Penn Hills Progress category, Page 24
Top performers for Penn Hills track team aim to peak at right time
Strategy was at the forefront of the last-chance meet for Penn Hills track and field. Entering the race, coach Lee Zelkowitz said the Indians were not only hoping to qualify more athletes. Zelkowitz said he wanted to see his top performers improve their seed time to get into faster heats...
Penn Hills notebook: Basketball alumnus Daemar Kelly heads to St. Francis
Daemar Kelly was a 1,000- point scorer and catalyst for the Penn Hills boys basketball team that won the Class 5A WPIAL championship. After a year at Quinnipiac, Kelly announced he would be transferring. Kelly recently announced he will be playing for St. Francis (Pa.) in the Northeast Conference. The...
Penn Hills man who fled police returned from Florida
A Verona man who led police on a high-speed chase before fleeing the state in April has been returned to Allegheny County, according to the county sheriff. Hermas U. Craddock, 37, of Penn Hills traveled first to North Carolina and then Florida according to police, where he was arrested April...
Penn Hills charter school hosts 7th annual Soaring Shark Tank; teen’s self-care line wins top prize of $2,000
Friends, family and community members gathered May 10 in the gym of the Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship to listen and share the ideas of young business owners. The seventh annual Soaring Shark Tank pitch competition consisted of three eighth grade students presenting their businesses to three judges to...
Foot chase in Verona leaves police searching for West Deer man suspected of retail theft
Verona police have issued an arrest warrant for a shoplifting suspect they say was last seen trying to board a boat along the Allegheny River. Keith Hohman, 33, of West Deer is charged with retail theft, evading arrest, escape, trespassing, receiving stolen property and disorderly conduct. At approximately 3 p.m....
Shortage of local police, 2 violent crimes have Verona residents on edge
Diana Danko always thought her neighborhood along Second Street in Verona was safe. That was before two violent crimes happened within hours of each other on April 14 — a Sunday when no borough police officers were on duty. “It’s very concerning,” said Danko, 55, who lives just blocks from...
Residents voice displeasure over lack of upkeep at Cribbs Field in Verona
Like many residents of Oakmont and Verona, Colin Wiehagen would like to know what is going on with Cribbs Field. Wiehagen, an Oakmont resident who works in Verona, has children who use the fields for baseball and softball. The fields, where some of his fondest memories were made, have seen...
Verona woman killed in Allegheny River Boulevard crash
A 70-year-old Verona woman was killed Tuesday morning when her vehicle veered into opposing traffic on Allegheny River Boulevard, according to Allegheny County Police. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Dorothy (Jill) Demko of Verona. Police said Demko’s Ford EcoSport crossed the center line and struck...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of May 6, 2024
Upgrades under way at library The Penn Hills Library, 1037 Stotler Road, installed new computers for public use May 1. The library also is in the process of updating its Job and Career Resource Center. New additions there include a job and career binder with local job opportunities, as well...
Preservation group and lawmakers could return Allegheny River Boulevard to its scenic roots
Rick Duncan wants to restore Allegheny River Boulevard to its former glory. As chair of the Allegheny River Boulevard Preservation Association, he has pushed for people to recognize the route as more than just a connector between Pittsburgh and the region’s eastern suburbs. “It was designed and built as a...
Penn Hills graduate sets example for this year’s softball team
Yasmine Logan was one of the more comfortable visiting players at Varabedian Field in Oakland when Ohio University came to town to take on Pitt softball. Logan, a Penn Hills graduate, was supported by a large contingent of Indians softball players who made the short trek down to the stadium....
East suburban real estate transactions, week of May 5, 2024
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Chalfant Jaron James McClain sold property at 292 Brighton St. to Jeffrey O’Kelly and Gwen Elizabeth Pearson for $115,000. Mary Renwick sold property at 303 Lynnwood Ave. to DN Team Holdings 1 LLC for $5,000. Edgewood Karla Cepeda sold property at 129 W Swissvale Ave. to Keldin Sergheyev...
