Penn-Trafford Star category, Page 2
Jury convicts roommate of attempted murder in Penn Township shooting
A North Versailles woman was convicted Friday of attempted murder in the shooting of her former roommate in Penn Township. After just over an hour of deliberations, a Westmoreland County jury found Leah H. Gillis, 36, guilty of all three charges she faced: attempted murder, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment....
Familiar foes collide when Penn-Trafford, Moon square off in Class 5A quarterfinals
A bye week allowed Penn-Trafford to spend extra time in the film room. “In two weeks, we’ve watched 11 Moon games,” Warriors coach John Ruane said. The Warriors already were familiar with Moon before spending hours learning more about the Tigers in a darkened room. Now, they feel like they...
Longtime Penn-Trafford principal set to retire after 26 years in district
Longtime Penn-Trafford Principal Jim Simpson discovered his love of teaching while tutoring classmates in math at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Prior to enrolling in the university’s computer science program, the New Kensington native never considered a career in education. “I had my (general education) math courses and I ended up...
Pumpkin projectiles: Penn Township brewery holds Pumpkin Pitchin’ charity eventVideo
Kaitee Robertson of Greensburg wasn’t messing around during Sunday’s Pumpkin Pitchin’ contest at Devout Brewing in Penn Township. Robertson and more than 20 other entrants were taking part in pumpkin bowling, target practice (trying to hit the center of a large bull’s-eye target) and “pumpkin pong,” modeled on the college...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Nov. 2, 2025
Churchill Kenneth Mitchell sold property at 2509 Creekedge Drive to Heather Powe for $310,000. Kory Riemensperger sold property at 1528 Williamsburg Pl to Aaron Kreimer and Elise Krugh for $255,000. Edgewood Julie Heinrich sold property at 210 Maple Ave. to Robert Michael Zlot and Sandra Sum Yee Mau for $750,000....
Bye week before playoff opener no vacation for Penn-Trafford football
Just because the Penn-Trafford football team earned a first-round bye in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs does not mean the Warriors can take a vacation. Far from it. Veteran coach John Ruane prepared his team like they had a game in the first round. “The only thing different is we...
6 Westmoreland karate athletes recognized at international competition
Six Westmoreland County karate athletes received medals at the International Combat Organization World Championships in Wales earlier this month. Norwin freshman Gabby Viola received nine gold medals, three silver and two bronze, as well as the “overall fighting grand champion” and “most decorated athlete titles.” Her 8-year-old brother, Will Viola,...
Penn-Trafford profile: Senior field hockey player Caeley Simon
Caeley Simon Class: Senior Sport: Field hockey Q: How was your season? A: Our season was good. It was exciting because it was my senior season. We did not make the playoffs, but I still had a great year. Q: Did you have any memorable moments this season or during...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Mia Williams geared up for PIAA tennis tournament
It has been more than a month since Mia Williams played in a high school tennis match. Now the Penn-Trafford senior heads to Hershey to compete in her fourth PIAA Class 3A tournament. Williams was a WPIAL champion in 2022 and runner-up in 2023, 2024 and 2025. She has not...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Oct. 26, 2025
Chalfant Evan Mihlo sold property at 119 Elizabeth Ave. to Amy Jacobs for $132,500. Forest Hills Anthony Everitt sold property at 113 Overdale Road to Jenton Brandt for $323,000. Estate of John Paul Hanish III sold property at 227 Ridge Ave. to Corey Simmons for $206,500. Monroeville Ahmad Hooshmand sold...
Yacamelli leads Penn-Trafford as Warriors celebrate senior night with win over Latrobe
For John Ruane, all that remained was taking care of his seniors on Penn-Trafford’s senior night. Make no mistake, the Warriors’ longtime football coach adores every one of them. “It’s a big goal, obviously, to get them into the lineup. We have some great kids,” Ruane said. “And they’re absolutely...
