Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 83
Leechburg-based charity to host holiday dinner for veterans, service members
A Leechburg nonprofit is hosting a dinner Sunday to show support for veterans and military personnel. Limited tickets are still available for the sixth annual Five Forces Christmas for Vets dinner. It’s being held at the Oklahoma Volunteer Fire Department’s School House Hall along Thorn Street in Oklahoma Borough. Guests...
Freeport Renaissance Association presents Small Town Christmas
Sleigh bells will be ringing in Freeport as a holiday celebration returns Saturday. The Freeport Renaissance Association presents its Small Town Christmas. The association had virtual and socially distanced activities last year, and there was no parade. “I just think it’s going to be a really good opportunity for community...
Gilpin supervisors hope to hold the line on taxes, boost public safety spending in 2022 budget
Gilpin residents should expect to see more township police coverage and no change in real estate taxes as part of next year’s budget. Supervisors recently approved their preliminary 2022 spending plan, which includes a boost to public safety spending while keeping the tax rate at 11 mills. Projected revenues are...
Man in stable condition after being struck by vehicle in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood
A man was hospitalized in stable condition after being struck by a vehicle Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said the incident took place around 3:50 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Shady Avenue and Beacon Street. A 31-year-old man was walking in a crosswalk...
Butler County Community College to resume classes, reopen campuses Monday after ransomware attack
Butler County Community College will resume classes and reopen its campuses Monday, Dec.6. College officials made the announcement Tuesday evening. Both fall semester credit and noncredit classes were brought to a standstill and the campus closed as a result of a ransomware attack. The main campus in Butler Township and...
Building the Valley: Pair of Freeport Area mothers manage businesses and families together
The covid-19 pandemic brought two longtime Freeport Area friends even closer together in ways they never would have imagined. Marcie Marasia of Buffalo Township and Beth Linhart of Freeport have been friends for about a decade. They each have three children and bonded, in part, because of the kids. When...
Leechburg officials want to ensure house numbers, street addresses easily visible to help emergency responders
Leechburg officials want to make sure all properties in the borough are properly identified to help emergency responders get to the right location. Fire Chief Tom Foster made a push recently for council to amend and enforce an ordinance requiring all homes and buildings to have their address numbers visible...
KSWA Fan Fest and toy drive for Allegheny County families returns after pandemic hiatus
Four professional wrestling title matches are part of a charity event featuring two pro wrestling hall-of-famers and, perhaps, a partridge in a pear tree. The Keystone State Wrestling Alliance will host its 13th annual Fan Fest and Holiday Toy Drive on Dec. 4 at Three Rivers Harley-Davidson in the Glenshaw...
Twisted Thistle, upscale eatery in Leechburg, reopens after 6-month closure
Twisted Thistle, an upscale eatery along Market Street in Leechburg, has reopened after a nearly six-month closure. “I’m just so excited to be able to open this beautiful restaurant again,” owner Linda Alworth said. “I’ve put too much of my life, sweat and tears into it. It should never have...
Leechburg officials expected to hold the line on taxes in next year’s budget
Leechburg property owners should not expect to pay more in real estate taxes as part of the borough’s 2022 budget. Council recently authorized advertising next year’s preliminary spending plan, which maintains the tax rate at 22.5 mills. The goal is to formally adopt the budget at the Dec. 21 meeting....
A Leechburg holiday tradition returns Saturday
A holiday tradition in Leechburg that was scaled back last year because of the pandemic is set to return Saturday with more activities and fun. Leechburg Area Community Association presents Luminate Leechburg. Activities begin about 1 p.m. along Market Street. The event has taken place on what is commonly referred...
Tax hike, numerous cuts not enough to close gap in Verona’s proposed 2022 budget
A nearly 26% tax hike, as well as cuts to engineering, consulting, legal services, no paving and not hiring another full-time police officer, still does not make up for a deficit in Verona’s proposed budget. Next year’s spending plan does not look good for borough officials or residents as elected...
No tax increase in Sewickley’s proposed budget
Sewickley officials plan to hold the line on real estate taxes with next year’s budget. Council approved advertising the proposed 2022 spending plan at November’s meeting. It maintains the tax rate at 6.25 mills. Revenues and expenditures were listed at about $9.064 million and expenses at $8.356 million, about $708,000...
