Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 128
Another Pittsburgh drug trafficking gang member pleads guilty in federal case
A Pittsburgh man has admitted guilt in federal court to his role in a drug trafficking operation. Rico Taylor, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, authorities reported Wednesday. Taylor is one of 36 defendants charged in the...
Lower Burrell park trails to reopen Friday, other amenities to remain closed
Lower Burrell officials plan to reopen a portion of their parks Friday. Walking/running trails will be open and fishing will be permitted, according to a Facebook post by city officials Wednesday. However, playgrounds, any workout areas and basketball courts as well as public restrooms will remain closed. Organized sports are...
Tarentum jeweler, its customers, borough employees donate $12,630 to food bank
The Allegheny Valley Association of Churches’ food bank will be able to help more families during the covid-19 pandemic thanks to contributions from Tarentum workers and a borough jewelry store. Seita Jewelers was able to raise $11,500, and borough workers chipped in about $1,130 for a total donation of $12,630....
Plum’s Oblock art department seeks 2nd Pittsburgh CLO award
Plum School District’s Oblock Junior High School has a chance to add another masterpiece to its art collection. The art department was recently nominated for the Charles Gray Award in recognition of Excellence in Art Education. The award is given annually by the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera to an elementary,...
3 men hospitalized after being shot in Homewood, 2 in critical condition
Three people were hospitalized, two in critical condition and a third reported to be stable, after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. City police responded to a ShotSpotter alert along the 1200 block of Mohler Street about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities said officers discovered a man who has been shot...
Police say car they were looking for was not involved in McKeesport shooting
Allegheny County Police have called off a search for a car originally believed to have been tied to shootings in McKeesport and cleared its owner. Two 15-year-old boys were shot Tuesday around 9:20 p.m. in the 900 block of Craig Street near the city’s Crawford Village housing development. Both boys...
Fox Chapel Area School District’s new superintendent to come from Franklin Regional
Fox Chapel Area School District has a new superintendent. Mary Catherine Reljac was unanimously hired Tuesday night to replace Gene Freeman as Fox Chapel Area’s top administrator. The district agreed to a four-year contract with a starting salary of $200,000. The contract is expected to be posted on the district’s...
Plum has 14 positive cases of covid-19
Plum has 14 positive cases of covid-19, according to the latest map published by Allegheny County. According to the same map, 271 tests have been conducted in the borough. In addition, a Pennsylvania Department of Health map breaks down the cases by ZIP code. That map shows 27 cases in...
Gill Hall VFC recertified as a Jefferson Hills fire company with conditions
Gill Hall Volunteer Fire Company in Jefferson Hills was reinstated on a probation basis as a certified borough company after being idle for more than a year. Council voted 5-2 in January 2019, with members Vickie Ielase and Mary Reynolds dissenting, to drop the department as a recognized company, meaning...
Former doctor’s office manager from Pittsburgh pleads guilty to federal drug crimes, health care fraud
A former office manager of a California doctor sentenced for running a “pill mill” in Western Pennsylvania has admitted guilt in federal court to her role in the conspiracy to prescribe fentanyl and opioid painkillers for cash. Marcia Ramsier Arthurs, 62, of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone,...
2 people show up at hospital claiming to have been shot in Pittsburgh’s Hill District
Two men were dropped off at a hospital after claiming they had been shot in Pittsburgh, according to city Public Safety officials. City police said they responded to the hospital, which was not identified, around 3:50 p.m. Friday. Munhall EMS and Southeast Regional EMS personnel were outside the hospital and...
Another employee at Port Authority’s West Mifflin garage tests positive for covid-19
The Port Authority of Allegheny County reports that a tenth employee — the sixth worker at the same bus garage — has tested positive for covid-19. The employee works at the West Mifflin garage, transit agency spokesman Jim Ritchie announced Friday. The employee has been off work and in self-quarantine...
Sewickley borough president gets heat for photo with alleged militia group
Sewickley council President Jeff Neff has come under fire for posing in a photo with an armed militia group at a Pittsburgh rally. About 200 people gathered downtown Monday to protest Gov. Tom Wolf’s ongoing shutdown of non-life-sustaining businesses due to the covid-19 pandemic. Neff, a GOP state Senate candidate,...
