Haley Daugherty stories, Page 12
Hazelwood, Harrison funeral director accused of pocketing $650K for pet cremations, burials that didn’t happen
Funeral director Patrick Vereb is facing multiple felony charges, accused of improperly disposing of thousands of dogs and cats after owners had paid for pet burials or cremations. Vereb, 70, of Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood owns and operates funeral homes in Hazelwood and Harrison and Eternity Pet Memorial, which provides funerals,...
Leechburg Area students take a stand against food insecurity
Leechburg Area seniors Nick Sherbondy and Ava Ferretti have certainly been keeping busy. After packing meals during a Rise Against Hunger event hosted by a group of Methodist churches in the Alle-Kiski Valley, the pair were inspired to keep the good deeds going. Sherbondy and Ferretti decided to host another...
Leechburg Rotary celebrates 100 years of service to the community
The Leechburg Rotary Club has been serving Leechburg and neighboring communities for 100 years, and it continues to do so. Established in 1925, the club has been serving the community through a slew of volunteer activities and fundraisers since its founding, with more planned. “It’s an organization made up of...
Penn Hills School Board has 9 candidates seeking party nods to run for 4 seats
Penn Hills residents are going to see a busy race for school board in the primary. With nine candidates running for four open seats, only two out of nine candidates are only seeking the Democratic nod. The rest of the candidates are cross-filed, according to the Allegheny County Office of...
Work set to start on site for long-awaited Oakmont parking lot
Construction on a long-awaited parking lot designed to alleviate traffic congestion in part of Oakmont’s business district is set to begin. Oakmont Community Foundation president Ray Rogers said work should be underway at the lot along Allegheny Avenue by the end of April. Those passing through Oakmont along Allegheny Avenue...
Penn State New Kensington students help attract homeowners, visitors to Leechburg
Leechburg residents are getting the chance to share their ideas. A group of Penn State New Kensington business students is working on a marketing plan for the borough to attract homeowners and visitors. “We want to emphasize the hidden gems and the little treasures Leechburg has to offer,” said Madaline...
Gilpin left without resolution after bringing gate complaints to supervisors
A gate across a private road in Gilpin continues to draw the ire of some residents, but there’s little the township can do about it. The gate, erected earlier this year across Upper Godfrey Road near Lower Allegheny Drive, is a safety hazard, according to complaints from residents, who say...
Police to withdraw citations against East Deer man accused of targeting Trump supporters
An East Deer man cited by Aspinwall police in March for harassment and disorderly conduct will have all citations withdrawn by police after he completes community service. The decision came at the close of Christopher Brown’s, preliminiary hearing on Thursday, April 17 in District Judge Matthew Rudzki’s Sharpsburg courtroom. Brown,...
Penn Hills School District offers students new ‘interest-driven’ path called PHorge Academy
Penn Hills School District is offering a new pathway for students’ education. Among multiple initiatives planned for the district, the biggest change seems to be PHorge Academy. “It’s almost going to be interest-driven,” said Matthew Dado, the district’s director of technology and innovation. “It will also address problem-solving, critical thinking...
Leechburg Area School Board appoints new member
The Leechburg Area School Board welcomed a new member Wednesday night. Jimmy Feudale of West Leechburg was appointed in a 5-3 vote to fill an empty seat. His swearing-in comes after the death of James Dunmire, whose term was set to end in December. Feudale, Danielle Reinke and Neill Brady...
Leechburg Tow Path Trail connects borough to counties, miles beyond
Visitors and residents of Leechburg have access to a prime spot for outdoor activity just in time for warm weather. After two years of planning and construction, the Leechburg Tow Path Trail is officially open to the public. It serves as a passageway to almost 600 miles of trail along...
Knoch residents oppose lawsuit aimed at limiting gender definitions
Harrisyn Schilpp is a senior at Knoch High School, and this week was the first time he’d ever spoken at a school board meeting. “As a student, as a performer and as a member of this community, I am deeply disappointed and honestly heartbroken that our school district would choose...
