Penn Hills Progress category, Page 114
Penn Hills Library moves two chess players to final tournament
Two children from the area will proceed to the final round of an Allegheny County chess tournament after their wins at the Penn Hills Library Feb. 23. Adam Alaali, 10, of Penn Hills and Brayden Wong, 6, of Upper St. Clair won in the library’s senior and junior division, respectively....
Verona Garden Club raises funds in memory of late founder
Verona Garden Club members and friends celebrated the life of its late founder by raising funds at a memorial bingo. Mariann Brayer started what was then called the Verona Flower Club in 2004. She was its president for 11 years and instrumental in multiple beautification projects throughout the borough. She...
Kidnapping, theft cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court
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 courtWillie Newkirk, 62 ,of Penn Hills on charges of retail theft. Wilkins police filed...
Special advisory committee formed to help with Penn Hills School District’s financial recovery process
Educational and financial experts will work with Penn Hills School District officials and community members to brainstorm ways of bringing the debt-ridden district back to solvency. School board members voted 7-0 Monday night to approve the 12-member special advisory committee. School directors Cathy Mowry and Denise Graham-Shealey were absent. “We...
Town hall to address Penn Hills debt crisis set for Feb. 28
The Pennsylvania Auditor General will hold a town hall meeting Thursday to discuss ideas for improving the Penn Hills School District. “I invite students, teachers, support staff and parents to bring suggestions about how we can come together as a community to turn around the Penn Hills School District,” Eugene...
Police say DNA, debit card, receipt all point to Penn Hills man charged with fatal 2017 crash
A Penn Hills man has been charged with causing the death of a woman driver in a 2017 head-on crash in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood. Pittsburgh police charged Taariq Tyler, 22, with homicide by vehicle, reckless endangerment and other related charges on Friday, Feb. 22 after determining his rental pick-up...
2 injured after vehicle strikes Giant Eagle in Verona
Two people were taken to local hospitals for evaluation after a vehicle struck a pillar outside the Verona Giant Eagle. Allegheny County dispatchers said the crash took place at 3:19 p.m. Friday at 200 Allegheny River Boulevard. Verona Police Chief Ron McLemore said the driver and a woman sitting on...
Penn Hills School District to form advisory committee Monday night
A special advisory committee designed to help with Penn Hills School District’s financial recovery is expected to be formed Monday. Superintendent Nancy Hines said officials from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit are vetting candidates and plan to make recommendations at the school board meeting set for 7 p.m. at Linton Middle...
Penn Hills Senior Center’s meal delivery program seeks volunteers to feed growing need
Four women arrived at the Penn Hills Senior Center on a recent brisk but sunny winter day ready for their early morning routine centered on volunteerism. The hair-netted women caught up and chatted about the erratic weather, all while working seamlessly in the small kitchen to pack meals that would...
Love of yoga no stretch for Penn Hills instructor
George Bender’s students have such an appreciation for his style of yoga instruction, they coined a term for it. He even has a T-shirt featuring the word: Georga. “It’s like a combination of ‘George’s yoga,’” Bender said before a recent class, pulling tight his shirt to show the text. “My...
Plans to turn former Forbes Elementary site into senior housing move forward
Penn Hills council unanimously approved a Pittsburgh development firm’s plans to demolish a former elementary school and build in its place an apartment building for senior housing along Saltsburg Road. The project depends on whether the firm, A.M. Rodriguez Associates, receives funding for the project through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance...
Demolitions in Penn Hills to continue after shutdown halt
Five demolitions in Penn Hills are back on schedule, the municipality said in a news release Monday. The razings at 110 Bessemer, 206 Curtis and 1891 Runnette streets; 12409 Frankstown Road and 10019 Grandview Ave. were halted in January as a result of the federal government’s partial shutdown that extended...
Photo Gallery: Spontaneous Fun Day at Linton Middle School
For the past 21 years, Penn Hills has hosted the Western Pennsylvania Odyssey of the Mind Spontaneous Fun Day. Forty-five teams from throughout the region gathered Feb. 9, at Linton Middle School to practice and prepare for the upcoming problem-solving competition. This year’s Odyssey of the Mind event will be...
Assault, DUI cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court – Feb. 12, 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 courtCharles Schroeder, 30, of Verona on charges of theft from a motor vehicle. Verona...
State allocates $3 million for Penn Hills road projects
Penn Hills will receive a third of Allegheny County’s allocation from the state’s latest round of Multimodal Transportation Fund money. Gov. Tom Wolf announced in a news release Feb. 1 the county will receive $9 million for transportation and other infrastructure projects. There are 50 municipalities across 23 counties that...
DUI, theft cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court – Feb. 6, 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 courtTara Gomez, 39, of Pittsburgh on charges of driving under the influence and careless...
Town hall meeting being planned to discuss Penn Hills School District, grand jury report
A town hall meeting is being planned for later this month to discuss the recently released grand jury report of Penn Hills School District finances and related topics. State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale’s office is organizing the public forum. Official date, time and location have not been announced. It’s expected...
Former Penn Hills manager netted nearly $280K in severance pay
A document outlining severance details in a former Penn Hills municipal manager’s contract shows he netted close to $280,000 after resigning without cause. Mohammed Rayan, 58, who served Penn Hills in a variety of roles for 19 years, officially resigned in September. Rayan was hired as public works director in...
No students hurt after Penn Hills school bus involved in 4-vehicle crash
There were no students on a Penn Hills school bus when it was involved in a four-vehicle crash at a busy intersection Tuesday afternoon. The crash happened around 2:15 p.m. at the intersection of Robinson Boulevard and Frankstown Road. Penn Hills Supervisor Diane Fitzhenry expected the road to be cleared...
Penn Hills grad soars in first all-female flyover for Rosemary Mariner
“For Rosemary.” Those two simple words will forever be the ones Leslie Mintz, a 1996 Penn Hills High School graduate, will remember from the day she was involved in the funeral of one of the nation’s most beloved aviators. Mintz, a weapons system operator for naval fighter jets at Naval...
Recent violence prompts increased police presence around Penn Hills bars
Penn Hills law enforcement is ramping up its presence near two bars along Verona Road where recent bouts of violence have occurred, Police Chief Howard Burton said. “Our antennas are up now,” Burton said. “It’s usually pretty quiet there — we get typical calls. But now, it seems to have...
Pa. Rep. Tony DeLuca asks state to deny Penn Hills School District its tax increase request
State Rep. Tony DeLuca, D-Penn Hills, has asked the state Department of Education to deny a request by Penn Hills School District officials to raise real estate taxes beyond state restrictions. “I am asking you to deny this request and require the school district to reduce the tax-rate increase to...
Penn Hills School District appoints new technology director
The Penn Hills School District technology department will soon have a new leader. School directors accepted longtime tech director Roger Myers’ resignation and named district network engineer Russell Seibert as his successor. Board members commended Myers for his service and welcomed Seibert to his new post at a meeting Jan....
St. Joseph School in Verona celebrates ‘Catholic Schools Week’
Catholic Schools Week is in full swing at St. Joseph Catholic School in Verona. The school began its celebration Jan. 26 by hosting a family fun night where teachers cooked for 150 guests. On Jan. 28, the school held “Sundae Monday,” where students were treated to ice cream treats. The...
Allegheny County names 4 new ‘Live Well’ communities
A municipality, a school district, a nonprofit and an eatery are the latest entities to earn designation as “Allegheny Live Well” communities. On Jan. 29, the county announced Penn Hills, Avonworth School District, Grounded Strategies in Larimer and Azorean Café in Bloomfield are the newest additions to the program. The...
