New and Notable- August 2026
- North Hills Monthly Magazine
- Jul 31
- 2 min read
Fox Chapel Area Elementary Students Winners in WQED Writers Contest
Three Fox Chapel Area School District students were named winners in the 2026 WQED Writers Contest. Hartwood Elementary School third-grader Emmerson McCormick was named a first-place winner for her story, “The Mystery of the Midnight Gym.” The second-place winner was O’Hara Elementary School third-grader Camden Lenz for his story, “Waffle and the Attack of the Terrible Toaster.” Hartwood Elementary School first-grader Celia Chan was awarded third place for her story, “7 Years of Bad Luck.” Nearly 3,000 entries were submitted, and the Fox Chapel Area winners were three of 26 students who won awards in this year’s contest. The students competed against others in their own grade levels, and the contest was open to students in kindergarten through fifth grade from the greater Pittsburgh area. The winning students were honored at an awards ceremony at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh as part of Pgh Book Fest on May 30. All the winners’ stories are available to read and listen to (read by the authors) on WQED’s Writers Contest page at https://www.wqed.org/education/writers-contest/writers-contest-2026-winning-stories/.
Rep. Lindsay Powell welcomes $6 million in community redevelopment grants
Several community revitalization projects in the region are moving forward thanks to $6 million in funding from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP). State Rep. Lindsay Powell, D-Allegheny, recently announced the funding will support projects focused on creating new residential, commercial and mixed-use spaces throughout her legislative district. The grants include $5 million for MI Strip Works LLC’s Brickworks development in the Strip District, a 3.5-acre residential project featuring two multipurpose, multifamily buildings with residential units and in-building parking. Additional funding includes $500,000 for the restoration of three buildings in Etna to create new residential and commercial storefronts, and $500,000 for the Millvale Borough Development Corporation’s Zero Energy Mixed-Use Hub.
The Shindig Charity Music Festival
The Shindig Charity Music Festival returns to Zelienople Community Park Aug. 7-9 with three days of live local and regional music, food and beverage trucks, a car cruise, a craft and vendor show, kids’ activities and more. Proceeds benefit local charities. Visit theshindigmusicfestival.com for tickets and the complete band lineup.
The Keystone Rotary E-Club Completes Service Project
The Keystone Rotary E-Club is celebrating the completion of a unique service project that will bring books and learning opportunities to children in Uganda’s Nakivale Refugee Camp. Club members and local youth constructed a library building made entirely from recycled plastic pop and water bottles, demonstrating sustainability, creativity and service. Once filled with books, the library will become a valuable educational resource for children in the camp. Community members interested in learning more about the club’s local and international service projects should visit keystonerotaryclub.org for more information.
The story about the three Fox Chapel Area elementary students winning places in the 2026 WQED Writers Contest stood out to me, especially with nearly 3,000 entries competing and the winners ranging from first through third grade. I liked the fact that the winning stories were made available to read and listen to in the children’s own voices, because hearing a young writer tell their own story adds a completely different dimension to the words on the page. It made me wonder how many of those children will continue writing as they get older, and whether hearing their work shared publicly changes how they think about themselves as storytellers. There’s something interesting about seeing confidence, creativity, and identity develop through…