Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 96
Bethel Park School District approves 2021-22 budget, raises taxes about 3.5%
Bethel Park School District officials approved their 2021-22 budget with an estimated 3.5% tax hike. The board voted 8-1 at its June meeting to set next school year’s millage rate to 22.5272, an increase of 0.7618 mills. Board member Russ Spicuzza dissented. The hike equates to about a $116 increase...
Dancing, live entertainment a big part of Oakmont Greek Food Festival return
Dancing is a major part of Michelle Kotsagrelos’ life. The Bethel Park resident has instructed many a soul in the traditional steps from the mainland and islands of Greece for more than 30 years. “It is so much a part of our lives,” said Kotsagrelos, assistant director of the Grecian...
Plum junior fire academy graduates 27 cadets from multiple communities
Trent Blum has aspirations to become a firefighter. “I like being outside, (and) I like being able to help people,” said Trent, 14. “Having the opportunity to do all that would be quite amazing.” The Bethel Park teen heads into his freshman year of high school with a strong head...
Butler Brew Works opens new location in Oakmont
Butler Brew Works has opened a new retail shop in Oakmont. The 600-square-foot facility located at 319 Maryland Ave., a little more than a half-hour drive from the brewery in downtown Butler, features many of the current cans and bottled brews along with a variety of beer-themed merchandise. Its grand...
Public input sought on a proposed Turtle Creek Connector project linking trails
Public input is being sought on a proposed Turtle Creek Connector Trail, which would link the Westmoreland Heritage Trail to the Great Allegheny Passage. The connector would create a near 9-mile bike trail linking several of the communities within the Turtle Creek Valley including Rankin, Braddock, North Braddock, East Pittsburgh,...
Butler Brew Works opens new location in Oakmont
Butler Brew Works has opened a new retail shop in Oakmont. The 600-square-foot facility located at 319 Maryland Ave., a little more than a half-hour drive from the brewery in downtown Butler, features many of the current cans and bottled brews along with a variety of beer-themed merchandise. Its grand...
Sewickley officials plan to appoint a new council member in July, manager search continues
A new Sewickley council member is expected to be appointed at a special meeting as officials continue to search for a borough manager. The meeting is scheduled for July 6. Candidate interviews are expected to start at 6 p.m. with a voting session afterward. Council president Jeff Neff said two...
Plum School Board hires district’s new business manager
Plum School Board voted unanimously Monday to hire Ryan Manzer to succeed John Zahorchak as the district’s chief financial officer. Manzer, who has been working as Freeport Area School District’s business manager, was one of five finalists for the Plum job. Zahorchak is expected to leave the district at the...
Penn Hills School District’s summer program begins, alumni to visit
Penn Hills School District’s summer program, designed to help students recover from learning loss during the pandemic and mingle with successful alumni, has begun. About 500 students in K-12 registered for the opportunity to improve their skills both in-person and online through the district’s cyber academy. “It was like the...
Oakmont adds new firefighter, borough office staff
Oakmont officials have welcomed a new volunteer firefighter and added a couple of office workers. Joey Luciana, 25, was sworn in by Mayor Christopher Whaley during council’s June 21 meeting. The borough businessman said he is excited for the opportunity to make a difference in his community. “I want to...
New Night Market in Oakmont draws crowd, set to return in July and August
A new initiative from the Oakmont Chamber of Commerce designed to help artists and vendors recover from the pandemic brought in hundreds of people below the borough tracks. The old Oakmont Bakery lot along Allegheny Avenue, and even the lower part of Maryland Avenue, was packed with patrons June 18...
Cornhole game crafted, painted by Plum residents for community center revealed
Plum officials revealed a new cornhole game that was crafted by a borough business and painted by a high school art student. The effort was organized by Mayor Harry Schlegel so people at the Plum Community Center could have another recreational option to be played indoors and outdoors. Cornhole is...
