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AAUW welcomes IUP professor as featured speaker

The Murrysville branch of the American Association of University Women will welcome Indiana University of Pennsylvania professor Arden Hamer as its guest speaker on Dec. 9.

Hamer is a professor in IUP’s Developmental Studies Department, and earned her doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh with a concentration in adult literacy and college reading. Hamer leads several book discussion groups, including two a the Murrysville Community Library.

The AAUW’s meeting will take place at 9:30 a.m. at the library, 4130 Sardis Road in Murrysville.

Masks are required.

For more, see Murrysville-PA.aauw.net.

Symphony East to host ‘Sounds of Joy’ holiday program

Symphony East will host its annual “Sounds of Joy” holiday program at 1 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Lamplighter Restaurant.

The Rick Mansfield Band will provide live entertainment. Mansfield is a former saxophonist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

No reservations are required, but a $10 donation is requested of adults who attend. The Lamplighter is at 6566 William Penn Highway in Salem.

For more, see SymphonyEast.org/events.

International Women plan holiday program

The International Women Club will host its annual Festive Holiday Celebration at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 10 at Cross Roads Presbyterian Church, 2310 Haymaker Road in Monroeville.

All women in the community are invited to attend.

The club meeting begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by celebration and Christmas carol singing led by club member Lorraine Balun.

For more, call 412-823-6040.

Conservancy to host ‘Hot Chocolate Hike’

The Westmoreland Conservancy will host a “Hot Chocolate Hike” at 10 a.m. Dec. 11, starting at the Morosini Reserve and All-Pedestrian Trail in Murrysville.

The family-friendly, 2- to 3-mile hike is free, and will end with a cup of hot chocolate. While the All-Pedestrian trail is universally accessible, the hike will also include part of the reserve’s hillside, which is a wooded hike with some slopes that may require stepping over fallen trees.

Registration can be completed by going to EventBrite.com and entering “hot chocolate hike” in the search box. Hikers will meet in the upper parking lot on Morosini Farm Court.

For more, visit MurrysvillePArecreation.com or call 724-327-2100, ext. 115.

Essay contest open to high school students

The 2022 Pennsylvania American Legion Essay Contest is offering scholarships totaling $9,000 for high school students.

Those in grades 9-12 at public, private, parochial and cyber/home schools are eligible.

The essay theme is “What does the 19th Amendment mean to me?” The 19th Amendment established women’s right to vote.

First prize in the statewide contest is $3,500, with $3,000 for second place and $2,500 for third place.

Essays must be submitted to the student’s local American Legion post by Jan. 8. Each post will determine a winner, which then will be submitted to Westmoreland County District 31 essay chairman by Jan. 22.

More information can be found at pa-legion.com/programs, then click on the “student and youth” tab. You can also email District 31 Essay Chairman Jim Drnjevich at jgdrnjevich@aol.com.

Final election results certified in Westmoreland County

The Westmoreland County Elections Board closed the book on the Nov. 2 general election.

The board issued its final certifications Nov. 29 in the races for judges of election and election inspectors, two categories of races that took an additional week to tally results.

Commissioners, who serve as the board of elections, also approved the final certification of votes totals for the other races on the ballot that included vacancies on state courts, county row offices, municipal councils and school boards.

More than 88,000 voters cast ballots this fall in Westmoreland County, where 987 separate races were contested.

The final, certified vote totals are posted on the county’s website.

Upcoming public meetings

• Franklin Regional School Board combined committee-of-the-whole/voting meetings, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Murrysville municipal building. Meetings are broadcast on Comcast local access Channel 19 and archived at YouTube.com/user/FranklinRegionalSD.

• Export Council, 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at the borough building, 5821 Washington Ave.

• Delmont Council, 7 p.m. Dec. 14 at the borough building, 77 Greensburg St.

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