Maria Sosso stories

Pine hosted its second annual Earth Day event April 26-27, and this year’s bash was packed with even more activities and fun for everyone. “The Township of Pine’s second annual Earth Day event was a true celebration of community and sustainability. With more than 50 vendors and activity booths, educational...

The Richland Volunteer Fire Department recognized the bravery of one of their own during its monthly meeting April 18. Chief Dave McWilliams started off the meeting by recapping the events of the March 5 fire that occurred at North Woodland Circle. Ryne Zierenberg, a union carpenter and member of the...

Wexford Volunteer Fire Company in Pine has a new fire chief. After five years in the role, Chris Ausefski decided to step down as chief to spend more time with his family. He remains with the company through his involvement in the EMS program. Following Ausefski’s resignation, a special election...

Northern Tier Regional Library is one of 11 libraries to receive a Keystone Grant this year. The nearly $92,000 grant will help pay for some much-needed renovations at the library’s Richland location. A portion of the grant will be used to redo the bathrooms at the Richland library, as the...

Pine celebrated the Easter season this year with goodies and furry friends. Children swarmed the Pine Athletic Complex looking for eggs April 12. The Egg-cellent Egg Hunt was open to those 10 and younger, with time slots allotted for the different age groups. Supervisors Chairman Ryan Colombo was pleased with...

Richland supervisors awarded the contract for their 2025 road paving program to Shields Asphalt Paving. “Natalie; myself; Mike Kuhn, our public works director; and Scott Shoop, our township engineer, went out and did a road tour of all the roads that are on this list, along with some other ones...

Following an influx of anonymous Right-to-Know requests across Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors has advised municipalities to review and update their Right-to-Know policies. In light of this development, Richland recently updated its Right-to-Know policy. The Right-to-Know law is the Pennsylvania law that guarantees a person’s right to...

Richland has been named a banner community by the Allegheny League of Municipalities for the 12th consecutive year. The banner community program recognizes municipalities that distinguish themselves as model communities through their outstanding commitment to professional development, prudent fiscal management, transparency, accountability and proactive communications to engage community stakeholders. “I...

Jo Ann Evans of Richland unwinds from her high-stress job as a nurse practitioner with an unconventional hobby — she is part of the competitive dog show circuit. Evans said she spent two years researching before she got her first puppy from “a wonderful breeder and mentor.” “This was a...

Pine is sprucing up the community with tree planting events in three parks. The township’s Environmental Advisory Council will be planting trees April 22 in Pine Community Park, Pine Haven Park and Karrington Woods Park. The Pine Community Park tree planting will take place at 10 a.m., followed immediately by...

Pine was awarded first place in newsletters for populations 5,000 and above by the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors for this year. Township Manager Jason Kratsas announced the achievement during the April 7 supervisors meeting. Pine also finished second in websites. The township placed third for its winter program...

Pete Geis has stepped down as the director of parks and recreation for Pine. The announcement was made during the board of supervisors meeting April 7. “We are incredibly grateful for Pete’s service at the township of Pine. He took on the difficult task of following in the footsteps of...

Northern Tier Regional Library is kicking off April with its annual used book sale from April 3-7 on the lower level of the facility, 4015 Dickey Road. “We are excited to welcome everyone in for the book sale. The book sale remains our biggest fundraiser of the year. The money...

Pine officials are making strides to protect birds as spring approaches. The township, which was named a Bird Town this year, is considering participating in a new initiative called “Lights Out” to help prevent bird deaths associated with nighttime light pollution. However, the board of supervisors recently tabled a vote...

Pine supervisors recognized the late Richard Voll, a longtime resident and volunteer firefighter, for his dedication and contributions to the township at their Feb. 18 meeting. “This past week, we lost a true community steward. Mr. Richard Voll passed away. His volunteerism showed in his dedication to his community, to...

Pine was officially recognized as a Bird Town during the Feb. 18 supervisors meeting. Bird Town Pennsylvania is a statewide, grassroots, municipal-level conservation program. Since 2011, it has worked with more than 50 municipalities to develop bird-friendly communities, reinforce the role people play in supporting bird populations, enhance habitat, reduce...

Hampton resident Bethany Jarmul has released her debut full-length poetry collection, “Lightning Is a Mother,” with ELJ Editions. The collection, which explores themes of identity, spirituality, motherhood and nature, became a passion project for Jarmul. “In the beginning, I didn’t set out to write a book. I was writing poems...

Bruce Hezlep has been hired as Pine’s public safety director. The newly created position aims to provide leadership, strategic planning and management supervision to ensure the safety and security of the community. The public safety director is responsible for safety operations oversight of local public agencies, in relation to the...

The Pine board of supervisors held its annual reorganization meeting on Jan. 6. The board elected Ryan Colombo as chair and Audrey Mackie as vice chair. Supervisor Pat Avolio made a motion to approve the following reappointments to various committees for 2025 during the meeting. The motion was seconded by...

Richland residents will see their property taxes hold steady for another year, according to the 2025 budget. The Richland board of supervisors voted to pass the proposed 2025 budget at its Dec. 18 meeting. For 2025, a millage rate of 2.696 mills is levied on all commercial, residential and nonexempt...

The Friends of Pine Community Parks presented the first installment of its $200,000 commitment to fund the new amphitheater project under construction in Pine Community Park during the township’s supervisors meeting Dec. 2. Representatives of the Friends group were present at the meeting to formally pass the gift to the...

Pine celebrated the beginning of the festive season with the township’s annual Holiday Dazzle on Nov. 16. This year’s event at the Pine Community Center boasted carriage rides, ice sculptures, live performances, and a Christmas tree lighting. “The 2024 Holiday Dazzle was our biggest year to date. From community attendance,...

Pine’s property tax rate remains unchanged at 0.998 mills, the lowest among Allegheny County municipalities, in the proposed 2025 budget. The budget has been designed to accommodate the maximum allowable homestead/farmstead exclusion, 50% of the median assessed value of residential property in the township. Overall general fund revenues are projected...

Pine’s annual Holiday Dazzle will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Pine Community Center. Holiday Dazzle is Pine’s first and biggest holiday event of the season. This year’s event will include inflatables, train rides, carriage rides, live performances, a visit from Santa along with his...

Pine residents were able to register to take home free trees to plant on their properties through the township’s Environmental Advisory Council. The township partnered with Tree Pittsburgh to host a workshop as part of the EAC speaker series on Sept. 26. Township code and planning director Kirsten Primm reported...