Verona police investigate 2-vehicle crash on Allegheny River Boulevard
Verona police are investigating a two-vehicle crash Tuesday night. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said the crash between a pickup truck and a two-door sedan occurred around 6:50 p.m. in the 800 block of Allegheny River Boulevard near Verona Auto Sales and GetGo. It wasn’t immediately clear unclear if there...
Plum officials plan for return of Christmas at Plum Creek after pandemic hiatus
A holiday tradition in Plum returns after a one-year covid hiatus. The fifth annual Christmas at Plum Creek is scheduled for 5:30-9 p.m. Dec. 2 at Plum Creek Park along New Texas Road. About a thousand or so people are expected to flock to the ball fields across from the...
Freeport hires 3 police officers, still looking for new chief, more part-timers
Freeport has its own police force again. Council voted 5-0 at a special meeting Monday night to hire Jodi Greiser of Freeport as a full-time officer and named Chris Fabec of Murrysville the department’s officer in charge. Mayor James Swartz Jr. said he swore in Fabec — who also serves...
Coroner called after man reportedly fell from barge in Beaver County
The coroner was called after a man reportedly fell from a barge in Beaver County, according to a 911 dispatcher. It was reported about 7:30 p.m. near the Montgomery Lock and Dam on the Ohio River between Monaca and Shippingport, the dispatcher said. The U.S. Coast Guard and multiple other...
Leechburg Council election decided: Incumbents reelected but newcomer earns top spot
Political newcomer John Mrvan remained the top vote-getter in the Leechburg Council election, while all three incumbents won reelection, according to official returns from the Armstrong County Election Bureau. Mrvan, a Republican and pharmaceutical technician for Leechburg HealthMart Pharmacy, received 247 votes. Two Democratic incumbents were right behind: Alan Tarr...
Closing arguments set for proposed Quaker Valley High School special exception request
Testimony has concluded and closing arguments have been scheduled before the Leet Township Zoning Hearing Board for a special exception request for a new Quaker Valley High School. The board on Nov. 16 heard from the last round of school district residents to testify both for and against the project....
Woodland Hills Superintendent James Harris’ contract terminated via 8-1 vote
Woodland Hills School District officials voted Wednesday night to terminate the contract of Superintendent James Harris effective Dec. 17. The vote was 8-1, with board member Andre Patterson casting the lone dissenting vote. Patterson participated via Zoom. Harris was present in the meeting room, sitting next to board president Jamie...
Police: 2 men stabbed multiple times inside McKeesport home
Two men were being treated for stab or knife wounds in the wake of an incident in McKeesport on Tuesday. Allegheny County Police said the incident occurred shortly before 5 p.m. inside a home in the 3100 block of Garbett Street. First responders found a 39-year-old man with multiple stab...
Penn Hills gas station robbed at gunpoint
A Sunoco gas station in Penn Hills was robbed late Monday morning. Police Chief Howard Burton said no one was injured in the incident around 11:45 a.m. at the convenience store along the 200 block of Hulton Road. The chief said the robber brandished a silver handgun and demanded money...
McKees Rocks teen, 15, charged with fatally shooting Sto-Rox High School senior
A McKees Rocks teen has been arrested in connection with the murder of a Sto-Rox high school senior. Tavarius Lee, 15, is charged with criminal homicide and possession of a firearm by a minor, Allegheny County Police announced Tuesday. He is accused of killing Hasson Shackelford, 18, on Nov. 8....
Woodland Hills School District to offer gun buyback program
Woodland Hills School District officials announced they have secured partnerships and funding to provide a gun buyback program within its communities. “This is an idea that has been a couple of years in the making,” Superintendent James Harris said in a press release Tuesday. “Our students and staff have been...
South Buffalo supervisors to hold line on taxes in 2022 budget
South Buffalo officials plan to hold the line on taxes with next year’s budget. Supervisors approved a 2022 preliminary spending plan and its public posting Monday night. Its formal adoption is scheduled for Dec. 20. The real estate tax rate is expected to remain at 5.7 mills. There has not...
