Penn Hills Progress category, Page 60
Penn Hills grad creates scholarship in effort to give back to community
A Penn Hills High School graduate wanted to find a way to give back to her community after seeing the financial burden college students go through upon graduating from Morgan State University in 2008. “I got bogged down with student loans. I wished someone had given me knowledge on finances...
Penn Hills woman pleads guilty to embezzling nearly $76,000 from Pittsburgh firm
A Penn Hills woman has pleaded guilty in federal court after prosecutors say she embezzled just under $75,800 from Pittsburgh-based Gleason & Associates. Jennifer R. Snider, 52, of Hulton Road, worked at the company as a comptroller in 2019 and 2020 when she allegedly embezzled the funds, said U.S. Attorney’s...
Penn Hills man pleads guilty to 2019 fatal hit-and-run crashVideo
A Penn Hills man pleaded guilty Monday morning to homicide by vehicle and leaving the scene of a fatal accident in the death and dragging of a man three years ago. Surron Burch, 24, faces a mandatory penalty of 3 to 6 years in prison when he is sentenced by...
Penn Hills wrestler hits reset button, earns spot in WPIAL tournament
Not placing at the Allegheny County Wrestling championships earlier this season didn’t sit well with Penn Hills sophomore Aidan Pham. The 189-pound Indians sophomore wrestler decided to refocus on training after bowing out quicker than he hoped. “It made me work harder,” Pham said. “I believed I had more potential...
Penn Hills boys basketball takes stock after WPIAL loss to Highlands
Penn Hills boys basketball Chris Giles was ultimately unconcerned with how the WPIAL chooses to determine which teams go to the state basketball playoffs. It doesn’t matter if it is the follow-the-leader system in place now or if there is a play-in tournament like there was previously. When it comes...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of March 6, 2022
Churchill Robert Render sold property at 3619 McCrady Road to Jordan D’Ambrosio for $310,000. Jon Patrick Hansen sold property at 1630 Williamsburg Pl to Flavia Laun for $225,000. Edgewood Philip Roy Currie sold property at 1208 Savannah Ave. to Stephen Panicho for $370,500. Forest Hills Robin Wagner sold property at...
Penn Hills man’s Ukrainian family has history of resisting Russian invasions
Bohdan Czmola’s family has a history of opposing the Russians. A son of Ukrainian immigrants, Czmola, 70, of Penn Hills said his grandfather, Ivan Czmola, was one of three founders of Plast, a Ukrainian scouting organization for boys in 1911. When Ukraine declared independence from Russia in 1918, Czmola’s grandfather...
Penn Hills bus garage parking lot expansion plans on pause
Plans for an expansion of a Penn Hills bus garage parking lot along Saltsburg Road were put on pause as council considers amending its zoning ordinance. Krise Transportation has served as Penn Hills School District’s main bus service provider for years. There are about 170 employees and about 150 buses...
Pittsburgh group Black, Young & Educated grows to keep amplifying Black youth’s voices
Created three years ago by high school students, a Pittsburgh group to increase the visibility of Black youth’s voices continues to grow along with its founders. Black, Young & Educated (BYE) is, among other projects, planning to create a documentary called “We Got Power,” highlighting the Black experience in Pittsburgh....
Penn Hills graduate, Upper Burrell resident publishes her own book
After living in others’ fantasy worlds, Penn Hills High School graduate and Upper Burrell resident Jenna E. Faas was ready to create her own. Writing has been a core passion for Faas, who remembers her mom reading books to her before bedtime at 5 years old. Although she was unable...
Penn Hills demolition plans in various stages
Multiple blighted and unsafe buildings will be demolished this year in Penn Hills. Municipal planning director Chris Blackwell said plans to take down just under 40 properties are in various stages – from 19 properties under contract for demolition and a recent grant application for five more. “Penn Hills has...
Penn Hills School District hires alum Charles Morris as head football coach
Community, family and character were arguments for both sides of the Penn Hills head football coach debate at a special school board meeting on Monday, where the board approved the hiring of Charles Morris to the position. Brian Tarrant was also a candidate for the job. “I’m excited to get...
Monessen STEM instructor earns grant as Educator of the Year finalist
Matthew Strine’s students at Monessen Middle/High School have explored the fields of business and technology by using 3-D printers to create and sell custom key chains and cube-shaped fidget toys. It’s part of the district Maker Space program the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teacher has worked to initiate...
