Penn Hills Progress category, Page 20
East suburban real estate transactions, week of Aug. 4, 2024
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Churchill Wilmington Savings Fund Soc FSB Tr sold property at 2331 Marbury Road to Ambunga Brigitte Mbembo for $265,000. Forest Hills Corner Lot Homes LLC sold property at 109 Bevington Road to Mary Duffy Rooney for $400,000. Amagu Homes Flips LLC sold property at 125 LeGrande Drive to...
First-ever communitywide cleanup in Penn Hills yields nearly 400 bags of trash
The first-ever communitywide cleanup in Penn Hills on July 27 was a success by any metric, sponsors say, attracting 172 volunteers who filled nearly 399 trash bags. Volunteers covered 6.5 miles of road between 12 neighborhoods at the event, which was organized by the Penn Hills Rotary and Penn Hills...
Penn Hills native named director of admissions at United States Military Academy West Point
Coming from humble beginnings in Penn Hills, Col. Rance A. Lee didn’t imagine life would lead him to where he is. “My parents didn’t have a lot of money for college so I had to look for other avenues to pay for school,” said Lee, who grew up as the...
Ex-administrator in Penn Hills School District says he’s struggling to find work after ‘frivolous’ harassment charge dropped
Robert Kollar is rebuilding his career after a now-dismissed harassment charge tarnished his reputation and led him to resign as director of human resources for the Penn Hills School District. In May, a judge threw out the case, which alleged that Kollar placed his midsection on an individual’s back, but...
Penn Hills Center sold to out-of-state investment firm for $20.5 million
The Penn Hills Center and several outparcels near the shopping plaza on Rodi Road have been purchased by a New York-based firm for $20.5 million. Under an LLC created early this year, Asher Group reached a deal with First National Realty Partners in May to add the popular retail destination...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of July 29, 2024
Incoming kindergartners invited to playground event The Penn Hills School District welcomes incoming kindergartners to a Popsicles on the Playground event from 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 6 at Penn Hills Elementary School, 1079 Jefferson Road. The event, which is part of the district’s Summer Kickoff to Kindergarten, is an...
Volunteers collect ‘depressing volume’ of roadside trash across the state
For Aspinwall resident Kevin Kerr, the worst part of cleaning litter from Freeport Road is the sheer number of cigarette butts. “We get the food wrappers and pop cans, but the most frustrating and plentiful is definitely the butts,” said Kerr, who volunteers twice a year for the state’s Adopt-A-Highway...
High school connected to Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship to open in Wilkins
The Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship is getting an affiliate high school. Charter school officials got the go-ahead last month from Wilkins commissioners to transform the office building at 703 Rodi Road, near the Penn Hills-Wilkins border, into Dominus High School. The target opening date is fall 2025, with...
East suburban real estate transactions, week of July 28, 2024
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Forest Hills Daniel Martin sold property at 473 Atlantic Ave. to Barbara Gamrat for $255,000. John JD Demars sold property at 319 Castlegate Road to Stephen Guevara for $305,000. Cynthia Baca sold property at 3758 Greensburg Pike to Bryson and Christine O’Donnell for $163,000. Gary Craig sold property...
Penn-Plum VFW out $12,000 following burglary
Penn Hills police are investigating a break-in at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post that caused an estimated $12,000 in losses and damages. Detective Teresa Gongaware said police learned July 15 that multiple poker machines were smashed and two safes were taken from Penn-Plum VFW Post 6836. The post is...
Verona budget survey expanded in effort to begin building comprehensive plan
Verona’s annual budget survey was released to borough residents and included a few extra questions that hadn’t been asked in previous surveys. The fresh questions are thanks to Local Government Academy intern Josie Cantelmo, 20, who will be a senior in her political science program at the University of Pittsburgh...
Feds: Drug raid yields more than 100 kilos of cocaine plus heroin, fentanyl from McKeesport, Monroeville, Penn Hills
A federal drug investigation has led to charges for four men who police said were in possession of 116 kilograms of cocaine. That amount is equivalent to more than 250 pounds. Federal officials investigating drug activity in Western Pennsylvania executed sealed search warrants for homes and vehicles in McKeesport, Monroeville,...
