Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 78
Excavators buried under water, mud in Cheswick
Cheswick officials are looking into what caused two excavators to be submerged up to their cabs in mud and water along the Allegheny River bank. Photos circulated throughout social media Saturday of at least two pieces of heavy machinery being used below the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks by Watercrest Way...
Sewickley selects glass recycling site
Sewickley officials have chosen a spot they hope will become a permanent glass recycling hub for the Quaker Valley community at large. Council voted 8-0 on Feb. 8 to recommend a portion of a Riverfront Park lot, near the park’s playgrounds, as the site for Quaker Valley Council of Government’s...
Sewickley officers heralded for arresting homicide suspect Samuel Lee Tolfa
Two Sewickley police officers were honored for their efforts in apprehending a suspect in an Avalon murder. Samuel Lee Tolfa, 32, was taken into custody in Hopewell on Jan. 22. He is accused of fatally shooting Jorden Lee Puskar, 21, of Coraopolis early that morning in the 100 block of...
Leet zoning hearing board denies Quaker Valley School District application regarding new high school
Leet Township zoning hearing board members have denied Quaker Valley School District’s special exception application for a proposed high school. The vote was unanimous following about an hour and a half of public deliberation Wednesday night – however, there was a caveat prior to the motion. Board members said they...
State grants sought for O’Hara Township Community Park bridge and trail repair project
O’Hara officials hope to use state grants to finance a repair project in the township’s community park. The footbridge over Squaw Run, a tributary of the Allegheny River, has been closed for more than a year due to failing gabion baskets located along the edge of the stream. Gabion baskets...
Italian Village Pizza in the Waterworks plaza moving to a new location
Italian Village Pizza along Freeport Road in Waterworks Mall is moving to a new location within the shopping plaza. It is relocating from its spot by the Ichiban Hibachi & Sushi Bar to a larger spot between the GNC and T.J. Maxx. The opening date is yet to be announced....
Plum School District’s Center Elementary interim principal formally appointed to position
Plum School District officials recently appointed Monroeville resident Maria Fajt as Center Elementary’s new principal. Fajt started this school year as interim principal at the K-4 school. District officials said former principal Jason Knisely had stepped down to go back in the classroom. He is also listed as the district’s...
Pittsburgh man pleads guilty to robbing downtown bank, attempted to rob another
A Pittsburgh man has pleaded guilty in federal court to bank robbery and attempted bank robbery charges. Timothy Sowinski, 53, admitted to the crimes before U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon, federal officials announced Wednesday. Officials said Sowinski entered the Northwest Bank on Smithfield Street in Downtown Pittsburgh on March 12,...
Fox Chapel family enjoys winter fun at O’Hara Township Community Park
The winter weather did not stop a Fox Chapel family from having fun at O’Hara Township Community Park on Feb. 7 Hannah and Jon McGovern played with their children, Fiona, 2, and Finn. The children used the swings, merry-go-round and other playground equipment as they all made their way through...
Penn Hills School District officials pledge to keep property tax increase within state limits
Penn Hills School District property owners will not see real estate tax hikes beyond 4.7% as a result of the upcoming school year’s budget. District officials recently approved a resolution to keen any potential tax hike in their 2022-23 budget within the Act 1 index – a formula used by...
Multiple injuries in 4-vehicle crash on Greensburg Road in Lower Burrell
Multiple people were injured in a four-vehicle crash along Greensburg Road in Lower Burrell Tuesday afternoon. A small white school bus, a Cadillac Escalade, a Ford SUV and a white box truck collided near the intersection of Greensburg Road and Atlantic Avenue by East Coast Used Cars shortly before 3...
Fire chief: Verona resident displaced by afternoon fire
A Verona resident has been displaced due a fire at a two-story home near St. Joseph Catholic Church. No injuries were reported in connection with the Monday afternoon fire at 628 Center Ave. It was reported about 4:40 p.m. and firefighters from Verona, Oakmont and Penn Hills responded. Verona fire...
