Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 98
Plum High School robotics team takes home the gold and another placement in recent BotsIQ competition
A Plum High School’s robotics team recently took home the gold in the Southwestern Pennsylvania BotsIQ regional competition. Senior Michael Schorr drove Polaris, a bot built for battle, to first place in the gladiator-style contest at the Commonwealth Charter Academy’s TechWorks in Homestead. Plum competed against nine other schools May...
Peace rally held in Penn Hills after 4 students die within weeksVideo
Penn Hills residents and some people from surrounding communities rallied together in peace, unity and love to help heal families impacted by the recent deaths of four district students. About 100 people, including clergy, elected officials, veterans and teens, gathered outside Penn Hills High School on May 27. Parents of...
Plum community chips in for new game at the community center
Plum seniors will soon have a new game to play at the borough’s community center thanks to the teamwork of a furniture shop and a high school art class. Mayor Harry Schlegel earlier this year proposed the idea of offering cornhole, a lawn game in which players take turns throwing...
Bethel Park teacher Jaclyn Barton receives AIU World of Gratitude Award
Bethel Park School District’s English as a Second Language teacher Jaclyn Barton received this year’s World of Gratitude Award from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. Robert Scherrer, the AIU’s executive director, presented her the award at a special recognition ceremony on May 25. The award is designed to honor those who...
New housing development proposed in Bethel Park
A 65-unit townhouse development has been proposed in Bethel Park. Penn Cove Group Capital would like to develop the properties off of Hamilton and Baptist roads in what is proposed as The Enclave at Cool Springs. It is unclear how big the homes would be or how much they may...
Penn Hills property owners could see about 1.35% tax hike for next school yearVideo
Penn Hills property owners should expect to pay a little more in school real estate taxes. The school directors voted 7-2 Wednesday night to advertise the district’s preliminary 2021-22 spending plan with a 0.4-mill tax hike, which is an increase of about 1.35%. It equates to a property owner with...
Oakmont Chamber of Commerce’s 2nd annual Arts & Libations Crawl draws crowd thirsty to help local businesses
The sun shined down upon hundreds of people thirsty to support local businesses in Oakmont. Several breweries and five wineries were among the drink vendors that participated in the second annual Arts & Libations Crawl presented by the Oakmont Chamber of Commerce. They set up shop in the storefronts of...
Christine Allen resigns from Sewickley Council weeks after manager was fired
Christine Allen said she could no longer be a Sewickley council member after her colleagues moved to fire the borough’s manager. “In light of everything, I just can’t (stay),” Allen said. “As a Christian, I prayed on this a lot, and I cannot stay on this council.” She submitted her...
Plum School District Business Manager John Zahorchak leaving for new job in July
Plum School District’s chief financial officer will have a new job this summer. John Zahorchak announced at the May 25 school board meeting that he will be stepping down from his administrative post to become a financial consultant in another community. He declined to give further details about his next...
Plum School District preliminary 2021-22 budget contains no tax hike, program cuts
Plum property owners won’t pay more in real estate taxes, and borough students will not have to worry about missing classes as a result of the school district’s 2021-22 budget. School board members voted 8-0 Tuesday night to advertise next school year’s spending plan, that does not include a tax...
Plum School District preliminary 2021-22 budget contains no tax hike or program cuts
Plum property owners won’t pay more in real estate taxes, and borough students will not have to worry about missing classes as a result of the school district’s 2021-22 budget. School board members voted 8-0 Tuesday night to advertise next school year’s spending plan, that does not include a tax...
Police: Teen’s body found outside abandoned Penn Hills home
A young man was found shot to death Monday evening outside an abandoned Penn Hills home. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Jason Hubert Jackson Jr., 17, of Pittsburgh. Police Chief Howard Burton said residents along Gibson Street reported hearing multiple gunshots around 7:15 p.m. Responding officers...
Botany and booze brings big crowd to VeronaVideo
When Aimee and Matt Butch of Greenfield walked the grounds of Railroad Park in Verona on Saturday it was with cool drinks in their hands and a smell of spring in the air. “We like flowers, and we like booze,” the wife said. “It’s a win, win.” It was that...
