Penn Hills Progress category, Page 106
Death of Penn Hills teacher shocks school district, Shaler neighbors
Nick Ionadi recalled greeting one of his favorite teachers at Penn Hills High School every morning by popping his head into the teacher’s classroom and yelling: “Hey, Babbit!” Ionadi’s greeting to math teacher Don Babbit was a running joke that used a popular line from a Warner Bros. animated cartoon...
Pennsylvania’s Safe2Say Something program helpful in Penn Hills
Penn Hills School District administration said it has embraced a new state system aimed at providing schools with a 24-hour anonymous tip line to report something suspicious online or offer support to those who pose threats to themselves. Since its launch in January, the state Attorney General Office’s Safe2Say Something...
Penn Hills Summerfest marks 5th anniversary with animals, games, fireworksVideo
Goats, chickens, sheep and ponies are not usually found at Turner Friendship Park in Penn Hills. For one day, it was all youths talked about as they wandered the grounds for the municipality’s fifth annual Summerfest. “Oh my God, there were so many things,” said Shaina Thomas, 10, of Monroeville....
Nonprofit seeks donations to stuff military Christmas stockings
Local nonprofit Military Connections isn’t just looking for volunteers to help sew more than 10,000 Christmas stockings that will be shipped to soldiers stationed overseas. It is looking for people to supply the stuffing. This year’s sewing day will be Aug. 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Murrysville...
Space-themed programming delights at Penn Hills Library
One could say that the Penn Hills Library children’s programs are “out of this world.” Every Monday and Wednesday afternoon, through mid-August, Kids Create: Universe of Stories, features space-themed programs. For more information on library events and programs, visit www.pennhillslibrary.org....
Institute of Medical and Business Careers Penn Hills Campus honors fourth graduating class
The Institute of Medical and Business Careers held its fourth annual Graduation Ceremony on July 29, 2019, at the Comfort Inn on Rodi Road. The Institute of Medical and Business Careers Penn Hills campus is a branch campus of The Institute of Medical and Business Careers, which is located in...
Penn Hills man guilty of guarding drugs, money for cross-country ring tied to Mexican cartels
A Penn Hills man pleaded guilty to guarding massive amounts of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and cash as a participant in one of the largest drug rings ever busted in Western Pennsylvania, federal prosecutors said July 31. Chace Johnson, 21, was convicted of one federal narcotics charge for “maintaining a drug-involved...
East Suburban Artists League presents annual Members Show
The East Suburban Artists League will present its 40th Annual Members Show at CCAC’s Boyce Campus in Monroeville starting Aug. 12. The show will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Aug. 12 through Sept. 6, at the college’s main entrance. There will be a free, public...
Cause of massive Penn Hills fire still unknown
Officials still don’t know what caused the fire that destroyed a shopping plaza along one of Penn Hills’ busiest roads earlier this week. “We haven’t developed any new details,” said Chuck Miller, Penn Hills Fire Marshal, who is leading the investigation into the fire. He did say, however, he does...
Emergency repair needed for Verona sink hole
Verona officials have to dig deep to make emergency repairs at an intersection. A sink hole 10-feet deep and 20-feet wide opened up at Second Avenue and Church Street. Borough engineer Matthew Pitsch said storms on July 18 caused a manhole to open and stormwater washed away a portion of...
Big Shot Bob’s dubs new wing flavor ‘The Roof is On Fire’ in tribute to lost locationVideo
Stanley Machulsky of Plum, part of an ownership group for several Big Shot Bob’s House of Wings locations, described the company’s workers as “pretty quirky and a little goofy.” That would explain how, just a few days after a devastating fire Sunday that destroyed the Churchill Center shopping plaza in...
DUI, drug cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court – Jul. 29, 2019
Penn Hills District Judge Anthony L. DeLuca handled the following cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Charges were filed by Penn Hills police unless otherwise noted. Held for court • Ronald Wilson, 42, of Pittsburgh on charges of driving under the influence,...
