Fox Chapel Herald category, Page 85
Former Blawnox Mayor Tom Smith recalled as epitome of small borough
Friends are recalling former longtime Blawnox Mayor Tom Smith as the ultimate figurehead for the small Allegheny River town. He founded the Thomas M. Smith Funeral Home in 1966 and later delved into local politics as a way to spur community revitalization. “My family knew him all our life, and...
Fox Chapel Area real estate transactions for the week of Jan. 15, 2023
Aspinwall David Ariondo sold property at 625-627 Center Ave. to Christopher Smith and Heather Parks for $385,000. Etna LRH Holdings LLC sold property at Butler St. to Alley Holdings LLC for $88,512. EL Properties LLC sold property at 29 Ganster St. to Romero Transportation LLC for $100,000. Estate of Kathleen...
Settled in at 107 pounds, Fox Chapel sophomore emerges as top performer
Landon Funk didn’t have a secure spot in the lineup during his freshman season on the Fox Chapel wrestling team. Throughout the season, Funk had to wrestle off with Michael Worsen for the spot at 106 pounds. Funk didn’t always win and would voluntarily bump up to 113 pounds. What...
Freshman sparks bounce-back season for Fox Chapel girls
Lyla Jablon didn’t have to worry about slowly discovering the chaos of playing girls varsity basketball. The Fox Chapel freshman guard was thrust into an uncomfortable situation early in the season. The Foxes lost leading scorer Skye Byrnes to a broken ankle and had two other starters out with injuries...
Fox Chapel Area cheerleaders qualify for national cheer competitionVideo
The Fox Chapel Area High School cheerleaders have reason to cheer. For the first time in school history, the varsity cheerleading squad earned a bid to compete at the 2023 National High School Cheerleading Championship at Disney World on Feb. 10-12. “They were screaming in December when they found out...
Sharpsburg couple gets engaged during Blawnox holiday celebration
Taylor Klutch wanted to make a holiday moment his girlfriend, Christa Coban, would never forget. Klutch, 32, called on Coban’s mom, Blawnox Councilwoman Katie Coban, and Santa for some Christmas magic. They collaborated with other borough officials to create an opportunity for Klutch to pop the question during Blawnox’s Night...
Fox Chapel-based Women’s Board of Pittsburgh delivers 50 boxes of food for children
Members of the Fox Chapel-based Women’s Board of Pittsburgh collected a hearty amount of food with the mission of feeding needy children at the holidays. “No child should ever go hungry,” member Lisa Bowden said. She said the group delivered 25 boxes of food to each of two local organizations...
North Park offers winter fun
Flurries or not, many cold-weather die-hards are taking advantage of North Park this winter. Those looking for winter workouts can cross-country ski when it snows throughout the 3,094-acre North Park located in McCandless, Hampton and Pine townships and even on the North Park golf courses. “The golf courses are available...
Aspinwall Council has a vacancy, no vice president
Aspinwall Council has delayed accepting the resignation of Councilman Dave Borland so that the council will have more time to find his replacement. The council had been expected to accept Borland’s resignation during its Jan. 11 meeting. Instead, it elected to let the resignation take effect Jan. 28, a full...
Fox Chapel Police have a new ‘Bug’ to show the community
Fox Chapel Police have a new community relations tool inspired by a Walt Disney movie. The department recently acquired a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle, a model commonly referred to as a Bug. Sgt. Craig Sorg, 58, said he has loved that kind of car for years ever since seeing “The Love...
Fox Chapel Conservancy to host Fire & Ice event at McCahill Park
The Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy will launch this year’s seasonal fundraisers with a unique event that draws people into nature with a twist. Fire & Ice at McCahill Park on Hemlock Hollow Road will highlight a space that traditionally is enjoyed for its baseball fields and playground. “The park will...
People can cozy up this winter at Allegheny RiverTrail Park
Fire pit Fridays are coming to Aspinwall, and everyone is invited to cozy up. Allegheny RiverTrail Park will host Cabin Fever, featuring fire pits, indoor movies and snacks, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Fridays through February. The 10-acre park is off Freeport Road in Aspinwall. Another 6 acres recently was...
