Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 123
Oakmont officials keep business district parking restrictions in place
Oakmont officials announced the borough’s three-hour parking restriction along Allegheny River Boulevard will remain and will be enforced. The issue came up at a July 6 workshop in response to social media chatter about borough police ticketing employees and owners near their shops in the business district. “The complaints (we’re)...
Penn Hills senior celebration canceled, graduation still scheduled at high school stadium
Penn Hills School District officials have canceled their senior celebration due to Allegheny County’s increased restrictions during the covid-19 pandemic. County officials recently renewed restrictions on gatherings to 25 people or less and implemented voluntary stay-at-home protocols for residents, because of spikes in coronavirus cases. District officials said they had...
Plum School District recognized by Pittsburgh food bank for its breakfast, student nutrition efforts
The Plum School District has made great strides the past year or two in student nutrition. It launched a Summer Food Service Program at Holiday Park Elementary and served 70 children Mondays through Thursdays from July 15 through Aug. 1. District Food Services Director Jessica Griggle also brought in Second...
No tax increase, program cuts included in Plum School District’s 2020-21 budget
Plum property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes, and all student programs remain in place as part of the school district’s 2020-21 budget. School directors unanimously approved next school year’s spending plan Tuesday night. Projected revenues were listed at about $63.44 million and expenses at...
Man taken into custody following a SWAT standoff in Sharpsburg
A man was taken into custody following a SWAT situation in Sharpsburg on Tuesday night. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said the incident began around 7:45 p.m. at a home along the 200 block of Tenth Street. News partner WPXI said a person was apprehended shortly before 10 p.m. No...
Plum School District recognized by Pittsburgh food bank for its breakfast, student nutrition efforts
The Plum School District has made great strides the past year or two in student nutrition. It launched a Summer Food Service Program at Holiday Park Elementary and served 70 children Mondays through Thursdays from July 15 through Aug. 1. District Food Services Director Jessica Griggle also brought in Second...
Pittsburgh man faces federal charges in police car fire during May 30 protests
A Pittsburgh man faces federal charges, accused of setting fire to an unmarked police car during a protest downtown. Devin Montgomery, 24, was charged with malicious destruction of property using fire or explosives in connection with an incident May 30 near the Fifth Avenue entrance to PPG Paints Arena. Authorities...
Police: Man wanted for 3 stabbings in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood apprehended
A Pittsburgh man wanted in connection with three stabbings in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood is in custody. City police report Melvin Banks, 35, was arrested Monday. He’s charged with aggravated assault, providing false identification to law enforcement, homicide and attempted homicide, according to online court documents. Charges stem from a...
Penn Hills School District officials raise taxes, maintain programs in 2020-21 budget
Penn Hills School District officials maintained all programs and raised real estate taxes as part of their 2020-21 budget. School directors unanimously approved a 3.6% tax hike on June 29. The increase brings the new tax rate to 29.6965 mills, a 1.0319-mill jump from the current rate. District Business Manager...
Police: Man wanted for helping protesters destroy property, raid businesses
Investigators with the Damage Assessment and Accountability Task Force are seeking the public’s help to identify a man they say helped rioters vandalize an unmarked police car and burglarized stores during the May 30 protests in Pittsburgh. City police tweeted photos of the man, who was wearing gray sweatpants, a...
Penn Hills School District to replace middle school security guards with youth engagement specialists
Penn Hills School District officials believe a change in security measures may help improve student behavior at Linton Middle School. Superintendent Nancy Hines announced youth engagement specialists may replace security guards at the sixth through eighth grade school. The specialists are expected to come from Pressley Ridge, a Pittsburgh-based organization...
Pitt police: Man sought after stabbing in Oakland
A man was stabbed Friday evening in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood and city and University of Pittsburgh police are investigating. The man was stabbed shortly after 7 p.m. Friday along the 500 block of Oak Hill Drive, University of Pittsburgh police said. The suspect fled in a black vehicle toward Eckstein...
Vandergrift man accused of throwing water bottle at Pittsburgh police arrested
A Vandergrift man accused of throwing a bottle of water at police during a June 1 protest in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood has been arrested. Investigators with the Damage Assessment and Accountability Task Force, with assistance from Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office and the Vandergrift Police Department, arrested Benjamin Reynolds, 28,...
