Joyce Hanz stories, Page 52
Another extended road closure planned along Route 356 in Allegheny Township
Motorists in Allegheny Township will face another extended closure of a portion of Route 356 starting Wednesday. PennDOT said Route 356 will be closed between Pleasant Hill and Piper roads. The section, used by about 10,000 motorists a day, is scheduled to reopen Sept. 30. Signs will be posted to...
Some businesses are hiring 14- and 15-year-olds to address staffing shortages
Businesses that have grappled with labor shortages during the covid-19 pandemic are hiring younger workers than ever before. The businesses have lowered their minimum hiring age from 16 to 14 in an effort to meet staffing needs and keep their businesses afloat. “I wouldn’t be open without my teen employees,”...
Kiski Area begins school year with dual focus on academics, building relationships
Kiski Area High School math teacher Zach Jankowski said teachers took a different approach Thursday on the district’s first day of classes. “We did not talk about math, English and science. We worked on building relationships with our students to make them feel loved and welcomed back into the building,”...
Signature Dishes: Hefty fish sandwiches a staple at Snyder’s Bonfire in Allegheny TownshipVideo
This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com. It’s a fish dish that keeps the customers coming back to Snyder’s Bonfire Restaurant and Lounge in Allegheny Township. Cod is...
Leechburg Area opens school year, masks optional, with all but a handful of students attending classes in person
Leechburg Area High School Superintendent Tiffany Nix stood outside on campus Wednesday morning, greeting students on the first day of school. “It’s so exciting,” Nix said. “Our students need to be face-to-face, and our teachers need to be with our students.” The district enrolls about 750 students. Nix said only...
Newly crowned Miss Little Italy, Rosalie Casper of Allegheny Township, a pageant natural
Allegheny Township’s Rosalie Casper spent a few weeks working on her stage presence before her debut pageant appearance Sunday at Little Italy Days in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. That’s all the preparation the 5-year-old needed. Rosalie was named Miss Little Italy in the 4-to-6-year-old division at the region’s largest annual festival...
Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre receives Westmoreland Cultural Trust art installation
Volunteers installed a wing-themed art installation on the grounds of Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre on Saturday as part of the Wings Across Westmoreland initiative. Vandergrift was the eighth location included in Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s countywide art initiative featuring metal wings inspired by places in various locations in Westmoreland County. “The Casino...
Labor United celebration is back at Northmoreland Park
The 2021 Labor United Celebration in Northmoreland Park is back. “It’s a go,” said Brandon Simpson, the county’s parks and recreation director. Simpson said covid-19 restrictions are not expected to impact the event as they did last year, when the pandemic forced the cancellation of the festival that draws about...
East Vandergrift looking for person to fill council seat through December
A vacancy on East Vandergrift Council remains unfilled. Councilwoman Bonita “Bonnie” (Zalenski) Bober died unexpectedly from health complications July 9. Bober had served on council since 2018. She was hired as borough secretary in 2016. Current Borough Secretary Kristen Sarno said the news of Bober’s unexpected death was a shock....
Apollo man charged with sexually assaulting underage girl
Apollo police Tuesday charged a borough man who they said sexually assaulted an underage girl, according to court records. Nathan Stripling, 18, was arraigned Wednesday on felony charges that include aggravated indecent assault without consent of a minor under the age of 16, unlawful contact and corruption of minor. He’s...
Vandergrift man reported missing by family has been found
A Vandergrift man who was reported missing by family members has been found, according to police. An Allegheny Township police officer saw Robert W. Horner, 85, at the Fuel Land gas station on South Leechburg Hill Road around 9 p.m. Thursday. Family members said they had not seen him since...
Police seek public’s help to locate missing Vandergrift man
Vandergrift police said Thursday they were seeking the public’s help to locate an 85-year-old man last seen Wednesday. Robert W. Horner, 85, of Vandergrift’s Emerson Street, is believed to have left his residence between 2 and 4 p.m., according to police. Police said they believe he was driving a white...
Signature Dish: Prime rib at proudly ‘old-school’ Grieco’s Carefree Inn of Indiana TownshipVideo
This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s new online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com Prime rib still rules as the signature dish at Grieco’s Carefree Inn Restaurant in Indiana Township. Grieco’s opened in 1981...