Gateway School District officials, teachers union reach deal and avoid strike
Gateway School District and teachers union officials reached an agreement Sunday and avoided a strike. The announcement was made on the district’s website and Facebook page. The deal comes after more than 16 combined hours of talks Friday through Sunday between the district and Gateway Education Association officials. “Both sides...
Search for missing man in Allegheny River ends with no results
A search for a missing man along the Allegheny River near several campsites in Gilpin ended with no results Sunday. Multiple organizations including state police Kittanning barracks, police and firefighters from Gilpin, firefighters from Leechburg, Vandergrift and North Apollo along with Greensburg bloodhounds were out from 1 p.m. to 7:30...
Street art fair latest effort to continue bringing life back to New KensingtonVideo
The heart of New Kensington’s business district beat a little stronger Saturday, and the city showed signs of artistic life. Painted chairs and parked cars lined the 900 block of Fifth Avenue. Its sidewalks featured tables of dolls, jewelry, paintings, caricatures and basket raffles. The sound of women singing could...
Rosedale Beach Club in Penn Hills/Verona area ready for season
Rosedale Beach Club near the Penn Hills/Verona border will start its 95th season on Memorial Day weekend. The pool and recreation site along Third Street opens at noon on May 29. Club officials and volunteers recently spent a weekend cleaning the facility to prepare for the opening. “It’s gotten easier...
Riverview school board incumbents move to November ballot; several challengers get party nods
All three incumbents seeking party nods in the May 18 primary for four Riverview school board seats will move on to the November ballot. Only one will be on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, according to complete but unofficial returns from the Allegheny County Elections Division. Arlene Loeffler made...
New barn at Woodville Plantation will provide historical experiences
A Collier nonprofit has crafted an 18th-century barn on its national historic landmark site. Neville House Associates plans to use the structure, crafted with wood from an 1810 Belgium barn found at the Steranko Farm in Latrobe, to provide more authentic experiences at the Woodville Plantation. “It fits in with...
Penn Hills school board primary candidates will all be on November ballot
All seven Penn Hills school board primary candidates seeking party nods for four seats will be on the November ballot. Some will be on either the Democratic or Republican side while one will be on both, according to complete but unofficial returns from the Allegheny County Elections Division. Incumbent Marisa...
Mail-in ballots could affect Verona council Democratic candidate race
Two Verona council incumbents and two others appear to have earned Democratic nods for four seats while one incumbent might not have made the cut. Incumbent Raymon Suchevich would need all 18 write-in votes in order to edge out fellow council member Nancy Carpenter for the party nomination for four...
Celebrity guest and artist changes announced for Steel City Con in Monroeville
Organizers of Steel City Con, a pop culture convention at the Monroeville Convention Center, announced new celebrity guests and artists for its upcoming show. Hollywood legend William Shatner tops the list of more than 25 guests scheduled for June 11-13 at 209 Mall Plaza Blvd. The Emmy award-winning actor, writer...
Sewickley Manager Marla Marcinko fired; officials won’t say why
Sewickley Council has fired borough manager Marla Marcinko. However, officials remain mum on their reasoning for the termination via a split vote earlier this month. “The elected officials voted to make a change in the manager’s position,” council President Jeff Neff said when questioned about the move. He said he...
Bethel Park police collect thousands of pairs of socks for Pittsburgh area charity
Bethel Park police recently partnered with a Pittsburgh nonprofit to collect socks for the city’s homeless and raise awareness of the department’s K-9 unit. Officers were able to obtain 3,464 pairs of socks from three collection sites and two community events. They were donated to Socks with a Mission, a...
Bethel Park recreation plans include new splash pad, playground at Park Avenue
A new splash pad, playground and pavilions are among the plans for a park along Park Avenue in Bethel Park. Council president Tim Moury said everything is still in the design phase. Contract bids for project specifications will be sought in late fall and construction is planned for early next...
