Joyce Hanz stories, Page 50
Alligator heads, a BMW, jewelry: Auction spans items left at Pittsburgh International Airport
From preserved alligator heads to brand-new Christian Louboutin shoes, two years of personal items left by travelers at Pittsburgh International Airport went up for auction Saturday. Hundreds of auctiongoers showed up at a heavy equipment garage at the airport to bid on lost, unclaimed and abandoned items from the airport’s...
How Fox Chapel brought down deer population over 3 decades
It’s safer to drive in Fox Chapel thanks to almost three decades of deer management in the borough. The management program, implemented in 1993, reduced the number of deer in the 8 square miles that make up the residential borough in Allegheny County and cut the number of deer-related crashes...
Kiski Area lunch lady competes as ‘gunslinger’ in Wild West-style shooting competitions
Amy Anderson is a gunslinger with a wild hobby. Anderson, 66, of Washington Township might sling hash in the cafeteria at Kiski Area South Primary School, but in her downtime she slings guns — competing nationwide in Western-style shooting competitions. Anderson and her husband, Dan, 69, are members of SASS,...
Wooden Door Winery in Vandergrift to resume regular hours
Vandergrift’s winery is set to reopen after having erratic hours for more than five months. Wooden Door Winery at 101 Custer Ave. will welcome wine enthusiasts back starting Oct. 28. Co-owner Jeff Pollick said operating hours at the normally year-round winery were disrupted because of personal reasons. “It’s been a...
Longtime incumbent faces newcomer in race for Allegheny Township supervisor
A longtime Republican supervisor in Allegheny Township will appear on the ballot Nov. 2 as a Democrat. Kathy Starr, a registered Republican, lost by 42 votes to political newcomer James Morabito in the May Republican primary. No Democrats appeared on the May primary ballot. But because Starr collected 389 write-in...
Kiski Area High School band wins Bands of America regional competition
The Kiski Area High School Marching Band is on a roll. The band placed first in the Bands of America Mid-Atlantic Regional competition held Oct. 9 in College Park, Md. The win marks the band’s 21st BOA Regional Champion title. Band director Shawn Pityk said Kiski Area is the only...
Building the Valley: Allusion Brewing celebrates 1st anniversary, expansion plans in Vandergrift
Friends John Bieranoski and Robert Buchanan never planned to open a business during a pandemic. But the new business owners did, and they not only have survived, they have thrived. Allusion Brewing Co., the only in-house brewery in Vandergrift, recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. For Bieranoski, 46, and Buchanan, 44,...
Vandergrift Great Pumpkin Patch returns after one-year hiatus
A pumpkin-themed event is returning to Vandergrift. The annual Vandergrift Great Pumpkin Patch returns from noon to 3 p.m. on Oct. 30 in Franklin Park. Last year’s festivities were canceled because of the pandemic. The event is sponsored by the Vandergrift Parent Project. “The VPP loves to bring our community...
Farmer x Baker expands with 2nd location in O’Hara for takeout
A new takeout eatery has opened in O’Hara. Farmer x Baker opened its second location Friday, welcoming a steady stream of customers right away when the doors opened at 8 a.m. “We’re looking forward to serving our community locally sourced, healthy and delicious foods all year round,” owner Jennifer Urich...
Vandergrift mayor running write-in campaign after close primary loss
Incumbent Vandergrift Mayor Barbara Turiak is running a write-in campaign for a second term in office. Turiak lost to Councilman Lenny Collini by about 12 votes in the Democratic primary in May. The general election is Nov. 2. There was no Republican candidate on the ballot on the primary ballot,...
Kiski Garden Center’s operator set to retire, business is for sale
A longtime Alle-Kiski gardening guru is retiring. Dave Vargo, owner of Kiski Garden Center in Allegheny Township, announced the sale of his business and his retirement last week. A large banner outside his business reads “Time To Retire — Garden Center For Sale.” Vargo, 68, said he did the math...
Nurse and quick-thinking dog lauded for lifesaving rescue at River Forest
Tom Kissel is alive today thanks to the combined efforts of strangers and a three-legged pooch named Tater Tot. Their quick work was recognized Tuesday in a ceremony sponsored by the American Heart Association and Allegheny Health Network at the River Forest Yacht Club in Allegheny Township. On July 10,...
