Lead Stories
New Bakery Does It The Old Fashioned Way
Fortunately the old fashioned bakeries have not completely vanished. There are more than several outstanding ones throughout our area and the new Farneth’s Pie Country adds one more outstanding bakery to visit. Recently opened in November of 2005, Madilyn Farneth and Dixie Rose, Owner Partners, have seen their business take off. They not only have found a growing number of repeat customers, but have been continuing to expand with more bakery items.

The Dedicated
Dedicated To Community Park Improvements
Patrick Kopnicky of Fawn Township recently retired from his architectural career, but he hasn’t stopped working. With his wife, Mardelle, they responded to Allegheny County’s call to form the Circle of Friends for each of the local parks in the County park system. Needing five members, the Kopnicky’s sought out three more persons to join them in caring for the 500-acre Harrison Hills Park. Cynthia Maleski, Tom Nehrer and Sue Vertosick volunteered to form The Council of Friends of Harrison Hills Park.

AK Educators
Taking Kids to the Next Step
It’s the Tuesday before school starts and the halls at A. E. O’Block Junior High School, in Plum, are packed. Walking through the building like pirates with treasure maps, parents and students search for various classrooms. It’s a walkthrough orientation for kids to scout their routes before actually heading to classes on the following Monday. Down the hall bellows a friendly, joking voice, “You’re still here??!!” The jesting comes from the brand new Assistant Principal, Mr. Fran Sciullo, who is roving through the halls to offer assistance. The happy group he’s speaking to laughs along with him; then all begin conversing excitedly.

from The Editor
Who's Raising Your Kids?
I once believed that I, along with my wife, was raising our children. That was many years ago when I was young and naive. I quickly learned that this new world offered no room for old-fashioned relax-in-the-evening parenting. By the time my third child arrived I realized that I was no more than a glorified home-based administrator of equipment resources, transportation and funds….. lots of funds…….. funds and fund-raisers…… fifty two weeks a year. Organization after organization demanding more and more and more - more money, more dedication and more of my kid's time - much, much more of their time. And they have been getting more arrogant and nasty about it every year.

Gloria's Kitchen
Chicken & Asparagus Bake with Rice
This delicious looking casserole will bring your family to the dinner table as soon as you announce “dinner’s ready.” They will love the rich cheesy sauce and if there should be any leftovers, it freezes well for another meal later on. Enjoy!

Our Local Heritage
Spies In Oakmont? Tales From Our Towns
It is a time of war in America. Europe has already been fighting for nearly three years while America attempts to stay neutral. But now not only is America being attacked, but the enemy is trying to convince Mexico to attack the U.S. as well. The actions tip America into war. Soon, outside Oakmont on farmland where the Turnpike’s Oakmont Service Plaza is, men gather to fight. But theirs is a special and unique mission. This is but one of many true stories in Tales from our Towns: People, Places and Events Forgotten By The History Books by Gary Rogers.

AK Sports
Pitt Corner: Childhood Buddies on Opposite Sides of Ball
Pitt’s game at Heinz Field against Toledo on September 30 could feature several Alle-Kiski childhood buddies facing each other.

AK Sports
Pitt September / October Football Preview
Starting their season with a 38-13 win over Virginia, Pitt faces Cincinnati, Michigan State, The Citadel Toledo and Syracuse over the next 5 weeks. Here's what they are up against, courtesy of the Pitt Athletic Department.

AK Sports
Friday Night Football Factors
Grueling exercise drills under a blazing summer sun. Drenched in buckets of sweat. Studying playbooks late into the night. Months of work and training that began days after the season ended last year. It’s all come down to these next two months of high school football, where opportunities knock, plans are laid, goal lines mock, tactics are made, playoffs call, surprises lurk, teams fall, and champions emerge. Here’s a look at some of the football teams in our area—scenes from summer workouts and some names you’ll likely hear called on those cool and foggy weekends:

AK Sports
Apollo-Ridge Vikings Football
Coach Jerry Moore pulled some new tricks out of his bag. “We did a few special things not normally done, to help the program,” he says, not divulging trade secrets.

AK Sports
Burrell Bucs Football
Dave Heavner may be Burrell’s new head football coach, but he’s not new to Burrell or AK football nor new to winning.

