Jack Troy stories, Page 31
WWII bomber pilot celebrates 100th birthday in McCandless
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the number of Tom Wiley’s great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. After anti-aircraft shells began exploding outside of his cockpit window during his first mission, Army pilot Tom Wiley didn’t expect to survive World War II, let alone live to be 100 years old....
NLRB orders reinstatement of 4 Pittsburgh Starbucks baristas fired for union organizing
Starbucks illegally fired four baristas in Pittsburgh who supported unionization according to a National Labor Relations Board decision that ordered their reinstatement. In a June 30 ruling, NLRB administrative law judge Robert Ringler found that Starbucks management had repeatedly engaged in anti-union activity at four of the company’s Pittsburgh locations...
New Kensington Bridge to close for 6 weeks starting in July
A scheduled closure to the New Kensington Bridge will happen a year sooner than expected. The six-week closure is tentatively scheduled for July 17, with July 24 as a backup date, according to PennDOT spokesperson Steve Cowan. Motorists also can expect the section of Freeport Road passing under the bridge...
Community spruces up Rodi Road in Penn Hills
Motorists coming into Penn Hills from I-376 are now greeted by garden beds where a vacant gas station once stood, one of many recent efforts to beautify Rodi Road. Located between Maple Lane and Rodi Plaza, the garden includes one bed of annuals and three with native perennials for pollinators,...
Saints of the Valley vacation Bible school teaches kids about namesakes for local churches
Most churches base their vacation Bible schools on cookie-cutter programming from national suppliers, but, at Saints of the Valley, campers will get an experience specific to the Alle-Kiski Valley. Each day of the program focuses on a different patron saint for one of five Catholic churches in the region —...
Hays eaglets take flight, could settle anywhere
They grow up so fast. Another bald eagle fledgling left the nest in Hays last Thursday, Jim Bonner of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania confirmed. The eaglet joined its older sibling, which took flight four days before. The Hays eagles are in their 11th breeding season and have raised...
Plum Food Pantry, after years of depressed demand, sees rise in clients
The number of families relying on the Plum Food Pantry is nearing pre-pandemic levels, though not in the way you might expect. Food banks across the country reported crushing demand at the height of covid-19, and again as pandemic-era federal benefits expired starting in mid-2021. To the contrary, the Plum...
Overgrown Herr Chapel Cemetery full of hidden history
There’s no telling how many Union soldiers and prominent local figures are buried beneath the dense overgrowth at Herr Chapel Cemetery. Many monuments are sunken, caked in moss or eroded beyond legibility. Others appear to simply be half-buried rocks, and may or may not indicate a grave. Without the worn,...
Taylor Swift fans seeing red over Eras Tour ticket prices
Forget a blank space. You darn near need a blank check to work your way into either of this week’s Taylor Swift concerts at Acrisure Stadium. Ticket prices are soaring days before the most-anticipated concert stop of the year. Swift’s Eras Tour hits the stadium Friday and Saturday. On Wednesday,...
2nd mini-golf venue putting for dough in Strip District
A two-block radius in the Strip District is now home to not one, but two indoor mini-golf venues that promise a fresh take on the game paired with upscale fare. Puttshack officially opened its location at the Strip District Terminal on Wednesday morning, around a quarter mile from Puttery Pittsburgh,...
Egg prices coming down, but high costs persist for local farmers
Egg prices and production levels are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, despite lingering impacts from bird flu and ongoing concerns from some local farmers about high feed costs. According to the latest Northeastern chicken and egg report from the USDA, Pennsylvania’s egg production was down 8% in April compared to...
Penn Hills CDC project aims to collect community census data
Penn Hills residents will have the chance this summer to voice their needs and vision for the future of the municipality through a community-wide census. The project, known as Penn Hills Rising, is led by the Penn Hills Community Development Corporation in collaboration with more than 65 community groups, regional...
Primary election results for Penn Hills races
As of press time on May 18, 96% of Penn Hills precincts have fully reported vote counts for the primary election. Here are the unofficial results, according to the Allegheny County Office of Elections. Mayor Three Democrats sought their party’s nomination for mayor. Incumbent Pauline Calabrese received 2,778 votes, Qiana...
Penn Hills council meeting canceled due to lack of quorum
Penn Hills Deputy Mayor and candidate in the Democratic mayoral primary Frank Pecora said “political obligations” prevented him from attending the May 15 council meeting, which was canceled due to a lack of a quorum. Pecora said he got a “late start” placing his campaign signs by the polls in...
Penn Hills officials approve Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships
Penn Hills will spend $839,599 in federal grants to fund community groups, pave roads and provide programs for seniors and homeowners, among other initiatives. On April 17, council approved the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships Program Annual Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2023. The Department of Housing...
3 running for 2 ballot spots in Democratic Penn Hills council race; Republican race uncontested
Editor’s note: The Penn Hills Progress is running candidate interviews for contested municipal and school board races only. According to the Allegheny County Office of Elections unofficial candidate list, incumbent councilman Mark Brodnicki faces newcomers Shawn Kerestus and Alan Waldron in the Democratic primary for two spots on the November...
3 seek Democratic party nomination in Penn Hills mayoral race
According to the Allegheny County Office of Elections unofficial candidate list, incumbent Mayor Pauline Calabrese faces challenges from Deputy Mayor Frank Pecora and Qiana Buckner in the Democratic primary for Penn Hills mayor. No Republican candidates are pursuing their party’s nomination. Here are the candidates and their responses to the...
Penn Hills council continues to fight blight, pursue funding for VOPP trail
Penn Hills council slated another property for demolition at its March 20 meeting, part of an ongoing effort to root out blight in the community. Katofsky Construction will demolish the triplex at 8931-8933, 8933 ½ Eastwood Road, the company’s first such project in Penn Hills. Municipal planner Damian Butler-Buccilli said...
Penn Hills residents, community organizations request CDBG funding
Penn Hills is set to receive $674,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds — $26,000 less than last year — in addition to $35,000 from homeowners repaying loans as part of its CDBG-funded housing rehabilitation program. Another $110,000 for affordable housing will come from the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, a...
Penn Hills officials investing in public safety with help of grants
Penn Hills council ratified a grant agreement with Allegheny County to fund approximately half the cost of replacing police body cameras. At the Feb. 20 council meeting, Mayor Pauline Calabrese touted a recent string of investments in public safety for the municipality, including new emergency vehicles and the induction of...
Sharpsburg Library honors Black History Month
The Sharpsburg Community Library offered activities to honor Black History Month. The library works to ensure that Black writers and artists are featured in its programs and are on its shelves year-round, said library manager Sara Mariacher. It also creates programming to highlight holidays and national heritage months, such as...
