Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 172
1 reported trapped in Port Vue house fire
Several Mon Valley fire departments responded to a two-alarm blaze at 807 Weldon Drive in Port Vue Wednesday night. Allegheny County dispatchers said the call for the fire came in around 9:51 p.m. One person was reportedly entrapped in the house. It was unclear if there were any injuries. Michael...
Plum School District’s 2019-20 school year budget talks have begun
Plum School District officials are trying to avoid a tax increase and find additional revenue sources to plug a projected $1.1 million hole in the 2019-20 budget. Several scenarios were presented at the Jan. 15 budget committee meeting by district business manager John Zahorchak. Two included no tax increases while...
Officials: Abducted Penn Hills teen found safe, suspect arrested
A 19-year-old man accused of assaulting and kidnapping a 16-year-old girl from her Penn Hills home Wednesday afternoon was in the Allegheny County Jail Thursday morning. Jermaine LaQuay Rodgers was taken into custody after a standoff in McKeesport, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported. Rodgers allegedly broke into the Glenbrook...
Plum council approves more spending for school district safety improvements
More Plum School District security upgrades will be paid for through a borough donation. Borough officials last year approved a $160,000 gift toward cyber security, facility upgrades and other initiatives designed to keep Plum students safe. Council unanimously voted Jan. 14 to increase its contribution by approximately $50,000 to help...
Drug, theft cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court – Jan. 14, 2019
Penn Hills District Judge Anthony L. DeLuca handled the following cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Charges were filed by Penn Hills police unless otherwise noted. Held for courtCollin Helsel, 36, of Penn Hills on charges of possession of controlled substances, possession...
Lack of information raising tensions in Penn Hills School District investigation
Frustrations continue to grow in Penn Hills as an investigation into school district’s finances stretches into its third year. “I’ve been in the community all my life,” said Heather Malone, resident and high school basketball booster. “It’s like we don’t have a voice, and it’s time for us to have...
27 indicted on federal drug and money laundering crimes
A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has indicted 27 people in U.S. District Court on multiple counts of drug possession with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine and fentanyl and other crimes. Court papers indicate the eight-count indictment was under seal Tuesday, Jan. 8 and unsealed Friday, Jan. 11. The defendants...
Pittsburgh man faces attempted homicide charge in connection with Mt. Lebanon home invasion
A Mt. Lebanon man was hospitalized with a severe throat laceration after being attacked during a home invasion late Friday morning, police said. Mt. Lebanon police arrested Darius Johnson, 24, of Pittsburgh, in connection with the incident that occurred ar0und 11:30 a.m. in the 500 block of Pat Haven Drive....
New plans, grants sought for kayak park in Oakmont
Oakmont officials are seeking new plans for a proposed kayak park in the borough. Original plans for the park — a 1.53-acre borough-owned lot along the 1000 block of Allegheny Avenue near the Brenntag Northeast facility — stalled after council approved preliminary designs by Pittsburgh architectural firm Environmental Planning and...
New lawsuit filed against Glade Run Lutheran claims another boy was sexually assaulted
The parent organization that ran a since-closed Zelienople youth home and recently settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of a teenage sexual assault victim faces a new lawsuit of a similar nature. Attorney Michael Pisanchyn Jr. of the Pittsburgh-based Pisanchyn Law Firm filed the suit this month against Glade Run...
Verona residents encouraged to recycle Christmas trees via Allegheny County’s program
Verona residents looking to dispose of their old Christmas trees are encouraged to do so through Allegheny County’s recycling program. Trees can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to dusk at nine regional county parks through Jan. 14. Verona Chamber of Commerce officials said the borough’s annual tree burning event...
Allderdice student killed in Homewood shooting
A junior at Pittsburgh Public Schools Allderdice HIgh School died in the hospital after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Homewood South neighborhood Wednesday night. Jonathan Freeman, 16, of the city’s Stanton Heights neighborhood died at 10:01 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. “A high achieving student, Jonathan...
