Joyce Hanz stories, Page 51
Repairs to Linden Street in Vandergrift, closed for 5 weeks so far, set to begin next week
Water main issues that shut down Linden Street in Vandergrift continue, but help is on the way. The street, next to Davis Field, is scheduled to undergo repairs next week, Vandergrift Councilwoman Christine Wilson said. A large portion of the street has remained closed for about five weeks. Wilson said...
Former Frazer cop accused of using police-tracking software to monitor woman’s whereabouts
A Harrison man who has worked as a police officer for multiple Alle-Kiski Valley departments is accused of using police-tracking software to monitor the whereabouts of a woman who had broken off a relationship with him, court paperwork shows. Michael A. McSherry, 29, also is accused of secretly placing a...
Allegheny Township’s Pizza Hut moving to another plaza, but will be takeout and delivery only
The Pizza Hut in Allegheny Township is relocating, but you won’t be able to eat inside. Pizza Hut is now at 510 Hyde Park Road in Allegheny Plaza, next to Big Lots. It’s moving to the Hyde Park Plaza, which is within sight of the Allegheny Plaza. The restaurant will...
Some Kiski Area parents, students call on district to make mask wearing optional, despite state mandate
Tensions remain high in Kiski Area School District over the state-imposed mask mandate for K-12 schools. More than 100 parents and children showed up for Wednesday’s school board meeting to express their opposition to the Health Department mandate that took effect Sept. 7. Nearly 30 of them addressed the board,...
Body found in Northmoreland Park, cross country invitational canceled
Authorities closed a section of Park Road in Allegheny Township’s Northmoreland Park on Friday morning after a body was discovered in the park. Gregory McCloskey, the Westmoreland County public works director, said the road remained closed while a deputy coroner investigated. McCloskey said the scene was cleared around 11:30 a.m....
Allegheny Township to get a Taco Bell
Taco Bell is coming to Allegheny Township. Township officials approved land development for the fast-food restaurant last month. The eatery will be a standalone establishment, not a combo KFC/Taco Bell, Township Manager Greg Primm said. “It’s always good to see new businesses coming in, especially giving people more options for...
Barbecue food truck with deflated wheels drawing attention in Vandergrift
When business gets slow at Robert “Buster” Burnham’s food truck with deflated wheels, he puts on his full-body hot dog suit and goes to the side of the road in Vandergrift to try to flag down customers. “You need a promotion,” Burnham said. “When there’s no customers here, the suit...
Proposed chicken ordinance moving forward in Vandergrift
Vandergrift officials are moving forward with plans to adopt an ordinance regulating the ownership of backyard chickens. A three-person committee established last month to work out details of a proposed ordinance offered some of its recommendations at a council meeting last week. While council members had discussed the possibility of...
Leechburg Area sixth-grader started her own BBQ sauce business half a lifetime ago
A sixth-grader at Leechburg Area High School is her own sauce boss. Emilee Kostyak, 11, of Leechburg, is founder and CEO of D&D BBQ. At age 5, Emilee tasted her dad’s homemade barbecue sauce and promptly told him she didn’t like it. “I was being a little sassy and told...
Police: Greenfield church evacuated after man calls in threat
A church in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood was evacuated Sunday after a man called 911 and threatened to harm himself and others at the church, police said. About 30 members of St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church, 506 Saline St., were inside the church when 911 received the call at 11:15...
Patron’s O’Hara location closes
An O’Hara restaurant has permanently closed. Patron Mexican Grill in Fox Chapel Plaza along Freeport Road posted a sign announcing the closing on its locked front door. The notice offers no explanation for closing and read “we are closed for good.” The letter, written by owner Martin Bolanos, went on...
Allegheny County Jail inmate who tested positive for covid-19 dies
A covid-19-positive inmate in the Allegheny County Jail died Sunday, Warden Orlando Harper said. It’s the first covid-related death for the facility. The name of the inmate wasn’t released, but he was a 48-year-old man who had been hospitalized since late August. He died Sunday at a local hospital. He...
The Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Harmar hosts tribute to first responders on 9/11 anniversary
The Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Harmar hosted a tribute to first responders Saturday on the 20th anniversary of the events of 9/11. Organizer and Shriner Robert Addleman began the ceremony introducing The Rev. John Piper from Castle Shannon, who let the crowd underneath the outdoor Shrine Pavilion in prayer, calling...
Cheswick Community Day returns to offer food, fellowship, music and fun
Cheswick Community Day has returned. The free daylong festival welcomed visitors to Rachel Carson Park after being on hiatus since 2014. Strawberry Days replaced it for years, but that event was canceled the past two years over covid-19 pandemic concerns. The ever-changing covid-related restrictions didn’t sway organizers this year, who...
Leechburg holds parade, remembrance of 9/11 attacks, salute to first responders
Leechburg area Rev. Gary Lyon spent Saturday morning carefully crafting his words for a 9/11 dedication ceremony held later that day in Leechburg. Rev. Lyon serves as co-pastor alongside his wife, Lisa, at Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church in Leechburg. He serves as a longtime volunteer firefighter with the Leechburg...
Another festival in New Kensington, another packed downtown: this time, it’s the wine & beer fest
Downtown New Kensington was packed Saturday as thousands enjoyed the third annual New Kensington Wine and Beer Festival. Back bigger than ever after being canceled in 2020 because of the covid-related pandemic, an Alle Kiski Strong Chamber of Commerce official said attendance swelled to between 5,000 and 7,000 people. “This...
Mask protests continue for 3rd day in Kiski Area School DistrictVideo
Protesting of the state’s school mask mandate continued for a third day in the Kiski Area School District, with a group of 10 people stationed outside the high school and administrative offices on Thursday morning. The protesters, including parents and students, declined to comment when approached by a Tribune-Review reporter....
Vandergrift resident uses her tech skills to produce council meetings online
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...
West Leechburg’s Ruth Sulava, 98, has no plans to stop volunteering at her church
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...
3 Alle-Kiski Valley girls crowned Little Miss Italy in respective age groups
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...
Vandergrift walking tour aimed at boosting business
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...
Labor United Celebration draws thousands for sun-drenched second dayVideo
Blue skies and the smell of cheesy fries and other festival food staples greeted thousands of people who flocked to the second day of this year’s Labor United Celebration at Northmoreland Park in Allegheny Township. The two-day festival, celebrating the tradition of organized labor in Western Pennsylvania, was canceled last...
Fire destroys Guy’s Tavern building in Avonmore
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...
Flooding closes portion of Route 356 in Allegheny Township
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...
Young hairstylist turns dream into reality with her own salon in Vandergrift
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...