Penn Hills swim team looking to improve with more time in pool
Entering this season, Penn Hills swimming coach Nick Page wanted to see the Indians make solid progress throughout the year. With the makeup of the preseason roster, Penn Hills wasn’t going to be a team that won many meets or qualified a ton of swimmers for the WPIAL Class 3A...
Penn Hills notebook: Shot putter’s strong indoor season continues
Having already qualified for the state indoor track championship didn’t mean Angelo Allen was done stacking up strong results. The Penn Hills senior thrower’s distance of 57 feet, 5 inches won him the Tri-State Track Coaches Association title Feb. 19 at Edinboro University. Allen, who has the top throw in...
Eastern suburban Pittsburgh real estate transactions for the week of Feb. 27, 2022
Churchill Estate of Marylyn Knolle sold property at 2525 Greensburg Pike Apt 305 to Andrea Bullock for $180,000. Aaron Billger sold property at 2416 Marbury Road to Paul Jeffrey and Gail Elizabeth Roup for $482,085. Edgewood Brian Henry sold property at 1220 E End Ave. to Brian Wallace for $335,000....
Highlands storms back to beat Penn Hills in WPIAL quarterfinals
The Highlands Golden Rams erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and held Penn Hills scoreless over the last 3 minutes, 43 seconds of the game to pull out a thrilling 51-49 victory Thursday night at Penn Hills. The Indians had leads of 41-31 and 43-33, but junior Jimmy Kunst came up...
Following attorney general’s legal action against Martino Motors, buyers share stories of faulty vehicles
Jennifer Canonico was not surprised when Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro took legal action against Martino Motors on Rodi Road in early February for “continued sales of vehicles that are not ‘roadworthy.’ ” The former Munhall resident has her own story. She often drove past the used car dealer on...
Police: Verona woman took daughter she didn’t have custody of to Illinois
A Verona faces woman kidnapping and other charges for taking a daughter over whom she did not have custody to Illinois, according to police. Brandi Bailey, 34, is charged with kidnapping, burglary, interfering with the custody of a child, concealing the whereabouts of a child and endangering the welfare of...
Penn Hills School Board votes to remove plaques
Penn Hills School Board voted to remove plaques commemorating the school board members who were in office when Penn Hills High School and Penn Hills Elementary School were opened in 2012 and 2014. It was a move described by both board President Erin Vecchio and a resident opposed to the...
Police: Penn Hills man caught with fentanyl, crystal meth following traffic stop
A Penn Hills man wanted on assault charges was in possession of fentanyl and crystal methamphetamine when he was pulled over for a traffic stop on Tuesday night, according to police. Iedoniae K. Cole, 29, of Newfield Road in Penn Hills was pulled over just before 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday...
Verner Elementary School celebrates Twosday
Verner Elementary in Verona celebrated a very special mathematical day on Feb. 22, 2022, when they recognized palindrome day – or 22.02.2022. A palindrome means that the date is read the same whether it’s read forward or backward. And interestingly enough, the day is also an ambigram, meaning it is...
Retired Lower Burrell electrician sparks interest in lamp figurines via Penn Hills marketplace
When Willard “Bill” Booth decided to retire after being an electrician for 38 years, he decided to use his skills to pursue a fun hobby. The 60-year-old started making industrial-styled pipe lamps out of repurposed electrical parts and miscellaneous objects. His specialized hobby has produced figurines of baseball players, musicians,...
In brief: Community coffee, PALS meeting and more around Penn Hills
Community Coffee Hebron Community Center holds a Community Coffee from 8:30 to 10 a.m. every Monday and Wednesday in the Barclay Building on Frankstown Road. For more information, visit hebroncc.org. Scholarship available The Bob Williams Rotary Memorial Scholarship Program announces the availability of scholarships for the 2022-23 academic year. In...
Pittsburgh’s eastern suburban real estate transactions for the week of Feb. 20, 2022
Churchill Nancy Carpenter sold property at 2300 Forest Drive to Adam Bates and Abigail Kalnas for $187,000. Edgewood Heather Elise Gomer Kirschner sold property at 123 Pennwood Ave. to Kelly Currie for $209,000. Forest Hills Estate of Karen McMahon sold property at 285 Barclay Ave. to Carl and Susan Depasquale...
