Allegheny category, Page 145
Peoples mum about possible natural gas odor in Rustic Ridge prior to house explosion
Officials at Peoples Natural Gas Co. on Thursday would not say whether they had received reports of natural gas odors in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood in the days before a fatal house explosion. “It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to share any information on that front, because this is all...
Shaler police identify man found dead in Allegheny River
Shaler police said the man they found dead Thursday morning in the Allegheny River was a missing township resident suffering from dementia. Mark Massimiani, 60, was found in the river near the 31st Street Bridge by a rowing group, Shaler police Chief J. Sean Frank said. Massimiani, who was last...
Remembering soccer/hockey dad who died in Plum explosion: Paul Oravitz’s heart ‘was always in the right place’
Paul Oravitz insisted his friend should come. He had called Andy Zarroli, a neighbor and friend, the night before a St. Patrick’s Day beer crawl that Oravitz and others in their Rustic Ridge neighborhood were attending. Oravitz asked Zarroli if he was coming. “I said, ‘No, I don’t want to...
DA Zappala video briefing draws criticism, raises ethical questionsVideo
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is under fire for posting a video to YouTube that some have called “puzzling” and “irresponsible.” The 13-minute video — which Zappala refers to as a briefing — recounts the May 2022 killing of an 18-month-old boy in Downtown Pittsburgh, for which...
Woman charged in connection with theft of $250K from Fort Pitt Block House fund
A Pine woman who served as treasurer for the organization overseeing the historic Fort Pitt Block House is accused of embezzling more than half of the $500,000 the nonprofit organization had in its coffers to preserve Pittsburgh’s oldest building. An Allegheny County Police detective on Thursday charged Rebecca Catherine Stein,...
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in McCandless hosts food festival Aug. 31-Sept. 3
Souvlaki, soutzoukakia, or spanakopita may be hard to say, but certainly are good to eat. These and other traditional Greek foods will be at the 2023 Taste of Greece Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church in McCandless, Aug. 31 to Sept. 3. The annual Greek food festival is open...
1 dead after hit-and-run crash on Parkway West; suspect identified
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the Washington County man killed just before midnight Wednesday in a hit-and-run crash on the Parkway West as Husam Raji Shuibat. A vehicle hit Shuibat, 53, in the area of mile marker 67 near Green Tree and drove away, police said. The medical...
Plum youth football players get VIP treatment at Steelers training camp
Alex Highsmith is typically gracious with his time when it comes to signing autographs or mingling with Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Thursday, though, Highsmith went overtime, making the rare double-back for a second extended period of autograph-signing at Saint Vincent College. After all, this group of young fans was different. About...
Penn Hills School District superintendent to retire in October
Penn Hills Superintendent Nancy Hines is calling it a career after more than 25 years in public education. A search is underway for her replacement. Her last day is scheduled for Oct. 1. “It just feels right,” Hines said. “It feels like the district is stable. I think the energy...
6th victim dies from Plum house explosion
For four days, Paul Oravitz fought for his life in the UPMC Mercy burn unit as the Rustic Ridge community prayed. On Wednesday, his fight ended. Oravitz died as a result of injuries suffered in a house explosion Saturday in his home in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood of Plum. He...
Remembering borough manager who died in explosion: Michael Thomas was ‘a Plum guy through and through’
Andy Zarroli got to know Michael Thomas first as a friend, and then as Plum’s borough manager. And their friendship overcame the fact that Zarroli, 56, is from Philadelphia and Thomas, 57, grew up in Pittsburgh’s Morningside neighborhood. “Mike was a friend of mine. He was a close friend of...
Safety tips on natural gas usage and home inspections
Keeping a home fueled by natural gas safe is pretty simple, said Dennis Caveglia, who has operated Valley Plumbing & Heating in his native Leechburg for 40 years. Caveglia, like many working with natural gas, wouldn’t hypothesize about what caused the Plum house explosion Saturday morning that killed six people...
Plum girls organize separate charity events to help victims after house explosion
A pint-sized Plum Area School District student put her grief to good use Saturday with an on-the-spot charity event to raise money for victims of the house explosion in Plum. Emmy Halasowski, 7, was understandably shaken and scared Saturday as events unfolded after the deadly explosion on Rustic Ridge Drive...
