Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 89
Blawnox Community Garden hosting free produce giveaways
Blawnox residents are invited to a community produce stand on Wednesday where they can take home free veggies and herbs. Items will be distributed from 6 to 7 p.m. at the War Monument on the corner of Freeport Road and North Avenue. Zucchini, squash, kale, basil and collard greens are...
Shady Side Academy hires new executive director of Hillman Center for Performing Arts
The Hillman Center for Performing Arts at Shady Side Academy has a new executive director. Dek Ingraham will take over the role Monday, and will also serve as SSA Senior School’s Performing Arts Chairman. “I am ecstatic to join the team at SSA,” Ingraham said. “I look forward to exploring...
Pittsburgh police officer placed on leave after discharging weapon during pursuit
A Pittsburgh police officer is on administrative leave after an incident Saturday in which the officer’s weapon discharged during a pursuit in the city’s South Side. No one was injured in the incident which happened just before 1:30 a.m. when an officer conducted a traffic stop at the corner of...
Semper Gratus’ Santa Shuffle charity run and dinner raises money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
There was no snow or reindeer, but the Santa Shuffle went off without a hitch Saturday in West Leechburg. The 5K/one-mile foot race, hosted by the nonprofit Semper Gratus, was expected to raise $15,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Participants, many in holiday-themed costumes, stepped off at 9 a.m....
Motorcyclist in critical condition in North Park collision
A motorcyclist was critically injured in a collision Saturday in North Park, Allegheny County Police said. Officers responded at about 2:40 p.m. to the intersection of Babcock Boulevard and Old Ingomar Road in McCandless for the single-vehicle collision. The victim is a man who was taken to a local hospital...
Volunteers pack 300,000 meals in Hampton for Nicaraguan orphansVideo
The social hall at Allison Park Church along Duncan Road in Hampton looked like a manufacturing plant early Saturday, with about 800 people lined up at tables packing food. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” was blaring in the background while assembly lines of people worked to fill plastic bags with rice....
Hampton area theater group earns national honors at Texas festival
Freeport Area eighth grader Jersey Diehl is good at being bad. Just ask the judges of the Junior Theater Festival Texas, who in late-June awarded the 12-year-old as an acting All Star for her portrayal of Ursula, the purple-skinned wicked sea witch, in a performance of “The Little Mermaid” at...
Volunteers needed to pack 300,000 meals in Hampton
It’s an impressive feat by any standard — 800 volunteers converging to package food for the needy. It’s even more significant when you consider that it’s done by grassroots efforts through local nonprofit Network of Hope, whose members solicit residents, teachers, high school sports teams and others to come together...
Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church Harvest Fair back in full swing
After a modified but still-successful Harvest Fair in 2020, Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church is bringing back its signature fundraiser in full force this fall. “I am really happy to report that the event is on for this year,” said volunteer Carol Huff, of O’Hara. The Harvest Fair is scheduled for...
Top stories for the week of June 29 from the Fox Chapel area
Here are the top stories for the week of June 29. • The Rev. Michael Decewicz retires from Sharpsburg’s St. Juan Diego The Rev. Michael Decewicz retired July 1 from his Sharpsburg parish but plans to remain a common sight in the borough. “I love Sharpsburg,” he said. “It will...
Virtual format for St. Margaret Foundation 5K brings in record-breaking proceeds
In the 33 years since the St. Margaret Foundation started its spring 5K fundraiser, a team of “Couch Potatoes” has brought in a staggering $200,000 to help needy hospital patients. Board Member Bill Simpson laughed that his wife named the team after his penchant for falling asleep on the couch,...
Game Commission seeking help to locate turkey poacher in O’Hara’s RIDC Park
A man shooting a crossbow at a flock of turkeys in O’Hara’s RIDC Park could have caused catastrophic results, Game Commission authorities said Friday. “This is a highly populated area, and the fact that someone would do this is shocking,” said Northern Allegheny County Game Warden Madison Kyle. She said...
