Michael DiVittorio stories

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has formally issued the cause and manner of death of a Castle Shannon teen who died in a house fire in September. Lakyn Shelleby, 19, died of thermal injuries and inhalation of products of combustion. Her death was ruled a homicide, according to a...

A celebration of the changing seasons is expected to draw many families to Aspinwall this month. Fall in the Wall takes over the town on Oct. 11. Presented by Aspinwall Chamber of Commerce, the annual festival features pumpkin and face painting, pony rides, balloon artists, music, magicians, arts and crafts,...

An autumn celebration is set to return to Emmerling Community Park in Indiana Township. The second annual Fall Fest is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 11. Presented by the township and its police department, more than 200 people attended the inaugural event last year. Organizer Lt. Kirk...

Fox Chapel Area School District officials are seeking assistance from parents, business owners and other members from its various communities in crafting its next comprehensive plan. The state Department of Education requires school districts to submit a comprehensive plan every three years. Fox Chapel Area’s current plan expires at the...

Organizers have pressed the start button on the fifth annual Pittsburgh Gaming Expo. Festivities kicked off Friday afternoon at the Monroeville Convention Center, 209 Mall Plaza Blvd. The event continues Saturday and Sunday with pinball tournaments and cosplay contests set for both days. Brian Wissner, expo co-founder and co-owner, expects...

Quaker Valley School District officials plan to spend about $1.93 million to overhaul Edgeworth Elementary’s HVAC system. The school directors voted 8-0 on Sept. 23 to award the renovation project to Wexford-based McClure Co. Board Vice President Daniela Helkowski was absent. Charlie Gauthier, district director of facilities and administrative services,...

A woman and her two German Shepherds are staying with relatives after a fire nearly destroyed her Latrobe home Thursday evening. Firefighters responded to the blaze shortly after 7 p.m. at 315 Chambers St. Fire Chief John Brasile said initial investigation indicates it started from a grill on a porch...

A man was shot and killed Thursday night in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood. Public Safety officials said officers were dispatched at 6:53 p.m. to the 600 block of Perry Street. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner on Friday identified the victim as Gerald L. Bogan III, 23, of East Liberty. Responders...

An Aspinwall businessman will have to rethink his plans for an old church site after the borough’s zoning hearing board denied variance requests for proposed townhomes. Amena Properties founder Tony Pompeo Jr. hoped to create five townhomes along the 400 block of Center Avenue, where the Community United Methodist Church...

Blawnox residents and those from surrounding communities came together in the community park for a celebration a century in the making. The borough marked its 100th anniversary with multiple live acts, various artisans, animals, activities and a drone show on Sept. 20. The most important part of it all was...

Ross police are investigating a gunfight that took place in a parking lot at the Ross Park Mall on Tuesday evening. Emergency calls for the incident came in shortly before 8 p.m. The incident occurred near the Dick’s Sporting Goods and Nordstrom store, according to news partners WTAE. Ross Township...

A son charged with killing his father after an argument in East Pittsburgh earlier this month has turned himself in to police. Tayron Reid, 19, was taken into custody Monday, Allegheny County Police reported. He is charged with criminal homicide for the murder of 45-year-old Ta’Ron Reid, who was found...

Blawnox officials are looking to expand a memorial brick program to allow families of non-veterans to honor present and past residents and others with a borough connection. Borough manager Kathy Ulanowicz said folks have been clamoring to create such solid recognition of beloved family members and friends ever since Blawnox...

Leetsdale resident Whitney Gresham remembers when the Henle Park trees weren’t as tall. She said the family had a great view of the Fourth of July fireworks from their home about a block away from the recreation site. The park’s natural beauty and potential were a major factor in moving...

Aleppo is mourning the loss of one of its commissioners while welcoming a new board member to finish his remaining term. Dan Darragh, who was described as a devoted man of faith and family, died Sept. 2. Appointed to the board in January 2016 for a two-year term, Darragh was...

O’Hara police recently read to children at A Place to Grow Learning Center in the township. Police Superintendent Jay Davis, Deputy Superintendent Pat Goodman and social worker Kayla Somerville met with the estimated 200 youths ages 12 weeks to 5 years old on Sept. 4. It was for the center’s...

Sewickley Public Library is open in a limited capacity following a heating and air conditioning system malfunction caused flooding in its community room and nonfiction area. Spokeswoman Richelle Klug said they were fortunate most of the books and other materials were not damaged when a heating coil failed Sept. 19....

A handful of Fox Chapel teens will have a front row seat to observe how their hometown government works. In an expansion of its junior council program, borough officials welcomed four new members on Sept. 15: Fox Chapel Area High School junior Aiden Drucker, Shady Side Academy juniors Anna Grace...

A new drinking establishment has been proposed next to Mambo Italia in Sewickley. Sarah Free, a part-time manager at the popular restaurant at 424 Broad St., plans to open up her own speakeasy in the same building in February. The Seven Fields resident made her pitch to borough council as...

Celebrity interior designer-turned-Sewickley business owner Leanne Ford plans to expand her reach in the borough by transforming a former flower shop into an Airbnb. The building is a 2,170-square-foot, three-story Victorian-style structure at 524 Locust Place. It was bought for $665,000 in July 2024 by Axel LLC, according to online...

Multiple Fox Chapel Area School District parents and guardians received an erroneous automated message that their child was absent from school Wednesday. Officials posted a message about the error on the district’s website and Facebook page. Several parents/guardians expressed their frustrations and concerns about the incident. One called it a...

Penn Hills police are working to identify who invaded someone’s home in the municipality’s Rosedale neighborhood. Police Chief Jason Bonace said the incident took place around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, along Moore Avenue. Bonace said it remains an active investigation, and no further details were released as of Wednesday...

Sewickley Valley Chamber of Commerce officials are celebrating what was described as a successful Night Mart season. Night Marts are the summer vendor and artist gatherings the last Friday of June, July and August in Sewickley’s business district. Organizers estimate between 2,000 and 3,000 people attended the final Mart of...

A Chester man who spent more than nine months as one of the 10 most wanted fugitives in Pennsylvania was arrested Monday night at a home in Pittsburgh’s North Side, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Daryl Beckett Jr., 36, was arrested by Pittsburgh police and Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency...

Plans for a memorial honoring current and former soldiers from Leet are moving forward. Commissioners voted unanimously Sept. 8 to award an $11,000 war memorial project to Rochester-based Rome Monument. The granite structure will be built in the heart of Ambridge Avenue Park, a short walk from the township office....