Norwin Star category, Page 6
Norwin notebook: Knights alum recognized for defense
A Norwin graduate claimed a major award in Presidents Athletic Conference basketball. Grove City senior guard Mara Polczynski was named the conference defensive player of the year. Polczynski, known for her ability to force turnovers in the backcourt, had 80 steals and led the Wolverines with 6.5 per game. She...
With season over, Norwin girls bid farewell to sensational senior class
A section championship. A runner-up finish in the WPIAL. Another trip to the state playoffs. The Norwin girls basketball team’s season finally came to an end with a 49-38 loss at Altoona in the PIAA 6A first round. The Knights finished 15-8 a year after winning their third WPIAL title...
Irwin appliance store staying in town
Rosendahl’s Appliance Center, a fixture in downtown Irwin for decades, is staying in town. Rosendahl’s will not have to move far at the end of the month when its lease expires for the space on the first floor of the Irwin Borough Building at 424 Main St. That’s because it’s...
Bids being accepted for Norwin stadium project projected to cost $24.8M
Norwin school officials will learn next month whether the extensive renovations planned for the Knights Stadium will cost the estimated $24.8 million, or even more, when bids for the project are opened on April 8. The school board in January had decided to proceed with an option presented by its...
Norwin Lions Club hosts 10th annual ‘Cubcake Wars’ to benefit food-insecure students
Norwin High School cafeteria was transformed into a sugar lover’s dream March 9. The Norwin Lions Club hosted its 10th annual “Cubcake Wars,” where 19 neighborhood and professional bakers volunteered their best recipes for a good cause. Bakers sold their goods individually with all proceeds going toward the Lions’ Kitty...
Norwin hires new board secretary; school police officer retires
The Norwin School Board has a new secretary and the district’s superintendent has a new excutive assistant. The school board Monday hired Leslie DeZorzi as the board secretary and as executive assistant to Superintendent Natalie McCracken at a salary of $59,000, prorated for the remainder of the school year. DeZorzi...
Norwin notebook: Amber Klingensmith earns gold medal in WPIAL swimming debut
Norwin’s Amber Klingensmith didn’t compete at the high school level last year as a freshman, opting to concentrate on her swims with Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics. But she was familiar with Pitt’s Trees Pool, and she said it helped her in her WPIAL-championship debut. Klingensmith’s first swim at WPIALs was golden....
Pittsburgh eastern suburban real estate transactions for the week of March 9, 2025
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Churchill 2669 LLC sold property at 1541 Williamsburg Pl to Edward Macey for $260,000. Edgewood David Davis sold property at 501 Greendale Ave. to Michael John Hay and Nicholas Robert Wehner for $315,000. Jonathan Maher sold property at 607 Greendale Ave. to Noah Jemison and Christine Syvertson for...
Projectiles launched, zombie art composed at annual Shaler Area STEAM competition
Teams from 16 schools applied their knowledge and creativity in a series of challenges Friday during an annual STEAM competition hosted by Shaler Area High School. The competition, which began several years ago with just six schools, features a daylong sequence of science, technology, engineering, art and math trials in...
Chief: North Huntingdon fire department working to improve insurance ratings, community confidence
After being slapped with the worst possible fire insurance score in July, the Strawpump fire department in North Huntingdon has added members and continues to respond to calls as it works to regain an acceptable rating, the department’s new chief said. Township commissioners in November approved a plan from the...
Norwin area: Church to sell pirohi, soups; Lamp Theatre gala set
Church to sell pirohi Stephen Byzantine Catholic Church at 90 Bethel Road, North Huntingdon, will sell priohi from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 28. The potato and cheese pirohi and sweet cabbage are $14 per dozen; sauerkraut is $15; lekvar is $16; and cottage cheese is $17. Pirohi may...
Norwin students to perform ‘High School Musical’
The Norwin High School auditorium will come alive in late March with a musical of high school high drama replete with cliques and rivalries. The Norwin High School Theatre Company will entertain audiences with “High School Musical,” the play based on the hit Disney television film about students performing in...
Tennessee man pleads guilty to indecent assault of 3 North Huntingdon children
A Tennessee man will serve 10 years on probation for the indecent assault of three young children more than four years ago in North Huntingdon. Joseph Aaron Smith, 40, pleaded guilty Monday to three misdemeanor counts of indecent assault based on allegations that he had improper sexual contact with the...