Oakmont Greek Food Festival continues this weekend with drive-thru format, same recipesVideo
Just about everything has changed but the recipes at the Oakmont Greek Food Festival this year. Gone are the lines for honey balls and the honey balls themselves as organizers went with a limited menu and drive-thru operations due to the covid-19 pandemic. Traditional music and dancing in the parking...
County health department issues consumer warning for a Ross market
A consumer alert has been issued by the Allegheny Health Department for the Oriental Market on McKnight Road in Ross. Eight crates of sliced fish were found Thursday sitting directly outdoors under no protection in the parking lot during an inspection, the department said. Flies were also observed on the...
Swissvale shooting victim identified
The victim of a shooting Thursday in Swissvale has been identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Kellyn Toliver, 31, of Pittsburgh, was shot just before 6:30 p.m. along the 2000 block of Noble Street, county police said. First responders and police searched the area and found that Toliver ran...
Penn Hills Rotary awards scholarships to three graduating seniors
Three Penn Hills High School seniors were recently awarded $1,000 scholarships by the Penn Hills Rotary Club. Recipients were Taylor Clayborn, Katrice Stallworth and Claire McDevitt. The ceremony took place June 19 at Three Lakes Golf Course along Saltsburg Road. Rotary officials said scholarship sponsors were Krise Transportation, Grifols and...
Person flown to a hospital after motorcycle crash in North Versailles
A person was flown to a hospital after being injured in a motorcycle accident in North Versailles, according to an Allegheny County emergency dispatcher. The crash happened shortly before 7:30 p.m. Thursday along the 900 block of Dixon Avenue. Dixon Avenue and part of East Pittsburgh/McKeesport Boulevard have been blocked...
Police: Butler man arrested, two others sought in vandalism during May 30 Pittsburgh protest
A Butler man was arrested Thursday and accused of aggravated assault and other crimes in connection with the May 30 protests in Downtown Pittsburgh. Jordan Erdos, 20, was apprehended and taken to the Allegheny County Jail, police said. Erdos is charged with riot, recklessly engendering another person, aggravated assault and...
Plum pizza shop debuts waffle lunch specialVideo
Plum resident Paytn McCune’s creativity spreads like sauce on pizza dough. It’s one reason the Lelulo’s Pizzeria owner came up with a new take on a breakfast item to make lunch the most important meal of the day. She debuted a waffle pizza Thursday afternoon made with fresh tomatoes, spinach...
3 police officers, Mad Mex employee test positive for covid-19 in Monroeville
Three police officers and a Mad Mex employee have tested positive for covid-19 in Monroeville. This was confirmed Thursday by municipal officials and the restaurant’s Facebook page Thursday. Monroeville Manager Tim Little said via email that the municipality “is following all Center for Disease Control guidelines with respect to positive...
Hampton officials amend reopening plan to allow facility usage by athletic clubs
Hampton youth swimmers will be allowed to have organized activities at the township pool as officials have amended their covid-19 reopening and future operations plan. Hampton Athletic Association ball players will also be on township fields a little earlier than expected as council voted 4-0 Wednesday night to adopt a...
Police: Oakmont family charged with death of 3-year-old girl
A third person wanted in connection with the death of a 3-year-old girl in Oakmont turned herself into Allegheny County Police headquarters Thursday morning. Police had issued a warrant for Alexis Herrera, 20, after charging her, along with the victim’s father, Jose Salazar-Ortiz Sr., 29, and stepmother, Laura Ramriez, 27,...
Plum ends fight against injection well project
After losing three legal battles and about $32,000, Plum is giving up the fight against an injection well project. Further conflicts with Penneco Environmental Solutions could be extremely expensive and likely futile, according to borough officials. “We were advised as to our risks and outcomes by our solicitor,” Councilman Mike...
Man accused of assaulting police horse during Pittsburgh protests
Pittsburgh police on Tuesday arrested a man suspected of assaulting a police horse and vandalizing a squad car during Downtown protests. Raekwon Blankenship, 24, of Crafton was arrested in connection with criminal acts that took place during the May 30 protests. Police charged him with aggravated assault, criminal mischief, riot,...
