Jack Troy stories, Page 19
Bullet casing found at Freeport Area Middle School tied to track equipment
A bullet casing found Monday in a Freeport Area Middle School parking lot came from a track starting pistol, according to Buffalo Township police. Chief Tim Derringer said his department was notified of the false alarm Tuesday morning. Multiple officers had been stationed on campus as the district’s investigation unfolded....
Hiking and biking routes leave a trail of short-term rentals across Western Pa.
Between the plain cedar furnishings, olive carpeting and antique phonograph, the interior of John Blinkhorn’s Airbnb appears frozen in various points of the 20th century. But its existence speaks mostly to the future of Export and similar communities along the region’s growing trail network. Blinkhorn bought the triplex in his...
Faces of the Valley: Long-lost photos bring family history to life for Buffalo Township woman
Charles and Catherine Waggoner were quite the amateur photographers on their homestead in rural Ohio, capturing not only the stiffly posed portraits typical of early 1900s, but somewhat candid moments, too. Using a wooden, boxy Kodak camera that took cartridges about the size of a postcard, the couple produced dozens...
Domenico Schiano di Cola, co-owner of J&S Pizza in Natrona Heights, remembered for infectious positivity
Domenico “Domen” Schiano di Cola made a name for himself running his family’s restaurant, J&S Pizza, in Natrona Heights, Harrison, but his first love was Italy. It’s where he was born, visited each year with family and, on Aug. 6, 2024 died unexpectedly. Schiano di Cola, 29, of Natrona Heights...
Kiski Area School District adds dating violence policy as part of ongoing handbook review
The Kiski Area School Board is doing a comprehensive review of the district handbook, starting with a new dating violence policy and tweaks to the bullying, hazing and nondiscrimination rules. The policies were formally introduced on Monday, with a vote expected next month. The dating violence policy would require principals...
Phase 1 of Kiski Area Intermediate School renovation to be ready for students’ arrival
Parking lots at Kiski Area Intermediate School should be ready to use in time for the district’s first home football game on Aug. 30. “Things are on time,” said Russell Del Re, a superintendent with PJ Dick, the firm managing the $25 million renovation of the school. “(Contractors) are doing...
Vacancies continue to plague Penn Hills Library Board
Less than a year after filling four vacancies on the Penn Hills Library Board, council has to fill four more. Between March and May, Mary Mannella, Julia Madera, Danielle Ciniello and Brittany Fettis left their new roles for reasons unknown to Larry Choby, interim president of the board. Choby is...
Danger below: Divers detail perils of scouring Western Pa.’s rivers for remains
Darrick Gerano says scuba diving in the Allegheny River ranges from unpleasant to downright harrowing. The water is cold and murky. Vision often is limited to just a few feet. Tree branches and junk dumped into the river pose a constant threat of entanglement. And then there are the dead...
South Buffalo appoints 1st female supervisor
For the first time in its 177-year history, South Buffalo has a female supervisor. Karen Babilon was appointed to the board Monday after an unexpectedly competitive process that saw four candidates come forth, including another woman. “Normally, when there’s an opening, no one wants to do it,” Supervisor Paul Bergad...
At least 1 injured in 2-vehicle crash in New Kensington
At least one person was taken by helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital Friday afternoon after a two-vehicle crash in New Kensington. The crash happened around noon. A Westmoreland County 911 supervisor said emergency crews responded to the area of Industrial Boulevard and Eighth Street. A road closure was in effect...
Allegheny Township enacts information policy after alleged removal of newspaper article from bulletin board
Township Manager Daniel Miller is now the arbiter of information in Allegheny Township. Supervisors agreed to put Miller in charge of what goes on the township’s bulletin board, outdoor electronic sign, website and other means of communication as one official, Supervisor Mike Korns, awaits his day in court. Korns is...
Award keeps paddle fleet afloat at Steel City Rowing in Verona
A boat has one job: to float. Every kayak, canoe and paddleboard at Steel City Rowing in Verona handles that fundamental task just fine, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t sustained a few dings and tape jobs. Some of these vessels get daily use during the summer between the club’s...
