Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 54
Highlands Elementary students mark Veterans Day by honoring family members who served
Desert Storm veteran Frank Banks shared a special breakfast Friday morning with fellow serviceman Robert Hayden and his nephews, Grayson and Ezra Killian, at Highlands Elementary School. “I love being here with the kids,” said Hayden, an Air Force veteran and Harrison resident. “It’s a nice event all-around.” The pancake...
Bitter 2021 ATI strike focus of documentary, Zoom discussion
Caustic picket line conversations and fiery union hall debates will take center stage in an upcoming documentary about the bitter 2021 ATI strike that impacted 450 workers in the Alle-Kiski Valley. “Local 1196: A Steelworkers Strike” gives a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of union workers and their families while...
Friends, family of late Vietnam veteran from Freeport hope to secure military honors for him at VA cemetery
Late Freeport resident Bob Johnston served three tours of harrowing conflict in the Vietnam War, running supplies along the Cua Viet River at Dong Ha. He served four years in the Navy, 1965-68, basically living on the water while repelling ground attacks and artillery fire from the enemy. “He made...
Retired Tarentum serviceman gets free roof in time for Veterans Day
Kenneth Snead Sr.’s mom always told him believing is half the battle. Snead recalled her words Thursday while watching contractors install a free roof on his West Eighth Avenue home in Tarentum. “I am so grateful, but I just knew it was gonna happen,” said Snead, 62, an Army veteran....
Sharpsburg residents face 25% tax increase in 2023
Sharpsburg residents could be facing a considerable property tax increase in 2023. Council approved a tentative $4.6 million budget, which includes $1.2 million in a sewer fund and $78,000 in liquid fuels. The proposed budget includes a property tax increase of 2.25 mills, to 9.75. If approved, the owner of...
Sharpsburg expected to benefit from $2 million state grant for older home repairs
Sharpsburg’s aging housing stock could benefit from a $2 million state grant meant to target critical home repairs for low-income, Allegheny County residents, Sharpsburg Mayor Brittany Reno said. Money from the Department of Community and Economic Development was awarded to the nonprofit ACTION Housing for the rehabilitation program. It will...
Abby Major keeps 60th state House seat
Republican incumbent Abby Major secured a win for the state’s new 60th House District against newcomer Democrat Bob George. Unofficial results show Major earned about 69% of the votes compared to George’s 31%. Major had 18,957 votes, compared to George’s 8,507 votes. “Thank you to the people of the Kiski...
Democrat Mandy Steele defeats Republican Ted Tomson in 33rd state House
Mandy Steele, the Democratic candidate for the 33rd State House District, defeated Republican Ted Tomson to represent the newly drawn district that includes Alle-Kiski towns from Harrison to Aspinwall. As of Wednesday afternoon, Steele of Fox Chapel captured about 55% of the votes compared to Tomson of Fawn, who earned...
Building the Valley: The Hot Dog Guys food truck has been serving the Alle-Kiski Valley for 18 years
The average American eats 70 hot dogs every year, according to hotdog.org. Hungry customers easily could down that many — and never repeat a mix of toppings — from The Hot Dog Guys, Alle-Kiski Valley’s roving food truck. “You gotta try the sauerkraut and Potato Stix,” said regular patron Dave...
Tarentum taxes expected to remain steady
Tarentum residents likely will pay the same amount in real estate taxes next year thanks to council’s approval of a tentative budget. The $15 million plan maintains the property tax rate of 5.84 mills, the same as it has been for nearly two decades. If approved, the owner of a...
Christmas in Guyasuta features winter wonderland with elves, lights and Santa
People can escape to a winter wonderland complete with a bonfire and rides through twinkling lights during the fourth annual Christmas in Guyasuta celebration. The event is scheduled Nov. 26 at the wooded grounds of Camp Guyasuta, just off 23rd Street in the Sharpsburg business district. Santa and Mrs. Claus...
Tarentum police seek person accused of stealing from unlocked apartments
Tarentum police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a person they believe is stealing from apartments along East Fifth Avenue. Police posted a video to social media that shows a person with a blonde ponytail and glasses walking into the Manos Gallery on Nov. 3. They said that person...