Police: Boy, 17, shot in Duquesne, car he was in crashes
Allegheny County homicide detectives and Duquesne police are investigating a shooting in the city that sent a 17-year-old boy to a hospital. Officers were dispatched to the 600 block of Duquesne Boulevard around 6:10 p.m. and found a vehicle had crashed into a wall. County police said one of the...
Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese now allows weddings, funerals, confession — with restrictions — during covid-19 pandemic
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has scaled back some of its safety protocols and will allow limited public celebrations of certain sacraments during the covid-19 pandemic. Officials announced these changes Thursday: • Weddings may now be celebrated, but with no more than 10 people including the priest/deacon officiant. Couples must...
Man allegedly exposes himself at Target parking lot in Ross Township
A Pittsburgh man was arrested after allegedly exposing himself in a Target parking lot in Ross Township. Township police charged Timothy Schaffer, 55, with indecent exposure in connection with an incident Wednesday. Police said Schaffer was allegedly fully exposed while he was parked next to a woman who was leaving...
Port Authority to increase safety protocols at West Mifflin garage after 5th worker there tests positive for covid-19
Port Authority officials announced new safety protocols will be put in place at its West Mifflin garage after another employee tested positive for covid-19. Spokesman Adam Brandolph said Thursday that a fifth garage worker, who last worked on Monday and is at home in quarantine, was diagnosed with the novel...
Driver hospitalized after crash in Plum
A two-vehicle crash in Plum ended with a car on its side and a driver hospitalized. Police Chief Lanny Conley said officers responded to the wreck at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday along the 100 block of Coxcomb Hill Road. A driver of one of the vehicles was transported to Forbes...
How a Plum tobacco shop is able to stay open during Gov. Wolf’s ‘non-life-sustaining’ business shutdown
While Gov. Tom Wolf plans to gradually reopen the state’s economy starting May 8, the only businesses currently operating are those deemed “life-sustaining.” Puff Discount Tobacco is one such business. Owner Bob Busche of Murrysville has 13 stores in Western Pennsylvania, including Plum and Monroeville, and has 80 employees. Busche,...
Fire badly damages Yinzers sports store in Pittsburgh’s Strip DistrictVideo
A major fire Wednesday night in Pittsburgh’s Strip District left a city firefighter injured and a business badly damaged. Flames and heavy smoke could be seen coming from Yinzers In The Burgh along the 1700 block of Penn Avenue. City Fire Chief Darryl Jones said crews responded to a fire...
Another Port Authority worker tests positive for covid-19
Port Authority officials reported another employee who worked at the agency’s West Mifflin garage tested positive for covid-19. Spokesman Adam Brandolph said Wednesday the maintenance person last worked on April 10 and has been in self-quarantine at home since then. It’s the fourth worker from the garage and eighth Port...
2 men hospitalized after being shot in Pittsburgh, 1 critical
Two people were hospitalized, one in critical condition, after a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood Wednesday morning. Authorities said officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert of gunfire at about 8:30 a.m. along the 7300 block of Bennett Street. Police found a man who had been shot in his right hand....
Emergency food distribution at Pittsburgh International Airport set for Wednesday
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will host an emergency food distribution at Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday afternoon. Organizers plan to serve about 1,500 vehicles 1-3 p.m. in the airport parking lots. “The airport is an ideal location,” said Lisa Scales, food bank president and CEO. “It will be...
Wilkinsburg police chief says officers stopped armed robbery of a boy, suspect arrested
A Wilkinsburg man was arrested for allegedly robbing a boy in the borough. Shawn Michael Perry, 23, is charged with robbery and other charges in connection with the incident. Police say the robbery Tuesday occurred around 2:15 p.m. along the 800 block of Walnut Street. “Officers arrived almost immediately and...
Harrison fire causes stir but little damage in Natrona row house
Residents of a Harrison row house can remain in place after an electrical fire caused a stir in one of the four units. Hilltop Hose Fire Chief Mike Krzeminski said no one was displaced or injured in connection with the incident around 6:15 p.m. Friday at 78 Pond St. in...