AK Sports
Burrell Bucs Football
Dave Heavner may be Burrell’s new head football coach, but he’s not new to Burrell or AK football nor new to winning.

AK Sports
Deer Lakes Lancers Football
Denny Fedigan coached at North Catholic for 22 years before making the shift to Deer Lakes four years ago. His program is starting to kick in.“ If we find that these people can perform at the level we think they can, then we should be much improved over last year and make the playoffs.”

AK Sports
Fox Chapel Foxes Football
The familiarity gained, from learning the playbook and coaches’ expectations to working through the off-season conditioning program, may have laid a foundation that will pay off in seasons ahead, if not immediately. Deal says, “We know them and they know us.”

AK Sports
Franklin Regional Panther Football
A year ago, the Panthers embarked on a quest that would only end with that most rare of prizes, The State Championship. STATE CHAMPS! Ya gotta love it! Coach Greg Botta does.

AK Sports
Freeport Yellow Jackets Football
Bill Dillen took his players to the Riverview Passing League for three weeks this summer and saw them take another step towards making this a playoff year. “I was pleased with it,” Coach Dillen says.

AK Sports
Highlands Golden Rams Football
A veteran coach of 26 years, Coach Sam Albert is in his third year at Highlands, his alma mater. This year’s crop of players is close to being “all-Albert” all the time.

AK Sports
Kiski Area Cavaliers Football
Last year the Cavalier football boosters promoted a theme, “Bringing on the Heat,” a reference to head Coach Chris Heater’s last name. This year’s theme, the coach says, is “Turning up the Heat,” but he says he’s not sure if that’s on him or on the team.

AK Sports
Leechburg Blue Devils Football
“If you are a competitor of any kind, this is the conference you want to be in,” notes new Leechburg head football coach Ed Jenkins.

AK Sports
Plum Mustangs Football
Coach Bill Rometo notes, “We’ll be depending on seniors for leadership while others get their feet wet. We have a very good nucleus of skilled people. We’re real pleased with the kids.”

AK Sports
Riverview Raiders
38 of Coach Joe Rossi’s Riverview Raiders took a little road trip this summer, to Canton, Ohio to the Football Hall of Fame.

AK Sports
Saltsburg Trojans
Nine Saltsburg players who got quite a bit of playing time last year graduated. But Coach Eric Kostic says this team can fill the gaps.

AK Sports
Springdale Dynamos Football
Springdale IS in a very tough conference, probably one of the toughest in the WPIAL. The Dynamos DID lose over 20 graduating seniors last spring. But he is also faithful to tell it all.

AK Sports
Valley High School Vikings Football
"The guys we have," Coach Troy Hill says, "are all eager to learn, dedicated to the program. They're really coachable."

Veterans of Freedom
Busy Building For The War
John J. Johnson of Saltsburg spent his time during World War II constructing facilities. Enlisting in the Navy in 1942 at the age of 22, four years out of High School, he became a Seabee. The renowned Seabees got their name from the original designation as a Construction Battalion (CB). Their official motto was Construimus, Batuimus -- "We Build, We Fight".

Healthy Eating
Wheat Oat Loaf
Sometimes I have a craving for a great piece of bread. The problem is trying to keep your choice nutritious and there are many options. If you like to bake your own, a good thing to do is try and stay away from the white flour or even reduce it by half. A whole grain flour is a great substitute. If you do not keep whole grain flour around and have oats, the oats can be ground into a powder in your blender or food processor (and don’t worry it does not have to be finely ground). Try serving with your favorite low calorie jam or peanut butter or even with soup. The whole grain option will fill you up more and give you more fiber. Give it a try.

Alle-Kiski Businesses
Crunching Figures and Helping People
Michael J. Myers, CPA, after graduating from Freeport High School, wasn’t sure what he wanted to do for a career when he entered Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, PA. He was half way through his second year when he decided on specializing in economics. Graduating in 1992 he went on to earn his CPA while working at a downtown Pittsburgh CPA firm. With only several years out of college he decided to set up his own business. It was a bold move for a young graduate.

Alle-Kiski Churches
Apollo Church Growing and Building
There is an air of excitement at the First United Methodist Church of Apollo these days. The 140-year-old church experienced an approximate 25% attendance growth in the past 13 months and the congregation is preparing for the biggest move in its history. Plans are underway to build a new modern church next year.