Jack Troy stories, Page 25
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...
‘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...
