Joyce Hanz stories

A professional organizer and specialty move manager based in Aspinwall is dedicated to taking the stress and mess out of moving. Paul Regan, 64, is owner and creator of Paul the Organizer, a personal organization business with a mission to provide efficient and effective organizing assistance based on the individual...

Sewickley Academy senior Brooke Busatto is the only girl in her advanced robotics class. But she’s on a STEM mission to change that statistic for female students following in her footsteps as she advocates to encourage girls to embrace careers involving coding, technology and science-related fields of study. “At first...

A converted church featuring custom, giant murals inside and out is for sale in Stanton Heights. Nationally known comedian Steve Hofstetter recently relocated from Pittsburgh to South Carolina and is selling the property that once housed his nonprofit Steel City Arts Foundation. The church was originally Stanton Heights United Methodist...

A new sports-themed sports bar and eatery appears to be making progress towards opening in the former Walnut Grill at Waterworks in Pittsburgh near Aspinwall. A sign reading “Rival: Eat, Drink, Sports” is displayed along Freeport Road near Aspinwall and crews were busy working outside late last month on the...

Janet and Wes Rohrer of Aspinwall are the proud stewards of two Little Free Libraries on their property along Third Street. They installed the libraries in 2011 — one specifically for children positioned at a lower height and one for adults — but an act of vandalism over the weekend...

A once-popular behind-the-scenes tour that ended during the covid shutdown is back at Hartwood Acres Mansion. The Seldom Seen Tour, highlighting areas not shown to visitors during a regular mansion tour, returns Thursday. The unique one-hour tour was occasionally offered during the early 2000s through 2016. Feedback from other tour-goers...

A once-popular behind-the-scenes tour that ended during the covid shutdown is back at Hartwood Acres Mansion. The Seldom Seen Tour, highlighting areas not shown to visitors during a regular mansion tour, returns April 17. The unique, one-hour tour was occasionally offered during the early 2000s through 2016. Feedback from other...

Helene Zacharias’s sweatshirt sums up her life credo: “With God all things are possible” is the logo on a favorite sweatshirt worn by 88-year-old Zacharias as she volunteered April 1 at her beloved church in Sewickley. She’s at St. Matthews A.M.E. Zion Church most days and walks there from her...

The Black Canary Coffee & Ice Cream coffeehouse takes its name from a DC Comics character of the same name and it continues to promote community camaraderie in Blawnox. Look for the heroine’s image on Black Canary T-shirts sold inside the independent java joint at 276 Freeport Road. Owner Rodney...

A long-standing mural adorning the outside of a restaurant building is set to remain in Aspinwall. The former Luke & Mike’s Frontporch Grille is home to a colorful mural titled “Sunset Over Aspinwall,” designed and painted by artist MK Noonan, who worked on it for almost four months in 2014...

Michelle Trumble of Indiana Township is a marrying machine. “I’m a hopeless romantic,” Trumble said of her wedding officiant occupation of 16 years. When Trumble faced difficulties booking a suitable wedding officiant for her second wedding, she recognized the need for a professional and versatile wedding officiant in the Pittsburgh...

Steph Turner grew up across the street from the Fair Oaks Volunteer Fire Department in Leet Township. A friend recruited her to volunteer during the fire station’s open house in 2002, and Turner has been helping ever since. “That’s when my love for the fire department really started,” said Turner,...

Teresa Duff of Sewickley is a preservationist force committed to her adopted community of Sewickley. Duff is a professional architectural conservator, owner and director of Lineage Historic Preservation Services. “Generally speaking, on a project I work in tandem with the project architect or engineer and work in the lane of...

Mary Jane “MJ” Evagash grew up in Troy Hill, not far from the roar of the Steelers games at the stadium. That early memory exposed her to sports as a youngster, and her love of football remains. She wouldn’t have it any other way. “I’m a proud fifth-generation North Sider,”...

A niche housing plan is the result of two former Fox Chapel siblings determined to honor their late parents’ legacy and preserve the land of their beloved family homestead in Fox Chapel. Susan Bailey and her brother Dan Sciullo co-own Willow Farms, a custom home development in a country-like setting...

Allison and Charles Hill are farmers-in-training. The Hills recently purchased 90 acres adjacent to their Leet Township home and launched Harvesting Hope Acres, a nonprofit farm that will be dedicated to helping disabled teens and adults. They announced the news on social media on Feb. 28 in hopes of cultivating...

The Fox Chapel Area High School’s class of 2027 is on a charitable roll. Students and class leaders hosted a month-long fundraiser for their winter charity outreach supporting Surgicorps International. The students exceeded their goal of raising $500 and donated $860 last month to the nonprofit dedicated to providing free...

It’s lights, camera, action for a group of O’Hara Elementary moviemaking students celebrating the release of their latest student-led short film. The O’Hara Elementary Movie Making Club recently completed a whimsical, Olympic-themed short movie that includes chocolate milk-loving alien cats. At the creative helm of the after-school club is fifth...

Aspinwall police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man they say is targeting homeowners that display banners and flags with President Donald Trump’s name. Aspinwall Chief David Nemec confirmed Monday that two separate incidents involving the same male suspect occurred in the fall and most recently on...

A boutique store in Aspinwall is relocating to Verona. Dovecote’s owner, Jessica Rehling Vukmir, said news of the building at 20 Brilliant Ave. going on the market served as a catalyst to find a new ZIP code for her specialty shop known for its vintage-inspired items and antiques. Fox Chapel...

Six student members from the Fox Chapel Area High School Fishing Club recently helped to stock trout during a fish field trip to Pine Creek Watershed on Feb. 19. Miles Carey, Nicholas Krist, Gino Pototo, Josiah Rivera, Evan Skvarla and Jake Williams assisted the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission with...

A little park with a big name is considered by many to be the hidden horticultural gem of Glen Osborne. The Mary Roberts Rinehart Nature Park was born from an overgrown and trash-filled steep ravine. Thanks to decades of community cooperation, hard work and dedicated volunteers, the public park welcomes...

Sewickley Academy eighth graders explored Washington, D.C., in February, visiting many iconic monuments to enrich their knowledge of history, science and culture. Students visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the National Air...

It’s a cool new all-audio collection for kids, sporting a wacky name. Introducing Whazoodle, a screen-free audio speaker sidekick learning device, now available for checkout in weeklong increments at the Sewickley Public Library. Sewickley children’s librarian Bridget Clark is excited to share a screen-free, kid-focused alternative in place of cellphones...