Funeral Arrangements Made for Bus Accident Victim

Alberta A. Slaczka, 67, died on Wednesday following a school bus accident in Forest Hills last week.

Funeral services will be held this weekend for the victim of a school bus accident in Forest Hills. Alberta A. (Mignogna) "Bunny" Slaczka, 67, of Wilkins Township, formerly of Pitcairn, passed away Wednesday, May 8, 2013. She was the loving wife of Stanley J. Slaczka of 47 years; cherished mother of Nicole Salera and her husband, Tony, of North Huntingdon, and her devoted son, Stanley "Stush" Slaczka, of Wilkins Township; adoring grandmother of Ryan and Nathan Salera, of North Huntingdon; caring sister of Donna McNinch and her husband, Ron, of Webster, N.Y.; special aunt of Stephanie Fix and her husband, William, and Renee Campbell and her husband, Rick; and great aunt of Matthew Campbell, of Rochester, N.Y.; and also survived by several …

• Photos (1)

Forest Hills Resident, Former County Health Director Bruce Dixon Dies

Dixon also owned the historic Schwab mansion in North Braddock.

Dr. Bruce Dixon, the former Allegheny County Health Department head, died overnight at UPMC Presbyterian, the Post-Gazette reports. The county medical examiner's office said Dixon, 74, a Forest Hills resident, died of a blood infection caused by an inflammation of his gallbladder. He was ousted from his job in March 2012 by the county Board of Health, acting at the request of Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald, according to the Post-Gazette. “For over 20 years, Dr. Bruce Dixon was the ultimate public servant, dedicating his life to serving the needs of the residents of Allegheny County through his direction of the Allegheny County Health Department," Fitzgerald said in a statement issued this morning. "The time and dedication…

• Photos (1)

Funeral Services Set Saturday for Twins Killed in North Braddock Fire

Family members seek donations to help pay for funeral expenses.

Funeral services are set for Saturday for the twin 3-year-old boys who perished last Friday in a blaze in their North Braddock home. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports a spokesman for the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that dental records were used Tuesday to establish the identities of the boys as Ky‘Heir D. Arthur and Dy‘Heir Arthur. According to the Trib, investigators have said that Dy‘Heir died of burns and smoke inhalation. He was found in the kitchen on the first floor in the rear of the house. His twin, Ky‘Heir, who died of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning, was found in a second-floor bedroom. WPXI-TV is reporting that family members are seeking donations to help pay for the funeral expenses. …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Obituary: Jimmy Bracco, 'Mayor of Regent Square'

Mr. Bracco was a well-known character in the Regent Square area; visitation is Friday only.

James J. "Jimmy" Bracco was one of those guys that many locals knew, from his days at working at Ryan's Pub when it was a major night spot to Dunning's, where he "held court" after becoming disabled in recent years. Mr. Bracco died Monday, Jan. 7, at the age of 77. "Jimmy was well-known throughout the East End by three generations ... as a bartender, raconteur and sidekick of the law-enforcement Conn brothers (Ronnie and Jimmy)," says Bill McCloskey, a writer and editor from Swissvale.  He knew them all—lawyers, cops, bar people, sports bettors and waitresses. He was dubbed the "the Mayor of Regent Square." "In his prime, he was a tough guy with a soft heart who would help people out when they were short, needed an alibi, needed a job, or …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (2)

Father of Armored Car Heist Victim Dies in Forest Hills

Lawrence H. Haines Jr., 62, of Forest Hills, father of Michael Haines—killed by Ken Konias in February—died last Wednesday while using a snowblower on a steep driveway.

Family of Mauling Victim Asks for Toy Construction Trucks for Charity

Trucks can be donated at Maddox Derkosh's funeral Mass at St. Bernard Church in Mt. Lebanon on Friday.

The Derkosh family of Whitehall Borough is asking that interested parties, in lieu of flowers, give toy construction trucks to be donated to a children's Christmas charity in the memory of 2-year old Maddox Derkosh, who died at the Pittsburgh Zoo on Sunday. The trucks will be accepted at Derkosh's funeral Mass at St. Bernard Church in Mt. Lebanon at 10 a.m. on Friday, according to Maddox's obituary on the William Slater II Funeral Service website. Before Friday's funeral and toy trucks collection, friends will be welcomed for a viewing of Maddox at the Slater Funeral Service in Scott Township from 2 to 8 p.m. on Thursday. Maddox was visiting the Pittsburgh Zoo with his mother when he fell from the top of a platform railing to the ground …

• Photos (1)

Rudy Celigoi, Instrumental in 1981 Woodland Hills School Merger, Dies

Celigoi was superintendent of Swissvale Area School District when Judge Gerald Weber ordered the merger of his district with Edgewood, Churchill Area, Turtle Creek Area and General Braddock.

At the beginning of a brief agenda meeting, the Woodland Hills School Board had a moment of silence for the late Rudy Celigoi, 81, who helped pioneer the merged school district. There were murmurs of agreement throughout the room that Celigoi was a "great guy." Celigoi joined Swissvale Area School District in 1970 as superintendent and was part of the group that put together the Woodland Hills School District in 1981 when federal Judge Gerald Weber ordered the merger to desegregate the former General Braddock School District. The merger brought together 12 diverse communities—Edgewood, which had its own school district; Braddock Hills and Swissvale, which formed Swissvale Area; Chalfant, Churchill, Forest Hills and Wilkins, which were part…

• Photos (1)

Forest Hills Teen Dies After Skateboarding Accident

Hank Woodhall's head hit the pavement as he was riding downhill on Fairview Avenue in Chalfant on Thursday night. His funeral is set for Wednesday at Christ Lutheran Church.

Friends and family members gathered for a vigil in Chalfant on Sunday night to remember Hank Woodhall, 16, of Forest Hills, who died after a skateboarding accident last week. The Woodland Hills High School student, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, slammed his head into the pavement along Fairview Avenue as he was riding down the hill Thursday evening. Friends said Hank had been riding the RipStik, which is a cross between a skateboard and a snowboard with two wheels, according to WTAE-TV. Though doctors performed brain surgery, it was unsuccessful and he was taken off life support Saturday night. Visitation will be from 2-4 and 6-9 p.m. Tuesday at Wolfe Memorial Inc, Forest Hills Chapel. His funeral is planned for 11 a.m. Wednesday at the …

• Photos (1)

Swissvale Native, Cabinet Maker Dies a Month Shy of 106th Birthday

William A. Keyser built his own business, despite having never graduated from high school.

William (Bill) Keyser spent his childhood walking along the muddy streets and wooden sidewalks of Swissvale and Wilmerding.  He was a young teenager when World War I came to a close and he married the love of his life during the depths of the Great Depression. He retired before the end of the Vietnam War.  Keyser, of Perrysville, died June 7, a month shy of his 106th birthday.  Bill Keyser was born July 9, 1906, in the Manchester neighborhood of Pittsburgh’s North Side. Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States and the Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 100 points for the first time in history that year.  His formal education stopped at age 11 after his father lost both legs in a train accident in Wilmerding. Keyser would pull…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

Recipe of the Week: Italian Easter Bread

Here’s a tasty Easter recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker.

I came across this recipe for Italian Easter Bread while perusing the Brown Eyed Baker website. This recipe is a tasty addition to any Easter table. What you need: For the bread For the glaze What you do: To see this recipe and more on the Brown Eyed Baker's page, click here.

• Photos (1)