Norwin notebook: Knights track and field teams win indoor titles
The Norwin boys and girls indoor track and field teams are champions for the first time. Both won titles at the Tri-State Track and Field Coaches Association championships at the Edinboro Bubble. Ryan Schiller won the 60-meter dash in 8.14 seconds, Luke Simpson was first in the mile in 4...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of March 2, 2025
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Chalfant Daniel Breitkreutz sold property at 134 Greenfield Ave. to Brittany Rose Leaper for $114,000. Churchill Matthew James Ziolkowski sold property at 2 Lear Drive to Ryan and Jessica Kanner for $343,000. Andrew Glover sold property at 1707 Yorktown Pl to Kaleigh Conners and Lauren Jones for $355,000....
Upper St. Clair battles past Norwin to win 1st WPIAL girls basketball title since ’08
Upper St. Clair finally broke through to win another championship, for Pete’s sake. Coach Pete Serio, denied titles in two of the last three years as the Panthers were stricken by injuries to star players — most recently Rylee Kalocay — was able to celebrate with his team after a...
Norwin area: Elks to hold Vietnam War Veterans Day lunch; trip to Lancaster theatre planned, axe throwing contest
Norwin Elks to hold Vietnam War veterans lunch The Norwin Elks off Sandy Hill Road in Manor will hold a luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 29 to recognize Vietnam War veterans and all other United States veterans. The complimentary lunch is being held in conjunction with the...
Norwin cheerleaders shine in national competition
The Norwin cheerleaders performed some magic recently in the magical land of the Walt Disney World Resort, during the national cheerleading championship competition in Orlando, Fla. “We really tried to take it to the next level. They had great execution,” said cheerleading coach Sarah Brooks, about the 23-member squad. The...
Norwin girls fend off Canon-McMillan’s rally, return to WPIAL Class 6A title game
Kendall Berger was doing most of the heavy lifting for No. 1 seed Norwin through three quarters, but she needed some help — especially when Canon-McMillan started to close in. She got it, and Norwin took another step toward a repeat. Fourth-seeded Canon-McMillan made its run in the fourth quarter,...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: Norwin familiar with semifinal opponent
Norwin is approaching its next opponent with caution. The Knights (14-7), a win away from a second straight trip to the WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball final, will take on Canon-McMillan (14-8) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon. While Norwin cruised in the first Section 2...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Feb. 23, 2025
Churchill Gary Craig trustee sold property at 2429 Marbury Road to Richard and Ana Hogben for $460,000. Edgewood Todd Ernst sold property at 513 Greendale Ave. to Eric Small and Jessica Santacrose for $350,000. Lisa Frumkes sold property at 346 Locust St. to Charlotte Heyward Wesley for $712,500. Gaggan Boparai...
Norwin notebook: Knights earn all-section basketball honors
The Big 5/6 Conference, which recognizes accomplishments of the two largest classifications in the WPIAL, announced its all-section basketball teams. Seniors Kendall Berger and Averi Brozeski of Norwin were selected to the first team in Section 2-6A, while their coach, Brian Brozeski, was tabbed coach of the year. Norwin senior...
Bella Furno’s hot shooting leads Norwin girls past North Allegheny in Class 6A quarterfinals
She might have been ill, but Bella Furno didn’t show it. Truth be told, the Norwin senior guard had visiting North Allegheny feeling a little queasy as her 3-pointers — 6 out of 8 — splashed through the nets Friday night in top-seeded Norwin’s 52-30 victory in the WPIAL Class...
Westmoreland native paints business windows, collects donations for LGBTQ+ nonprofits
What started as way for artist Victoria “V” Jennings to boost people’s spirits during the covid pandemic has turned into charitable fundraising. The Westmoreland County native has painted murals for about a decade. When the pandemic restrictions of March 2020 continued into the winter, Jennings put her artistic skills to...
Injunction sought to halt planned demolition of condemned North Huntingdon tavern
The owners of a former restaurant on Route 30 in North Huntingdon have asked a Westmoreland County judge to halt the dilapidated building’s demolition. The Rivertowne Pub and Grille building has been vacant since it shuttered in 2018. Township officials in 2021 condemned the property after inspectors declared the building...

