Michael DiVittorio stories
Quaker Valley School District officials approve 2026-27 budget
Quaker Valley School District property owners will pay about 3.5% more in real estate taxes as part of the next school year’s budget. No cuts to programs or services are included in the 2026-27 spending plan, which was approved by school directors in a 6-0 vote on May 20. Board...
Petal to the metal: Shaler artist sculpting pollinator piece for Sharpsburg Community Garden
Sharpsburg Community Garden soon will add a heavy metal touch to its ecosystem. Shaler artist Oreen Cohen has spent the better part of the past few months working on a pollinator-themed scrap metal sculpture for the garden next to the Sharpsburg Community Library along Main Street. Cohen, a Carnegie Mellon...
Quaker Valley High School students mark prom milestone
The life of a high schooler consists of multiple milestones. There’s the first and last day of school, field trips, homecoming, possibly getting a first job and learning how to drive. Few of those events have the glitz and glamour of prom. There’s the suits and dresses, the hair, the...
Leetsdale, Leet and Bell Acres firefighters move forward with merger
The proposed merger of three Quaker Valley area fire departments is moving forward. Firefighters from Leetsdale, Fair Oaks Volunteer Fire Protective Association in Leet and Big Sewickley Creek Volunteer Fire Department in Bell Acres voted on May 11 to become Quaker Valley Fire District. Each department held separate business meetings...
Man hospitalized after electric shock, fire at Greenfield house
A man was hospitalized after being electrically shocked while working on a home in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood Monday. Public Safety spokesperson Eliza Durham said police, fire and EMS were dispatched at about 4 p.m. to the 100 block of Greenfield Avenue for a report of a person shocked by an...
Monday’s heat hits 89, short of record high
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh said temperatures came close, but ultimately fell short of record-breaking heat Monday. NWS meteorologist Andrew Kienzle said Monday’s high was 89 degrees, as recorded at 5 p.m. at Pittsburgh International Airport. The highest temperature on record for May 18 was 91 degrees, set in...
Retired Greensburg-area priest charged with sex crimes, official oppression
A retired Catholic priest and former Pennsylvania State Police chaplain is facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a person at a home for priests in Unity Township and having an inappropriate relationship with another person. State police on Friday charged Robert Byrnes, 84, of Christ Our Shepherd Center, Unity, with...
Country music superstar Luke Bryan bringing his farm tour to Westmoreland County
County music superstar Luke Bryan is bringing his farm tour to the Latrobe area this fall. On Friday, the artist announced three new tour stops, including one at 1846 Farms in Unity Township on Sept. 17. The other new dates are Sept. 18 at Miller Family Farm in Millersport, Ohio,...
Indiana Township residents get more time to weigh in on housing proposal
A public hearing for a 172-unit planned residential development in Indiana Township was continued after more than a dozen residents spoke out against it. The township supervisors approved the continuance after more than two hours of testimony May 13. Mars-based Weaver Homes is the builder of the planned residential development...
Sewickley Memorial Day festivities set
Volunteers are finalizing plans for Sewickley’s 133rd Memorial Day parade and services. Sewickley United Methodist Church will have a veteran’s service at 11 a.m. May 24. The borough’s main streets are expected to be filled with families from throughout the Quaker Valley area on May 25, as many of the...
Pittsburgh man arrested in connection with shooting in the city’s Troy Hill neighborhood
A man was hospitalized and another arrested in connection with a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood. Brandon Noel, 22, is facing felony charges of aggravated assault and a misdemeanor charge of recklessly endangering another person for allegedly shooting a man Wednesday afternoon. Officers were dispatched to the 1900 block...
O’Hara officials working with PennDOT, Curbside on the Run, to address parking issuesVideo
Parking has become a serious problem for some O’Hara residents and patrons of a township cafe. Police have issued about 30 tickets within the past few weeks in connection with parking issues related to Curbside on the Run. The casual cafe, located near the intersection of Powers Run Road and...
