Maria Sosso stories, Page 5

Pennsylvania’s primary election is May 16. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Residents can check their registration status online at pavoterservices.pa.gov. It is especially important that residents verify their party affiliation for the primary. In Pennsylvania, residents may vote in a primary only for candidates running...

After multiple months collecting feedback on what Pine Community Park should look like following an acquisition of 18 additional acres, township manager Jason Kratsas presented an update on the park’s master plan at the May 1 board of supervisors meeting. In December, the township started a community park review, which...

The Pine board of supervisors voted on stormwater management items at the April 17 meeting. The board approved Partial Pay Estimate No. 1 from C.H. & D. Enterprises for the 2023 Storm Sewer Repair Contract for $79,695, as well as the 2023 Stormwater Improvement Project to the low bidder, Gary...

A Pine-Richland High School junior sought out a cause near and dear to his heart for his Eagle Scout project. Nate Weigand of Troop 150 constructed a memorial to acknowledge local first responders and police officers at the Northern Regional Police Department headquarters in Pine. “My father was a (military...

May 6 marks Snezana Lazich’s last performance with the Masterworks Concert Chorale, taking place at Crossroads Presbyterian Church in Monroeville. She has served as the director of the chorale since 2013, succeeding her father, Milutin Lazich, who founded Masterworks in 2003. Music was always present in the Lazich household. Snezana’s...

A local team of high school girls has qualified for a national horse riding competition. The Interscholastic Equestrian Association’s Hunt Seat Nationals will be held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Tryon, N.C., April 27-30, pitting teams and individuals against each other on fence-jumping and flat courses. The girls...

The Richland Volunteer Fire Department is marking a milestone with its 75th anniversary. Chief Jim Kelly and other Richland VFDmembers were honored at the April 19 Richland board of supervisors meeting. Kelly, who has been with the department for 28 years and served as chief for the past 15, introduced...

On April 3, Pine Township opened a brand-new multipurpose and all-weather artificial turf complex. The facility, which includes two full-sized fields, is replacing an area of the park plagued by wet conditions and slopes that made playing field sports challenging. “We were at a time where improvements needed to be...

Editor’s note: The Pine Creek Journal is publishing election previews with candidate interviews for contested municipal and school board races only. Previews for the school board and Pine supervisors races will run in upcoming issues. According to the Allegheny County Office of Elections unofficial candidate list, in the Richland Board...

Dance, jive, and have the time of your life with the Gateway High School students. On April 27, 28, and 29, high schoolers will perform “Mamma Mia!,” the 1999 musical that became the 2008 hit film. The story follows bride-to-be Sophie as she tries to uncover the identity of her...

The Pine Environmental Advisory Council kicked off its four-part speaker series on March 23. Ken Knapp Leah Fulton, assistant naturalists of Latodami Nature Center, joined the Pine EAC for a “Lawn to Nature” program, where residents learned how to turn a small part of their lawns into a native plant...

A Pine-Richland High School senior and longtime Girl Scout’s latest project has volunteers going batty for conservation. Lauren Schwab of Troop 58011 in Wexford assembled bat roosting boxes for the Latodami Nature Center in North Park. “I’ve always had an interest in protecting animals and the environment, so this project...

Pine Community Park could see multiple improvements if grant funding comes through. At the March 20 board of supervisors meeting, capital programs manager Stacey Graf spoke about the application for an AARP Community Challenge Grant. “What we’re proposing as part of the master plan is for bike racks to be...

Two Pine-Richland High School juniors are participating in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Student Visionaries of the Year 2023 campaign, each with their own motivations and strategies, but with a shared goal to increase funding for LLS and awareness of blood cancer. Student Visionaries of the Year titles are awarded...

When a resident of the Yorktown III planned residential development inquired with Richland Township about what permits to secure before building a deck for their townhouse, the township’s investigation into the development revealed that several townhouses with existing decks and one townhouse with a gazebo had no building or zoning...

The students of Pine-Richland High School are keeping the spirit of Christmas alive all year round. On March 17 and 18, high schoolers will perform “Elf The Musical,” based on the beloved holiday film. In the show, Buddy the Elf leaves the North Pole on a quest to find his...

Starbucks is one step closer to building a drive-thru-only store in Pine. Because the proposed store won’t offer any inside or outside seating, Starbucks is seeking to include fewer parking spots at the site than the amount required by township ordinance. During a public hearing in January, Pine’s board of...

Richland Township’s website is getting a new look with a bevy of new features, thanks to technology firm CivicPlus. “The company’s expertise is working with governments to create a platform that integrates the multiple facets of governmental administration,” assistant township manager Natalie Thiess said at the Feb. 15 board of...

Following feedback from Chadwick Manor residents in January about noise at the nearby FedEx Freight facility, Richland Township zoning officer Scott Shoup addressed their complaints with the company. Shoup shared the findings of a noise study taken at the request of the Chadwick Manor Homeowners Association and stated that FedEx...

Progress is being made on the new turf fields in Pine Community Park. Capital program manager Stacey Graf gave a progress report on the fields at the Feb. 6 Pine board of supervisors meeting. She said that the contractor has finished moving all the soil and has leveled the site...

Hearing a great song can change your life. For singer-songwriter Jack Semke, 18, that song was “Sailboat” by Ben Rector. “That was the first song I remember that made me want to learn how to play guitar,” he said. “It came on the radio after a day of walking in...

The Richland board of supervisors heard from more Chadwick Manor residents regarding levels of noise disturbance created by the FedEx Freight facility in Gibsonia at their Jan. 18 meeting. The complaints follow the decision of the board to extend the FedEx Freight facility’s developer’s agreement from April 14, 2023, to...

The Pine board of supervisors voted to approve Starbucks’ application for a conditional use agreement during a public hearing at the Jan. 17 meeting. A conditional use agreement is a use of property permitted as long as the applicant can meet the explicit criteria contained in the zoning ordinance for...

The Richland board of supervisors reappointed Ray Kendrick as chair and George “Skip” Allen as vice-chairman at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting. Supervisor Donna Snyder made a motion to reappoint the following administrative entities and professional staff: • Manager, secretary and treasurer: Dean Bastianini • Assistant manager: Natalie Thiess •...

Familiar faces remain at the helm of Pine Township’s board of supervisors. At the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting, the board appointed Ryan Colombo as chair and Pat Avolio as the vice-chairman. Previously, Colombo had served as vice chair and Avolio as chair. Colombo was elected to the board of supervisors...