Bethel Park Journal category, Page 14
‘Thank you for acknowledging my service’: Bethel Park resident offers perspective of woman veteran
The 1980s were a relatively quiet time for the American military, between the end of the Vietnam War and Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. As a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Bethel Park resident Haya Eason — community members may know her as working at the municipal building — once tended to...
Former Bethel Park police lieutenant pleads guilty to smuggling Venezuelan woman into U.S.
A former Bethel Park police lieutenant pleaded guilty Wednesday to helping a woman illegally enter the United States from Mexico because he said he “loved her” and she could “keep his house.” Blake Babin, 59, will be sentenced March 13 in federal court on a single count of transporting an...
GOP takes 3 out of 4 Bethel Park Council seats
Republicans took three out of the four council seats up for election on Nov. 7, according to unofficial Allegheny County results. Ward 4 incumbent Todd S. Cenci joined Kimberly Kamenicky, Ward 2, and Jim Jenkins, Ward 6, in winning on the GOP tickets. Democrat Viola Garis won in Ward 8....
Visit winter markets at Bethel Park Community Center
A change in careers can be sweet. “I moved here after college to take a full-time job doing tax accounting,” Bethel Park resident Becca Battista said. “And then during the pandemic, I kind of had a change of heart and needed something a little bit more creative, rather than doing...
Pine-Richland slams Bethel Park in playoff opener
Winners of four straight games and six of its last seven, Pine-Richland entered Friday evening’s home WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal matchup against Bethel Park looking to keep the good times rolling. It did that and then some. The reigning WPIAL and PIAA champions left no doubt in their postseason opener,...
The art of the haunt: a behind-the-scenes look at local spooky attractions
Shortly before the ScareHouse at Pittsburgh Mills Mall in Frazer opens, the staff makes final preparations. Much like the backstage of a Broadway show, the cast and crew hurry to make last minute repairs or add the final touches to their costumes. Each Halloween season, thrill-seekers of all ages willingly...
Peters Township earns conference title with emphatic win over Bethel Park
There’s not much of an argument when it comes to the top teams in the WPIAL. Week in and week out, Class 5A top-ranked Peters Township has trounced its opponents. One more stood in its way but with much more on the line in the regular-season finale. Bethel Park was...
Bethel Park’s Coverdale neighborhood receives historic designation
For most young men, Friday nights often mean heading out for a night on the town instead of staying home to chat with an elderly neighbor. Robert McCormick remembers telling a friend that he was choosing the latter option. “He looked at me like I was dead crazy,” the Bethel...
4 compete for 2 seats on Bethel Park School Board
Four candidates are in the running on Nov. 7 for two of five seats on Bethel Park School Board: a pair of incumbent Republicans, Barry Christenson and Vincent Scalzo, and two Democrats, Liz Avon and Danielle Gosnell, running together on a slate called BP4All; In the primary, incumbents Darren McGregor,...
In brief: Spooktacular Parade, other Bethel Park happenings, week of Oct. 23, 2023
Trick-or-treat Bethel Park’s trick-or-treat will be held from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31. Halloween Spooktacular Parade Bethel Park’s Halloween Spooktacular Parade starts at 9 a.m. Oct. 28. The parade will have two routes, North and South, with a variety of special vehicles and surprises for the kids along the way. Routes...
Bethel Park real estate transactions, week of Oct. 22, 2023
Bethel Park Harry Crichton trustee sold property at 806 Berrington Ct to Ivy Pan for $270,000. 226 Property Ventures LLC sold property at 2620 Center St. to Claire Lopresti and Olivia Burk for $275,000. James Amodie sold property at 1331 Centerman Ave. to Ruthann Miller for $400,000. Benjamin Gesk sold...
Doubles team’s WPIAL championship highlights special season for Bethel Park tennis
Both are talented tennis players. One is a freshman at Bethel Park. The other’s a senior. Together, they’ve developed into quite the dynamic duo on the tennis courts. Bethel Park’s Cami Fisher and Lily Sierka this season became the first WPIAL doubles champions in girls tennis in school history. “Lily...