Rustic Ridge community gathers in 2 places to honor the lives lost in house explosion
Teresa Champion-Feigel and her husband, Tim, walk on the weekends in the neighborhood of Rustic Ridge in Plum. On Saturday, she said she didn’t feel like walking. Her husband suggested they go to the nearby park — Ridge Top Park. “We were walking, and that’s when we heard the explosion,”...
For one afternoon, Rustic Ridge kids put horrific explosion out of their minds
The corner lot of 154 Rustic Ridge Drive in Plum on Tuesday turned into a therapeutic group session for dozens of kids in the neighborhood — even if they didn’t know it. At least two dozen kids of all ages, from toddler to teen, gathered in the driveway and backyard...
Veto override withdrawn for Allegheny County property assessment bill
After a series of successful efforts overriding Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s veto, another veto override was withdrawn Tuesday. Allegheny County Council passed a bill in July to establish a new chief assessment officer appointed by council that would render calculations each year of the county’s property tax ratios. That...
Remembering devoted mom who died in Plum explosion: Heather Oravitz was ‘a special wife’
Lindsay and Fran Sciullo thought so highly of Heather and Paul Oravitz that they entrusted to the Oravitzes’ daughter what was most precious to them — their two sons. Taylor Oravitz would babysit the Sciullo boys, Maddox and Brady, when Lindsay and her husband, Fran — educators in the Plum...
Man charged in connection with rape in McKeesport apartment complex
A Wilkinsburg man accused of raping a woman in the hallway of a McKeesport apartment complex is headed to Common Pleas court. McKeesport police charged Ian Eric Payne, 34, with rape, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault without consent, and indecent assault/forcible compulsion in July, court records show. Those charges were...
Natural gas leaks found in Plum’s Regency Park neighborhood following fatal Rustic Ridge blast
Following a fatal explosion that investigators say may have been fueled by natural gas in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood, two natural gas leaks have been found in another borough neighborhood. Leaks were reported in the area of Crestview and Mower drives, and on Kathy Lynn Drive in Plum’s Regency Park...
Hot water tank a focus of investigation into Plum house explosion; victims’ remains released to families
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed it is investigating the possibility that complications with a hot water tank contributed to a house explosion in Plum over the weekend. That was the first public confirmation from officials about a possible origin of the blast Saturday morning that killed five people,...
Kennywood’s classic Turtle ride to shut down for rebuild
There are only a few days left to ride The Turtle at Kennywood this season. Park officials said that after 96 years in operation, the ride’s center foundation needs to be replaced. The Turtle’s last day of the season will be Sunday. “It’s time,” said Gary Miller, the project manager....
‘Fishing for Keegan and Casey’ fundraiser to benefit family of Plum explosion victims
A Washington Township couple is hoping to help victims of Saturday’s house explosion in Plum by honoring one family’s love of fishing. Angela and Mike Blasko created a fundraiser in which one winner will land an all-expenses paid, full-day offshore fishing trip on Lake Erie on the Blasko’s charter fishing...
2 Plum officials among house explosion deaths, all 5 now identified
Plum Borough Manager Michael Thomas and Community Development Director Heather Oravitz were among the five people killed in a house explosion Saturday, Mayor Harry Schlegel confirmed Monday. Thomas was 57. Oravitz was 51. The other victims, all identified through their families, were Casey Clontz, 38, and his son, Keegan, 12,...
Community gathers for vigil honoring house explosion victims in Plum
The power of prayer united strangers and friends Monday during a daylong candlelight vigil to honor the victims of the house explosion Saturday in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood. Holy Family Parish’s St. Januarius Church on Renton Road in Plum hosted the vigil from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. “We just...
Plum family recalls neighbor’s cry for help after blast
Beth Napoleon felt the force of the blast that obliterated her neighbor’s home directly across the street from hers in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood on Saturday. Worse, she heard her neighbor’s cry for help. “I was in-between things. I was just relaxing on the couch with one of my dogs...
