Penn Hills Progress category, Page 114
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...
Temporary fix keeping Penn Hills High School warm after boilers break
In a twist of events, Penn Hills High School is now too hot – even with a faulty heating system. But Superintendent Nancy Hines said it’s business as usual at the high school and the district is moving forward with a plan to keep the building comfortably warm until an...
Penn Hills real estate taxes expected to go up to help balance the district’s 2019-20 budget
The cash-strapped Penn Hills School District wants to raise property taxes by more than 6 percent as the school district struggles to balance next school year’s budget. School board members voted 8-0 Monday night to advertise its 2019-20 spending plan and seek exceptions to raise taxes beyond the Act 1...
Drug, DUI cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court – Jan. 28, 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 courtLashawn Barber, 44, of Verona on charges of endangering the welfare of children and...
Verona officials pass ordinance regulating brew pubs, breweries
Two new breweries and a cider house under construction in Verona have prompted borough officials to enact brew pub restrictions. “We wanted to have something on record so we can manage any additional ones,” Borough Manager Jerry Kenna said. “We hope that it attracts people to come into Verona, which...
Rodi Road in Wilkins Township closed because of water main break
A portion of Rodi Road in Wilkins Township is closed because of a water main break, according to Wilkins police. The portion of Rodi Road between Thomson Run Road and Penn Center Boulevard was closed Friday morning due “to a significant water main break.” A Nixle alert warned residents to...
Penn Hills fined $17.5K for Plum Creek Sewage discharge
Penn Hills owes the Allegheny County Health Department a fine after the agency found the Plum Creek Sewage Treatment Plant had discharged more contaminants than is allowed into Plum Creek 18 times from 2016 to 2018. The $17,500 fine stems from a 2018 “Discharge Monitoring Report” from the Plum Creek...
Heating fix at Penn Hills High School could cost up to $300,000
Penn Hills officials plan to reopen the district’s high school Wednesday but with a crippled heating system. Superintendent Nancy Hines said heat in the building was spotty Tuesday morning after walking through the entire high school. The district closed its high school Tuesday after learning Monday night that two of...
Penn Hills High School closed Tuesday due to heating issue
Penn Hills High School is closed Tuesday due to a malfunctioning boiler and no heat available in the building, school district officials announced late Monday. Teachers are to report to Linton Middle School. The middle and elementary schools still are on two-hour delays Tuesday due to freezing temperatures. An alert...
Penn Hills asks residents to avoid street parking ahead of weekend snow
The Penn Hills Department of Public Works is requesting residents to avoid on-street parking ahead of expected snowfall on Saturday and Sunday. The municipality’s Twitter account tweeted this Thursday morning: “Penn Hills Dept of Public Works is preparing for severe weather this weekend. Penn Hills is requesting that you utilize...
Penn Hills, Shaler, Wilkins among communities adapting to new recycling rules
On a recent wintry morning, a Penn Hills senior had her orange recycling bin placed at the curb ready for pickup as usual. But unlike other recycling days prior, Margaret Shafer, 85, wasn’t sure if the contents of her bin adhered to new guidelines. Shafer wasn’t aware of Scottdale-based Republic...
Drug, theft cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court – Jan. 14, 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 courtCollin Helsel, 36, of Penn Hills on charges of possession of controlled substances, possession...
Lack of information raising tensions in Penn Hills School District investigation
Frustrations continue to grow in Penn Hills as an investigation into school district’s finances stretches into its third year. “I’ve been in the community all my life,” said Heather Malone, resident and high school basketball booster. “It’s like we don’t have a voice, and it’s time for us to have...
Tips for Cops fundraiser for Penn Hills food banks slated for Feb. 19
The Penn Hills Police Department will raise money for local food banks next month during its third annual Tips for Cops event. Off-duty police officers will serve as waiters and waitresses at Mahon’s Restaurant at 7324 Saltsburg Road on Feb. 19. Proceeds from a 50/50 raffle, Chinese auctions, food sales...
Verona residents encouraged to recycle Christmas trees via Allegheny County’s program
Verona residents looking to dispose of their old Christmas trees are encouraged to do so through Allegheny County’s recycling program. Trees can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to dusk at nine regional county parks through Jan. 14. Verona Chamber of Commerce officials said the borough’s annual tree burning event...
Demolitions in Penn Hills halted due to partial government shutdown
Five Penn Hills houses slated for demolition will stand a little longer thanks to the partial federal government shutdown that started Dec. 22. Planner Damian Buccilli said the municipality’s contractor, Jadell Minniefield Construction Services, is unable to secure nearly $38,000 in bonds from the Small Business Administration, a federal agency....
Drugs, weapons 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 courtColleen Vogeding, 30, of Apollo on charges of possession of instruments of a crime,...
Assault, theft cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court – Jan. 5, 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 court • Antonio Hooe, 31, of Turtle Creek on charges of simple assault. Wilkins...
Road closures to take place Monday night in Verona
Another round of temporary moving road closures are expected to take place in Verona Monday night into early Wednesday morning. Closures would begin around 7 p.m. at Center Avenue between Allegheny River Boulevard and Diamond Way, move to South Avenue at Diamond and then James Street at Diamond. Inland Pipe...
Spousish 101 is a class only offered pass/fail
I’ve been studying a second language. It wasn’t something I chose to do — more like something I had to do. It’s much more difficult than I anticipated, and even though I’ve been studying it for quite a while, I’m still not fluent. My most recent lesson the other day...
