Jack Troy stories, Page 25
‘We get the spotlight’: Duquesne fans revel in long-awaited March Madness victory
It’s a good thing for Duquesne University’s basketball team that alum Ed Wirth wore his class ring Thursday at Mike’s Beer Bar on Pittsburgh’s North Side — as did the rest of his table. And that they ordered pork nachos, like they’d done while watching Duquesne muscle its way through...
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship hosts conference on MicroSociety model
More than 50 educators from 18 schools are gathering at Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship this week to talk about MicroSociety, a proprietary model where students take on the roles and responsibilities of the real world. Students run for elected office, start their own businesses and patrol the hallways...
Shots fired at Alcoma apartments in Penn Hills
A Penn Hills man told police Wednesdayhe exchanged gunfire with an unknown person who kicked in his apartment door. The resident claimed the intruder shot first. He returned fire with a legal firearm before the intruder fled, according to Penn Hills police Chief Ronald Como. Officers initially responded just before...
Gilpin man files suit claiming mistreatment by police, DA, township
A Gilpin man alleges a pattern of mistreatment and humiliation by local law enforcement over a five-year period in a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Pittsburgh. Dennis Kreashko, 59, names Gilpin Township, Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department and the Armstrong County District Attorney’s Office as defendants in the...
Rail yards, crossings in 32nd District get $7.1 million investment
Freight rail infrastructure in Penn Hills, Verona and Oakmont is set for upgrades after two railroads and a construction firm received a combined $7.1 million in state grants. PennDOT announced the funding in December as part of a $42.5 million package for 25 rail projects across Pennsylvania. State Rep. Joe...
Anyone can be a victim as fraud losses hit record high
Almost two years ago, Carol Sepesky’s computer went black. The only thing the Monessen resident could see was a message, supposedly from Microsoft, asking her to call customer support. So she did, and paid $600 to someone posing as a company representative to fix her computer. When they asked for...
Water service restored to Penn Hills Elementary School
Water service was restored to Penn Hills Elementary School on Thursday morning following a water main break on Jefferson Road. The disruption lasted about an hour, according to social media posts from Penn Hills School District. Some families may have kept their children at home or were turned away by...
Private road on pause as Penn Hills zoning board mulls approval
The Penn Hills Zoning Hearing Board will take a month to mull whether a landscaper can build a private road in a section of the municipality prone to landslides and drainage issues. Vigliotti Landscaping started work on the road in 2020 to connect its storage facility at 10250 Buchannon Road...
Penn Hills Council refreshes library board in tight vote, ending tenures of 2 longtime members
Penn Hills Council has turned the page on two long-serving members of the Penn Hills Library Board, though not without resistance. By bringing the board to its full complement of seven members, council ended Kim Dawson and Judy Donohue’s expired terms — and their 22-year tenures. Their successors are Larry...
Dollar General location begins selling produce, with a potentially mixed impact on food access
Dollar store shoppers in Penn Hills can add another essential item to their lists: produce. After closing in January, the Dollar General at 12818 Frankstown Road reopened Feb. 3 as DG Market, offering fruits, vegetables, dairy products and fresh meats in addition to general merchandise. Specific items include lettuce, tomatoes,...
BridgeUP program gives districts a chance to ‘grow your own’ teacher
LeAnn Dupree “always wanted to be a teacher,” but paying for a four-year college degree wasn’t in the cards for her. So she settled for an associate degree and entered the workforce, working three jobs including as a paraprofessional educator to make ends meet. She switched from special to early...
South Buffalo couple charged with animal cruelty after officers recover 64 dogs, cats and rabbits
Two people in South Buffalo each face more than 200 counts of animal cruelty and neglect after humane officers rescued 64 animals from a farm. Officials said some were wounded, including one missing a leg and another that couldn’t use its back legs. Many were living in inches of feces....
Frankstown Road construction set to begin Feb. 26, run through March
Frankstown Road will be single-lane in each direction starting Monday, Feb. 26, while crews complete drainage improvements, PennDOT announced. Crews will work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through March on the stretch of Frankstown Road between Rodi and Lime Hollow roads. During these times, westbound traffic will be...