Penn-Trafford freshman installs ‘Kindness Rock Garden’ at Children’s Home
The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh holds a special place in Penn-Trafford freshman Amelia Montenary’s heart. Her 8-year-old sister, Lucy, diagnosed with Trisomy 18 as a baby, has spent much of her life in the Bloomfield care facility. Also known as Edwards Syndrome, Trisomy 18 is a rare genetic condition that...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Ben Grabowski keys win over rival Franklin Regional
Junior Ben Grabowski rushed for 172 yards on just four carries and scored three touchdowns to lead the Warriors to a 48-14 victory against Franklin Regional in a WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference battle on Oct. 10. Quarterbacks Nate Desmond and Cody Yacamelli each tossed touchdown passes. Landyn Stikkel...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Oct. 19, 2025
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Churchill Lance Hanchey sold property at 1898 Brushcliff Road to Gerald Ray Hall Jr. and Diane Jeanne Hall for $329,500. Rosalyn DeFalco sold property at 2506 Collins Road to Joseph Figliulo for $215,000. Estate of Dolores Anderson Lyons sold property at 2317 Marbury Road to Brian Paul Zarb...
Highlight-reel goal helps Mars boys soccer advance past Penn-Trafford in WPIAL 1st round
Mars senior Max Davis has attempted several bicycle kicks during his high school career. He’s come close a few times but never put the ball in the back of the net. Until Saturday. With his team trailing by a goal in its WPIAL Class 3A first-round matchup against No. 10...
Penn-Trafford cruises past Armstrong to seize playoff spot
As he watched his football team stumble, fumble and bumble its way through most of the first quarter Friday night, Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane perhaps was figuring on a tougher test from visiting Armstrong. Turns out Ruane’s fretting was a bit premature. “We thought we had a slow start tonight,...
Theatre Factory prepares to stage ‘Beetlejuice Jr.’
Tyler Shaffer doesn’t know how many times he watched the 1988 Tim Burton gothic comedy, “Beetlejuice.” But it was a lot. “Watching it has been a Halloween tradition for my family forever,” said Shaffer, 16, of Jeannette, who will play the titular villain in the Theatre Factory’s production of “Beetlejuice...
Penn-Trafford inducts 8 alumni into Hall of Fame
Penn-Trafford inducted eight more people into its Alumni Hall of Fame Oct. 4 — including Penn Township’s former police chief, the CEO of the Westmoreland Cultural Trust and a district principal. The Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 2020, growing to 45 members this year. It seeks to...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Warriors rally to keep the Victory Bell
In the annual “Battle for the Bell’ against rival Gateway, Penn-Trafford rallied in the second half to win the game and retain the Victory Bell. The Warriors outscored the Gators, 26-0, in the second half for a 33-23 victory. The Gators led 13-0 and 23-7 in the first half. Ben...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Oct. 12, 2025
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Chalfant Michael Haberle sold property at 301 Chalfont St. to Lyle and Victoria Cope for $167,000. Churchill Estate of Thomas McManus sold property at 6 Garden Terrace to Olivia Myers for $225,000. Edgewood Royalty Properties Group LLC sold property at 114 Ivy St. to Joshua Aaron Hammerstein for...
Grabowski’s big runs help Penn-Trafford race past rival Franklin Regional
For Penn-Trafford junior running back Ben Grabowski, it was a near-perfect game. The junior saw plenty of green in front of him and was barely touched Friday night as he carried the ball four times for 172 yards (a 43-yards-per-carry average) and scored on three of those carries. That helped...
Penn Township dental office plans free care day for veterans, service members
A Penn Township dental office is joining ranks with similar practices in multiple states this week to provide free care to military veterans and service members. It’s the first year for the Pearl Dentistry office to participate in Freedom Day USA, a program founded in 2013 by a West Virginia...
Norwin clinches 1st outright section title in 6 years with win over Penn-Trafford
Fifth-ranked Norwin secured its first outright section championship since 2019 and ran its winning streak to 11 with a 1-0 victory over Penn-Trafford on Monday night in a Section 1-4A girls soccer game teeming with playoff atmosphere at Norwin Knights Stadium. The longtime Westmoreland County rivals staged another one of...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Nick Turowski sparks WVU to win at Nemacolin
Penn-Trafford grad and West Virginia sophomore Nick Turowski helped the Mountaineer golf team to a tournament victory. Turowski finished third overall, shooting an 8-under par 208, as the Mountaineers won the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational at Mystic Rock Golf Course in Farmington on Sept. 27-29. The Harrison City native had rounds...
Penn-Trafford blanks Norwin, looks to challenge for PIHL Class 2A title
Even though the Penn-Trafford hockey team graduated nine seniors and its leading scorer decided not to play, coach Brian Zagorac is not worried. The return of numerous starters combined with a talented group of underclassmen has Zagorac expecting another strong season. Penn-Trafford finished third (14-4-1-1, 45 points) behind Cathedral Prep...
