Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 124
Police: Vehicle suspected in Wilkinsburg homicide located in Rankin
Allegheny County police on Monday said they located a vehicle suspected of being involved in a Wilkinsburg homicide. A 27-year-old man died Sunday after being shot in the head near the intersection of Ardmore Boulevard and Marlboro Avenue late that morning. Officers were looking for a silver and green sedan...
S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes marks 50th anniversary in Pittsburgh this yearVideo
Wooden puzzles, action figures, card and board games may seem old-fashioned to those playing the latest electronics or virtual reality contraption. However, it’s those hand-held items and more that has kept S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes around for half a century. Owner Jack Cohen, 73, of Shadyside, said he’s grateful...
Fire at Springdale plant sends firefighter to hospital
A firefighter was taken to a hospital for possible heat exhaustion Friday after battling a fire at the Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale. Multiple fire and EMS companies responded to the plant along the 100 block of Porter Street around 5:40 p.m. Springdale fire Chief Kevin Wilhelm said insulation on...
Baldwin-Whitehall School District reopening plans released amid school transitions
Baldwin-Whitehall School District officials are planning around the covid-19 pandemic while transitioning former elementary school students to a repurposed middle school. The aging K-5 W.R. Paynter Elementary School closed in June. Those children will be moved to the J.E. Harrison Middle School, also referred to as Harrison Education Center. The...
Police: Pittsburgh man wanted for murder in Knoxville shooting
A warrant has been issued for a Pittsburgh man in connection with a homicide in the city’s Knoxville neighborhood. Montez Freeman, 38, is wanted on charges of homicide and person not to possess firearms, authorities announced Thursday. Charges stem from an incident early Wednesday morning along Knox Avenue. Freeman’s accused...
Pittsburgh man arrested in connection with police vehicle fire during Downtown protests
A Pittsburgh man facing charges in connection with a police vehicle fire during the May 30 protests Downtown has been arrested. Authorities said Devin Montgomery, 24, turned himself in to investigators Thursday. He’s accused of setting fire to an unmarked police vehicle near the Fifth Avenue entrance to PPG Paints...
Woman in serious condition after being hit, pinned by car in the Strip District
A woman has been hospitalized in serious condition after being hit and pinned by a vehicle in the Strip District. Authorities tell Trib news partner WPXI-TV that the woman was struck near the intersection of 17th Street and Liberty Avenue around 4 p.m. Thursday. Medics used airbags to lift the...
South Fayette pushes back start, end of school year because of coronavirus concerns
South Fayette School District officials have changed the proposed start and end of the upcoming school year because of covid-19 concerns. The school board voted 6-1 Tuesday night to adjust the 2020-21 school calendar to move the first day of school from Aug. 19 to Sept. 2 and the last...
West Jefferson Hills School District reopening plans include most students returning to buildings
West Jefferson Hills School District officials are planning for most students to return to schools next month. That is based on survey results revealed Wednesday night during a virtual forum with Superintendent Michael Ghilani. More than 74% of 3,000-plus survey respondents said they want their children in in-person classes for...
Riverview School District presents reopening plan
Oakmont and Verona families will have the option of their students returning to schools or continuing online learning as part of Riverview School District’s reopening plan. “We know family circumstances can change, student health can change at any time,” Verner Elementary Principal Tina Monroe said at a virtual town hall...
Leechburg man dies after Gilpin crash
A 26-year-old Leechburg man died Tuesday night after crashing the vehicle he was driving into a tree in Gilpin, according to the Armstrong County Coroner’s Office. Christian Joshua Cuffia lost control of his car on Ice Pond Road, near Shearer Road, around 7:20 p.m. The car traveled about 80 feet...
Police seek help to ID men they say threw objects at officers in Downtown protest
Pittsburgh police are seeking help to identify five people they said threw objects at officers during a Downtown protest on May 30. Some also are suspected of burglarizing and damaging businesses during the event at Fifth Avenue and Smithfield Street. Police provided the following descriptions of the individuals and their...