Fox Chapel Area School District officials pledge to keep any tax increase in 2023-24 within state cap
Fox Chapel Area property owners should not expect any hike in real estate taxes beyond 4.1% for next school year. School district officials unanimously approved a resolution at its combined workshop and regular meeting Jan. 9 pledging to keep any tax hike within an inflation-based state limit. Act 1, passed...
North Allegheny custodian passes away at 30
Students and staff of North Allegheny School District are mourning the death of the head custodian at Hosack Elementary School. Kevin Cavlovich, 30, died on Jan. 5, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. “Mr. Kevin” had been a custodian for the North Allegheny School District for more than...
Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week for Jan. 8, 2023
The 2020-21 Shady Side Academy girls basketball team finished the covid-shortened season with a record of 1-10. Less than two years later, the Bulldogs have completely turned things around. Heading into the second week of January, they are 10-1 overall, tied for first place in Section 3-3A and are No....
Fox Chapel area real estate transactions for the week of Jan. 8, 2023
Blawnox Bryan Weight sold property at 717 Maple Ave. to Stephanie Mateo for $147,500. Etna PGH Investors Group LLC sold property at 17 Locust St. to Rory Schussler and Mengxue Zhao for $225,000. Fox Chapel Shakir Amal Kanbour sold property at 417 Fox Chapel Road to Rajaganapathi Jagannathan and Vijayalakshmi...
Fox Chapel boys look to build consistency in season’s 2nd half
After graduating every starter from a team that won a WPIAL Class 6A title and reached the PIAA semifinals last season, Fox Chapel boys basketball coach Zach Skrinjar expected to put his roster through a bevy of learning experiences this year. That’s why anyone following the Foxes has seen plenty...
Memorial Park Church in McCandless offers money management course
Beginning Jan. 18, Memorial Park Church will offer Financial Peace University, a class that teaches people how to handle money God’s way, not the world’s way, and live a life of freedom and generosity. The first session will be conducted in Westminster Hall at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 18. It will...
Indiana Township officials hold the line on taxes in 2023
Indiana Township property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes this year as part of the town’s budget. Supervisors unanimously voted last month to approve the 2023 spending plan and hold the line on taxes at 3.47 mills, of which 2.99 mills is designated for the...
Fox Chapel’s Mandy Steele sworn in as 33rd District representative
Fox Chapel resident Mandy Steele took the first step in her legislative journey on Jan. 3, being sworn in as state representative for the 33rd District during a ceremony at the state Capitol. “I come from a background of bringing people together from all walks of life and ideologies to...
Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke hits 500 career wins with victory over Apollo-Ridge
Not too often do opposing basketball coaches combine to own nearly 1,100 career victories. That was the case Tuesday as Shady Side Academy’s Jonna Burke and Apollo-Ridge’s Ray Bartha guided their teams into the Section 3-3A girls opener at Shady Side Academy’s Mellon Gym. Bartha has 568 victories in nearly...
North Hills Genealogists host Jan. 16 presentation about Civil War ancestors
North Hills Genealogists will host an online presentation on Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. by Brian Rhinehart entitled, “I Have a Civil War Ancestor… Now What?” The event is free and open to the public. Civil War soldiers often left a rich genealogical paper trail. Many records are tucked away...
Public online auction slated for closed Waterworks Walmart
A public, online auction will be held next week for the remaining contents of the former Walmart in The Waterworks shopping plaza near Aspinwall. The store closed in November 2022, citing underperforming sales, according to Felicia McCranie, Walmart’s North and East communications director. The public can view and inspect hundreds...
Several hundred birders slough through rain to count thousands of birds, some rare
For the 123rd Christmas Bird Count, several hundred people scoured all types of habitats from Pittsburgh’s three rivers to the brushy fields of Hartwood Acres in Indiana Township to the Laurel Highlands for the annual census of birds. There are never enough boots on the ground for the longest-running community...
Fox Chapel Area School District raises big bucks for charityVideo
Students in the Fox Chapel Area School District raised more than $95,000 in December for a local charity. Students from all grades in the district’s six schools hosted fundraisers during a monthlong, districtwide campaign that culminated in the 33rd annual telethon fundraiser — dubbed Fox Fest — in the high...
