-of-school luncheon at the Indiana Township municipal building. Students were chosen by...
With increased interest in self-defense classes, instructors focus on situational awareness
Fourth-degree black belt Bob Makowski doesn’t mind scaring students in his self-defense classes. The harder he grabs their attention, he said, the better chance they learn tools that can thwart danger. “About 65% of assaults occur with someone you know and also happen indoors,” said Makowski, owner of a martial...
Diamond Antiques building gets makeover ahead of 100th anniversary
It’s hard to miss the new and improved Diamond Antiques building in Tarentum. Painted bright white, the formerly drab brown building sticks out along the Sixth Avenue business district. The storefront is appointed with a stark black-and-white striped awning “There’s been so many comments, and everyone seems to love it,”...
Automated service takes the place of garbage collectors July 1 in Tarentum
Tarentum residents will say goodbye to their garbage collectors on July 1, when Waste Management rolls out its automated collection system, all but eliminating any personal service that previously was part of the contract. The biggest difference for residents: no more unlimited trash pickup and only one garbage can per...
Religious items from closed Guardian Angels Parish find new home — across the globe
Two ornate altars that graced St. Ladislaus Church in Natrona for more than 100 years will be used again for prayer — across the globe on the South Pacific island of Tonga. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the town of Nukualofa acquired the cream-colored altars, a baptismal font,...
$52 million Highlands budget includes no tax increase for residents
Highlands School Board Vice President Nicole Kocon said the district’s conservative budgeting combined with growing local revenue has helped hold taxes steady for the 2023-24 school year. The board approved the $52 million budget, maintaining the property tax rate of 25.13 mills. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000...
