Penn Hills Progress category, Page 97
Drug ringleaders admit to moving 300 pounds of cocaine from L.A. to Penn Hills
A Georgia man admitted Friday to running a cross-country drug ring that moved as much as 300 pounds of cocaine from Los Angeles to Penn Hills in either an RV or a Mercedes-Benz van emblazoned with a promotional photo of “Sno Cold,” his rapper wife, officials said. Don Juan Mendoza,...
Penn Hills Senior Services Center celebrates Black History MonthVideo
It started with a question from a member of the Penn Hills Senior Services Center. “What is done to celebrate Black History Month at the center?” At the time, the answer was nothing. About a year later, the one who voiced the question, Janice Brookins, found herself without words as...
Genealogy group, teen advisory board and more at Penn Hills Library
Penn Hills Library will host the following events: • Kids Create: Legos from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 27 and March 2. • Zumba from 9-10 a.m. Feb. 29. • The library’s Genealogy group, led by Marilyn Cocchiola Holt of the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m....
Penn Hills native hunkering down in Italy as coronavirus spreads
Penn Hills native James Zanella said he’s not overly concerned — yet — about living roughly 40 miles away from the epicenter of Italy’s coronavirus outbreak. What worries him most is that Italian police have locked down 10 towns in the Lombardy region, which borders the Trentino region. Zanella lives...
Work on Nadine Road to start this week
Nadine Road in Penn Hills will be restricted to one lane starting Tuesday and will fully close in March for three months, Allegheny County officials announced Friday. The road will be restricted to one lane of traffic from Allegheny River Boulevard to Lincoln Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m....
Penn Hills felon caught with stolen gun at traffic stop gets 4 more years in prison
A Penn Hills man caught with a stolen gun in his waistband during a traffic stop will spend four years behind bars, federal prosecutors said. Christian Burrus, 38, who has prior convictions related to drug and gun charges, was arrested after Penn Hills police pulled over a vehicle he was...
Council approves 2020 Parks and Recreation events calendar
Penn Hills council approved the municipality’s Parks and Recreation events calendar for 2020, but not without a warning from two members. The events will begin this year with an Easter egg hunt from noon to 2 p.m. April 4 at Penn Hills Community Park, 120 Colorado St. The four municipal...
Penn Hills council shoots down proposed graffiti ordinance aimed at property owners
Penn Hills administration drafted an ordinance aimed at graffiti after a recent, “isolated” incident, but council shot it down after realizing the law makes the property owner responsible for cleaning up the vandalism. The ordinance would have placed into the municipality’s rule book a “tool to allow a code officer...
‘March Mayhem’ boxing card in Cheswick will feature local, regional fightersVideo
Local promoter Derek Gionta of Plum is excited to see more boxing events happening in the Steel City. “A friend of mine is doing cards three or four times a year, plus you have the Meadows and the Rivers casinos,” said Gionta, who is promoting a March 7 card, “March...
Proposed Nalani Johnson Rule would allow Amber Alerts to go out within minutes of abduction
What if an Amber Alert had been issued for Nalani Johnson sooner? An attorney who represented the toddler’s family after she was found dead days after her abduction out of Penn Hills used this question as the motivation behind a bill his law firm drafted, and which has gained the...
Blighted properties in Lincoln Park slated for demolition
Penn Hills council has slated four blighted properties in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of the municipality for demolition. Lutterman Excavating of Greensburg will tear down the homes for $34,250. The money used comes from federal Community Development Block Grant funding. The properties include 1293 and 1295 Blackadore Ave., 7490 Chadwick...
Fourth annual Tips for Cops fundraiser benefits food pantries around Penn HillsVideo
A police officer’s job is to protect and serve the public. Multiple Penn Hills officers recently did more of the latter at Mohan’s Restaurant as part of the department’s fourth annual Tips for Cops fundraiser for local food pantries. The parking lot and booths at 7324 Saltsburg Road were packed...
Rep. Conor Lamb hosting open house at new office in Penn Hills
U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, will open a district office in Penn Hills. The congressman plans to host an open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 22 at the 11 Duff Road office. He will be present during the informal event where he will meet with residents...
