A-K Valley , Page 4

Valerie Horvatic was not aware that her son decided to wear a pink shirt saying “Tough Guys Wear Pink” to school one day last month. She also didn’t know the shirt caused her son, Julian, 7, to be bullied that day at Acmetonia Primary School in Allegheny Valley School District....

Soccer competition was never far away for Apollo-Ridge graduate Emily Bonelli growing up. She had a full-size goal that her dad built in her backyard. And she had a future Division I goalie living under the same roof: older sister Megan. Another older sister, Sarah, also went on to play...

A pumpkin-themed event is returning to Vandergrift. The annual Vandergrift Great Pumpkin Patch returns from noon to 3 p.m. on Oct. 30 in Franklin Park. Last year’s festivities were canceled because of the pandemic. The event is sponsored by the Vandergrift Parent Project. “The VPP loves to bring our community...

Christmas is coming early as Dasher’s Lightshow makes it way to the Pittsburgh Mills mall. The new drive-thru Christmas lightshow will set up in five cities across the United States. The Pittsburgh Mills show runs from Nov. 5 through Jan. 2, 2022. Dasher’s Lightshow co-owner Clyde Lindsey, a Leechburg resident,...

After the Apollo-Ridge footall team made its first WPIAL semifinal appearance last season, a number of quality players graduated, and the Vikings had key positions to fill. It has been as hard to keep the players on the field as it was to find the replacements. Apollo-Ridge’s season has been...

Cub Scout Pack 500 of Washington Township hosted an open house recruitment carnival Sunday. The annual event serves as a way to bolster the pack’s membership, which is about 22 scouts. Afternoon activities inside the Washington Township Fire Hall included plinko, mega wire, bull ringer and roller bowler. An energetic...

The oldest operating farm in Westmoreland County has another distinction: a cornfield maze that has been amazing people for more than two decades. Gearhard Farms, in Murrysville near Washington Township, creates a new maze through a cornfield each year. The 2021 maze, spread over two acres, opened in September and...

Gilpin officials are exploring ways to slow speeders on a dead-end road. Banfield Road is a no-outlet stretch near Mill Bridge Road and West Leechburg Street. Resident Joe Sabot lives along Banfield and said motorists for years have exceeded the 15 mph posted speed limit. “Nobody understands it’s a single-lane,...

South Buffalo Township firefighters hope to break some records later this month in support of a young girl with a rare form of epilepsy. The volunteer department’s third annual benefit tractor pull is scheduled for Oct. 16. This year’s fundraiser is for Taylor Roles, 12, a sixth grader at Freeport...

The green scene is expanding at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School in Washington Township. The Green Team club, composed of 40 fifth and sixth graders committed to promoting sustainability and eco-friendly practices on campus, has a waiting list for membership. “We had about a dozen members when we first started,”...

One of Arnold’s two volunteer fire departments is going to try something new for a fundraiser. Arnold Engine Co. No. 2 will host its first “Octoberfest” from 6-10 p.m. Oct. 15 at its social hall, 1702 Fifth Ave. “Now that we’re actually allowed to have in-person fundraisers, we’re going to...

When Pia Trew of Lower Burrell heard her college roommate’s pet goldfish was in peril, she took a road trip back home. “The goldfish was on its last leg, or fin, so I made a trip home to bring him spring water and that did the trick,” Trew said. “He...

Madeline Boulos Deer Lakes soccer Madeline Boulos’ upcoming milestone is a product of many factors. The Deer Lakes senior forward has scored 99 career goals over three-plus seasons, many thanks to outstanding individual effort and creative distribution from talented teammates. Lancers coach Frank Accetta said Boulos’ “work ethic is outstanding....

Retired Highlands teacher Jody Shumaker still has a passion to educate. The Harrison resident is working to bring back her wildly popular Book Walks in person at Riverview Memorial Park in Tarentum. “We have done many of them there at the park, but none since covid-19,” Shumaker said. “They were...

There was a lot of fun, but there also were serious lessons when New Kensington firefighters visited with elementary students last week. What to do when there’s a fire, how to know there is a fire, and things they shouldn’t do during a fire were among the things assistant Chief...

Before ’Vette owners put their babies away for the winter, Larry Shaffer hopes they’ll consider bringing them out for one last ride. Shaffer is organizing a judged all-Corvette car show in October at AK Valley Park in New Kensington, proceeds from which will go to the Officer Brian Shaw Foundation....

The PIHL season is underway, and A-K Valley teams have begun the six-month grind toward the Penguins Cup playoffs. Teams will play a 20-game regular-season schedule that will stretch into March before the postseason begins. Among A-K Valley teams, four are competing this season in Class A: Fox Chapel, Plum...

Yumiko Kuo Class: Senior School: Knoch Sport: Cross Country Report card: Kuo posted a time of 22 minutes, 13 seconds and won by 7 seconds at a tri-meet with Riverview and Freeport on Sept. 28, in Oakmont. She helped the Knoch girls win the tri-meet and move to 8-0. She...

Deer Lakes reached a milestone recently with its 500th football game in school history resulting in a 6-0 victory over Valley. That milestone was quickly obscured last Friday with a 9-7 upset over East Allegheny in Game 501 to give the Lancers three consecutive victories after an 0-3 start. Deer...

Katy Appleman of Fox Chapel is blazing a trail. She is the first female from Western Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands Council to earn an Eagle Scout ranking. The Laurel Highlands Council is one of the largest in the country and includes 13 districts serving nearly 17,000 youths in Western Pennsylvania and...

Vandergrift officials want a little more time to address regulations for backyard chickens. Discussions began about three months ago, when a three-person committee was formed in response to residents wanting to raise chickens. A draft ordinance that would establish a permitting process, regulations on coups and possible punishments for violations...

George Tuttle wants to save lives and follow in his father’s firefighter footsteps. “Any time I can have a chance to help somebody, I’ll always help them,” he said. “There’s a lot more people that you can help with being a firefighter. It’s not anything to do with crime or...

Cora Scott Cole found herself with a lot of idle time when the pandemic lockdown hit last year. So she got busy writing. Cole, 82, of Kiski Township, self-published a memoir, “Cora Lee, A Testimony,” earlier this year with Peaceable Publishing. She’s donating 5% from the sale of each book...

Maddie Boyer made school history in qualifying for the WPIAL Class AA girls individual golf final. “Maddie is the first female I have had on the boys team to compete for a WPIAL individual championship,” Knoch coach Rob Voltz said. “I hope she enjoys the experience.” The WPIAL girls golf...

Zach Heidenreich recalled running through neighbors’ yards, knocking and ringing doorbells quickly before taking off down Greenridge Road in New Kensington’s Mount Vernon neighborhood. He and his friends would play football on the street and use telephone poles as end zones. That was in the late 1990s and early 2000s....