Route 356 expansion in Buffalo Township business district delayed until 2027
Motorists who have been coping with years of construction work and closures along busy Route 356 in Allegheny and Buffalo townships won’t get long-term relief for a few more years. PennDOT now says one of the final steps in overhauling the corridor — widening the highway through Buffalo Township’s business...
National Night Out in Penn Hills links community with law enforcement, other agencies
Tyler Tomasino, president of the Penn Hills Rotary, doesn’t count the number of heads at the community’s celebration of National Night Out — he counts hot dogs eaten. That’s a pretty good proxy for attendance, he said, and Tuesday’s gathering appeared to be a down year — with just 130...
Gruesome stabbing rocks quiet Arnold neighborhood
The scene early Sunday evening in Arnold could have been from a movie. In fact, Diana Rebold was known by neighbors to rent out her property on Liberty Avenue to filmmakers. On one occasion, more than 100 people — including actors playing police — crowded around the Cape Cod home,...
Arnold resident accused of killing mother in stabbing attack
Neighbors on Liberty Avenue in Arnold told police they witnessed Brian Johnathan Rebold stab his mother to death early Sunday evening. Rebold, 38, of Arnold is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond on one count of criminal homicide and one count of first-degree murder. Police say he...
Rep. Mike Kelly, chair of Trump shooting task force, vows bipartisan inquiry will get answers
Most major congressional investigations come with a trail of doubters and parallel sleuths. Already, the task force investigating the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has drawn criticism from U.S. Reps. Cory Mills, R-Fla., and Eli Crane, R-Ariz., ex-snipers who were left off the panel. Mills has pledged to...
Ranch homes development in Buffalo Township nearly ready for residents
A 32-home plan in Buffalo Township geared toward older buyers could be welcoming residents as soon as late September. About nine months after getting final site plan approval from township supervisors, builder Ryan Homes has started courting families looking to downsize for the development off Sunset Drive. Prices for the...
First-ever communitywide cleanup in Penn Hills yields nearly 400 bags of trash
The first-ever communitywide cleanup in Penn Hills on July 27 was a success by any metric, sponsors say, attracting 172 volunteers who filled nearly 399 trash bags. Volunteers covered 6.5 miles of road between 12 neighborhoods at the event, which was organized by the Penn Hills Rotary and Penn Hills...
Kiski Township police seek help to find missing teen
Kiski Township police are searching for a teenager who has been missing since Monday. Alexander Orr is a 17-year-old white boy with brown hair and brown eyes and is approximately 5 feet, 5 inches tall and between 150 and 160 pounds, according to a description provided by police. He is...
Ex-administrator in Penn Hills School District says he’s struggling to find work after ‘frivolous’ harassment charge dropped
Robert Kollar is rebuilding his career after a now-dismissed harassment charge tarnished his reputation and led him to resign as director of human resources for the Penn Hills School District. In May, a judge threw out the case, which alleged that Kollar placed his midsection on an individual’s back, but...
Penn Hills Center sold to out-of-state investment firm for $20.5 million
The Penn Hills Center and several outparcels near the shopping plaza on Rodi Road have been purchased by a New York-based firm for $20.5 million. Under an LLC created early this year, Asher Group reached a deal with First National Realty Partners in May to add the popular retail destination...
U.S. Steel marketing blitz puts pressure on government to OK sale to Nippon Steel
U.S. Steel is banking on public pressure to push through a $14.9 billion acquisition by Nippon Steel as lawmakers and regulators balk at putting the domestic icon in foreign hands. An advertising campaign launched this year touts promises by Japan’s largest steelmaker to preserve jobs, upgrade plants and sustain American...
High school connected to Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship to open in Wilkins
The Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship is getting an affiliate high school. Charter school officials got the go-ahead last month from Wilkins commissioners to transform the office building at 703 Rodi Road, near the Penn Hills-Wilkins border, into Dominus High School. The target opening date is fall 2025, with...
South Buffalo police stronger than ever, officials say as they eye new station
About five years ago, the South Buffalo Township Police Department comprised two officers and a lone civilian SUV that was converted for police use. On July 15, the township hired its fourth full-time police officer, at $23 an hour, who, unlike some of his predecessors, will patrol in a purpose-built...