Bench installed to honor former Fox Chapel mayor at family-named park
Nature lovers and trail enthusiasts exploring Fox Chapel parks have a new space to take a break. In what borough officials have called a fitting tribute to a former mayor, a bench recently was installed in Scott Park. Dedicated to Mayor Walter “Alex” Scott III, its inscription reads, “With gratitude...
A pair of Pittsburgh residents charged with drugs, firearms violations following Carrick investigation
Pittsburgh police say they recovered multiple guns and drugs and charged two city residents in connection with an investigation outside of a Carrick business. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz reported officers were conducting an investigation early Friday morning along the 1600 block of Brownsville Road. It resulted in the arrests...
Monroeville man taken into custody following standoff
A Monroeville man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside his townhome for hours Thursday. Charges are pending against the 65-year-old resident, whose name has not been released. Allegheny County Police SWAT team responded to the 200 block of Blue Grass Circle around 1 p.m. Negotiators made contact with...
Leetsdale teen working to improve the lives of cold-blooded friends
A Leetdale teen is working to find ways to improve the lives of some cold-blooded friends. Alexander “Sasha” Napolitano, 14, has volunteered at Off the Hook Exotic Pets in Ambridge for about a year and has taken a liking to caring for its various animals. The shop at 601 Merchant...
Sharpsburg Community Library courtyard reconstruction underway
A reconstruction project designed to boost outdoor programming and extend the life of a growing zelkova tree at Sharpsburg Community Library is underway. Crews from the Davey Tree Expert Co. in Richland began moving dirt and vegetation April 27 at 1212 Main St. One of two zelkova trees, both estimated...
Quaker Valley School Board approves lighting project at Bell Acres ballfield
Quaker Valley School District officials recently gave the green light to a proposed lighting project at the Bell Acres ball field despite several residents’ concerns about its environmental impact. The school board voted 8-0 on April 21 to move forward with a Quaker Valley Recreation Association plan to install six...
Fox Chapel, O’Hara and Sharpsburg approve joint paving project
Officials from Fox Chapel, O’Hara and Sharpsburg recently contracted with Shields Asphalt Paving for a multimillion-dollar paving project. The Bakerstown-based company was the lowest of five bidders, according to a report from engineering firm LSSE. The total cost is about $2.975 million. It included a base award of about $2.911...
Sewickley May Mart under new management
A beloved Sewickley-based flower-themed fundraiser is under new management. May Mart, a community event that usually brings in about 70 garden clubs, nurseries and nature-oriented businesses to the borough, is being organized by the Sewickley Valley Chamber of Commerce this year. It started in the 1960s and was run for...
Man shot in Garfield following domestic dispute
A man has been hospitalized and another was taken in for questioning in connection with a shooting in Pittsburgh on Monday night. Public Safety officials said officers were dispatched shortly after 7 p.m. to the 5000 block of Columbo Street in the city’s Garfield neighborhood following a domestic incident. A...
Divine Redeemer Parish may sue Sewickley if not permitted to demolish Herbst House
Sewickley council may face a federal lawsuit if it does not approve the demolition of a former convent known as the Herbst House. The building is owned by Divine Redeemer Parish and is located along Walnut Street in one of the borough’s historic districts. Parish attorney Robert Ridge brought up...
Aleppo firefighters working to adjust station siren, respond to residents’ complaints
The Aleppo Township Volunteer Fire Company is working to balance traditional emergency notifications with residents’ concerns. Since August, company officials have received several complaints about the fire station’s siren and have requested that it be silenced. One of the complaints was about it going off at 2 a.m. and 5...
Aspinwall Council approves plans for 4 townhomes at former church siteVideo
The construction of new townhouses soon will take place at the former Community United Methodist Church site in Aspinwall. Council recently approved land development and subdivision plans for the Amena Properties project. The unanimous vote April 8 helped clear the way for company founder and Aspinwall businessman Tony Pompeo Jr....
Leetsdale to host community meeting Sunday for boat launch master site plan
Leetsdale official want to hear from residents and visitors about what they would like to see at the borough boat launch and riverfront. The borough partnered with the consulting firm Pashek+MTR last year to create a master site plan for the area. Data collection began in September. The public launch...
