Carnegie Crafters: Fiber artists create together at library
Three years ago, I, like many of you, found myself feeling restless amid the isolation of the pandemic. I was an avid puzzler, and suddenly the shelves were empty, although I had my own stash. My mother, who crocheted often when I was younger alongside my aunt, expressed that she...
Springdale High School to establish Mabel C. Pratt scholarship fund after late music teacher
An Alle-Kiski Valley music teacher’s legacy will be remembered now in the form of scholarships. Allegheny Valley school directors on Tuesday accepted a distribution from the estate of Mabel C. Pratt for $10,000 to create the Mabel C. Pratt Music-Arts Scholarship Fund. The move is in accordance with Pratt’s will....
Springdale formally joins Riverview in 3 sports
Springdale and Riverview will put the rivalry aside — at least in three sports. The Allegheny Valley School Board on Tuesday gave final approval to a cooperative agreement that allows the schools to have partnerships in wrestling, softball and golf. Board member Paula Moretti said the schools have had an...
Hampton Township School District earns award for financial reporting
For the 20th consecutive year, Hampton Township School District received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. The Government Finance Officers Association, which represents officials throughout the United States and Canada, established the award in 1945. Only about seven to 10 schools districts in Pennsylvania that choose to...
Beaver County DA names new suspect in 2018 Aliquippa killing
More than five years after Rachael DelTondo was gunned down in the driveway of her mother’s Aliquippa home, the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office has named a new suspect in the case. Tribune-Review news partner WTAE-TV reported that District Attorney David Lozier named Sheldon Jeter, 25, as the prime suspect...
Westmoreland happenings: Back-to-school bash, ancestry day, music concerts, more
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking should be emailed to cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks prior to the event. Each announcement is printed once; there is no fee. Art • Local artists are invited to a open air...
Peoples restores Rustic Ridge natural gas serviceVideo
Workers from Peoples natural gas purged gas lines Wednesday in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood in preparation for restoring gas service to residents there. According to the borough, the work took place along Rustic Ridge and Brookside drives and Timberwood Court. Peoples spokesman Nick Paradise said purging the lines is part...
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...
Morning Roundup: 1 killed, 3 hospitalized in Butler County crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Aug. 16: 1 killed, 3 hospitalized in Butler County crash State police are investigating after one person was killed and three other people were injured Tuesday in a head-on crash in Butler County’s Oakland Township. Tribune-Review news partner...
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...
The Stroller, Aug. 16, 2023: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Annual Riverbration planned in Kittanning The Kittanning Boat Races Riverbration event...
Westmoreland 250: 10 unique things in Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
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,”...
Doctor testifies Delmont child was victim of ongoing abuse, torture
Five-year-old Landon Maloberti suffered bruises over most of his body and massive brain bleeding and was the victim of torture at the hands of his adoptive mother and her husband, according to testimony Tuesday by a physician and child advocate. Dr. Michelle Clayton testified during a preliminary hearing for Lauren...
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...
Scott Township Pool celebrates Swimmer Appreciation Day
A dreary sky and strong chance of precipitation pushed back plans for Swimmer Appreciation Day at Scott Township Pool. Some activities did occur as scheduled on Aug. 7, but the main event ended up taking place some 48 hours later. “It turned out to be an awesome day. We’ve got...
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...
Blackthorne Estates residents weigh in on upcoming Penn Township golf course vote
Maureen Brusca and her husband hoped to retire on a golf course when they moved to Penn Township’s Blackthorne Estates community five years ago. Now, that dream is in jeopardy. The clubhouse for the community’s unfinished 18-hole golf course — Club at Blackthorne — has been closed to the community...
WESA adding news explainer show to its evening lineup
Pittsburgh’s local NPR news station has been in a state of flux recently and that continues with a new addition to the station’s evening, weekday programming lineup. 90.5 WESA announced Tuesday it is adding “Today, Explained,” an award-winning daily news explainer show produced by the Vox media company. The show,...
After months of speculation, Amazon says it will use New Stanton warehouse
Amazon ended months of speculation by acknowledging what many had suspected for close to two years: It will be using the 1 million-square-foot warehouse being built in New Stanton. The $120 million warehouse with the blue stripes on the exterior will be operated by Amazon, company spokesman Sam Fisher said...
‘Notorious Pittsburgh’: Book tells tales from city’s seedy underbelly
A man of questionable business practices fishes in his pocket for the key to his Cadillac, which is parked in a dark alley. He probably hears the sound of approaching shoes as he attempts to enter the car. Soon, he is mortally wounded by four gunshots to the chest, shoulder...
$35,000 in gear ruined in fighting Irwin fire
A fire that destroyed an Irwin house in June also cost the Irwin fire department more than $35,000 in damaged equipment, an Irwin fire official said. Irwin Councilman Shawn Stitely, who is the deputy fire chief in Irwin Volunteer Fire Department, told council last week that the fire department lost...
State Rep. Rob Mercuri announces run for Congress in 17th District
Two-term state Rep. Rob Mercuri, R-Pine, is hoping to flip a congressional seat that covers many Pittsburgh suburbs. Mercuri announced Tuesday his run for Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District, which includes all of Beaver County, as well as suburban communities in Allegheny County’s North Hills, Allegheny Valley, and several boroughs just...
Hit-and-run victim found in middle of Oakland road identified
James Jerry Vas-Patterson, 23, was the fatal hit-and-run victim found dead Sunday night in Oakland, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office announced Tuesday. Vas-Patterson, whose home address is unknown, was found by Pittsburgh police officers just before 10 p.m. in the middle of the road in the 2300 block of...
