Jack Troy stories, Page 24
32nd District Democrats to get first full chance at naming late Rep. DeLuca’s successor
For the first time since 1982, the Democrat ballot for Pennsylvania’s 32nd House District won’t feature Tony DeLuca. The late lawmaker of 40 years died in October 2022, one month before the general election and too late to print new ballots. He won nonetheless, triggering a special election. Joe McAndrew...
Freeport Area must decide if renovation or relocation works for aging high school
Freeport Area School District officials agree that the district’s aging high school, at a minimum, needs renovations. The challenge ahead is figuring out how far the district can afford to go. The school board recently released the results of a feasibility study by HHSDR Architects and Engineers offering ways to...
Verona secures sidewalk funding for business district, key areas to boost walkability
Walking through Verona will become easier in the next few years. The borough will add or rehabilitate several stretches of sidewalk to better connect key destinations. Substantial portions of Center Avenue, Second Street, Wildwood Avenue, James Street, East Railroad Avenue, West Railroad Avenue and Grant Street will see sidewalk improvements...
High winds, storms cause only moderate damage in Western Pa.; power largely restored
Emergency responders reported minimal damage from high winds and storms that swept through the region Wednesday night, though some communities fared worse than others. Mary Queen of Apostles School in New Kensington lost a portion of its roof around 8 p.m. That forced the elementary school to switch to a...
Food forest taking shape at Penn Hills charter school
The food forest at Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship is taking shape. Workers carved a path near the front of the campus and planted several trees in April. Throughout the rest of the school year and over the summer, PHCSE families and staff members will be planting the food...
Living, domino donors possibilities for Indiana Township boy in need of 2nd liver transplant
Lucas Goeller is getting another shot. The 11-year-old from Indiana Township needs a new liver because the transplanted liver he received nine years ago is failing. Normally, that could mean a lengthy wait on the donation list before a suitable organ is found. Lucas already is on that list. But...
Late fees, shut-offs returning for Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority customers
The Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority will resume its delinquency process May 1 after resolving a billing issue, it announced Monday. Customers were warned Feb. 8 that “a small number” of them may have received incorrect information on their monthly bills, despite being charged the correct rate. WPJWA paused all notices,...
Harrison reports landslide on Oak Manor Drive, adding to road’s woes
Another landslide has taken out parts of Oak Manor Drive in Harrison between Cherrybark Drive and Karns Road. Randy Martinka, superintendent of public works, spotted the subsidence about 2:30 p.m. Monday. He notified PennDOT, which maintains the road. “Half of the downhill lane literally dropped about 12 to 18 inches...
3 face charges after South Buffalo traffic stop turns up drugs, stolen gun
Pennsylvania State Police say they seized a stolen handgun, possible methamphetamine, marijuana and approximately $1,400 cash following a traffic stop in South Buffalo. Adam Krochta, 38, Alexis Ensworth, 24, and Terell Floyd, 41, were pulled over after state police observed a silver Jeep swerving out of its lane on Route...
Missing Brownsville man found dead in German Township
An 83-year-old man reported missing was found dead Saturday morning in German Township by Pennsylvania State Police. Police identified the man as Anthony Dicenzo Sr. of Brownsville. State police said Dicenzo was found with an apparent gunshot wound inside his vehicle along Riffle Hollow Road and his death is being...
O’Hara adoption event highlights role of pets in addiction recovery
Dogs have a special way of bringing strangers together. That was the case Sunday morning at DreamLife Recovery’s facility in O’Hara as about 25 people searched for a new furry friend from Tarentum-based rescue Paws Across Pittsburgh. Mike Iwinski, lead therapist at DreamLife, sees this effect constantly in his work...
Faces of the Valley: Buffalo Township man gives away household goods with a side of puns
Matt Achilles’ cleanout business, I Noah Guy LLC, rolls three of his foremost passions into one. He gets to collect oddities and antiques found on the job, help others by giving away the more practical items and tell dad jokes. In fact, the company name is rooted in his passion...