St. Mary’s youth group creates art to mark parish ‘transformation’
A transition for the faith community at St. Mary’s of the Assumption Church is being marked by a collaborative art project from members of its Glenshaw-based youth group. The church’s younger parishioners created a mosaic of a rainbow-colored St. Mary wrapped in butterfly wings to represent the unveiling on July...
New Blawnox cafe to offer meal plans, grab-and-go options for health-conscious customers
A new cafe in Blawnox will offer health-conscious meals prepared for people with appetites for wings, nachos and burgers. Clean Eatz is a national franchise moving into a new retail plaza at 175 Freeport Road. “I was looking to start a business that also had the opportunity to make a...
Neighbor Spotlight: The Rev. Michael Decewicz retires from St. Juan Diego to focus on leading Addiction Recovery Ministry in Harmar
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: Angela Kenbok joins Hampton as social service coordinator, hopes to offer therapeutic programs for all ages
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...
Student news: Carnegie Science honors, dean’s list, community outreach and more
Science award Smrithi Shyam of Shady Side Academy was awarded third place in the senior chemistry category of the Carnegie Science Center’s Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair in March. Smrithi’s project was titled “Extracting Amygdalin (a Cyanide Precursor) from Various Fruit Seeds.” College graduates • Andrew Fugh graduated from...
Covid-19 thwarts final show of Hillman Performing Arts Series at Shady Side Academy
The Hillman Performing Arts Series was expected to wrap up its 2021 season with back-to-back outdoor concerts this weekend, but one of the shows has been postponed. Latin Grammy nominee Sonia De Los Santos will not be performing Sunday after a case of covid-19 was confirmed within her circle, according...
Sharpsburg’s Juneteenth celebration aims to inspire, educate
Karen Arrington belted out the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice” to the delight of a crowd that gathered at Kennedy Park in Sharpsburg for the borough’s first-ever Juneteenth celebration. The event from 6 to 8 p.m. on June 18 saw food, music and activities to educate attendees on the...
North Fayette man plans to bike 335 miles for adoption fundraiser
Dave Wallace woke up this winter with the idea of cycling 335 miles from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., to raise money for adoption services. The inspiration was simple — his adopted 13-year-old son, Zak. “It was shortly after we welcomed Zak into his forever home that I started having this...
Shady Side Academy graduate Porter Markel enters U.S. Naval Academy
A Shady Side Academy graduate is among an elite 7.5% of applicants admitted to the Class of 2025 Plebe Summer at the U.S. Naval Academy. Porter Markel of Fox Chapel was inducted June 20 and will begin six grueling weeks of basic midshipman training in Annapolis, Md. Markel is one...
Public invited to participate in interactive Juneteenth art display at Aspinwall park
A public art display this week at Aspinwall Riverfront Park will honor and raise awareness of Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, that was recently signed into law as a federal holiday by President Biden. Entitled “Opening Doors,” the artwork was conceived by...
Week in review: The top stories for the week of June 14, 2021Video
Here are some of the top stories for the week of June 14, 2021: - Pride event in Aspinwall aimed at inclusion Aspinwall Riverfront Park hosted the inaugural Pride in the Park event to connect the LGBTQIA+ community and allies. In all, more than 350 people attended the family-friendly gathering...
Anonymous $2 million gift to Shady Side Academy will help student transitions
An anonymous $2 million gift to Shady Side Academy will help newly enrolled students that might have a challenging educational or cultural transition, officials announced. It is the largest programmatic donation in school history. Money is earmarked for the academic and social support of students at the private Fox Chapel...
Write-in votes create potential race for Sharpsburg Mayor
Sharpsburg residents could have a choice for borough Mayor in the November election. The two-way race for the Democratic nomination between Brittany Reno and Joe Simbari, both current council members, went Reno’s way. The vote count was 380-287, according to the Allegheny County Elections Department. Simbari, however, won the Republican...