Plum officials pass law discouraging the feeding, care of feral cats
Plum officials have enacted a new law in order to discourage residents from taking care of feral cats. Council voted 6-0 last Wednesday night to pass an ordinance that makes it illegal for anyone to “intentionally provide food, water, or other forms of sustenance or care to ally stray, feral,...
Police: Juvenile shot in the leg in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood
A boy was taken to a hospital after being shot in the leg Wednesday evening in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood. Public Safety spokesman Cara Cruz said officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert for multiple shots fired along the 300 block of Minton Street just before 8:45 p.m. Officers found the boy...
Plum’s Summer Fest returns to Larry Mills Park
Plum’s Summer Fest, a three-day celebration of the season packed with carnival rides and games, makes its return to Larry Mills Park this month after being canceled last year due to the covid-19 pandemic. This will be the sixth nonconsecutive year for the event, formerly known as Community Days. More...
Bethel Park’s new code enforcement officer stresses education over citations
Bethel Park’s new code enforcement officer values education over citations. “You don’t want to act like an officer,” David Rudolph said. “You want to act like a liaison with the borough.” Rudolph uses that approach daily in his new position. The Ohio native turned borough resident started his new job...
Bethel Park recreation upgrades announced
Bethel Park officials announced the winning visions of playground upgrades for Birch Tree, Oak Tree and Millennium parks. The borough sent out surveys to neighboring property owners to find out what they wanted to see in their parks’ play areas. There were two options for each site. “We want the...
Monroeville resident Ruth Clark celebrates her 102nd birthday
Monroeville resident Ruth Clark has seen a lot in her lifetime. She was born to John and Amelia Schaffer just before the roaring 1920s and grew up in Bellvue during the Great Depression. Clark witnessed the development of countless technological and medical advancements and has been around to see 19...
Pop culture, costume fans grateful for Steel City Con’s return after postponements
For Connellsville native Tessa Voss, being around fellow costume creators and other artists at the Monroeville Convention Center earlier this month was very much appreciated. “Seeing everyone’s reactions to seeing their favorite characters is, like, the best thing,” said Voss, 18. “You see little kids get inspired and go crazy...
Pittsburgh police seek help finding an SUV involved in a hit-and-run crash with a pedestrian in Shadyside
Pittsburgh police are asking for the public’s help in finding the driver of a car that struck and critically injured a pedestrian in a hit-and-run incident in Shadyside overnight. The incident took place just before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday near the intersection of South Aiken and Walnut Street. Police said they...
Criminal mischief, drug charges among those handled in Judge DeLuca’s Penn Hills court June 7, 2021
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 l Antione Abram Jr., 38, of Pittsburgh on charges of possession of firearm...
Jefferson Hills police has a new chief
Jefferson Hills officials tapped a law enforcement veteran from Bethel Park as their new police chief. Ron Dziezgowski Jr. was appointed unanimously as head of the department and sworn in to his new role Monday night. He was accompanied by his wife, Cindy, as Mayor Janice Cmar administered the oath....
Avets’ new veterinary hospital in Monroeville is now open
Avets officials recently cut the ribbon on their new veterinary hospital in Monroeville. The 19,000-square-foot emergency and specialty facility at 2674 Monroeville Blvd. is open to clients and patients all day every day. Marketing Director Amanda Gruber said the move to the new spot, after having been at 4224 Northern...
RE2 Robotics prototype splashes into Rosedale Beach Club as part of naval research
Rosedale Beach Club near the Penn Hills/Verona border has another use besides recreation — naval research. Teams from Lawrenceville-based RE2 Robotics were at the facility off Third Street for a few weeks in May testing a prototype device for mine countermeasure missions. They combined VideoRay’s Defender robot with RE2’s dual-arm...
Riverview High School graduation at Riverside Park more traditional than last yearVideo
Sydney Marie Wilson could not help but have mixed emotions after walking on stage and receive her diploma as a Riverview High School graduate June 10. She and 57 others made up the small Oakmont school’s Class of 2021. “It’s exciting that I get to go on and do more...
