Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 62
Harrison police investigating trio of burglaries along Freeport Road
Harrison police are investigating the burglaries of three businesses late last week along Freeport Road. A truck was stolen early Friday from Freehling Service at 2901 Freeport Road. Burglars also hit Della’s Frozen Custard at 5001 Freeport Road and Harbison’s Nursery at 4024 Freeport Road. All three incidents happened overnight...
Harrison secures $118,000 to raze blighted buildings
Several blighted homes in Harrison will be demolished next year thanks to a $118,000 grant awarded to the township in June. Manager John Pallone said a majority of the money will be spent in the Natrona section of the township but noted there are other areas that will be addressed....
Free food distribution set at Pittsburgh Mills
A free mass food distribution for Alle-Kiski Valley families will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 9 at Pittsburgh Mills. The drive-thru-only event is hosted by the Harrison-based Allegheny Valley Association of Churches (AVAC) and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Since the pandemic hit, the food distribution...
Tarentum receives nearly $100,000 for sewer work along East Seventh Avenue
A sewer project along East Seventh Avenue in Tarentum will be largely paid for by a federal Community Development Block Grant. The borough was notified June 23 that it will receive nearly $100,000 through the program, which is distributed through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “We were...
Faces of the Valley: Volunteer Janet Purdie helps grow BridgePoint Church in Tarentum
When the pandemic forced Janet Purdie’s layoff from her full-time job at Leeds in New Kensington, it was a sure bet she wasn’t going to sit around the house. A seven-year parishioner at BridgePoint Church in Tarentum, Purdie ramped up her volunteer efforts at the site along East Ninth Avenue...
Harrison commissioners to vote on police chief’s retirement and rehiring
The question of whether Harrison police Chief Michael Klein can retire later this year and be rehired on a part-time basis will be a topic for discussion by the township commissioners Monday. The board last month held off on voting whether to allow Klein to retire Oct. 28 and return...
Harrison library reveals ‘Secrets of the Allegheny River,’ including long-popular Jack’s Island
Growing up in 1940s Natrona, Mary Ann Debor didn’t have to look far for a perfect riverfront getaway. Her family was among a dozen who built wooden cabins on Jack’s Island, an idyllic retreat plopped in the middle of the Allegheny River between Harrison and Lower Burrell. “We had a...
Dog park construction underway at Harrison Hills Park
Ground has been broken for the off-leash dog park planned at Harrison Hills. The 1.3-acre site will sit along Woodchuck Drive, across from Laurel Shelter in the upper portion of the park. Allegheny County landscape architect Joel Perkovich said the open field is a perfect spot to let dogs of...
Corbet Street market to be demolished by fall to make way for parking, green space
Corbet Street in Tarentum is expected to have a new look by fall with the demolition of a two-story building that was home for many years to a corner market. Borough officials on June 23 closed on the purchase of 215 Corbet, the two-story red brick building that is noticeable...
Fanciful ‘Xanadu’ rolls into Aspinwall’s Allegheny RiverTrail Park
A musical fantasy with rad costumes — on wheels — will transform the stage at Allegheny RiverTrail Park for an out-of-this-world rendition of “Xanadu.” Riverfront Theater Company’s Young Artists will transport audiences to the disco-loving days of 1980 for the roller skating adventure. It will be presented at 7 p.m....
Allegheny Valley Hospital seeks empathetic volunteers
Rosemary Musolino retired in 2009 after 30 years working as a reading specialist at New Ken-Arnold School District. Within three weeks, she had a new gig volunteering a couple of times a week at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison, a role she called “totally outside her comfort zone.” “I always...
BridgePoint Church to host services, picnics in Tarentum’s Riverview Memorial Park
A Tarentum minister is inviting people to worship in Riverview Memorial Park on four Sundays this summer. The Rev. Val Schubert from BridgePoint Church, an Assemblies of God ministry along East Ninth Avenue, said services will be combined with children’s crafts, music and food in hopes of drawing people to...
