Haley Daugherty stories, Page 7
Penn Hills students return for 2025-26 school year
Penn Hills students donned their backpacks and pencil cases as they returned to the locker-lined halls on Aug. 19. Elementary, middle and high school students were greeted with open arms following a series of back-to-school welcome events leading up to the first day, including a PHamily Fun Fest on Aug....
Penn Hills officials appoint acting police chief
On the heels of Ronald Como’s retirement from the Penn Hills police chief position, municipal officials have appointed an acting police chief. Officer Jason Bonace was called upon for the position. “Penn Hills has the largest municipal police force outside of the city of Pittsburgh. We have the largest municipality...
Rosedale Beach Club prepares for 9th annual Rosedale Fall Festival
Dani Scott was raised at the Rosedale Beach Club in Penn Hills. “My parents moved to Rosedale 54 years ago. … I swear my mom picked the house because of the pool,” said Scott, 51. After being on the board for 15 years, she now serves as the Rosedale board...
Pittsburgh Mills citations appealed, headed to court in September
Frazer will be waiting a bit longer to see if it gets any of the $1.8 million in fines levied against the owners of the Pittsburgh Mills mall. The Mills’ owner, Namdar Realty Group, is appealing the citations. District Judge Michael Girardi handed down the penalties during a July 17...
Gilpin residents can access audio recordings of township meetings
Gilpin residents can now catch up on township meetings they can’t attend in-person. Gilpin supervisor Charles Stull said in a social media post that he will be sharing audio recordings of supervisor meetings through Google Drive. “My goal is to keep our community informed and engaged in Township activities, and...
Leechburg Pink Day organizers call for volunteers for drone photo
Leechburg Pink Day organizers are calling community members to action. Sherry Price, Pink Day coordinator and Leechburg Pink Day secretary and treasurer, is looking for at least 100 people to participate in a drone photo ahead of the Pink Day’s 2025 event. Price said people in the photo will be...
West Deer man opens home to music for good causes
John Vento has always loved music and helping people. He has dedicated years of his life and his home on Corbriwood Lane in West Deer to these two passions since 2007. A few times a year, his yard becomes the home of various charity concerts, one being his self-founded music...
Worm in your tequila shot? Canada’s Dawson City has that beat with the ‘Sourtoe’Video
“You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips must touch this gnarly toe.” These were the last words James “Jazz” Byers, 55, of Penn Hills heard before raising a shot of Yukon Jack to his lips. As he knocked the drink back, at the bottom...
Leechburg Area renews MOU agreement
The Leechburg Area School District has renewed its memorandum of understanding agreement with the Leechburg Police Department. “It shows that they have jurisdiction for any emergencies or anything that would happen,” said superintendent David Keibler. Due to a 2023 state requirement, the district selected the department to enter into an...
Riverview teacher recognized as 2025 Pennsylvania History Teacher of the Year
Kenneth Kubistek was surprised to be selected as the 2025 Pennsylvania History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute. After all, he said, he’s just doing his job. “I was really surprised. Teaching to me is just something I do because I enjoy working with the kids,” Kubistek...
Opponents of controversial hiring accuse Leechburg Area School Board of political bias
Leechburg Area School Board members were presented with formal complaints and questions Wednesday night following a controversial hiring decision. Neill Brady, a Leechburg resident and school board candidate, voiced his dismay and requested answers after his son-in-law, Sean Hess, was passed over for a position with the district despite receiving...
1 person flown to hospital after 3-vehicle crash involving dump truck in Washington Township
One person was airlifted to a hospital by medical helicopter after a three-vehicle crash Tuesday morning in Washington Township. The wreck, around 10:30 a.m. near Meyer’s Schreck RV along Route 66, involved a Jeep SUV, a pickup truck and a dump truck, according to Washington Township police Sgt. Dakota Drew....
Iron City Car Cruise returns for 2nd year; brewery vows traffic jams won’t recur
The Pittsburgh Brewing Co. this month hopes to repeat the massive turnout it had for last year’s inaugural Iron City Car Cruise — without the massive traffic jam that came with it. After experiencing traffic snarls during last year’s car cruise, the brewery has been working to make adjustments for...
