Joyce Hanz stories, Page 34

A Pittsburgh man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on accusations that he robbed three gas station in the city last December. Marcus Allen Wells, 28, formerly of Pittsburgh’s Glen Hazel neighborhood, faces federal robbery and firearms charges. According to the indictment, on Dec. 10, 2021,...

Washington Township has a new supervisor. Matthew Thornton, 55, was unanimously appointed by the board of supervisors on Monday, Aug.8. There was no comment from the public regarding Thornton’s appointment during the meeting. He replaces former supervisor Scott Held, who resigned last month. Held served for six months before resigning...

Thespians from the Freeport Theatre Festival are channeling their inner pioneer as they present “Massy Harbison.” The play is a historical drama based on local pioneer heroine Massy Harbison, who survived captivity by Native Americans near what is now present-day Freeport. It was written and directed by Rennick Steele. It’s...

Several Allegheny Township residents want to know what township officials can do about ongoing problems associated with rundown, neglected and vacant properties next to their homes. Three people attended this week’s supervisors meeting, all voicing their frustrations about living next to what they said are unsightly and unsafe structures and...

Take a walk on the historic side with guided tours through Aspinwall offered by a local historian. Explore the historic architecture of a bygone era and learn about the families who first settled in the borough, founded in 1892. “Many people come here to shop, dine or visit one of...

The Vandergrift Police Department is hosting a back-to-school supply drive for students at Kiski Area East Primary School in the borough. The annual collection is in collaboration with the school’s Parent Teacher Organization. Donated items may be dropped off through Aug. 15 at the Vandergrift Police Station at 109 Grant...

The Kiski Area School District is rolling out a new, free program to help incoming kindergartners adjust to life on campus. Kinder-Camp will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 15 to 18 for any incoming kindergartner at the district’s three elementary schools: East, North and South Primary. The...

A new enterprise is brewing in historic Vandergrift’s business district. Virginia Lindsay and Karen Heilman, co-owners of 1833 Coffee and Tea Co. in Freeport, announced this week on social media that they’re expanding their coffee business and opening a “sister shop” along Grant Avenue. The new coffee business will be...

A Fox Chapel Area High School freshman with a commitment to conservation is raising monies to help pay it forward for the next generation of conservation leaders. Claire Conti, 14, has attended the Wildlife Leadership Academy the past two summers. The non-profit is dedicated to engaging and empowering high-school aged...

A free back-to-school giveaway event for all students enrolled in the Kiski Area School District is scheduled for Aug. 10. The Back to School Backpack Bash returns this year after a successful inaugural 2021 launch. The district sought donations of backpacks, school supplies and hygiene items from the community over...

Nick Kardos of Vandergrift gets paid to be creepy. Kardos, 31, was inspired by horror classics including “Night of the Living Dead” and experienced a creative drive as a youngster growing up in Oklahoma Borough. He has worked seasonally for 13 years as a special effects super­visor and as a...

The Discovery School is set to welcome students this fall to a new campus that features a nature playground, a discovery pond, trails, meadows and a creek. Previously located at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, The Discovery School has moved to the former Winchester Thurston North campus at 4225 Middle Road...

A former funeral home is on the market in Harrison. The Krynicki Funeral Home at 1007 Freeport Road is listed for $449,000 by Howard Hanna Realty. Mark Camp, 65, has lived next door to the funeral home since 1982. He said life next to a business that deals with death...

Betty Smail of Gilpin began giving back to her rural community at a young age. She hasn’t stopped. Smail was tasked with washing “bird dirt” off tombstones in St. Catherine’s Cemetery when she was a child. Now, at 70, she’s still volunteering throughout the Leechburg and Gilpin communities. “It meant...

A supervisor position is available in Washington Township. Supervisor Scott M. Held, who ran for the position unopposed and served in the post for six months, submitted his letter of resignation July 14 during the last supervisors’ meeting. In the letter, Held said he was moving out of the township....

A South Buffalo family has a sweet new side hustle. Cup and Cone Ice Cream, which the family operates from a van, kicked off its inaugural route June 6 in Buffalo Township. Businessman Kent Snyder, 52, pitched the idea of an ice cream truck business to his wife, Mary, and...

A free biology-themed program hosted by an educator from the Carnegie Science Center is coming to the Vandergrift Public Library. “Science in the Summer” will be offered in two sessions; from 5 to 6 p.m. for grades 2-3 and from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. for grades 4-6, Aug. 9-10 at...

Three brothers are continuing the legacy of their family-owned automotive repair business in Indiana Township. Kepple’s Garage, co-owned by Wilbur, Howard and Chuck Kepple, celebrates 74 years of repairing vehicles and equipment this year. The garage, founded by their late parents, Edna and John Kepple, opened in 1948. “I learned...

Kiski Area School District has created a new full-time position to help serve the district’s special education and gifted programs. Darren Kennedy was hired as the district’s new director of student support services at a salary of $115,000. He started in the position July 1 and will serve students on...

Armstrong Community Theater is wrapping up rehearsals for its annual summer musical “Once Upon a Mattress.” The actors will take to the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 22 and 23, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 24, at the Casino Theatre in Vandergrift. Director David Emanuelson said the...

Darla Cuppy of Vandergrift was driving along McKinley Avenue on Sunday when something new caught her eye. Cuppy noticed a large, handmade wooden blessing box filled with food and toiletry items, and decided to stop and grab a few items to take home. “This is one of the best ones...

When Chase Osthoff of Fox Chapel told his friends he was going to pursue a modeling career after high school, they thought he was joking. His friends now know he was a man on a modeling mission. “They’ve all been very supportive,” Osthoff said. “I’m absolutely planning to do this...

Organizers in Vandergrift are going down the rabbit hole for the 2022 Artfest celebration. Artfest chairperson and organizer Lisa Dormire said this year’s theme pays tribute to the classic film “Alice in Wonderland.” More than 100 vendors and artists will occupy a closed-off Grant Avenue for a festival that draws...

West Leechburg officials issued a warning online Friday to residents about recent tampering with outbound mail and stolen checks. In a post made Friday around noon to the West Leechburg Borough Facebook page, officials asked residents to monitor their bank accounts for what they said is suspicious activity regarding multiple...

The Vandergrift Police Department has made history. Ada Vega, 22, is the first full-time female police officer in the borough. Her hiring was approved by Vandergrift Council in April and, prior to her full-time status, Vega was hired at age 18 as a part-time officer in 2018, making her the...