Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 84
Highlands teachers mark 100th day without contract, negotiations continue
Highlands School District teachers passed 100 days working without a contract. Several members of the Highlands Education Association (HEA) on Friday displayed neon green signs in their vehicles, all marked with a bold “100” to signify the status of negotiations. “In an act of solidarity, it was a way for...
Students, parents air questions for Highlands administrators in coffee talk event
Highlands Superintendent Monique Mawhinney met Monday with district residents of all ages for a coffee talk, and the youngest members of the audience didn’t hold back with their questions. “Why do we have a dress code that doesn’t allow ripped jeans?” asked sixth grader Acailah Hogan. “Why do our skirts...
Highlands students early to join successful new Forbes vo-tech veterinary program
Highlands sophomore Rachel Kosakowski feels like she lucked out getting a spot in the veterinary program at Forbes Road Career and Technology Center. “I have wanted to be a vet for a long time,” said Kosakowski, 15. “I love animals.” She is among a throng of students who rushed to...
Retired Highlands teacher, Lion’s Club to host spring Book Walks in Tarentum
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...
Tarentum church kicks off concert series with ‘Todo Tango’
Central Presbyterian Church will launch the return of its concert series on Sunday with tango music, an upbeat show that gets people dancing in the aisles after the series’ extended pandemic-related hiatus, organizers said. “Todo Tango” will feature Argentine singer Ada Lis Jimena performing classics with pianist Tom Roberts and...
Tarentum Councilman Adam Blythe appointed temporary mayor
A Tarentum councilman resigned his position Tuesday to become the borough’s temporary mayor. Adam Blythe, who represents the 2nd Ward, was appointed by council to serve as mayor until after the Nov. 2 election. The vote was 4-2, with Lou Ann Homa and Ray Kerr opposing. Neither Homa nor Kerr...
South Buffalo man killed in tractor accident
An 80-year-old man was killed in South Buffalo when his riding lawnmower flipped over a hillside late Tuesday, officials said. Police did not yet release the victim’s name. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident happened at 660 Freeport Road. “As best as we could tell, he was...
$100K winning Powerball ticket sold at Asay’s in Tarentum
Asay’s manager, Melanie Dabkowski, eagerly watched as customers at the Tarentum store checked their lottery tickets Tuesday afternoon. A winning Powerball ticket worth $100,000 was sold at the newsstand a day earlier. “The (PA Lottery officials) just called to tell us,” Dabkowski said. “I’m hoping it was one of our...
Woes in nationwide food supply chain disrupt school menus at Highlands
Highlands School District is mapping out its lunch menus a week at a time, rather than monthly, because disruptions in the nationwide food supply chain are impacting the availability of some food items, officials said. As a result, Highlands food service employees are being forced to think quickly to plan...
Tarentum mail carrier achieves USPS elite ‘Million Miler’ status
Tarentum mail carrier Donna McCorkle quickly checked the pockets of a new jacket bestowed on her by Postmaster James Aiello after earning the USPS Million Miler Award. “Where’s the Asti Spumante?” joked McCorkle, a 30-year employee at the post office along Corbet Street. McCorkle, of Verona, joined the elite rank...
Crumbling foundation at Cross on the Hill poses safety hazard, donations sought
Major structural repairs are being eyed for the Cross on the Hill, an Alle-Kiski Valley icon that shines from the bluff over the Allegheny River in Lower Burrell. A crumbling foundation will require up to $10,000 to fix, said Karen Snair, executive director of the Allegheny Valley Association of Churches...
River Rocks fundraiser to help blaze a trail in Aspinwall
Attendees of the River Rocks fundraiser at Allegheny RiverTrail Park in Aspinwall will get a first-ever glimpse at 6 acres of newly acquired property that is expected to further transform the site into a regional gem. “ARP is using its 10th anniversary party to raise funds to achieve a long-held...
Efforts revving to bolster development in Brackenridge, Harrison, Tarentum and beyond
Once-thriving small towns along the Allegheny River have been disinvested for decades, and their residents are thirsty for renewal, according to Gerald Driggs and David Rankin. Driggs and Rankin are organizers of a community development corporation meant to thrust portions of the Alle-Kiski Valley back into the limelight. “Most people...