New animal hospital opens in O’Hara
A Fox Chapel area native has opened up a new business in her hometown. PetVet365, a full-service veterinary hospital along Freeport Road in O’Hara Township, welcomes pets of all shapes and sizes. It is owned and operated by Megan Garrison of Indiana Township along with her business partner and fellow...
Port Authority bridge in Mt. Washington to remain closed for repairs
Port Authority officials said a bridge that carries the South Busway over Saw Mill Run Boulevard in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood will remain closed indefinitely. Engineers on Friday discovered that a portion of the bridge had shifted, according to Port Authority of Allegheny County spokesman Adam Brandolph. Red Line rail...
Police: Pittsburgh man, woman charged with attempted homicide after infant hospitalized
Two Pittsburgh residents have been taken in to custody on attempted homicide charges in connection with a November incident involving an infant. City police have charged Teshawn Ahkir Williams, 24, and Tamaya Harris, 25, with endangering the welfare of children, criminal attempt homicide and aggravated assault, Public Safety spokeswoman Amanda...
Jefferson Hills has a new councilman
A Navy veteran and Pennsylvania Army National Guard officer candidate was appointed to Jefferson Hills Council. Joseph Lynch was picked out of five candidates to fill the seat of the late Keith Polick, who died in a vehicle crash last month. Polick, 65, was headed to Florida to vacation with...
Wilkins baby born with perfect timing — ‘2’ perfect — at Forbes Hospital
A Wilkins couple had their first child at the perfect time. Amanda and Ryan Liscio welcomed their daughter, Freya, at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022 at 2:22 p.m. After battling some complications that morning, Freya was born naturally at 6 lbs. 9 oz. and was 21...
Allegheny County courts and magistrates, Pittsburgh courts closed Friday due to bad weather
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, all magisterial courts in the county and Pittsburgh Municipal Court, will be closed Friday due to inclement weather. President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark signed the order Thursday. Arraignment Court will remain open. National Weather Service in Pittsburgh is predicting a mix of freezing rain...
Sewickley commercial jet pilot pens book about aviation and mental health
Reyné O’Shaughnessy of Sewickley has spent the better part of about 35 years flying the friendly skies. The commercial airline captain and pilot logged more than 10,000 hours of jet flight time across the world. She has been at the helm of some of the world’s largest planes, including the...
Plum church gets charitable boost to its homeless assistance project
A Plum church’s program to help the homeless has received a boost through a Tarentum-area charitable trust. Unity Community Church, located along Unity-Trestle Road, launched its Feed the Flock Project last year through a $5,000 grant from the Ira R. Wood and Frances Wood Charitable Trust. It was designed to...
O’Hara resident to provide mobile sauna at James Sharp Landing in Sharpsburg on Saturday afternoons
One way to deal with freezing temperatures is to step into a sauna. Those courageous enough to brave the elements will have a unique opportunity to do just that throughout the next several weeks in Sharpsburg. O’Hara resident John Barbour plans to set up his mobile sauna at James Sharp...
Police from dozens of departments show up in force to support boy battling cancer at Children’s HospitalVideo
Fox Chapel, Sewickley and Plum police officers were among the cavalcade of crime fighters that came out Tuesday to support a boy battling cancer at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Police from 76 departments spanning Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland, McKean and Washington counties rode in 87 vehicles around the facility...
Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel to host comedy fundraiser
People could use a little more love and laughter with the way things are going on in the world. Officials at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel think so, which why it is hosting a stand up comedy fundraiser Feb. 12. John Evans of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” headlines the...
Crash near Penn Hills middle school sends 2 to hospital
Penn Hills police are investigating a crash that sent two people to the hospital Monday morning. Allegheny County dispatchers said the incident occurred around 8 a.m. near the intersection of Aster Street and Saltsburg Road by Linton Middle School. Two people were hospitalized. Their condition was not available. No other...
Sharpsburg Council seeking candidates to fill vacancy
Sharpsburg council has a vacant two-year seat. Letters of interest and resumes can be sent to the borough office, 1611 Main St. Deadline for submissions is Feb. 16. Council plans to interview candidates and make an appointment at its Feb. 24 meeting. The vacancy was created when Councilman-elect Brian Kozera...
