Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 77

Dick Friedline derives genuine pleasure from working in the kitchen — slicing fruit, mixing salad and packing lunches. It’s a good thing, since he compiles up to 180 meals a day in his job as manager of Elfinwild Meals Ministry, a delivery service that sends meatloaf, lasagna, hot dogs and...

Retired nurse Audrey Wagner didn’t pay much attention when her husband dismissed the idea of getting a covid-19 vaccine. “I knew we were getting it, there were no ifs about it,” said Wagner, 77, who spent more than three decades as a cardiac nurse at St. Francis, St. Margaret and...

Sharpsburg has joined a growing list of municipalities to ban coal tar, a chemical used to seal asphalt driveways and which has been linked to certain cancers. “It’s so important that we do everything in our powers to leave the world in a better place than we found it, or...

Millvale police Officer Joe Spalick acted on pure adrenaline when he helped rescue three people from a fully engulfed house fire Monday afternoon. “I was the first one on the scene, and I instantly saw the front porch in flames and thick black smoke all through the house,” Spalick said...

Greener and cleaner is the aim of Aspinwall’s spring litter collection, scheduled from April 23 to 25 to celebrate Earth Day. “Green Streets” is a decade-long effort that relies on volunteers to make the trash pickup a success. “This is a family-friendly volunteer opportunity that allows Aspinwall residents to take...

Sharpsburg residents can step up to keep the community clean, “adopting” their own little piece of the borough. Council on March 25 approved an Adopt-A-Block program through which residents and business owners can sign up to rid litter from a particular stretch of road for at least a year. “I...

Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel – as well as its Sharpsburg branch – will reopen to the public on Thursday. No appointment is necessary but visits will be limited to one hour each. “When we reopened for a limited time back in October, people were so thrilled to be...

A rash of thefts from cars and homes has local police urging people to lock their doors. It’s a reminder that’s issued often and is a frustrating problem because it is easily preventable, officers said. In Aspinwall, police responded to two incidents Monday, one a theft from a home and...

Up against a pandemic, the Women’s Board of Pittsburgh hosted a virtual edition of its annual fundraiser and found that support still flooded in. “Even in these unprecedented times, very generous sponsors and a large group of supporters from the Pittsburgh area helped make this event a big success,” spokeswoman...

The new director of enrollment at Shady Side Academy is poised to seize and build on current momentum at the private school. Bayh Sullivan will start in the position on July 1, taking the place of Katie Mihm who is retiring after 22 years leading admissions at the school. “Shady...

Etna, Millvale and Shaler were honored as Banner Communities last week, reinforcing diligent work by the three local governments. Hampton Shaler Water Authority was also recognized. A total of 71 communities and five municipal authorities were lauded by the Allegheny League of Municipalities and Allegheny County, recognized for careful spending,...

More than 1,000 pieces of fish will hit the fryers at Blawnox Volunteer Fire Company’s annual Good Friday fundraiser. The April 2 event will offer eat-in and takeout service in hopes of reeling in profits for the fire department. Sandwiches, dinners and a la carte items will be served from...

The Sharpsburg Market Garden is among several groups to receive a grant from the Sisters of St. Joseph to help provide fresh produce and stave off hunger in local communities. Garden director Ruth Ann McGarry said her group will use the money to purchase supplements for the soil and also...

Aspinwall is now a member of the North Hills Councils of Government (COG), leaving its longtime membership at the Allegheny Valley North group. Council green-lighted the move, saying the change was based largely on logistics. “The AVNCOG was great and served Aspinwall well,” council president Tim McLaughlin said. “However, we...

In a nod to the borough’s early years, Fox Chapel council voted on Monday night to rename Squaw Run Road to Hemlock Hollow Road, bringing an end to a nine-month conflict on how to remove the slur “Squaw” from place names. The change to one of the borough’s most heavily...

Running on a platform of experience and commitment, Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney Megan Sasinoski is seeking election for Magisterial District Judge in Sharpsburg. The first-time candidate is a lifelong O’Hara resident who hopes to bring her courtroom experience to the job. “I have done literally thousands of cases in...

Shady Side Academy faculty and staff will have the chance to be vaccinated against covid-19 during a clinic Friday on campus. It is one of two on-campus clinics that will be offered over the next month through Rite Aid, which will administer the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer shots to school...

Richland Elementary first-grader Brielle Connelly hasn’t been a Girl Scout all that long, but she takes the oath to heart. The 6-year-old set out recently to spread kindness in a big way by collecting 100 boxes of cookies for the residents at Hampton Fields Village, a UPMC independent living retirement...

Several Fox Chapel Area municipalities were named this week as Banner Communities for their prudent finances, transparency and proactive communications. A total of 71 communities and five municipal authorities were lauded by the Allegheny League of Municipalities and Allegheny County, among them Aspinwall, Fox Chapel, Indiana Township, O’Hara and Sharpsburg....

The public is encouraged to put on their hiking boots and hit the trail at Riding Meadow Park in Fox Chapel for a good cause. The Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy is hosting a spring lantern forest walk at sundown on March 20, the first day of spring. Lanterns will illuminate...

Following an unprecedented year of isolation and hardship, Aspinwall Riverfront Park wants to know what you are grateful for. Be it your job, your family or your pet guinea pig — an answer which four people have already submitted — park directors will include your attitude of gratitude in a...

Fox Chapel Area teachers will be scheduled for a covid-19 vaccination as early as this week, school officials announced Monday. At the same time, the school board voted to return middle school and high school students to full-time, in-person education beginning March 15. “Personnel may begin to receive invitations (for...