Closing of some Highlands Middle School bathrooms has helped curb TikTok challenge, officials say
Several restrooms at Highlands Middle School are off-limits to help administrators curb the “Devious Licks” TikTok challenge, a national social media trend that dares students to steal soap dispensers and unhinge stall doors as part of a prank. The items, or “licks,” are then posted to social media. Videos of...
A Steelers vibe for Friday Night Lights coming to Highlands this week
Here we go! Chances are the Highlands football stadium will be rockin’ Friday night with enough black and gold to look more like Heinz Field than RamLand. The 4-0 Golden Rams were selected as the Steelers High School Football Showcase Game of the Week, winning a visit from Steely McBeam...
Highlands cheerleaders host Pink Out to support Change for Cancer
On Friday, Oct. 15, they wear pink. Highlands High School cheerleaders are hosting a districtwide Pink Out fundraiser that will culminate Oct. 15 when the Golden Rams football team takes on the Armstrong River Hawks. The squad is teaming up with Change for Cancer, a nonprofit founded by Burrell High...
Fox Chapel makes its mark with municipal solar energy
Fox Chapel on Monday became one of the first municipalities in the state that will power its borough buildings with solar energy, officials said. Council voted unanimously on the proposal, which begins with the installation of solar panels in the borough’s new public works buildings. Project costs are expected to...
Sharpsburg’s Fall Festival expected to draw thousands for pumpkin patch, carriage rides, food and fireworks
A Sharpsburg festival planned for Oct. 2 is pegged to be larger than the borough’s annual Open Streets Celebration that draws thousands. “To put it mildly, the event has exploded,” said Greg Domian, chair of the borough’s special events committee. “We have three football fields of vendors signed up.” The...
Tarentum invites children to enjoy Book Walk at Riverview Memorial Park
Retired Highlands teacher Jody Shumaker still has a passion to educate. The Harrison resident is bringing back her wildly popular Book Walks in person this fall 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...
Pet costume contest, other events, encourage people to ‘Love Your Library’
If you wanted a reason to dress your cat like William Shakespeare, Harry Potter or even Batman, now’s the chance. The Community Library of Allegheny Valley in Harrison is hosting the “Love Your Library Pet Costume Contest” on Saturday, Sept. 25. It will be outdoors from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m....
Sharspsburg awarded grant to combat flooding
Sharpsburg has been awarded a $162,000 no-match grant to research how to thwart flooding near Seitz Run. Residents, particularly in the lower section of Kittanning Pike, are routinely flooded after heavy rains. The money will target ways to alleviate the impact, authorities said. Mayor Matt Rudzki thanked “everyone who made...
Drive-through food distributions remain at Pittsburgh Mills through December
The drive-up food distribution hosted by Allegheny Valley Association of Churches (AVAC) will remain at the Pittsburgh Mills mall through the end of the year, officials announced. It’s a shift from original plans to return to the empty Rite Aid building along Corbet Street in Tarentum. “Part of it is...
Aspinwall police offer Bike with a Cop event to build community relations
Four-year-old Phillip Jannetta of Aspinwall couldn’t quite keep up with the pack during the Aspinwall police “Bike with a Cop” event on Sept. 17. The new rider, however, had a great time cruising around town with the officers, according to Phillip’s mom, Rachel Jannetta. “For safety reasons, we had to...
Fire claims 69-year-old Armstrong County woman
A 69-year-old woman was killed after fire swept through her Armstrong County home on Sunday, authorities said. Beverly Rummel, 69, of Dayton was pronounced dead at the scene, Coroner Brian Myers said. Emergency crews responded mid-morning to Rummel’s home along Rabbit Hollow Road and found her inside the residence. “The...
Police investigate Homewood shooting
A man was in critical condition Sunday after being shot in Homewood, authorities said. Pittsburgh police responded to the incident just before 8:30 a.m. in the 7100 block of Frankstown Avenue. Emergency responders found a male suffering from gunshot wounds to the chest, public safety Spokesperson Maurice Matthews said. He...