Family of late Chief Justin McIntire buys guitar made in his honor at police fundraiser
A custom guitar honoring fallen Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire fetched $2,000 at auction Saturday to benefit the Harrison Police Department. In a crowd of about 100 people, it didn’t go to just anyone. McIntire’s sister, Tiffany Black, came out on top of a friendly bidding war with her husband,...
4 taken to hospital after carbon monoxide detected at group home
Four residents of a group home in Unity were taken to a hospital Saturday after firefighters discovered elevated carbon monoxide levels in the building. A furnace malfunction caused the issue, according to Wayne Forsyth, deputy chief of Marguerite Volunteer Fire Department. Initial reports indicated a possible chimney fire. Upon arrival,...
Multiple state roads in Allegheny County remain closed after flooding, but list dwindling
Heavy rainfall tapered into a drizzle early Saturday morning, but some state roads in Allegheny County remain closed due to flooding as of 1:30 p.m, according to PennDOT: • 10th Street Bypass between the Fort Duquesne Bridge and Fort Duquesne Boulevard • Route 8, between Route 130 and Negley Run...
Allegheny Township strikes deal with laborers, keeps public works in house
Allegheny Township has ratified a five-year agreement with its eight public works employees. The contract is retroactive to Feb. 1 and runs through Jan. 31, 2029. Negotiations resulted in higher pay and quicker advancement but greater health care costs. Workers’ premium contributions rise to 17% for a single plan and...
Penn Hills entrepreneur seizes opportunity to launch subscription trash-to-curb service
If all goes well, one person’s trash will be Mike Prosky’s livelihood. In March, he started Curbside Appeal LLC, a service for those without the time, energy or ability to take their cans to and from the curb. So far, he’s only landed three customers and hired one employee, but...
Stench in Harmar and Oakmont caused by work at Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority plant
Mild weather and the company of family made for a pleasant Easter Sunday at Debbie Carlberg’s home in Oakmont, but it was not to last. Soon, a sickening stench wafted half a mile across the Allegheny River from the Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority treatment plant in Harmar, spoiling their...
Penn Hills landscaper gets approval for private road
Vigliotti Landscaping will go ahead with a private connection between Buchannon and Frankstown roads after approval from the Penn Hills Zoning Hearing Board. The road’s prospects depended on the expansion of a legal nonconforming use to eight total properties. After a month’s postponement to mull its options, the board gave...
Former Penn Hills Councilman Jim Getsy remembered as fixture of civic life
Jim Getsy’s ties to Penn Hills ran deep. That’ll happen when a person described by friends and family as a dedicated community servant and believer in bureaucracy lives in one community for 57 years. Getsy, 85, a former Penn Hills councilman and fixture of civic life, died March 15. He...
Indoor pickleball proposal takes a step forward in Penn Hills
Penn Hills pickleball enthusiasts could soon have year-round access to courts just a short drive away. Opposition from several neighbors wasn’t enough to stop the Penn Hills Planning Commission from advancing plans for an indoor pickleball facility near the intersection of Colorado Street and Hunter Road. The facility marks developer...
Schools adjust schedules for April 8 eclipse
Editor’s note: This report has been updated as school districts have changed plans. Potential safety concerns with viewing Monday’s solar eclipse have led some school districts to shift schedules, give students the day off or go remote with a flexible instruction day April 8. The eclipse coincides with regular dismissal...
Walkability a priority for Vandergrift as it awaits grant
Vandergrift officials say they’d like to make the town better for walking, biking and other modes of transportation besides vehicles. But first, they need a plan. That’s where WalkWorks comes in, a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Pennsylvania Downtown Center. Since 2016, the program has given grants...
Pennsylvania legislators lead the way in slow-moving efforts to tighten rail safety laws
Nearly 5,000 residents evacuated, more than $800 million in cleanup costs and one bipartisan rail safety bill stalled in Congress — those are some of the numbers that define last year’s fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Congressional lawmakers trying to tighten the screws on rail operators, many from...
New wrongful death suit filed in case of former nurse Heather Pressdee
Another wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Sunnyview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Butler Township in connection with the death of a patient cared for by former nurse Heather Pressdee. The suit, filed Wednesday morning in Butler County Court, claims a 43-year-old man died May 1 at the center...