St. Joe’s High School leaders promoted to new roles
Two administrators at St. Joseph High School in Harrison will lead with new titles but in familiar roles. Beverly Kaniecki and Kimberly Minick were named president and principal, respectively, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced Friday. The work is something the pair has shared for more than a decade. “God...
Volunteers sought to clean Allegheny River banks from Verona to Aspinwall
Volunteers who don’t mind getting their hands dirty will have a unique opportunity to clean typically inaccessible banks of the Allegheny River between Aspinwall and Verona during an event on July 23. Hosted by Allegheny CleanWays, Friends of the Riverfront and 3 Rivers Outdoor Company (3ROC), the shoreline clean-up is...
Summit Hose Fall Festival to return to Tarentum after 2-year covid hiatus
Bingo, bands and the best French fries this side of the river will fill Tarentum’s Riverview Memorial Park when Summit Hose Company brings back its popular Fall Festival after two years in a covid-related hiatus. The carnival is scheduled for Sept. 8-10 and is expected to draw thousands of people...
Cruisin’ into fun, nostalgia at Lauri Ann West Community Center
Auto aficionados and hot-rodders can cruise in to O’Hara for a gear-head festival sure to please. The first-ever Cruisin’ at the Community Center will be Aug. 14 at Lauri Ann West Community Center along Powers Run Road. Presented by Chip Ganassi Racing, the event will showcase more than 80 vehicles...
Free water safety event, Lock Fest, set at Allegheny River Lock 4 in Natrona
People are invited to stop by Allegheny River Lock 4 in the Natrona section of Harrison on Saturday for a boatload of fun. Lock Fest, the annual water safety event hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, will be presented free to the public from 10 a.m....
Tarentum business owner appointed to fill council vacancy
A familiar face in Tarentum will fill a vacancy on council. Kevin Bertocki, owner of Asay’s newsstand along Sixth Avenue, was appointed to fill the 2nd Ward term left by Adam Blythe who resigned in May. “I’m just trying to help the borough out,” Bertocki said. “I’m a business owner,...
Sharpsburg’s long-time butcher, Dom Perrotte, honored for 50 years perfect attendance in Rotary
Sharpsburg butcher Dom Perrotte started sweeping sawdust from the floor in a cousin’s meat market before he was a teen. “I wiped the glass display cases and washed the platters for a lot of years before I went into business on my own,” said Perrotte, who owned a Main Street...
ATI’s Pittsburgh offices moving to Strip District after 30 years at PPG Place
The Pittsburgh offices of ATI will move to a 20,000-square-foot office in the Strip District after nearly three decades at PPG Place. Leaders of the global specialty materials firm signed a long-term lease at The Vision on 15th, a luxury mixed-use development along Smallman Street. The move is expected to...
Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge continues cleanup after June storm
Cleanup continues at Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge after a late-June storm caused up to $10,000 in damage. “We had a real mess here,” said Cindy Homburg, cemetery president. “It was a ton of damage.” She estimated at least $6,000 in tree damage from the June 22 storm, which pummeled the...
Police investigating death at New Kensington apartment complex
Police are investigating a death at a New Kensington apartment complex, according to Westmoreland County emergency dispatchers. Officers responded to the incident at the Valley Royal Court along Fifth Avenue just before 2 p.m. Sunday. Details about the victim and manner of death were not available. Dispatchers confirmed that the...
1 person killed in Kiski crash
An Indiana man was killed Sunday afternoon when a vehicle and a motorcycle collided, according to the Armstrong County coroner. Anthony D. Stasko, 58, was riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle with his wife, Kim Stasko, on Route 56 in Kiski when a 2011 Honda CRV came across Balsinger Road and...
Missing East Hills teen found safe
Pittsburgh police said a missing 14-year-old girl has been located. Public Safety officials had asked the public to help find Shaylynn Smith, who was last seen at noon on Sunday leaving her home in the East Hills. Police said Smith would safely located....
Closure of Highland Park Bridge ramp extended
Motorists who have been tangling with extra traffic because of the closed Highland Park Bridge ramp to northbound Route 28 will have to be a little more patient. The ramp will stay closed a bit longer, PennDOT announced. Work, which began in March, is expected to run through mid-August because...
