Joyce Hanz stories, Page 47

A Vandergrift resident is volunteering her services in an effort to increase public participation during monthly borough council meetings. Melissa Milanak, 50, is a business and technology teacher at River Valley High School, formerly the Blairsville-Saltsburg School District. She said she realized the benefits of virtual meetings when they became...

Ruth Sulava of West Leechburg is on a roll. Nut roll, that is. Sulava — 98 — volunteers coordinating annual bake sales for Christ the King Parish in Gilpin. As keeper of the top-secret nut roll recipe, Sulava and her team of about 40 volunteers raise about $30,000 annually for...

Three Alle-Kiski Valley girls with no previous pageant experience recently swept the Little Miss Italy competition in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. Hadassah Cardaro, 10, of New Kensington; Mariah Kaiser, 13, of Lower Burrell; and Rosalie Casper, 5, of Allegheny Township were crowned Little Miss Italy in their respective age divisions during...

A new tour encouraging folks to explore and support local businesses at the same time is coming to Vandergrift. The Tour of Vandergrift, organized by the Vandergrift Business Association, a newly formed nonprofit dedicated to promoting business growth and unity in the borough and surrounding areas, is co-sponsored by First...

Lisa Sturiale fought back tears Friday morning as she stood steps away from crews battling a fire that destroyed her family’s commercial building in Avonmore. Guy’s Tavern on Westmoreland Avenue erupted in flames around 2 a.m. Sturiale, who lives in Pittsburgh’s North Side, said the building was originally owned by...

Authorities closed a portion of Route 356 in Allegheny Township late Wednesday morning because of flash flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. The closure began around 11:30 a.m. between LaBelle Vue Road and Park Road, by Northmoreland Park. PennDOT spokesman Jay Ofsanik said he expected to road to remain...

Lydia Zacharias has turned a lifelong interest into a reality. “I used to cut my Barbie doll’s hair when I was a toddler,” said Zacharias, 24, of Vandergrift. She’s owner of Lydia Leighs Salon located at 180 Columbia Ave. in Vandergrift. Zacharias said she was unsure of her career path...

Motorists in Allegheny Township will face another extended closure of a portion of Route 356 starting Wednesday. PennDOT said Route 356 will be closed between Pleasant Hill and Piper roads. The section, used by about 10,000 motorists a day, is scheduled to reopen Sept. 30. Signs will be posted to...

Businesses that have grappled with labor shortages during the covid-19 pandemic are hiring younger workers than ever before. The businesses have lowered their minimum hiring age from 16 to 14 in an effort to meet staffing needs and keep their businesses afloat. “I wouldn’t be open without my teen employees,”...

Kiski Area High School math teacher Zach Jankowski said teachers took a different approach Thursday on the district’s first day of classes. “We did not talk about math, English and science. We worked on building relationships with our students to make them feel loved and welcomed back into the building,”...

Leechburg Area High School Superintendent Tiffany Nix stood outside on campus Wednesday morning, greeting students on the first day of school. “It’s so exciting,” Nix said. “Our students need to be face-to-face, and our teachers need to be with our students.” The district enrolls about 750 students. Nix said only...

Allegheny Township’s Rosalie Casper spent a few weeks working on her stage presence before her debut pageant appearance Sunday at Little Italy Days in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. That’s all the preparation the 5-year-old needed. Rosalie was named Miss Little Italy in the 4-to-6-year-old division at the region’s largest annual festival...

Volunteers installed a wing-themed art installation on the grounds of Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre on Saturday as part of the Wings Across Westmoreland initiative. Vandergrift was the eighth location included in Westmore­land Cultural Trust’s countywide art initiative featuring metal wings inspired by places in various locations in Westmore­land County. “The Casino...

The 2021 Labor United Celebration in Northmoreland Park is back. “It’s a go,” said Brandon Simpson, the county’s parks and recreation director. Simpson said covid-19 restrictions are not expected to impact the event as they did last year, when the pandemic forced the cancellation of the festival that draws about...

A vacancy on East Vandergrift Council remains unfilled. Councilwoman Bonita “Bonnie” (Zalenski) Bober died unexpectedly from health complications July 9. Bober had served on council since 2018. She was hired as borough secretary in 2016. Current Borough Secretary Kristen Sarno said the news of Bober’s unexpected death was a shock....

Apollo police Tuesday charged a borough man who they said sexually assaulted an underage girl, according to court records. Nathan Stripling, 18, was arraigned Wednesday on felony charges that include aggravated indecent assault without consent of a minor under the age of 16, unlawful contact and corruption of minor. He’s...

A Vandergrift man who was reported missing by family members has been found, according to police. An Allegheny Township police officer saw Robert W. Horner, 85, at the Fuel Land gas station on South Leechburg Hill Road around 9 p.m. Thursday. Family members said they had not seen him since...

Vandergrift police said Thursday they were seeking the public’s help to locate an 85-year-old man last seen Wednesday. Robert W. Horner, 85, of Vandergrift’s Emerson Street, is believed to have left his residence between 2 and 4 p.m., according to police. Police said they believe he was driving a white...

Vandergrift police arrested four suspects Monday when a search warrant turned up 1,897 stamp bags of presumed heroin in East Vandergrift. Police say they also recovered three ounces of suspected methamphetamine. Vandergrift Borough Police Officer Nate Rigatti estimated the street value of the drugs at $15,000. The suspects are Ryan...

Kiski Area School Board has hired the district’s new superintendent. Misty Slavic, 44, is the first woman to be named to the district’s top post. The board voted 8-0 to approve Slavic’s three-year contract. Her starting salary is $153,000, which will be pro-rated for the 2021-22 school year. School Director...

Workers for an entire department in Gilpin have tested positive for covid-19. Supervisor Charlie Stull confirmed Tuesday that four full-time employees — an administrative employee and all three workers in the public works department — have tested positive. That represents nearly half of the township’s full-time workers. Gilpin, a township...

East Vandergrift officials appear to be making progress in the ongoing war against a rat infestation in the borough. Council voted last June to hire a commercial division of Terminix in Bridgeville for 10 weeks at a cost of $1,525 after fielding numerous complaints from residents about rats. The Terminix...