Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 93
Plum School District officials announce back-to-school plans
Plum School District officials plan to welcome all students back to school for full-time, in-person instruction for the coming school year. The announcement was recently made via letter to parents as well as posted on the district’s website. The first day of the 2021-22 school year is Thursday, Aug. 19....
Oakmont Chamber of Commerce street sale returns with more activities, car cruise July 31
An end-of-the-month celebration in Oakmont is expected to give businesses a boost. The Oakmont Chamber of Commerce’s annual street sale is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 31 along Allegheny River Boulevard. The main thoroughfare will be blocked to traffic from California to Pennsylvania avenues for the event....
Sewickley Harvest Festival returns after a year hiatus
An annual celebration of arts, crafts and other goods is returning to Sewickley after a year hiatus due to the pandemic. The Harvest Festival is an autumn tradition presented by the Rotary Club of Quaker Valley and Kiwanis of Sewickley. The clubs plan to celebrate the 30th installment of the...
Food scrap collection program coming to Quaker Valley
A curbside food scrap collection program is coming to the Quaker Valley this month. Kyle Winkler of Pittsburgh’s North Side was able to garner enough support through a Kickstarter effort to bring his Zero Waste Wrangler service to Sewickley, Glen Osborne and Edgeworth. Fundraising began mid-April and was last updated...
Beagle Bridge in Bethel Park to be repaired
A bridge repair project in a Bethel Park neighborhood is expected to begin next month. Alternating traffic patterns along Beagle Drive Bridge will take place mid-August and last about four weeks. Borough director of engineering Stacey Graf said the two-lane bridge off Library Road needs structural steel repairs, painting to...
New items, vendors at Plum’s Monday Market
Plum’s Monday Market continues with new produce and items from familiar vendors. The weekly event is scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m. Mondays through October at Plum Creek Park along New Texas Road. Bridge’s Farm and Greenhouse, one of the major participants, brought peaches, zucchini, honey, tomatoes and more this...
Bethel Park’s Coverdale 100th anniversary celebration and Miner’s Memorial Park grand reopening set for Saturday
A celebration a century in the making is set for Saturday in Bethel Park. Coverdale’s 100th anniversary and Miner’s Memorial Park grand reopening is set for 10 a.m. Festivities start with a historical exhibit at Bethel Baptist Church reviewing Coverdale from its mining origins to present day. A formal program...
Bethel Park to get new security cameras in parks
Bethel Park officials plan to install new security cameras at all of its major parks within the next few years. They started that effort this month with the purchase of seven from Dagostinio Electronic Services of Pittsburgh. Council unanimously voted Monday night to add four cameras at Simmons Park and...
Monroeville police to participate in National Night Out
Monroeville police will host a cookout at Monroeville Community Park as part of the community’s participation in a national celebration. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign through the National Association of Town Watch meant to bolster police/community relations. Monroeville has participated in the effort for about 20 years....
Verona’s car cruise marks its 25th anniversary in August, other events planned
A showcase of chrome, horsepower and automotive ingenuity in Verona is nearing a major milestone. The borough’s annual car cruise turns 25 next month. The celebration is scheduled for Aug. 14 along East Railroad Avenue near the borough building. More than 110 cars are expected to be in the cruise,...
Traffic restrictions for utility work along Drennan Road in Plum to begin Monday
A utility project along Drennan Road in Plum is expected to begin Monday, PennDOT officials announced. Drennan Road will be reduced to single-lane alternating traffic between Sardis and Greensburg roads weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through late October. The restriction is necessary as crews from Thompson Electric conduct...
Plum’s Movies in the Park series returns to Larry Mills Park in a pre-pandemic setup
Plum’s Movies in the Park series returns to Larry Mills Park with a retro layout. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to watch “Scoob!” at the park off Fontana Drive on Saturday night. Gates open at 7 p.m. with the movie to start at dusk. The movie is...
Husband of former Pittsburgh woman among victims of Miami condo collapse
The husband of a former Pittsburgh woman was among the dead found in the rubble of the Miami condo collapse. Ruslan Manashirov, 36, was one of five additional victims identified by the Miami-Dade Police Department on Thursday. That brings the total number of victims to 68, according to the department’s...
