Jack Troy stories, Page 12
Old Apollo High School could come down as soon as next week
The excavators are in place, the asbestos dealt with and anything of value removed from the old Apollo High School. All that’s holding up demolition is the weather. Work was initially planned for this past week, but freezing weather pushed it back, said Jace Myers, president of Ford City-based Myers...
Dilapidated road connecting Penn Hills and Pittsburgh to be paved within the year
East Hills Drive, a pockmarked, trash-strewn corridor between Penn Hills and Pittsburgh, is getting some much-needed attention. A $250,000 state grant will allow Tamion Enterprises, the nonprofit arm of nearby Petra International Ministries, to repair its dilapidated stretch of the otherwise well-kept road. A fence will be added, too, to...
Co-conspirator in New Kensington gun shop smash-and-grab sentenced to 20 months
The first of two men to be sentenced for their roles in a January 2024 smash-and-grab at a New Kensington gun store was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer handed down the sentence Tuesday, calling on repeat felon Michael Guin, 27, of Lower...
West Leechburg getting 24/7 police coverage as part of deal with Allegheny Township
West Leechburg residents will soon go from having a local police officer available only occasionally to 24/7 coverage. Starting in March, Allegheny Township will provide around-the-clock coverage to the 1.2-square-mile borough for roughly the cost of what West Leechburg is paying to keep its three-officer force going on a part-time...
North Bessemer Volunteer Fire Department gets early birthday gift to repair parking lot
For its 100th birthday, the North Bessemer Volunteer Fire Department in Penn Hills was gifted $125,000 toward repaving its parking lot. And while it’s not the flashiest way to celebrate a centennial, John Zacchia, president of the fire department, said fixing the deeply rutted, debris-laden and otherwise uneven pavement will...
Allegheny Township officials blame traffic light timing for backups into Route 356 roundabout
The roundabout where Route 356 meets La Belle Vue Road in Allegheny Township, completed in 2023, was meant to reduce crashes and congestion. And while police say the safety gains are real, traffic improvements from the $7.7 million project haven’t quite met expectations. Township officials have raised concerns to PennDOT...
1 shot in East Vandergrift police raid
Officials declined to identify the suspect shot by police during a raid at an apartment Friday morning in East Vandergrift. The man was shot during a police raid led by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force around 7 a.m. Friday, according to state police. Residents say the raid targeted an...
Daunting equipment costs eased for Allegheny Township, Murrysville VFDs after $250K infusion from energy company
The Markle Volunteer Fire Department needs to make major repairs to its two trucks, but, like most of its peers in Western Pennsylvania, money is scarce. Spare cash will still be hard to come by for the foreseeable future, but a $100,000 grant from Olympus Energy is expected to at...
Expert, business opinions split over Trump tariffs on steel, aluminum
If the stock market is any indication, domestic steel and aluminum manufacturers can expect a boost from the 25% import tax on these materials imposed by President Donald Trump. U.S. Steel, Alcoa and a slew of other companies that stand to benefit from Monday’s executive order have seen their stock...
Route 28 reopens near Etna following tanker crash, spill
The southbound lanes of Route 28 near Etna reopened early Wednesday morning after a tanker crashed in the area and started leaking fuel Tuesday evening. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said emergency units were alerted of a single-vehicle crash by the exit around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. One person was taken...
Vandergrift’s 2 fire departments, short on money and manpower, explore merging
When called upon, Vandergrift No. 2 firefighters almost always arrive at an emergency scene in short order. But, in just a couple of years, by Chief Albert Wells’ estimation, the dwindling department could have trouble getting its sole engine out the door. That’s part of why it’s exploring a merger...
Fetterman doesn’t waver on openness to work with Trump, despite backlash from some Democrats
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, the Braddock Democrat who was once a darling of the progressive movement, has drawn the ire of some on the left for his stances on Israel and immigration and, more recently, for his openness to working with President Donald Trump. Just last week, protesters who gathered...
