Penn Hills Progress category, Page 14
Efforts underway to ensure bright holidays for troops overseas
St. Joseph High School teacher Megan Morrow leads her students not only in drawing and sculpting but in the art of community service. Teens at the Harrison school put their talents to use crafting Christmas cards to be shipped to troops deployed overseas. “I did a similar project when I...
After hard-working offseason, Penn Hills junior ready to help wrestlers return to team competition
Bradley Repovich’s resolve was consistently tested during his first season on the Penn Hills wrestling team. Wrestling isn’t a sport that is typically kind to newcomers, especially at the varsity level. Repovich, who will be a junior and wrestle at 145 pounds this season, went through his share of adversity....
Penn Hills 3-sport athlete turns his focus to the pool
Anthony Sipple enjoys the challenge of playing multiple sports, but the Penn Hills junior knows that swimming isn’t the one where it is possible to give a lesser effort. Sipple has the challenge of trying to return to the WPIAL Class 3A championships after qualifying for two individual events and...
Santa makes early appearance in Penn Hills, and Rosedale Food Pantry benefits
Santa made an early appearance Nov. 20 in Penn Hills with a special visit to the Berkshire Hathaway office on Frankstown Road. Staci Rullo of Penn Hills invited the public to her real estate office for free photos with Santa and cookies. “We have been doing this for many, many...
Penn Hills sets tight rules for future hookah bar proposals, but existing lounges stay status quo
Hookah bars are now a conditional use in Penn Hills, months after a shooting at Ballers Hookah Lounge & Cigar Bar killed two, wounded seven and raised concerns about nuisance businesses in town. The zoning amendment, approved Nov. 18, only impacts future proposed hookah bars, defined as “any establishment that...
Penn Hills draft budget calls for 2-mill tax increase, though not all officials are on board
Penn Hills residents would see a 2-mill tax hike under the draft budget for next year, though at least some council members believe a smaller increase could keep the municipality on sound fiscal footing. The property tax raise floated by Manager Scott Andrejchak would bring the millage rate from 6.444...
Slides restrict traffic on Milltown Road in Penn Hills
A section of Milltown Road in Penn Hills has been restricted to a single, alternating lane because of two slides. The affected part of the road is located between Newfield Drive, not far from Community Market, and Hulton Road, near JD Auto Body. Traffic is being controlled with temporary traffic...
Volunteers plant trees along Penn Hills section of Allegheny River Boulevard
About 30 volunteers spent part of Nov. 16 planting eight trees near a stone turnout along Allegheny River Boulevard in Penn Hills. The event was a partnership between the Penn Hills Shade Tree Commission, the Allegheny River Boulevard Preservation Association and TreeVitalize Pittsburgh, an application-based program that offers trees as...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of Nov. 18, 2024
Draft budget calls for 2-mill tax hike Penn Hills residents could see a 2-mill real estate tax increase under the proposed budget for next year. The tax hike would bring the millage rate from 6.444 mills to 8.444 mills — a 31% increase. The owner of a home assessed at...
Communication key as Penn Hills girls basketball seeks return trip to playoffs
The Penn Hills girls basketball team will be challenged to continue a winning tradition when its season starts this December. The Indians reached the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs for the second straight season last year, winning a preliminary round game before being knocked out by Oakland Catholic. Penn Hills, which...
Penn Hills youth team repeats as Cheer Bowl champs
The Penn Hills Youth Football and Cheer Association cheerleading team won the Western Pennsylvania Youth Athletic Association Cheer Bowl championship for the third straight year in the big and little divisions. Cheer coach Ashley Blake said that she emphasizes to all the girls on the team that the judging isn’t...
East suburban real estate transactions, week of Nov. 17, 2024
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Forest Hills Ryan Lynn sold property at 508 Sherwood Road to Daniel Geary for $310,000. Monroeville Ryan Williams sold property at 350 Coleman Drive to Mason Mauldin and Maria Daugherty for $249,900. Ryan Wierzchowski sold property at 573 Firethorn Drive to James and Daniel Boden for $125,000. Pascal...