‘Friends and Family Reunion’ scheduled at First Baptist Church of Tarentum
Leaders at First Baptist Church of Tarentum have a message for the community. “We are still here for you,” the Rev. Felicia Brock said. “The pandemic was hard and people are used to staying at home, but we want everyone to know we want to have an impact on the...
Aspinwall’s Riverfront Theater Company does right with ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’
Riverfront Theater Company’s final performance of the 2022 season will leave audiences laughing well into the new year. Steven Gallagher, director of “The Play That Goes Wrong,” said playwrights Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields made beautiful work of comedy, and people will love the piece for its pure...
Stained-glass restoration project at Tarentum church will ‘be night and day difference’
Eleven window openings at the 109-year-old Central Presbyterian Church in Tarentum will remain boarded shut for at least six months during a painstaking project to restore the colorful stained glass. Nine windows and two transoms were removed Wednesday by workers from Pittsburgh Stained Glass Studios, who will begin an extensive...
Harrison library seeking adult programmer with flair for ideas
The Community Library of Allegheny Valley hosts hundreds of adult programs each year, from art and history to tech tutoring and genealogy. The site in Harrison is seeking an innovative person to oversee the offerings. John Kristine, the adult programming specialist, left his post Thursday to take a position in...
Highlands taps Freeport Area business manager as director of business affairs
The Highlands School Board on Tuesday hired a director of business affairs for a five-year term. Bradley Walker of Leechburg will be responsible for directing and managing the yearly budget process, among other duties. A start date has not yet been determined. Walker currently is the business office manager for...
Harrison unearthing ‘hidden gem’ of Silverlake
It was the early 1970s when Georgie Blackburn moved with her family to what she called Harrison’s hidden gem: Silverlake. Nestled in a valley between Route 28 and Allegheny Valley Hospital, the property spans 65 acres and, at that time, boasted a cottage, a creek, an old barn and an...
Harrison Hills Hikers club kicks around at St. Joseph High School
David Widenhofer, a history teacher at St. Joseph High School, is hoping to stoke students’ passion for the great outdoors through a new after-school hiking club. Harrison Hills Hikers will nurture the teens’ interests in nature, fitness and adventure-seeking, Widenhofer said. “We try to give our kids a little bit...
Mosites breaks ground on Allegheny Shores, ‘the Sharpsburg Riviera’
A groundbreaking along the Sharpsburg riverfront Monday marked the beginning of a project to reshape the land and reconnect it to the community. The Mosites Co., best known for its redevelopment of the East Liberty commercial corridor, celebrated the launch of a project formerly dubbed R47 and now called Allegheny...
No tax increase expected in Harrison
Harrison residents likely will pay the same property tax rate in 2023, according to a proposed budget presented Monday by the township commissioners. “The draft 2023 general fund operating budget is balanced and represents no tax increase,” Commissioner Chuck Dizard said. The preliminary $6.2 million budget holds the tax rate...
33rd state House District shaping up as vital race
The 33rd state House race is revving up to be critically important in the midterm elections. Democrat Mandy Steele of Fox Chapel and Republican Ted Tomson of Fawn each believe they are the key to growing the economy and revitalizing the district, which runs along one side of the Allegheny...
Harrison police expected to get body cameras by early 2023
Harrison police may soon be equipped with body cameras. The township commissioners voted to join the Body Worn Camera Program, which is sponsored by the Allegheny County Chiefs of Police Association. The township has applied for about $41,000 to cover the entire cost. “It’s an important addition to the police...
Brackenridge mayor joins 4 Western Pa. officials in pledge to save butterflies, pollinators
Brackenridge Mayor Lindsay Fraser is one of four public officials in Western Pennsylvania to sign the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge to work to save butterflies and other pollinators. Offered through the National Wildlife Federation, the program enlists municipal leaders to steward monarch butterflies, whose populations have declined by 90% in recent...
Harrison tree planting boosts experience for ballpark spectators
Anyone who has ever watched a game at the Natrona Heights Baseball Softball Association complex will likely enjoy the experience even more next year. Volunteers from the youth league in Harrison joined the township tree committee and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to plant more than a dozen Zelkova trees on...