Verona Chamber of Commerce gets second life, looks to host medley of events
Verona residents will be seeing a lot more activity if Thomas Dessell has anything to say about it. The Verona police officer now wears a second hat as the newly elected president of the borough’s Chamber of Commerce. His goal as the new leader is to revamp the organization. “We’re...
Reports: Trump voices opposition to Nippon purchase of U.S. Steel
Shares of United States Steel Corp. fell Wednesday when President Donald Trump renewed his opposition to the sale of the American steel producer to Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp., according to published reports. Trump called U.S. Steel a “very special company,” reported Kyodo News. He reportedly told reporters that, despite his...
Crescent Hills Civic Association celebrates 90 years of service, community outreach
The Crescent Hills Civic Association has deep roots in Penn Hills. Celebrating its 90th anniversary, the powerhouse association is 13 streets strong and has ties with institutions throughout the township. Andrea Getsy, 80, who served as president of the association for eight years before leaving office in January, has been...
Without jurisdiction, Oakmont zoning board has no answer for borough businesses
Disputes continue after Oakmont Zoning Hearing Board officials declared they don’t have jurisdiction to settle an ongoing legal battle involving various Oakmont businesses and the borough. After two postponements, the hearing took place Wednesday night in borough council chambers. Resident John Keefe owns multiple restaurants and properties in the borough,...
3 candidates nixed from Gilpin supervisor ballot after court ruling
Editor’s note: This story was changed to reflect that former candidate Thomas Rupert is a Democrat. The list of candidates for Gilpin supervisor in the primary is significantly shorter after a court ruling knocked three of six candidates from the May ballot. Armstrong County Common Pleas Judge Chase McClister ruled...
Building the Valley: Bed & Biscuits Boarding Kennel creates home away from home for dogs
At Allegheny Township’s Bed & Biscuits Boarding Kennel, owner Lindsay Janoski’s goal is to create a home away from home for dogs. This is Janoski’s first time owning and running a kennel, but she has found herself following in her grandparents’ footsteps. Years ago, the couple owned the Mar-Ken-El. The...
Leechburg Area mourns loss of school board member
The Leechburg Area community is in mourning after the death of school board member James “Jim” Dunmire. Dunmire, 66, of Gilpin, died March 22. He was a member of the school board since the summer of 2023. A cause of death was not immediately known. Dunmire was known for his...
Man dead after moped crash on Pittsburgh bridge
A 60-year-old man is dead after crashing his moped Thursday morning on a Pittsburgh bridge. Emergency crews reported to the Bloomfield Bridge at around 6:30 a.m., police said. Police said the man was driving outbound, toward Bigelow Boulevard, when he lost control of his moped. He hit the center jersey...
Teen dead after Mount Oliver shooting
A 17-year-old boy is dead after a shooting Thursday afternoon at a home in Pittsburgh’s Mount Oliver neighborhood. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Tyrome Gatewood Jr. of Carrick. Police reported to a home on the 100 block of Rochelle Street just after 1 p.m. following...
Minivan goes off road in Buffalo Township, over steep embankment into creek; driver airlifted
A woman was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital on Thursday evening after she reportedly drove her minivan over a steep hillside in Buffalo Township and it landed in a creek. Buffalo Township police Chief Tim Derringer said emergency crews were called to the intersection of South Pike Road and Sarver...
Harrison car accident sends 2 to hospital
Two people were taken to an area hospital following a two-car crash in Harrison on Thursday afternoon, an emergency dispatcher said. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said the crash was reported around 5:30 p.m. at the intersection of Freeport Road and Oak Manor Drive. One of the two cars was...
1st Street Cafe posted for sale, owner looks toward retirement
After a decade of ownership, Devra Gromley is saying goodbye to her beloved 1st Street Cafe in Leechburg. “I know this isn’t what I want to do with however many years I have left in my life,” Gromley said. The cafe is in the building formerly known as the Addison...
Oakmont passes new parking ordinance, faces litigation threat
Oakmont Council passed a revised parking ordinance despite a looming threat of litigation from a resident who owns multiple businesses in the borough. During council’s meeting on March 18, the board passed a long-discussed ordinance that updates parking requirements in the borough’s commercial district. The vote was 6-1. Similar to...