4 firefighters injured in explosion during fire at Penn Hills plazaVideo
Firefighters remained at the scene of a fire at a shopping plaza on Frankstown Road in Penn Hills on Monday morning. The fire that started around 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Churchill Center Plaza was continuing to reignite before dawn Monday; Frankstown Road was closed in the area of Coal...
Penn Hills preparing for Summerfest
Penn Hills Parks and Recreation is gearing up for its fifth-annual Summerfest coming Aug. 3. “It’s a positive event for our community,” said John Scaglione, assistant superintendent of the municipality’s public works and parks and recreation departments. “We’d like to bring some good news to Penn Hills. This is a...
Nadine Road in Penn Hills closed indefinitely
Travelers who drive on Nadine Road in Penn Hills will need to take a different route indefinitely, PennDOT said July 24. A section of the road between Allegheny River Boulevard and Lincoln Road has been closed since July 12 after a landslide overturned a retaining wall, causing a portion of...
Fire in Penn Hills under investigation
Penn Hills firefighters are investigating a fire at a two-story building Wednesday night. Allegheny County dispatchers said calls for the fire at 529 Penn Vista Drive came in around 9:50 p.m. Authorities said flames were coming out of the side of the home. Emergency responders were still on scene as...
Proposed trail linking Verona to Boyce Park gaining traction with residents
A proposed pedestrian/bike trail connecting Verona, Oakmont, Penn Hills and Plum is gaining traction with residents. “I think it’s a great idea,” Verona resident Rhoda Worf said July 23 at a public meeting on the project. “Consolidation is key, and having all four municipalities contribute and help maintain (the trail)...
Penn Hills, Plum, O’Hara face costly repairs after floods
Penn Hills and Plum, two of the worst-hit communities from flooding Sunday and Monday, face steep costs to get things all back up to normal, according to officials. Penn Hills declared a state of emergency Monday afternoon in order to fast-track certain repair projects, said Scott Andrejchak, the municipality’s manager....
Drug, theft cases among those recently handled by Judge DeLuca in Penn Hills
District Judge Anthony DeLuca recently handled the following cases. Charges were filed by Penn Hills police unless otherwise noted. Held for court • Davon Gibson, 32, of Homestead on charges of simple assault and harassment. Charges were filed March 17. • Tyaire Jenkins, 24, of Turtle Creek on charges of...
Meeting set to discuss proposed pedestrian/bike trail from Verona to Plum
Officials from four Allegheny County communities will meet in Penn Hills to discuss a proposed pedestrian/bicycle trail. The public’s invited to participate in the discussion 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the municipal building, 102 Duff Road. The plan is to make a trail from Arch Street in Verona,...
Rain hits Penn Hills, Plum ‘unusually hard,’ causing widespread damage
Several streets and businesses in Penn Hills and Plum were affected by flooding after rain pounded the area Sunday and early Monday morning. “We were hit unusually hard last night,” said Penn Hills EMS Supervisor Diane Fitzhenry. Nearly three inches of rain fell in many areas in the Pittsburgh region....
Murrysville church preps for volunteers to sew Christmas stockings for troops
In 2018, Penn Hills nonprofit Military Connections stuffed and shipped about 11,000 Christmas stockings filled with snacks and supplies to troops stationed across the globe. Roughly 5,000 of them came from a group of volunteers who create the stockings all year long, then come together for a full day of...
Penn Hills man sentenced to 15 years in prison for role in drug distribution network
A Penn Hills man has been sentenced in federal court to 15 years in prison for his role in a drug distribution network. Angelo Massie, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer in Pittsburgh. Authorities said Massie conspired with others to distribute more than a kilogram of...
Penn Hills woman severely injured when train rolls over leg
A Penn Hills woman was “hanging around” a train yard Wednesday night with her boyfriend when one car began to move, running over her leg, police said. The 18-year-old woman, whom officials declined to identify, is recovering from her injuries at a local hospital. “She was down around the tracks...
Barker named principal at Linton Middle School, other administrative changes made
Linton Middle School in Penn Hills has a new principal. The school board unanimously voted at a special meeting July 15 to have Sandra Barker lead the fifth through eighth-grade school starting next school year. “It’s a better fit,” board President Erin Vecchio said. “We have too many issues going...