Verona Councilman Michael Forbeck resigns to take state government job
Verona Council has a vacancy. Councilman Michael Forbeck has resigned from his elected post a little more than one-and-a-half years into his first four-year term. Council President Nancy Carpenter said Forbeck submitted his letter of resignation July 5. The letter indicated he is stepping down to take a state government...
Plum officials plan to borrow $7.6 million to boost new borough building, stormwater, capital projects
Plum officials are in the process of securing an estimated $7.6 million bond to bolster a new borough building project, stormwater management projects and repurpose the current municipal site. Borough Manager Michael Thomas said bond counsel Pat Healy is working to acquire the funds. Council is expected to approve a...
South Park woman arrested in connection with Bethel Park burglaries
Bethel Park police have arrested a South Park woman in connection with multiple burglaries in the borough. Stephanie Jean Britten Harper, 38, is charged with defiant trespasser, theft, driving with a suspended license and two counts of criminal trespass and burglary. Police said charges stem from recent overnight burglaries along...
Oakmont officials mull use of more than $648,000 in federal covid relief funds
Oakmont is expected to receive more than $648,000 in federal covid relief funds. Borough Manager Scot Fodi said he recently received confirmation from the U.S. Treasury Department about the American Rescue Plan Act money as well as the first of two installments. The funds are expected to be put into...
New ‘pump track’ at Creekside Park in Oakmont nearly complete, other projects planned for this year
A new pump track at Creekside Park in Oakmont is nearly complete. Borough Manager Scot Fodi said some landscaping with topsoil and sod installation are among the details left to be finished. “We’re moving in pretty good time,” Fodi said July 7. “It’s a rather unique thing to look at....
Police: 92-year-old woman dies in vehicle/pedestrian crash in UPMC East garage in Monroeville
A woman was run over and killed by a vehicle inside the UPMC East parking garage in Monroeville on Wednesday afternoon. A Monroeville 911 dispatcher said the incident took place around 2:15 p.m. Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased as Josephine Mayni, 92, of McKeesport. Mayni was transported...
West Jefferson Hills School District budget hikes taxes nearly 4%
Property owners in the West Jefferson Hills School District will be paying more in real estate taxes next year. Officials raised rates to combat rising pension, salary and health insurance costs, as well as pandemic-related expenses. The board voted 5-4 on June 24 to adopt its 2021-22 budget with a...
Sewickley has a new council member, officials approve separation agreement with former manager
Sewickley officials have tapped an attorney and former space craft design engineer as their new council member and approved a settlement agreement with their former borough manager. Brian Bozzo, 36, was appointed at a special meeting Tuesday night to fill the seat vacated by Ward 1 resident Christine Allen. Her...
Lanterns to be released in memory of Plum high school student who died 2 years ago
Jody Dojonovic of Plum said her son, Thomas, had a warm smile that could light up a room. She hopes to once again light up a community in his memory. The second annual Thomas Jack Dojonovic Project Spread Positivity lantern release is set for July 21 at Larry Mills Park...
Penn Hills Elementary librarian awarded grant for new books
Rodlyn Checcio knows the importance of getting young learners engaged in reading. The Pleasant Hills resident has done her part to help children gain knowledge at the Penn Hills School District for nearly 30 years, including the past 16 as its elementary librarian. “I love the families, the kids,” Checcio...
Fawn man identified as victim of fatal Route 28 crash
One man was killed and another seriously hurt in a high-speed crash Monday afternoon on Route 28 in Harrison, according to state police. Robert Mark Walters, 68, of Fawn was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Walters was a passenger in a Chevrolet...
Juvenile charged in connection with 4 fires in Kittanning
Kittanning police said a juvenile is in custody and has been charged for allegedly setting a string of fires Monday morning in the borough. Kittanning Hose Company No. 4 Assistant Chief Mike Swartz said about a dozen departments responded to four fires within a four-block radius, with the first call...