Washington Township Cub Scout pack looks to draw new members with recruitment carnival
Cub Scout Pack 500 of Washington Township hosted an open house recruitment carnival Sunday. The annual event serves as a way to bolster the pack’s membership, which is about 22 scouts. Afternoon activities inside the Washington Township Fire Hall included plinko, mega wire, bull ringer and roller bowler. An energetic...
Gearhard Farms cornfield maze stands the test of time
The oldest operating farm in Westmoreland County has another distinction: a cornfield maze that has been amazing people for more than two decades. Gearhard Farms, in Murrysville near Washington Township, creates a new maze through a cornfield each year. The 2021 maze, spread over two acres, opened in September and...
Alle-Kiski Valley museums welcome public with open houses
Four Alle-Kiski Valley museums are banding together to promote history and heritage with a free tour of their premises. An open house showcasing the historical museums of Leechburg, Hyde Park, Apollo and Vandergrift is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Free shuttle trips among the four museums will...
The Green Team at Kiski Area Upper Elementary learns how to care for Earth
The green scene is expanding at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School in Washington Township. The Green Team club, composed of 40 fifth and sixth graders committed to promoting sustainability and eco-friendly practices on campus, has a waiting list for membership. “We had about a dozen members when we first started,”...
Decades-old Lower Burrell spring still flows freely for Alle-Kiski Valley residents
When Pia Trew of Lower Burrell heard her college roommate’s pet goldfish was in peril, she took a road trip back home. “The goldfish was on its last leg, or fin, so I made a trip home to bring him spring water and that did the trick,” Trew said. “He...
Muralist of Vandergrift, Alex Chaffins, keeps making positive visions
Alex Chaffins of Vandergrift knows how to charm and disarm. With art. Chaffins, the unofficial muralist of Vandergrift, is known for his large colorful artwork depicting positive messages. The self-taught artist’s most recent mural is an underwater scene featuring a mermaid. It’s painted on his garage at home. Last year,...
Resident complains of bedbugs in Vandergrift
Uninvited guests on Lowell Street in Vandergrift have some residents complaining to borough officials. Mattresses left outside at the steps of an empty apartment building at 502 Lowell St. on Tuesday morning were marked with signs saying they are infested with bedbugs. In a social media post Wednesday, resident Tiffany...
3rd annual Vandergrift Halloween Party kid-geared, but open to entire community
An annual community Halloween party in Vandergrift is growing in popularity. The third annual Vandergrift Halloween Party, organized by Vandergrift resident Heather Miller, is scheduled for Oct. 16 at The Center on Franklin. The free party welcomes all ages, but Miller said the festivities are geared with youngsters in mind....
Zebra, camel find new home at Washington Township stables
Two exotic animals are making themselves at home in Washington Township. Zebulun, a 3-week-old Grant’s zebra, and Abraham, a 1-year-old dromedary camel, arrived safely at Victory Stables last week after a 13-hour road trip from the Midwest. Victory Stables Manager Jessica Corbin, 32, and her boyfriend, Dan Wallen, a wildlife...
Fox Chapel teen becomes 1st female Eagle Scout in Western Pa.’s Laurel Highlands Council
Katy Appleman of Fox Chapel is blazing a trail. She is the first female from Western Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands Council to earn an Eagle Scout ranking. The Laurel Highlands Council is one of the largest in the country and includes 13 districts serving nearly 17,000 youths in Western Pennsylvania and...
Kiski Township woman writes memoir of life ‘blessed beyond anything I could ever imagine’
Cora Scott Cole found herself with a lot of idle time when the pandemic lockdown hit last year. So she got busy writing. Cole, 82, of Kiski Township, self-published a memoir, “Cora Lee, A Testimony,” earlier this year with Peaceable Publishing. She’s donating 5% from the sale of each book...
Kiski Area South Primary School is the only school in Western Pa. to be named a National Blue Ribbon School
Being blue never felt so good. Kiski Area South Primary School in Washington Township has been named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. National Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized annually by the Education Department for helping under- served groups attain progress and for overall academic performances...
Avonmore ‘Hometown Heroes’ banners won’t be mounted until spring to save them from winter weather
A program honoring local veterans in Avonmore is moving forward, although banners honoring the veterans likely won’t be placed on poles until spring to save them from having to endure the winter weather. The borough is participating in the “Hometown Heroes” banner program, sponsored locally by the Avonmore Volunteer Fire...