Vandergrift police arrest 4 men, 1 on heroin, meth charges and the others charged with burglary
Vandergrift police arrested four suspects Monday when a search warrant turned up 1,897 stamp bags of presumed heroin in East Vandergrift. Police say they also recovered three ounces of suspected methamphetamine. Vandergrift Borough Police Officer Nate Rigatti estimated the street value of the drugs at $15,000. The suspects are Ryan...
It’s official: Kiski Area School District hires 1st female superintendent
Kiski Area School Board has hired the district’s new superintendent. Misty Slavic, 44, is the first woman to be named to the district’s top post. The board voted 8-0 to approve Slavic’s three-year contract. Her starting salary is $153,000, which will be pro-rated for the 2021-22 school year. School Director...
4 Gilpin workers test positive for covid, 1 hospitalized
Workers for an entire department in Gilpin have tested positive for covid-19. Supervisor Charlie Stull confirmed Tuesday that four full-time employees — an administrative employee and all three workers in the public works department — have tested positive. That represents nearly half of the township’s full-time workers. Gilpin, a township...
East Vandergrift making headway on rat problem
East Vandergrift officials appear to be making progress in the ongoing war against a rat infestation in the borough. Council voted last June to hire a commercial division of Terminix in Bridgeville for 10 weeks at a cost of $1,525 after fielding numerous complaints from residents about rats. The Terminix...
Allegheny Township working to fix sewage issues on Labelle Vue Road
Allegheny Township officials are taking steps to tackle a sewage problem affecting multiple residences on LaBelle Vue Road. Eight houses on the rural road in Westmoreland County have what township Manager Greg Primm described as failing septic systems. An unidentified female LaBelle Vue Road resident filed a complaint June 28...
Dozens of steel jobs coming to Alle-Kiski Valley in new venture at old Hyde Park FoundryVideo
A vacant warehouse in a historic Hyde Park foundry is about to get busy. Three Alle-Kiski residents with almost a century of combined mill experience working in the Valley’s steel industry have partnered to open a new metal toll processing business in the former hot metal section of the former...
Charity event in Vandergrift to offer free back-to-school haircuts for kids
A new charity event in Vandergrift is making the cut with area students. The Kiski Valley Lancers & Ramsey’s Place Cuts 4 Kids will offer free back-to-school haircuts to any student in prekindergarten through 12th grade at the borough’s Kennedy Park on Aug. 23. “There’s a lot of underprivileged people...
State police seeking information about stabbing outside Oklahoma Borough bar
State police are investigating a stabbing that happened early Thursday outside an Oklahoma Borough bar. Two people went outside the Oklahoma Inn at 1544 Hancock Avenue around 1:30 a.m. to engage in what police described as a “mutual fight” in an alley. One of the people was injured during the...
Most Kiski Area parents ‘in favor of choice’ when it comes to masks for children, acting superintendent says
Kiski Area School Board will discuss its current health and safety plan during Wednesday night’s agenda meeting. A draft of the district health and safety plan, presented to the public on July 26, makes it optional for students, staff and visitors to wear face coverings or masks when classes begin...
Chartiers Valley administrator in line to become Kiski Area’s next superintendent, district’s first female leader
An administrator with the Chartiers Valley School District is poised to become Kiski Area School District’s next superintendent — and the first woman to hold the district’s top post. Kiski Area School Board is expected to vote Monday, Aug. 16 on a proposal to hire Misty Slavic to a three-year...
Leechburg to get new restaurant at familiar location
A new restaurant is coming to Leechburg. Frankie’s on 2nd St. will occupy the former Pappy’s restaurant, at 81-83 Second St. Before closing, Pappy’s was a staple eatery in downtown Leechburg. Before that, it was home to another popular restaurant, Bonello’s. “I’m thrilled,” Leechburg Mayor Wayne Dobos said. “It’s good...
River Road in Armstrong County set to close Aug. 15
A multi-million dollar construction project in Parks and Kiskiminetas Townships is the reason for a road and bridge closure on Route 56 scheduled for Aug. 15. The affected area is near the intersection of River and Gravel Bar roads, from Vocelli’s Restaurant to Taps and Caps on River Road (Route...
