Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 86

Through tree-planting, trash pickup and much more, students in Shaler Area’s fledgling sustainability class are putting their newly learned skills to good use in their own neighborhood. Classes are supporting the preservation of Girty’s Woods, a 155-acre parcel in Reserve, Millvale and Shaler that is slated for permanent green space...

A stormwater project off Kittanning Street in Etna will close a portion of the road for about a month. Work is expected to begin Oct. 26 and will target the section between Sharps Hill Road and Route 8, where recent paving was diverting stormwater and causing the road to deteriorate....

Organizers of the Harvest Fair at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church have reinvented the fundraiser to fit covid-19 restrictions and still help meet what they call an overwhelming need in the community. “We have been limited about what we could do but we felt very strongly that there were huge needs...

In what might be the most appetizing part of the 2020 presidential election, Oakmont Bakery is producing patriotic cookies emblazoned with portraits of candidates Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. A dozen runs $24. The sugar cookies are iced with an image of either Biden surrounded by blue stars or...

A donation from the Sharpsburg-Aspinwall Rotary will help sustain a local group that has served more than 11,000 meals to children since the covid-19 pandemic began in spring. Members spent $800 to buy a freezer, several slow cookers and loads of shelf-stable food for the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) of...

Shaler Garden Club will host a drive-­thru dinner fundraiser from 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23. Catered by Heavenly Cuisine, the menu includes marinated grilled chicken breast, double-baked potato casserole, stewed green beans, tossed green salad, assorted rolls and dessert. The cost is $15. Order by calling 412-720-4255 or emailing...

The Women’s Board of Pittsburgh will remotely host its largest annual fundraiser while upping the ante and announcing two beneficiaries of the January event. “While our fundraising efforts will depart from brick-and-mortar events of the past, we are discovering creative and exciting ways to involve guests in this year’s special...

They’ve rehearsed by Zoom and won’t be performing on a traditional stage, but Fox Chapel Area theater students are eager to bring the high school’s fall production to life. “It’s very uplifting to see how, despite everything that has happened (with covid-19), we can still have some normalcy during a...

A new restaurant and bakery is expected to open in the former Max & Erma’s in RIDC Park in early 2021. Periwinkle’s, an American-style eatery with burgers, soups and salads, will open at 900 Gamma Drive, O’Hara, just off the Allegheny Valley Expressway. The building and its 2.8-acre parcel were...

Summer 2021 will bring renewed enthusiasm to the phrase ‘Play Ball’ for Fox Chapel Area School District youth who compete at Emmerling Park in Indiana Township. Fox Chapel Area Baseball Softball Association (FCBSA) was awarded $200,000 from a state gaming grant to upgrade two fields at the park off Route...

Aspinwall will be home to more than two dozen new trees this fall, thanks to a grant from the nonprofit TreeVitalize. Alicia Wehrle, community forestry project coordinator, said 26 trees will be planted. Half will go into the ground Oct. 22 along Western Avenue and First Street. The balance will...

A river conservation plan is underway for Girty’s Run Watershed thanks to a state grant awarded in early October. The plan was among environmental projects funded by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), which also included stream restoration work in Ross. Girty’s Run Watershed, which encompasses 13.4 square...

Fox Chapel Area elementary students will return to the classroom full-time in November, while those in middle school and high school will continue hybrid and remote learning models for at least the next nine weeks. The school board on Monday night voted 7-2 to give kindergarten through fifth-grade students the...

The Glenshaw Century Club’s holiday craft fair will look a bit different in the face of covid-19 but members were determined to host the festive fundraiser despite scrambling to meet safety guidelines. “Christmas in the Valley” will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 14 at Glenshaw Valley Presbyterian...

Students in the Fox Chapel Area School District can receive free breakfast and lunch, likely through the end of the year. The free meals are available to all students – not just those who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches — through a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program...

Sharpsburg Community Library is packing in the programs, despite being open limited hours for coronavirus concerns. The Main Street site reopened Oct. 1 after being closed to the public for nearly six months to help stem the spread of the virus. Director Sara Mariacher said programs have hit the ground...

Shaler Area students will return to class Monday after beginning the first five weeks of school online. Students who chose in-person learning will transition to hybrid instruction, with Cohort A beginning Monday and Cohort B having its first day of in-person instruction Oct. 15. Shaler Area School Board voted in...

North Allegheny elementary and middle school students will return to full-time in-person instruction in November, two months after starting the year in a hybrid instructional mode to stem the spread of covid-19. Elementary students in kindergarten through fifth grade will be back in class beginning Nov. 4; middle schoolers are...

The deteriorating parking lot at The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is expected to get an overhaul, thanks to an Allegheny County gaming grant. It will be the first extensive renovation to the lot in 40 years. The zoo was awarded $450,000 through the county’s Gaming Economic Development and Tourism...

Dooker’s Hollow Bridge between North Braddock and East Pittsburgh Borough will close Oct. 19 for up to 14 months. The 80-year-old bridge will be reconstructed, with work expected to last through December 2021. Project cost is $9.95 million and includes paving, drainage and lighting. Allison Park Contractors from Gibsonia will...

A donation of meat, eggs and produce to the St. Juan Diego Food Pantry is expected to feed about 60 needy families. The food totaled about $500 and came from the Rotary Club of Fox Chapel Area, whose mission is marked by the motto “Service Above Self.” Barbara George, food...