Pine Creek Journal category, Page 5
Live like Batman and Robin at this ‘castle estate’ on market for nearly $4M in Pine
Batman and Robin would likely approve. An opulent castle-like residence at 724 Bristlecone Drive — with 10 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and a nod to Hollywood with a replica of Batman’s office and his Batcave — is on the market for nearly $4 million in Pine. The estate includes a playful...
Pine-Richland puts pressure on Shaler, wins opener of key section series
The foul poles on Pine-Richland’s baseball field stand 360 feet from home plate — deeper than those at PNC Park — so there’s a lot of outfield grass to cover. The Rams might call it their home-field advantage. “The biggest thing is just putting the ball in play and putting...
McCandless Township Sanitary Authority celebrates Earth Day, upgrades to Pine Creek treatment facility
Flushing the potty will never be the same for 7-year-old Aria St. Onge. Aria and her dad, Joseph St. Onge of Richland, were among residents, officials and authority members who celebrated Earth Day on April 22 with a tour of McCandless Township Sanitary Authority’s Pine Creek wastewater treatment facility. “She...
Pine-Richland hires former college assistant, top WPIAL scorer as boys basketball coach
Steve McNees, a former college assistant who ranks among the WPIAL’s all-time leading scorers, was hired Monday as Pine-Richland’s boys basketball coach. McNees, a 2006 Shenango graduate, scored 2,192 points in his high school career and played college basketball at Akron under Keith Dambrot. McNees later served as an assistant...
Pine-Richland School Board majority, administration differ on increasing property taxes
A majority of the Pine-Richland School Board does not want to consider increasing the district’s property tax rate, despite administrators’ recommendation that they should. Superintendent Brian Miller said the administration is recommending a 2.1% property tax increase. Administrators also have recommended cutting 9.5 positions, including 3.5 teachers, through attrition, as...
North Hills real estate transactions for the week of April 20, 2025
Bellevue Margaret Neely sold property at 272 Dakota Ave. to Glenn and Teres Carey for $150,000. Spadafora Estates LLC sold property at 166-168 Lincoln Ave. to Yury Horbach for $297,500. WAP Properties LLC sold property at 204 Shiloh Ave. to John OMalley for $210,000. Estate of Andrew Bush sold property...
Pine celebrates Easter season with egg hunt, bunny visit
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 awards contracts for paving, sealing of more than a dozen township roads
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...
Trib HSSN softball team of the week for April 17, 2025
Trib HSSN softball team of the week – Pine-Richland Rams Coach: Sam Hartzberg (fourth year) Record: Pine-Richland is tied for third place in Class 6A with a 7-3 section mark and an overall record of 8-3 with four consecutive wins, including two over previously unbeaten Seneca Valley. #Earned: It was...
Richland updates Right-to-Know policy, which now denies anonymous requests
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 recognized as banner community for 12th year
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...
Richland resident and her Alaskan malamute, Brio, enjoy rounds on dog show circuit
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...
New owner of McCandless Floral hopes to keep business blooming for another 50 years
Whether it’s a grandiose bloomy show for a wedding, a stately arrangement for a funeral or just a simple pop of color to brighten mom’s special day, flowers can say just the right thing. “Someone told me last week that flowers are for the emotions of the moment. They’re not...
Residents of 2 Pine-Richland regions to see contested primaries for school board
Residents of the Pine-Richland School District will see contested primary contests in two of the district’s three regions at the May 20 primary. In Region 1, Liz DeLosa is cross-filed and uncontested in the primary. Incumbent Lisa Hillman is not seeking reelection. Region 2 In Region 2, six candidates, including...
Part I: Richland History Group explores Massey Harbison’s incredulous May 1792 abduction by Native Americans
Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of a two-part series on Massey Harbison by the Richland History Group. Part 2 will appear in the May edition of the Pine Creek Journal. On May 22, 1792, today’s Pine and Richland townships were in the “Wild West” of the United States of...
Pine seeks volunteers to help with planting of trees in 3 community parks
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...
In brief: Happenings in the Pine Creek Journal area
Shaffer organizing license plate replacement event State Rep. Jeremy Shaffer, R-Pine, is sponsoring a hard-to-read license plate replacement event from 3 to 5 p.m. April 29 at his district office, 5500 Brooktree Road, Pine. If your license plate is blistered, peeling or discolored, you can fill out the required PennDOT...
Pine-Richland softball focuses on fundamentals, hangs tough in challenging section
Over the last two seasons, the Pine-Richland softball team committed 101 errors. Coach Sam Hartzberg’s mission this offseason was to clean up his team’s fundamentals. “Our girls weren’t throwing to the wrong base or anything of that nature,” Hartzberg said. “They just weren’t making the plays they should have.” From...
With no easy outs, Pine-Richland lineup puts pressure on opposing pitchers
For 27 years, Kurt Wolfe has been coaching baseball at Pine-Richland. His first two years were as junior varsity coach, the next five were as an assistant coach on varsity and for the last 20 seasons, he’s been at the helm for the Rams. So, when he talks of his...
North Hills real estate transactions for the week of April 13, 2025
Bellevue Metro Developer LLc sold property at 40 Kendall Ave. to Mason and Veronica Bader for $350,000. Laurie Edwards McCaffrey sold property at 650-654 Means Ave. to Gray Owl Invests LLC for $550,000. Richard Stringert sold property at 201 N Sprague Ave. to Christopher Weaver and Mikhaila Stang for $187,000....
Upcoming offerings at Northern Tier Library
Plant sale to benefit library Preorders are being accepted through May 3 for Northern Tier Library’s annual Plant & Garden Sale. All proceeds benefit the library. Choose from hundreds of annuals, herbs, hanging baskets and planters. Pickup times will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 16 and 9...
State association awards Pine with 1st place for newsletters, 2nd place for website
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...
Pine names new parks and recreation director
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...
Staff cuts, health care savings put dent in Pine-Richland’s budget deficit
Savings in health care and those expected from staff cuts are putting a dent in the deficit that the Pine-Richland School District is forecasting for the 2025-26 school year. In addition to not replacing several departing employees, the school board also is being asked to consider increases in student activity...
Emergency fund drive helping to resettle refugees as 90-day federal review nears end
Recently resettled refugees are getting a helping hand through an emergency fund drive created by local nonprofit Thrive. These resettled refugees, who were screened and approved to come to the United States, are usually serviced by appointed resettlement agencies in the Pittsburgh area. Thrive, a 501(c)3 organization under the umbrella...