Pittsburgh Eastern suburban real estate transactions for the week of Nov. 17, 2024
Churchill Matthew McHugh sold property at 63 Garden Ter to Shawn Busche and Matthew Fisch for $230,000. Luke Widich sold property at 108 Merrie Woode Drive to Keith and Nina Parish for $435,000. Forest Hills Estate of Matthew Hall sold property at 507 Atlantic Ave. to CDPGH 1 LLC for...
Former Penn Hills toll collector adapts, excels in turnpike maintenance job
Lindsae Heidenreich spends her days crawling under plow trucks and skid steer loaders in a Penn Township turnpike maintenance shed, chipping away at the rust nestled in every nook and cranny. Heidenreich, 37, of Penn Hills has rust removal down to a science. Scrub down the vehicle with a degreaser,...
Penn Hills Planning Department hiring ahead of director’s retirement
Penn Hills is seeking a planning director and a planner, but only one person is leaving what currently is a three-member department. Planning Director Chris Blackwell will retire in February after 30 years with the municipality and 10 as the department head. In that time, he has had a hand...
Penn Hills program helps low-income homebuyers cover upfront costs
More families are turning to a Penn Hills program that offers up to $14,500 toward a down payment and closing costs on homes in the municipality. Penn Hills, in collaboration with social services provider ACTION-Housing, Allegheny County Economic Development and consultant Urban Design Ventures, launched the program in 2017 to...
FBI investigating robbery at Citizens Bank in Penn Hills
The FBI is investigating a bank robbery Tuesday morning in Penn Hills. Police were dispatched about 11:30 a.m. to Citizens Bank at 6125 Saltsburg Road for reports of a robbery. A man was seen running from the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, Penn Hills police Chief Ronald Como...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of Nov. 11, 2024
Volunteers sought to help plant trees The Penn Hills Shade Tree Commission needs volunteers to help plant 15 trees from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 16 along Allegheny River Boulevard. The planting will take place rain or shine. The organization is partnering with the Allegheny River Boulevard Preservation Association (ARBPA)...
Discipline, focus pay off for Penn Hills in playoffs
The Penn Hills football team was focused on the task at hand during the first round at the WPIAL playoffs. The Indians have attempted to stay with that line of thinking all season. When things break down or go awry, Penn Hills wants to maintain a simple mantra: Do your...
Upper St. Clair shuts down Penn Hills to power into Class 5A semifinals
Upper St. Clair’s defense smothered Penn Hills on Friday night, earning a 24-3 victory in the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals. “Our defense really made a number of big plays tonight,” Panthers coach Mike Junko said. “They were the reason we got this win. They put a lot of pressure on...
A lifetime of service: Longtime fireman, 98, recalls love and loss stretching decades
Frank Trujillo couldn’t wait to be a fireman and stuck with it for 78 years. “When I was a young fellow, they had a carnival one year and they took me on a ride in a fire truck, and that always stuck with me,” Trujillo said. “The first year I...
Sagging, rusted fence in Penn Hills partly fixed by Union Railroad; other half awaits repairs
Union Railroad has completed long-awaited repairs to its half of a dilapidated fence along Leechburg Road near its North Bessemer Yard, but it remains unclear when the rest might be addressed. The rusted, sagging fence has been described as potentially dangerous to pedestrians by Penn Hills code enforcement officer Jason...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of Nov. 4, 2024
Free books available monthly for kids through age 5 Children who reside in the 15235 ZIP code are eligible to receive free books every month until their 5th birthday through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program in conjunction with Reading Ready Pittsburgh. The program, which aims to inspire a love of...
Veterans at Penn Hills senior living facility reflect on trauma, uncertainty and progress
Don Gerken has his younger brother on his mind as Veterans Day approaches, and how his combat service in Vietnam — which earned him Silver and Bronze stars — left lasting scars. “I think he brought a lot of that war home with him,” said Gerken, one of 17 military...
Serra Catholic sophomore sticks with cross country, earns trip to state meet
Serra Catholic sophomore Emily Ruperto nearly threw in the towel on cross country. During the summer, Ruperto hits the club swimming circuit hard. The Penn Hills resident doesn’t have much time to get ready for the start of cross country season. “I’m all in on swimming during the summer,” Ruperto...