Languishing lot owned by Walmart attracts illegal dumping, Penn Hills officials say
An empty lot owned by Walmart and once slated for a Supercenter has become a headache for Penn Hills officials as they try to clamp down on illegal dumping. Code enforcement officer Jason Griffiths said piles of tires, trash bags and debris from home renovations recently have appeared in the...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of July 22, 2024
Host families sought for upcoming school year Expand your horizons and learn about a new culture by bringing an exchange student into your family this fall. AFSUSA, one of the oldest exchange programs in the country, is looking for host families for the coming school year. Students can stay for...
East suburban real estate transactions, week of July 21, 2024
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Chalfant Thomas Paul Nebel sold property at 268 Brighton St. to MTO Enterprises LLC for $53,000. Churchill Danielle Weaver sold property at 880 Graham Blvd. to Jose and Lillian Colon for $257,500. Antanina Perricone sold property at 2525 Greensburg Pike Unit 207 to Bart Joseph and Mary Bess...
Penn Hills Midget Football Association going strong
Penn Hills Midget Football Association CEO James Bradley has seen plenty of action at Turner Friendship Park this summer. Bradley, who works to help maintain the football field in addition to other volunteer duties, has been amazed by the increased attendance at the park after a splash pad was installed...
Penn Hills weighing hookah bar regulations after deadly shooting
Penn Hills may crack down on hookah bars after a June shooting at Ballers Hookah Lounge & Cigar Bar, a spot known to police for trouble, left two dead and seven wounded. A zoning code amendment slated for consideration by the Planning Commission on July 25 would for the first...
Fitz Willys barbecue restaurant emphasizes family, community and good food
The staff members of Fitz Willys Kitchen and Catering have a few standards they strive to meet every day: The restaurant is clean; everyone who walks through the door is greeted with a smile; and the food is fresh, consistent and served quickly. These seem like pretty standard restaurant practices....
All in the family: 4th-generation employee retires after more than 4 decades working at Peoples Natural Gas
Craig Wyke’s first job at Peoples Natural Gas was in the delinquent accounts department. “I had to inform people their gas was about to be turned off,” said Wyke, who grew up in Penn Hills and lives in West Deer, as he recalled his more than 40-year career with the...
Former ‘Dance Moms’ cast member charged with DUI in Murrysville
A cast member from the former hit Lifetime reality series “Dance Moms” was charged with driving under the influence after a crash in Murrysville. Christina M. Lukasiak, 47, of Mars was charged following a June 27 crash on Logan Ferry Road near Remaley Road, according to court records. Police said...
Teen in critical condition after Penn Hills stabbing; suspect apprehended
Allegheny County Police are investigating a stabbing in Penn Hills that left a teenager in critical condition Tuesday afternoon. Police were called about 4:40 p.m. to the 1100 block of Hamil Road, where they located a teenage male who had been stabbed multiple times. He was taken to an area...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of July 15, 2024
Technology position open in school district Penn Hills School District is looking to fill the position of assistant to the superintendent for technology, innovation, safety and security. Brian Brown, who served in that capacity since February, recently was hired as an assistant superintendent for the Shaler Area School District. Brown...
3 Pittsburgh Elite teams headed to NFL’s flag football national championships
The Pittsburgh Elite flag football team will be well-represented at the NFL Flag National Championships on July 18-21 in Canton, Ohio. Three of the organization’s travel teams, the 9U, 12U and 13U teams, all won regional championships. The organization, which runs an in-house league that plays at Linton Middle School,...
East suburban real estate transactions, week of July 14, 2024
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Churchill Estate of Raymond Jurewicz sold property at 213 Thornberry Drive to Zachary Farley and Sida Wang for $384,000. Edgewood Michael Kostiew sold property at 437 Maple Ave. to James Caird and Katie McHolme for $729,431. Beverly Harding sold property at 410 W Swissvale Ave. to VMO Swissvale...
Lawsuit: Penn Hills hookah bar owners’ negligence created ‘public nuisance’
The parents of a 28-year-old woman killed in a shooting at a Penn Hills hookah bar sued the owner of the property Thursday, claiming they should have known the bar was “a public nuisance” prone to gun violence. Two or more people fired seven to 10 gunshots at Ballers Hookah...