2 men face charges in chaotic Vandergrift bar fight in which 3 people were shot
Vandergrift police have charged two men in connection with a December shooting at Anthony’s Bar on Longfellow Street, in which three people were shot. John Booker, 35, of Vandergrift and Brydon Williams-Chambers, 23, of Arnold face two counts each of aggravated assault as well as one count each of discharging...
Trump opposition to U.S. Steel-Nippon deal may be softening
President Donald Trump reportedly is reconsidering his stance on a U.S. Steel-Nippon Steel merger, possibly permitting the $14.9 billion deal to go through. Citing anonymous sources, CBS News reported Friday the president has softened his stance on the deal after firmly opposing it for more than a year. Late last...
Vandergrift counting on volunteers and donations to get park project over the finish line by year’s end
Grass is just starting to sprout in thin turfs across Olmsted Commons, a half-acre plot in the heart of Vandergrift with winding sidewalks and carefully contoured soil. Calling it a park at this stage would be an overstatement. North Huntingdon-based contractor 3DMurin Construction finished pouring concrete, paving an event area...
Vandergrift weighing $150 increase to rental licensing fee to bolster code enforcement
Vandergrift officials are in near-unanimous agreement that it’s time for a fourfold increase in the local rental licensing fee. Council voted Monday to advertise an ordinance raising the fee, unchanged since its introduction at least a decade ago, from $50 to $200. Landlords are charged for each unit they own....
Keeping the electric grid humming is costing consumers more
Pennsylvanians, along with a lot of other people, will see higher electric bills this summer. But don’t blame your local power company just yet. Soaring “capacity costs” are the culprit, and they’re largely out of the control of entities like West Penn Power and Duquesne Light. Not even the state’s...
Penn Hills Library, less spry than it once was, could see renovations
The Penn Hills Library might get a refresh as it nears the end of its second decade along Stotler Road. Organization leaders recently met with several design firms that specialize in libraries and plan to meet with several more in the coming weeks to hash out the basics of a...
U.S. Steel, Nippon argue in court for new federal merger review
U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel laid out their case Monday that then-President Joe Biden hamstrung a national security review to justify blocking the companies’ merger. An opening brief filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia claimed the companies had their due process rights violated when...
Faces of the Valley: 12-year-old Harrison boy a model railroad tycoon
A miniature world revolves around 12-year-old Tristan Eberle in the basement of his grandparents’ Harrison home. His train display fills up half the room, and even then, it’s only just enough space for several circular railways, a turntable and dozens of buildings. The citizens of this shrunken town have access...
Federal judge rejects Gilpin man’s claims of harassment by police, prosecutors
A federal judge dismissed a Gilpin man’s claims that local police engaged in a pattern of harassment and humiliation toward him. In March, Dennis Kreashko put forth a series of accusations against Gilpin and the Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department, the regionalized successor to the Gilpin Township Police Department. He...
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio and State Rep. Joe McAndrew sharing office in Penn Hills
Residents of Penn Hills and several surrounding communities can now access state and federal constituent services under one roof. The offices of U.S. Rep Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, and state Rep. Joe McAndrew, D-Penn Hills, are sharing a space at 77 Universal Road in Penn Hills. At least one Deluzio...
In new book, Penn Hills pastor teaches families with sick children to ‘Stand’
When Jay Mitlo’s editors tried to bill his new book as a Christian memoir, the Penn Hills pastor bristled. Yes, the book recounts his son Trey’s journey with terminal cancer, and yes, faith is woven throughout. But above all, “Stand: Emotionally and Practically Surviving When a Child Gets a Life-Threatening...
Kiski Area High School student injured by school bus while crossing road
A Kiski Area High School student was taken to a hospital Wednesday morning after walking into the side of a moving school bus. The 16-year-old boy was attempting to cross three lanes of traffic to reach the On The Fly convenience store, according to Allegheny Township police Chief Dan Uncapher,...
Kiski Township planning massive public sewage expansion
Public sewage in Kiski Township could go from a rarity to standard in most well-populated areas of the township before the end of the decade. A draft comprehensive sewage plan introduced this month details intentions to hook up nearly 1,000 homes in and around the township’s Orchard Hill and Spring...
