Jack Troy stories, Page 22
Pa. Turnpike to remove all toll booths, overhead gantries planned
The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s toll booths are soon to be a thing of the past. The Turnpike Commission last week approved $50 million in contracts to construct a portion of the overhead gantries needed to complete a transition to open-road tolling. Allison Park Contractors has been tasked with installing structures to...
Family of Youngstown explosion victim, a Penn Hills graduate, files wrongful death suit
The family of Akil Drake is suing several entities they view as responsible for the Chase banker’s death in the May 28 natural explosion in Youngstown, Ohio. In a 30-page complaint, his estate details alleged negligence by the property owners, property managers, gas companies and contractors performing utility work in...
Morning Roundup: 2 injured in Pleasant Hills driveway crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Car lands on Pleasant Hills driveway, injuring 2 Two people were hospitalized late Monday after a vehicle careened off Lebanon Church Road and into a driveway in Pleasant Hills, TribLive news partner WTAE reported. Video...
Murrysville man charged with trespassing attempts in Pittsburgh
A Murrysville man is accused of illegally entering one Pittsburgh home and attempting to break into another on Saturday. Seth Izatt, 25, is charged with felony counts of criminal trespassing and attempted criminal trespassing. A district judge released him Sunday on nonmonetary bond. In a criminal complaint, Pittsburgh police said...
Morning Roundup: Fire in North Huntingdon; car crashes into Plum house; weekend robberies in Pittsburgh
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, June 10, 2024. Crews battling house fire in North Huntingdon Emergency responders were called to a house fire in North Huntingdon this morning. Westmoreland County 911 confirmed a call around 7:30 a.m. for a blaze on Rebecca Street....
Golf cart confusion and the rise of neighborhood electric vehicles
When Kevin Santelli drives what looks like a souped-up golf cart around town, people stop and stare. They notice at the grocery store, the YMCA and restaurants near his Sewickley Heights home. If he stays on roads with speed limits below 25 mph, he can go anywhere he’d like. “It...
Social media companies need to do more to stop online harassment, experts say
Allene Ecker tenses up when the phone rings with an unexpected call. She’s wary of going out at night. And during the day, she worries someone will walk into the hair salon where she works and expect a sexual encounter. At a previous job, a man booked a haircut with...
U.S. Steel closes portion of Clairton Coke Works as part of settlement
U.S. Steel has permanently shut down one of the most prolific batteries at its Clairton Coke Works, part of a settlement reached with environmental groups and the Allegheny County Health Department earlier this year. Battery No. 15 contained around 10% of the facility’s coke ovens, according to Zach Barber, a...
Youngstown explosion victim remembered as driven, community oriented
No one ever accused Akil Drake of slacking off, from his days as a Penn Hills football player to his burgeoning career in banking. Drake relied on a work ethic instilled by his mother to graduate from Youngstown State University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and start climbing the...
Developer set on resurrecting St. Bart’s as senior housing
A local developer is preparing to convert the old St. Bartholomew campus into affordable housing for seniors. Shawn Taylor pitched his vision to the Penn Hills Planning Commission on May 23, seeking a conditional use for an approximately 100-unit complex that repurposes some parts of the site and demolishes others....
Kiski Township could become newest member of Southern Armstrong Regional Police
Kiski Township is free to join the Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department after a series of approvals from stakeholders in the regional force. The Southern Armstrong police commission accepted Kiski Township’s letter of interest May 20. Within days, the Gilpin supervisors and Ford City Council gave the OK, meeting the...
Portion of Route 356 in Allegheny Township to close through August
A portion of Route 356 will close Thursday and is expected to remain closed through the end of August as crews replace a bridge over Pine Run, according to PennDOT. Traffic will be blocked from Melwood Road/Hyde Park Road to La Belle Vue Road in Allegheny Township. Crews have already...
No quick fix in sight for 114-year-old bridge in South Buffalo
Every other month for the past 10 years or so, Phillip Tompkins has complained to the South Buffalo supervisors about what he says is a rickety bridge on Clinton Road. He worries that emergency vehicles could miss the posted 10-ton weight limit and cause the span to buckle, or that...