Riverview officials ready to welcome students back
Riverview administrators are preparing for the return of their Raiders. With the first day of school fast approaching on Aug. 21, staff is ready to welcome 405 students to Tenth Street Elementary, 160 students to Verner Elementary and 434 students to Riverview Junior-Senior High School. “Across the district, several exciting...
Construction to begin for Oakmont dog park
Dog owners in Oakmont will soon have a green space to take their pets. Construction is set to begin on Monday at the site of Chateau Beach Dog Park along Allegheny Avenue, borough officials said. The one-acre park is meant to give dogs a space where they can roam off-leash,...
New Kensington fire station renamed, memorial hosted for city’s only firefighter to die in the line of duty
There wasn’t a dry eye on the lawn as the Western Pennsylvania Firemen’s Convention kicked off in New Kensington with a memorial service for Eric L. Mangieri, an Arnold native and New Kensington firefighter. Mangieri died in the line of duty while fighting a fire on Aug. 7, 1995. Thursday...
Milling, paving work to impact Hulton, Hamil roads through early September
Penn Hills travelers will be hitting some traffic starting Friday, Aug. 8, and lasting through early September, weather permitting. According to PennDOT, milling and paving operations will take place between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Hulton Road, Hamil Road between Saltsburg and Indiana roads, and Hamil Road between Hunter...
Vandergrift, surrounding communities rally for 5 abandoned children
Two women are facing charges after Vandergrift police said five children were left alone for days without food or water in a home officers described in court papers as an “absolute disgrace.” Leslie Ann Keller, 69, of Parks Township, the children’s maternal grandmother, and mother, Heidi Lynn Beer, 35, of...
Leechburg Area School Board makes controversial hire, members face backlash
School boards usually get applause for hiring more teachers, but Leechburg Area School District directors are getting public criticism for who they didn’t hire. During a special voting meeting July 30, the board hired Makenna Goldinger as an emotional support teacher for kindergarten through second grade students. The vote was...
Penn Hills School District nets $136,495 rebate from Duquesne Light for lighting upgrades
Leaders from the Penn Hills community, school district, Duquesne Light Co. and Constellation Energy gathered July 31 at Linton Middle School’s Senator Jay Costa Media Center to present the school district with a nearly $136,500 rebate from Duquesne Light Company. The district successfully completed lighting retrofit projects across its elementary,...
Penn Hills police Chief Ronald Como reminisces on decades of service as retirement looms
Penn Hills police Chief Ronald Como has been protecting Penn Hills for almost 30 years. Beginning his career in 1996 as an officer in the town, the chief now is thinking about his next moves after announcing his intent to retire in August. His last day is scheduled for Aug....
Plum native named Arlington National Cemetery superintendent
John G. Knapp has a long history of serving his country. His next act of service will be as superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery, a final resting place for many of America’s fallen heroes and prominent figures, symbolizing the nation’s history and honoring those who served. “Arlington National Cemetery serves...
Penn Hills man cultivates passion for life, travel through production company
James “Jazz” Byers calls himself a professional wanderer. It’s hard to find a more accurate title to fit the man who has biked across the United States and in the South Pole, went backcountry skiing in Antarctica and spent time in Chile, Germany, Taiwan, the Netherlands and other countries. Byers’...
Oakmont man faces vandalism charge after broken sprinkler floods police station’s cells
An Oakmont man is facing multiple charges, including a felony charge of institutional vandalism, after causing more than $5,000 in damage to the Penn Hills Police Department. According to a criminal complaint, after being detained about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, July 26, Daniel Brockhoff, 63, allegedly broke the overhead sprinkler in...
Pittsburgh Mills owners ordered to pay $1.8M in fines over parking lot, landscape citations
After months of mounting criticism over its crumbling parking lots and overgrown landscaping, the owner of the Pittsburgh Mills has been slapped with more than $1.8 million in fines stemming from dozens of maintenance violations. District Judge Michael Girardi handed down the penalties during a July 17 hearing after an...