Theft cases among recent Monroeville police investigations
Monroeville police filed the following charges Jan. 4-7 in District Judge Jeffrey L. Herbst’s office:Alexis Davis, 20, of Verona with criminal mischief and harassment. Charges were filed Jan. 4 in connection with an incident along the 4000 block of William Penn Highway.Tenisha Lester, 44, of Pittsburgh with criminal mischief. Charges...
Drug, theft cases recently handled by Judge Herbst in Monroeville – Jan. 9, 2019
Monroeville District Court Judge Jeffrey Herbst handled these cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Charges were filed by Monroeville police unless otherwise noted. Held for courtShawndia Smith, 29, of McKeesport on charges of retail theft. Charges were filed Oct. 27.Leonard...
DUI, theft cases among those recently handled by Judge Zucco in Plum – Jan. 9, 2019
District Judge Linda Zucco recently handled the following cases. Charges were filed by Plum police unless otherwise noted. Held for courtStephen McDermott, 30, of Leechburg on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and criminal mischief. Charges were filed Nov. 24. Waived preliminary hearingsRobert Bedard, 74, of Plum on...
Route 28 northbound lane reopens 2 hours after crash
Allegheny County officials said no one was injured in a vehicle crash along Route 28 northbound near the RIDC exit Wednesday evening. The accident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Traffic was reduced to one lane around the scene. The lane was reopened within two hours....
The Oaks Theater to host special screening of David Bowie’s Labyrinth
The late great David Bowie lives on not only through his music, but in film. The Oaks Theater at 310 Allegheny River Blvd. host a special screening of “Labyrinth,” the 1986 fantasy adventure flick staring Bowie, Jennifer Connelly and Toby Froud. It shows a 16-year-old girl given 13 hours to...
Gas station canopy topples in Monroeville
The canopy over gas pumps at a Sunoco gas station along Haymaker Road in Monroeville toppled over Tuesday evening, trapping two vehicles but injuring no one. Both vehicles under the canopy, a car and a pickup truck, were empty during the collapse that occurred about 5:30 p.m., according to Monroeville...
Suspect sought in Munhall shooting; victim, 20, treated by Homestead police chief
A 20-year-old man was shot in the hip in Munhall Monday night during a domestic incident between his mother and her boyfriend, according to Allegheny County police. The wounded victim showed up at Homestead Police Chief Jeff DeSimone’s door just before 9:30 p.m. “We tended to him as best we...
Riverview School District, teachers close to new contract
Riverview School District and teachers union officials accepted a fact-finder’s report, avoiding a possible strike and moving a major step closer to finalizing a new five-year contract. “This is a fair deal,” school Director Alex DiClaudio said after the board’s unanimous vote Jan. 7. “We’re pleased to have gotten this...
Drugs, weapons cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court
Penn Hills District Judge Anthony L. DeLuca handled the following cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Charges were filed by Penn Hills police unless otherwise noted. Held for courtColleen Vogeding, 30, of Apollo on charges of possession of instruments of a crime,...
Verona man arrested in killing of Woodland Hills student
A Verona man was arrested Monday by the Western Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force in connection with the 2017 killing of a Braddock teen. Augustus Gray, 14, died Nov. 25, 2017 at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Oakland after being shot in the head in the Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood of Pittsburgh. City police...
Longtime Habitat volunteer from Lower Burrell does more than build houses
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley people and the notable things that they do. Longtime Habitat for Humanity Allegheny Valley volunteer Glenn Nordmark is much more than a builder. “He’s first to come and last to leave on build sites,” said Habitat Executive...
Assault, theft cases among those recently handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court – Jan. 5, 2019
Penn Hills District Judge Anthony L. DeLuca handled the following cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Charges were filed by Penn Hills police unless otherwise noted. Held for court • Antonio Hooe, 31, of Turtle Creek on charges of simple assault. Wilkins...
The Oaks in Oakmont to become a theater of comedic magic Saturday night
Magic and mystery abounds at the Oaks Theater this Saturday as Pittsburgh magician Dan Kuniak comes back to the Oakmont venue. He’s a master comedy illusionist and mind reader who’s acts can leave people breathless or crying with laughter. Kuniak uses state-of-the-art illusion technology combined with audience participation for a...