PHRESH idea: Young entrepreneurs event at Penn Hills High School all about creativity, community
The Penn Hills community is invited to spend Friday evening at the very first Penn Hills Regifting and Entrepreneurial Spirit of Hope (PHRESH). According to Dion Dupree, the district’s school and community liaison and outreach coordinator, the event will celebrate the high school’s young entrepreneurs and network a mentorship program...
Mother of Sorrows School in Murrysville names new principal
Darcie Gatti will become the new principal at Mother of Sorrows School in Murrysville. Gatti is a former associate and head principal in the Penn Hills School District, where she has worked since 2008. Prior to that, she worked both roles in the Mt. Pleasant School District. She began her...
Morning Roundup: 1 injured after shooting in Penn Hills
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, May 1. 1 injured in shooting in Penn Hills One person was injured in a shooting Wednesday morning in Penn Hills, according to police. Penn Hills officers were dispatched at about 1:30 p.m. to the 400 block of...
Penn Hills man convicted of drug, firearms crimes by federal jury faces up to 40 years in prison
After deliberating for less than two hours, a federal jury on April 18 found a Penn Hills man guilty of three counts of violating federal drug and firearms laws. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Harry Duncan, 36, was convicted...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of April 29, 2024
Zoning hearing board member resigns Joe Tamburrino resigned April 25 from the Penn Hills Zoning Hearing Board, according to Damian Butler-Buccilli, a planner with the municipality’s Department of Planning and Economic Development. Three days earlier, TribLive reported that Tamburrino had moved from Penn Hills to Verona. That made his service...
Penn Hills High School coding team wins top prize of $10,000 at annual competition
The Penn Hills High School coding team brought home a trophy and a little green from the 2024 Young Innovators: Code for Your Cause competition. This is the third year Penn Hills has made an appearance at the competition hosted by PNC. It’s open to all local high schools. To...
TV Talk: ‘Dance Moms: The Reunion’ offers closure for stars who share ‘trauma bond’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Forget the revelations in “Dance Moms: The Reunion” (8-10 p.m. Wednesday, Lifetime) — who shows up, who skips it, which dancer is dating a woman (and it’s not openly queer Jojo Siwa). The biggest shock...
Penn Hills baseball looking to string hits together
Purchasing new equipment has helped the Penn Hills baseball team raise its collective batting average. If the Indians want to build on that success and win games, they will have to string those hits together. Penn Hills has only produced 23 runs in its first 11 games. “We have quite...
Penn Hills junior finds unexpected success in long jump
Ronald Porter didn’t think much about the long jump at first. Entering his first track and field season at Penn Hills, the junior wanted to help get his time in the 100 dash down to earn bragging rights with his football teammates. But Indians coach Lee Zelkowiz and his staff...
East suburban real estate transactions, week of April 28, 2024
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Churchill Brian Polinsky sold property at 53 Garden Ter to 53 Garden LLC for $87,000. Samuel Mussmann sold property at 2184 Garrick Drive to Sean and Jena Billock for $318,500. Edgewood Joseph Grabowski sold property at 1027 East End Ave. to Joseph Bowers and Amanda Hinton for $525,450....
Former Penn Hills, Penn State CB/returner Daequan Hardy goes to Bills in 6th round
The Buffalo Bills picked a player with elite speed when they drafted Penn Hills graduate and former Penn State cornerback Daequan Hardy in the sixth round (219th overall) on Saturday. Hardy (5-foot-9, 178 pounds) may be able to contribute to the Bills quicker on special teams than on defense, but...
Penn Hills School District to trial run monitors on buses to keep elementary students in line
Students at Penn Hills Elementary School will be seeing some familiar faces on the bus starting next week. The school district will begin a trial program with staff members riding the bus with students to and from school. Superintendent John Mozzocio called it a preventive action to ensure good behavior...
Penn Hills School District takes first steps to revamp district security, develop police staff
Penn Hills School Board members unanimously appointed a director of school district security April 24 with an eye toward developing its own police force. The position was created after the district began looking into ways to revamp safety and security in the schools, Superintendent John Mozzocio said. “Safety and security...
