Jack Troy stories, Page 13
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...
Allegheny Township Big Lots appears to be in jeopardy as partial liquidation unfolds
The future of Big Lots’ footprint in Western Pennsylvania remains unclear, but it’s not looking good for the Allegheny Township location. Its lease was recently available for transfer, which is a sign it could close as part of the struggling bargain retailer’s acquisition by a Boston-based asset liquidation firm. Locations...
Funding comes through to replace roughly 1,000 lead water lines in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County has the cash on hand to start ripping out approximately 1,000 lead water lines in its five-county network. The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority came through earlier this month with a $4.6 million grant and a $5.4 million loan to fund most of the project....
New player arrives in U.S. Steel-Nippon takeover saga with the goal of quashing it
An asset manager based in Cleveland is seeking to quash a Japanese takeover of U.S. Steel and oust its leadership after buying a minor stake in the company. The activist shareholder, Ancora, recently acquired less than a quarter-percent stake in the company. It said in an open letter Monday the...
Grants are an imperfect lifeline for volunteer fire departments
Until a few weeks ago, some Vandergrift No. 1 volunteer firefighters would answer rescue calls in one-piece cotton jumpsuits ripped from decades of crawling into mangled vehicles and performing hillside rope rescues. The rescue gear wasn’t specially rated for safety — or especially well-fitting, according to Chief Randy Dunmire. “Just...
Southern Armstrong police settling into Freeport headquarters
The Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department now has a proper headquarters. After two years of performing key functions in a cramped Gilpin basement, the force moved this week to a roomy station at 235 Fifth St. in Freeport. “Finally, we found somewhere that worked, made sense, was big enough for...
Steel-processing furnace confirmed as source of Lower Burrell explosion, but details remain scant
Few details have been released about a Lower Burrell steel plant explosion that killed a Tarentum man. Brennan Sites, chief of Lower Burrell No. 3 Fire Company, confirmed a steel-processing furnace was the source of the explosion. Daniel R. Vakulick, 20, died from injuries sustained in the blast just before...
Starbucks and Bealls coming to Allegheny Township’s Hyde Park Plaza
The rumors are true: Starbucks and Bealls are moving into Allegheny Township’s Hyde Park Plaza. Jeff Paul, owner of the once-beleaguered shopping center, confirmed the incoming tenants Thursday after months of online speculation. A Starbucks spokesperson, however, said the company has “no store opening plans to announce.” Even so, Paul...
Franchising equal parts rewarding, rigorous for new owners of McDonald’s stores in Penn Hills
Eugenia and Michael Cassidy took over the two McDonald’s stores in Penn Hills last year, and, so far, they’re “lovin’ ” it. But there’s more to getting in on one of the world’s most recognizable brands than just pooling together at least $500,000 in nonborrowed funds, the minimum for prospective...
Repurposed rails from Brilliant Branch to make line running through Penn Hills, Verona quieter
A more than 2-mile stretch of rail line passing through Penn Hills and Verona is set to quiet down. In the coming months, Allegheny Valley Railroad will pull up track from its soon-to-be abandoned Brilliant Branch and use it along part of the Allegheny Subdivision, which follows the south bank...