Automated trash, recycling carts generating mixed reviews in Penn Hills
“Atrocious,” “an eyesore” and “an insult to the community.” Resident Jim Getsy is talking about the free trash and recycling carts distributed throughout Penn Hills in December. Not everyone feels so strongly, but the new receptacles have generated dozens of phone calls to the municipality and hundreds of online comments,...
Human resources director for Penn Hills School District accused of harassment
A Penn Hills School District administrator is accused of physically harassing an adult at Linton Middle School. Robert Kollar, the district’s director of human resources, placed his midsection on the alleged victim’s back and neck on Dec. 12, according to a summary citation filed in the case. The citation did...
Accessible bathrooms at McKinley Center, street paving part of Penn Hills’ plans for block grant
It’s Community Development Block Grant season in Penn Hills, with project bids out for street reconstruction and accessibility improvements at the William McKinley Center. Each year, Penn Hills receives funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for projects that help low- and moderate-income residents or meet urgent community...
‘Skipped all their own rules’: Buffalo Township resident sues municipality to block cell tower
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Monday, Feb. 12, to include a statement from Buffalo Township’s solicitor. Lynn Shearer’s opposition wasn’t enough to stop Buffalo Township from approving a Verizon cell tower on his neighbor’s property in December. Now he’s taking the township to court for an alleged failure...
State Rep. Joe McAndrew made chair of Public Transportation subcommittee
State Rep. Joe McAndrew was appointed chair of the House subcommittee on Public Transportation, his office announced Feb. 9. The appointment coincides with the release of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2024-25 budget, which calls for $283 million in new state funding for public transportation and nearly $1.5 billion over five...
Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority pauses collection enforcement after uncovering billing error
Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority customers who spotted bad math on recent bills aren’t alone. A notice went out to customers Feb. 8, warning a “small number” of them may have received incorrect information on their monthly bills. Customers have not been charged incorrectly, according to Doug Komandt, WPJWA executive director,...
Penn Hills likely to replace municipal engineer, despite delays
Growing pains for the new Penn Hills Council have delayed a breakup between the municipality and its engineering firm of almost 20 years. Gibson-Thomas Engineering is poised to replace The Gateway Engineers, with a council vote likely coming in February. Council has twice tabled a resolution to make Gibson-Thomas municipal...
Vandergrift officials, businesses ironing out event policy
Vandergrift officials and business leaders say they’ve cooled tensions over a new public property use policy that some feared would quash the local festival scene. Passed in December, the policy created a formal application process for individuals or organizations who wish to hold events in the borough. Previously, event coordinators...
Pitt graduate workers request union recognition
Graduate workers at Pitt are asking for voluntary recognition of their union, claiming majority support for collective bargaining. Hundreds of graduate workers, United Steelworkers organizers and unaffiliated supporters gathered on the first floor of the Cathedral of Learning Tuesday to deliver a letter to Chancellor Joan Gabel with a request....
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship to plant food forest with help of state grant
It’s not easy to convince a room full of first graders to try broccoli sprouts, but Matt Zuk did just that on a recent Friday morning. As founding CEO of Terroir Designs, Zuk has partnered with Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship since 2018, giving monthly lessons to students in...
Penn Hills to help short-handed Verona police
Penn Hills and Verona have reached an agreement for mutual police aid, putting a longtime understanding between the two municipalities into writing. The memorandum of understanding comes at a critical time for a depleted Verona Police Department. Chief Ron McLemore continues to recover from an assualt during a domestic violence...
Penn Hills mayor seeks Democratic nomination for DeLuca’s former house seat
Penn Hills Mayor Pauline Calabrese is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Pennsylvania House seat previously held by the late Tony DeLuca, her campaign announced Wednesday, Jan. 24. The April 23 primary will be Democratic voters’ first chance to weigh in on the nominee to succeed DeLuca, who served for...
