Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 85
Burtner House marks its 200th anniversary
History buffs, family descendants and others curious about one of Allegheny County’s five oldest homes flocked to Harrison on Saturday for the 200th anniversary of the Burtner House. The three-story stone farmhouse off Route 28 was built in 1821. It housed four generations, with the last person living there until...
Thousands pack Leechburg’s Market Street for 10th annual Pink Day
Pink Day was poppin’ in Leechburg, with organizers of the 10th annual celebration hoping to bring in nearly $30,000 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Crowds packed the Market Street business corridor to browse dozens of food and craft booths, listen to two live bands and sport their brightest pink...
Sinkhole caused by water main break disrupts water service, traffic in Apollo
Crews from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County worked Saturday to repair a water main break along North Pennsylvania Avenue in Apollo. The road buckled and collapsed, causing a hole at least 8 feet wide and 10 feet deep. The incident happened near the Apollo United Presbyterian Church and limited...
Brackenridge zoning board considers request to provide temporary shelter for homeless
Converting a former personal care home in Brackenridge for use by homeless families would not be a burden to the neighborhood, several people told the Brackenridge Zoning Hearing Board on Tuesday night. “It would be the solution to a burden in this community,” Misty Woody, a Harrison resident and past...
Fox Chapel’s Hardie Valley Park aglow with community spirit
Fox Chapel’s Hardie Valley Park was transformed with 1,200 candles scattered through the meadows and trails for a Summer Field Wander. “It was a breathtaking celebration of nature, culture and community,” said Mandy Steele, co-founder of the Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy and borough councilwoman. It was the third such event...
Highlands may require proof of negative covid-19 test to return early after quarantine
Highlands School Board is considering a proposal that would require quarantined students and staff to provide proof of a negative test before returning to school after seven days. “If no documentation is provided, they will adhere to the 10-day quarantine,” Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said during this week’s agenda meeting. The...
Highlands School Board to consider $30K to begin stormwater replacement project
Highlands school board is considering a project to repair and replace a failing stormwater line near the high school. The board meets at 7 p.m. Sept. 20 and will vote on nearly $30,000 in professional services related to the project’s prep work. Construction would target a washed out storm line...
Food trucks, health screenings and ax throwing mark O’Hara community center’s anniversary
Health screenings, food trucks and ax throwing are among the highlights of “Celebrate the Center” week at Lauri Ann West Community Center in O’Hara, that kicked off Sunday. Festivities include a dozen activities throughout the week that are aimed at inspiring and educating visitors. The center is marking its sixth...
Highlands School Board to meet virtually via Zoom
Highlands School Board will meet remotely for its agenda session Monday night. District officials contacted families by phone to alert anyone who had been planning to attend the meeting at 7 p.m. It was not clear why the meeting was being shifted to online. Superintendent Monique Mawhinney could not immediately...
Parts of Tarentum without power after truck knocks down 3 utility poles
Tarentum electric crews were working to restore power Monday morning after at least one utility pole was sheared in half and two others were knocked down. “We are aware of it and are doing our best to get it back,” council President Scott Dadowski said. The power went out at...
Etna Art Tour returns in person with food, dance, music
Etna’s main business corridor will be bustling with art, music and dance for the borough’s seventh annual Art Tour. Hosted in person after a covid-19-related hiatus last year, the event will be 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday Sept. 25 along Butler Street. “We think this shows our community’s resilience to...
Tarentum could appoint interim mayor in October to serve out rest of year
Tarentum is without a mayor, at least until next month. Council on Tuesday formally accepted the resignation of Eric Carter, who submitted a letter in August saying that he was stepping down as mayor because of scheduling conflicts. Carter’s term had been scheduled to end on Dec. 31. “As of...
Etna police investigating vehicle break-ins
Etna police are urging people to keep their vehicles locked after several break-ins were reported. Police posted to social media that many of the break-ins happened in the early morning hours of Tuesday . Vehicles in the Mt. Hope and West Etna neighborhoods were targeted, according to police. “We are...
Sharpsburg’s Alexander Sands draws national attention with Lawrenceville art gallery
Fox Chapel Area graduate Alexander Sands opened his Lawrenceville art gallery in February and has been blown away by the number of requests he gets from artists to display their work, from as far as Alaska and beyond. But Sands, a Sharpsburg resident, is staying true to his focus to...
Man stopped with loaded gun in carry-on at Pittsburgh International Airport
A man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers early Tuesday when they saw a loaded gun in his carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport, authorities said. Officers observed a loaded 9mm handgun while the man was going through the main security checkpoint just before 6:40 a.m. Allegheny County Police...
West Nile-infected mosquitoes require additional treatment in Pittsburgh’s West End, North Side
The Allegheny County Health Department will treat several neighborhoods in Pittsburgh’s West End and North Side after recent mosquito samples tested positive for West Nile virus, officials said. Crews will spray Elliot and Crafton Heights from 8 to 11 p.m. Tuesday. Workers also will be in the area of Allegheny...
Munhall man killed in ATV crash
A 22-year-old man was killed in an ATV crash Sunday in South Park, according to authorities. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Officer said Kyle Stramaski of Munhall was pronounced dead just before 6 p.m. The crash happened in the 4000 block of Piney Fork Road. Further information was not immediately...
Household chemical collection coming to South Park
People who have old paint, motor oil or pesticides sitting around their garage can get rid of the hazardous waste Saturday at South Park. The Household Chemical Collection is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the South Park Wave Pool parking lot in Bethel Park. It is hosted...
Burtner House marks 200th anniversary with free community celebration
Philip Burtner laid the cornerstone for his family homestead in 1818. James Monroe was president. It would be at least two decades before indoor plumbing was invented, and decades more would pass before homes had electricity. The three-story Burtner House in Harrison was completed in 1821 and life continued there...
Faith-based nonprofit wants to use Brackenridge building to house homeless families
The Allegheny Valley Association of Churches in Harrison wants to convert a former personal care home in Brackenridge into a temporary refuge for homeless families. The Association of Church has an agreement to buy the former Applewood Personal Care Home in the 900 block of Morgan Street, said association Director...
Neighbor Spotlight: O’Hara resident Howard Havlicsek is a decades-long Mr. Fix-It for Fox Chapel church
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Neighbor Spotlight: Hampton chiropractor Aaron Prinkey gives back to local charity
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Bull Creek in Fawn rising but holding steady so far
Bull Creek in Fawn Township swelled and rushed along its banks early Wednesday, but no flooding was reported before 10:45 a.m., officials said. “We’re watching it, but it’s holding so far,” township Secretary Pamela Ponsart said. Flooding was reported across the region as remnants of Hurricane Ida moved through. The...
Highlands superintendent urges students to wear masks prior to state mandate
Face masks remain optional in Highlands School District through Sept. 7, when a mandate requiring the wearing of masks in schools takes effect, but Superintendent Monique Mawhinney is urging families to have their children begin wearing them now. A message was sent to district families early Wednesday regarding Gov. Tom...
Foxwall EMS adds new state-of-the-art ambulance to fleet
Foxwall EMS has added a third ambulance to its roster and members are touting the vehicle as life-saving for both patients and providers. The $208,000 ambulance is equipped with a battery-operated cot loading system, a feature that will save first responders from heavy lifting. “Once we get the patient on,...
