Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 105

Plum School District will be closed Thursday due to Wednesday’s heavy snowfall. A message from Superintendent Brendan Hyland about the snow day was posted on the district’s twitter page and newsfeed. The closure was in large part a result of Wednesday’s snow storms. “Students are directed to close their Chromebooks,...

Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified a body that was recovered from the Allegheny River on Wednesday morning. Officials said it was David Lesser, 54, of Shaler. Allegheny County homicide detectives were notified shortly before 8:30 a.m. of a body in the river near Pine Creek. Lt. Venerando Costa...

Pittsburgh police continue to search for a manaccused of killing an East Liberty woman last month. Terrence Washington, 36, of Pittsburgh is wanted on charges of criminal homicide and firearms violations in connection with the Nov. 10 killing of Makeida Thompson. Police responded to a home along the 5700 block...

Penn Hills school board has selected a retired state auditor as its newest member. Joseph Capozoli was appointed to the board and sworn in at Tuesday night’s meeting. He was selected out of four candidates and appointed by a 6-2 vote. Board members Elizabeth Rosemeyer and Meryl Thomas voted for...

A volunteer fire company in Jefferson Hills has not responded to emergency calls for nearly two years. It may be another year or so until it does as council once again failed to recertify Gill Hall nor did it formally recognize Gill Hall and Jefferson Hills Fire Rescue as the...

Jefferson Hills property owners will not have to worry about their real estate taxes going up as a result of the borough’s 2021 budget. Council unanimously voted Monday night to approve next year’s spending plan and maintain the current tax rate of 5.66 mills. Council vice president Dave Montgomery said...

West Jefferson Hills School District officials announced all students will learn online the next few days as a result of six positive cases reported Saturday. Classes will be virtual through at least Wednesday. A letter sent to parents over the weekend says the cases spread over four buildings and puts...

South Fayette officials plan to honor veterans from the township by hanging military banners next year. Community development coordinator Andrea Iglar discussed the idea during this month’s commissioners meeting. The presentation is available on the township’s website. “We look forward to being able to recognize the men and women who...

South Fayette Township property owners will not have to worry about a real estate tax hike as part of next year’s municipal budget. Commissioners unanimously adopted their 2021 spending plan Wednesday. It maintains the millage rate at 4.73 mills, the same as the past few years. Projected revenue and expenditures...

For business owners like John Clark of Clark’s Diner in Lower Burrell, the new covid mitigation efforts instituted by Gov. Tom Wolf are as much of a threat to his workers’ livelihood as the virus itself. As a result, he’s ignoring them and allowing indoor dining to continue — in...

At least three people were shot outside of a bar in Monaca early Saturday morning. Borough police said they responded to the shooting incident just after midnight outside of Whiskey Rhythm Bar along the 1200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Information about the victims, including their conditions, was not released. Anyone...

Plum homeowners should not expect to see their real estate tax rates go up next year, but their water and sewage bills will increase slightly. Letters were to be sent out this month to Plum Borough Municipal Authority customers informing them of the rate hike, which will be reflected in...

A Sewickley woman has used her sewing talents to keep people safe and raise more than $12,000 for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden. It all started in March when covid-19 cases reached pandemic proportions and a friend asked Cheryl Redmond to make masks for area nurses. “It’s really...

A man was hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in the stomach in Pittsburgh’s Arlington neighborhood Thursday. Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews said city police responded to a ShotSpotter alert and 911 call for a shooting around 6:10 p.m. along the 200 block of Rothman Street. Officers located the...

Plum High School’s sixth annual Stuff-a-Bus toy drive will be in a different format this year due to the covid-19 pandemic. The event is still set for 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday in the high school parking lot at 900 Elicker Road. However, there will be no hot chocolate...

SouthBridge EMS, the ambulance service provider for Cecil and South Fayette townships and Bridgeville, is in some financial distress due covid-19. Executive Director Daniel Miller said patient transports dropped by 40% in March and April. Calls also went from an average of 230 per month to about 150, and transportation...

Erin Vecchio and Jackie Blakey-Tate were named Penn Hills school board president and vice president, respectively. The board unanimously voted at its Nov. 1 reorganization meeting to keep Vecchio in her leadership role for the fifth straight year. She is in her fifth nonconsecutive term on the board. She was...

Serra Catholic High School in McKeesport will resume in-person instruction on Wednesday, according to Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh officials. However, all athletic and extracurricular activities are suspended due to possible covid-19 exposure. Spokesman Bob DeWitt said the school has also taken other student action out of an abundance of caution....

Mike Devine and Michael Caliguiri will remain Plum School Board president and vice president, respectively. The board voted to keep both men in the top leadership roles at its Dec. 1 reorganization meeting. Devine was reappointed by a 5-4 vote while Caliguiri received unanimous support. “I’m happy that the majority...

Quaker Valley School District has a school board new president and vice president. Jonathan Kuzma and Marna Blackmer were unanimously appointed to the board’s top two leadership positions at the Dec. 1 reorganization meeting, respectively. Kuzma is in his second four-year term on the board and served this year as...

A man was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the face in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood Monday night. Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews said officers responded to a Shotspotter alert for a shooting around 9:30 p.m. along the 1500 block of Bingham Street. Responding officers were later notified...

Oakmont property owners should not expect to pay more in real estate taxes or garbage collection as part of next year’s borough budget. “We’re 99% done. That’s a big relief,” said councilwoman and finance committee chair Nancy Ride after Monday night’s near four-hour budget workshop. It’s been about five years...

At least one person was injured in a crash in Penn Hills on Saturday evening. Allegheny County dispatch said three vehicles collided along Verona Road near Sandy Creek Road around 7:43 p.m. Police and EMS were treating at least one person at the scene for injuries. It was unclear if...

Plum School District will move to all remote learning through Jan. 4, district officials announced Wednesday. It is one of several districts in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties to make the change this month from hybrid in-person classes to virtual schooling due to surging covid-19 cases. “We will continue to monitor...