Man rescued from Mt. Washington hillside
Pittsburgh first responders were able to rescue an elderly man who fell down a Mt. Washington hillside Tuesday. Authorities said police, fire and EMS were dispatched to the 600 block of Olympia Road around 5:45 p.m. for a man who had fallen about 20 feet down the hillside. They found...
Grant sought to fix flooding problems at Oakmont Commons
Oakmont officials plan to seek a $500,000 grant to help fix flooding problems in the Oakmont Commons housing development. Council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday proclaiming its intent to apply for the funds through the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Flood Mitigation Program. Borough Manager Scot Fodi said the deadline for the...
Former assistant college basketball coach indicted on federal child porn charges
A Blair County man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on several counts of production of child pornography and exploitation of minors. Jacob Kolonis, 27, of Duncansville is the sole defendant in the 16-count indictment unsealed Monday. He’s accused of interstate transmission of an extortion communication, production...
Oakmont retaining wall project along Allegheny River Boulevard could get more expensive
A retaining wall beautification project along Allegheny River Boulevard near the Oakmont and Verona border is underway. Apollo-based Santamaria Landscaping crews are about two weeks into their three-month effort to restore the wall near the viaduct between the two boroughs. Construction signs and traffic cones are used in the morning...
Plum’s Movies in the Park series concludes next month
Plum’s last installment of Movies in the Park this season is set for Aug. 8 at Larry Mills Park. The borough presents “Scoob.” Produced by Warner Animation Group, the film is a modern take on the Scooby-Doo franchise. It tells a story about the lovable mutt and his gang of...
PennDOT antes up another $3 million to upgrade road at doorstep of proposed $70 million biz park in Harrison
The state announced it will pay $3 million to modify Route 366 (Bull Creek Road) just off Route 28’s Tarentum exit to pave the way for an estimated $70 million, 162-acre business park planned just over the border in Harrison. The business park, known as Harrison Point, still has numerous...
Missing Pittsburgh man located
A man missing from Pittsburgh’s Fineview neighborhood has been found. Police said be was located Saturday evening after being last seen on July 13....
Plum School District hires digital learning director
Plum School District officials have hired a virtual learning director to help lead their online learning efforts during the covid-19 pandemic. Preston Hartman, an assistant principal at Seton-La Salle High School, was unanimously appointed to the position July 16. Superintendent Brendan Hyland said Hartman was selected out of 22 candidates...
Maxine Bruhns, longtime Pitt Nationality Rooms director and ‘citizen of the world,’ dies
E. Maxine Bruhns spent most of her life ensuring University of Pittsburgh students and visitors learned something about the many diverse cultures from around the globe. She served at least 54 years as director of the Oakland campus’ Nationality Rooms, which were described as mini-museums representing the Steel City’s ethnic...
Pittsburgh police: Ross man provided teen girl drugs, sex for years
A Ross Township man was arrested Friday by Pittsburgh police on numerous child sex charges. Justin Sircely, 26, faces numerous charges after the Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force was notified on July 14 of an inappropriate sexual relationship between Sircely and an unidentified juvenile victim. Task force members, which...
Plum’s stormwater task force has vacancies to fill to move forward with ongoing work
Plum’s stormwater management task force has two spots available for residents interested in helping address flooding problems. Rick Vigno and chairman Carlos Escalante recently resigned from their appointed posts. Letters of interest can be sent to the borough office, 4575 New Texas Road, or apply online at link.plumboro.com/stormapp. A deadline...
Police: Man arrested after allegedly driving through protest in Penn Hills
A Penn Hills man was arrested after allegedly driving through a group of protesters Wednesday afternoon. Police Chief Howard Burton said several people were gathered near the intersection of Saltsburg and Stotler roads when a man drove his vehicle through the crowd. No injuries were reported. Burton said officers spoke...
Plum residents show support for, opposition to school director over Facebook post
Plum residents had mixed reactions to a controversial post by a school board member in a private social media page. More than a dozen people came to Thursday night’s special meeting with many calling for the resignation of board member Amy Wetmore for her comments on the Black Lives Matter...