After winning Section 3 title, Bethel Park boys look forward to postseason run
Bethel Park didn’t lose a section game in boys soccer this season. The Black Hawks rang up a 13-0-1 mark in Section 3-3A to narrowly finish first ahead of runner-up Thomas Jefferson (12-1-1). And perhaps most impressive, Bethel Park allowed just seven goals in 14 section games with seven shutouts...
Knoch girls defeat Sewickley Academy for WPIAL crown
It was deja vu in Class 2A girls tennis as Knoch squared off against Sewickley Academy for the seventh consecutive year. Knoch emerged with a 3-2 win at Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center at Washington & Jefferson College, giving the school three WPIAL championships in four years. Senior Lindsey Greb...
Bethel Park High School teacher wrote, is directing fall play
Cortney Williams had more actors than parts. Instead of trimming the cast, she added characters. Williams, an English teacher at Bethel Park High School, wrote plays so everyone could be included. “I thought, if they are willing to come and put in the time, then there needs to be a...
Students from Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon team up for Violins of Hope concert
Bethel Park High School teachers Leigh Totty and Chelsea Casagranda incorporate the study of the Holocaust in their curriculums. “Learning about the Holocaust is an integral part of understanding humanity, understanding history and the challenges facing our world today,” said Totty. A part of that history will be heard as...
Bethel Park Council seats contested in 4 wards
Eight candidates are running for four open Bethel Park Council in the Nov. 7 election, with Democrats facing Republicans in the municipality’s four even-numbered wards. Candidates were asked to submit general biographical information and answer the question: What do you view as the most pertinent issue for Bethel Park, and...
Moon holds off Bethel Park’s 2nd-half surge for Allegheny 6 victory
The Moon Tigers looked poised to make a statement Friday night in their Class 5A Allegheny 6 Conference matchup against Bethel Park. Despite holding a four-touchdown lead at halftime, the Tigers were forced to withstand a furious Black Hawks rally before holding on to win 42-34. “Bethel Park is dynamic...
Bethel Park students earn National Merit Scholarship honors
Four Bethel Park High School seniors have been recognized for academic excellence by one of the country’s best-known and longest-running scholarship programs. The National Merit Scholarship Corp. has designated Bryce Clancy, Henry Gaston, Lucas Hertzel and Lupe McElvenny as 2024 NMS commended students. Clancy and Gaston have also been named...
Friends group gives $10,000 to Bethel Park Public Library
Friends of the Bethel Park Park Library members made a $10,000 donation to the institution they support, fittingly enough during September, Love Your Library Month in Allegheny County. The money was raised through Friends of the library activities throughout the year, and the donation will go toward purchasing materials and...
‘Absolute worst in monster-movie mayhem’: Award-winning show nears 5-year mark on Bethel Park TV
Dressed in perhaps the campiest pirate costume imaginable and uttering nonsense like “avast, ye scurvy dogs,” a character called Capt. Calico Drake scowls at a video camera to address his audience. “Welcome once again aboard the Swashbuckler’s Haunt, the most disreputable ship of the Three Rivers and the Seven Seas,”...
Bethel Park paraprofessional receives award launched this year in honor of Fred Rogers
For more than half a century, youngsters have watched the filmed-in-Pittsburgh TV series “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” hearing a friendly, gentle voice guide them toward safe, fulfilling lives. Although Fred Rogers (1928-2003) ended the show’s production two years before his death, episodes still run in syndication and on streaming services, giving...
Bethel Park yard screams Halloween
Welcome to Kings School Cemetery, at least for the Halloween season. That’s what the sign says in the suitably decorated yard of Bethel Park resident Joe Villella.” “Every year, we have a different theme,” he said. “Last year, I had a carnival theme.” Whatever he and his family members choose...
School of Rock tops Battle of Bands in Bethel Park
The sound of the applause was so overwhelming, it required a second round of audience voting to distinguish which band would be the hailed victor for the first Battle of the Bands concert held in Bethel Park. “I know there were other people cheering, but we were so loud, I...
Bethel Park runs well in home victory over Upper St. Clair
Bethel Park’s David Dennison and Ryan Petras spearheaded a relentless rushing attack, leading the host Black Hawks past rival Upper St. Clair, 22-10, on Friday. The Black Hawks won the battle in the trenches and didn’t trail once in a pivotal conference matchup, making them 2-0 in the Class 5A...