Penn Hills paramedics recognized for helping put out house fire
Two Penn Hills paramedics who responded to a January house fire received accolades recently for putting out the fire that could have spelled disaster for the 14 people living inside. Penn Hills Fire Marshal Chuck Miller said the fire was reported around 2 p.m. Jan. 22 at 7312 Highland View...
Penn Hills native and WWII veteran turns 100
A World War II veteran and former Penn Hills resident recently celebrated his centennial birthday. Army Cpl. Joseph DeCesare turned 100 last month. “I feel fine,” he said. “I feel stronger than anybody, even you.” The family had a party for him at Concordia of Monroeville, an assisted living facility....
Penn Hills, Verona real estate transactions for the week of Feb. 9
Penn Hills Valerie Sands sold property at 7969 Aber Road to Bianca Thomas for $40,000. Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. sold property at 202 Anthon Drive to LaRae Burks for $40,000. Romero Development LLC sold property at 11429 Azalea Drive to Carlow Ramirez for $180,000. Doris Anderson sold property at...
Driver hospitalized after crashing into creek in Penn Hills
A person was transported to a hospital after crashing into a creek in Penn Hills early Friday. Emergency responders were dispatched shortly after 2 a.m. to the intersection of Verona and Lincoln roads for a report of a vehicle on its roof in the creek. Police and firefighters assisted the...
Cops: Penn Hills woman stopped on turnpike carrying 550 bricks of heroin
State police stopped a Penn Hills woman on Wednesday for driving erratically on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County. Soon, troopers reported that they discovered she was transporting a stash of heroin with a street value of more than $500,000. Sarena V. Howard, 34, was pulled over around 1:30 p.m....
Man convicted of guarding Penn Hills drug house gets 2 years in prison
A man convicted of guarding a Penn Hills drug house linked to Mexican drug cartels was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Pittsburgh to almost two years in federal prison. Chace Johnson, 21, must serve three years of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence, according to federal prosecutors....
Penn Hills area real estate transactions for the week of Feb. 2
Penn Hills Federal National Mortgage Assn. sold property at 734 Seventh St. to Alex Dapper for $107,000. Darnell Rankins sold property at 11347 Althea Drive to Ross Snow and Thomas Rossini for $20,000. Leslie Douglass sold property at 214 Anthon Drive to Latia Barnett for $88,000. Arlene Sebastian sold property...
Penn Hills woman charged in kidnapping, death of Nalani Johnson to stand trial
A Penn Hills woman will stand trial on charges she kidnapped and killed a toddler last year and left the child in an Indiana County Park. All charges against Sharena Nancy were held for court Friday during a preliminary hearing. In addition to kidnapping and homicide, she is charged with...
Penn Hills man caught with 36 bricks of heroin, fentanyl pleads guilty in federal court
A Penn Hills man caught last summer with 36 bricks of heroin and fentanyl at his residence pleaded guilty this week to federal drug and guns charges, prosecutors said Thursday. Antwon Shamar Bonner, 21, admitted as part of his guilty plea to possessing with the intent to sell large amounts...
Verona teen arrested, charged with attempted homicide in Wilkins shooting
A Verona teenager was arrested Thursday for allegedly shooting another teenager in Wilkins last week , Allegheny County Police said. Shawn Nazier Frye-Culbreth, 16, is charged as an adult with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, theft of a motor vehicle, theft, receiving stolen property, firearms violations and criminal conspiracy in connection...
Penn Hills School District’s preliminary budget adopted, tax increase likelyVideo
Penn Hills School District officials moved a step closer to plugging an estimated $6 million budget shortfall and possibly raising real estate taxes more than 7%. School directors voted 7-0 Wednesday night to adopt their 2020-21 preliminary budget, which includes a 2.0319-mill hike and no program cuts. Board members Evelyn...
After brief hiatus, Penn Hills and Monroeville police bring back Citizens Academy classes
The Penn Hills and Monroeville police departments are bringing back the spring Citizens Academy after a brief hiatus in the fall. The eight-week course, usually held twice per year, was canceled in the fall of 2019 because the police departments did not have enough people signed up. “Most people I...