Penn Hills graduate identified as man killed in Youngstown explosion
Authorities have identified the man who died Tuesday in a natural gas explosion in Youngstown, Ohio, as Akil Drake, a former Penn Hills resident. The blast shattered the facade of Realty Tower, which houses a Chase Bank where Drake worked, killing him and injuring seven others. One person remains in...
Penn Hills schools show disparities in state safety and mental health awards
Should Pennsylvania schools have to compete to afford keeping students safe? Officials in the Penn Hills School District, which missed out on a piece of $32.2 million in competitive school safety and security grants, say no. “The fact that we’re constantly having to fight for money to keep our schools...
Fitting tribute-ary: Stream named after Turner’s Dairy Farms in Penn Hills
Turner’s Run isn’t a river of iced tea or chocolate milk, like the name might imply, but it does flow with crystal-clear water across the Turner Dairy Farms campus in Penn Hills. It only recently got its name, despite existing alongside Turner’s since the beverage company’s founding in 1930. Penn...
Wildlife, plants, paddlers find a haven on Sycamore Island
From a passing watercraft or the banks of the Allegheny River, Sycamore Island appears untouched by humans. A wall of invasive Japanese knotweed anchors the 14-acre island’s northern end, giving way to silver maple, cottonwood and, of course, sycamore trees, each grasping the silt against the river’s current. From off...
Bicycle group helps seniors cruise through their golden years
Mike Louder doesn’t let much stand between himself and his bikes. Less than a month after a recent triple bypass surgery, Louder, 78, of Plum was back on the trail with the Easy Riders, a senior bicycle group in Western Pennsylvania. “Everything that was ever wrong with me, I’ve been...
Stay cool: Find your pool’s opening day and hours
Swimming pools across the region are set to open soon. Here’s when pools near you will open for the summer season: Allegheny County • Boyce Park Wave Pool, Monroeville: Opens June 1, 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily, weather permitting. For more information, visit alleghenycounty.us or call 724-325-4667. • Deer...
Faces of the Valley: Teenage trio starts faith-based charitable endeavor in Freeport
Who says social media is all bad for young people? A YouTube video gave 16-year-old Dawson Gaillot the idea to start The Hope Project, a Catholic charitable venture whose first undertaking is a hygiene pantry along High and Fifth streets in Freeport. After watching the video in January, the Freeport...
Frazer police arrest California man linked to gift card scams in 6 states
A Walmart at the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer proved to be the last stop in an alleged scammer’s nationwide crime spree. Frazer police arrested Zhixiang Chen, 19, of San Gabriel, Calif., on Wednesday after their license plate readers alerted them to a silver Toyota sedan linked to 16 other...
It’s all love for Kiski Area High School’s new tennis courts
After dealing with a web of cracks and faded lines for years, Kiski Area High School tennis players have a home court they can be proud of. The Kiski Area School District unveiled five restored tennis courts May 8 with a U.S. Open-style blue and green color palette. The courts...
Police investigating shots fired at Penn Hills apartment complex
Police responded to a shots fired call Wednesday at an apartment complex in Penn Hills, TribLive news partner WTAE reported. The six to eight shots fired at Park Manor Place did not cause any injuries, WTAE reported. Linton Middle School and Penn Hills High School went into brief lockdowns as...
Season’s 1st farmers market arrives Sunday in Allegheny Township
Come Sunday, Allegheny Township residents won’t have to leave town to have their pick of fresh produce, flowers, breads and more with the arrival of the season’s first Allegheny Township Farmers Market. Sunday’s market — from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — will be the first of five throughout the...
Kiski Area School Board approves $25M middle school renovation project
One of four contractors chosen for Kiski Area School District’s $25 million middle school renovation project has drawn opposition from two school board members. School board members Amy Halter and Dawn Mellinger voted against paying $14.6 million to general contractor Liokareas Construction. The company served in the same role for...
